Procrastination Nighmare!

[saxymanzach]

Well,
My new tentet that I am starting out of my High school is starting next Wed.
So far, we have all of the chairs filled and a catchy name...but no charts. I was supposed to write some but the rehearsal is in less than a week. I have been caught up in school work and stuff, not that that's a bad thing.

So, what do I do? I could maybe write 1 short one, but thats not enough to fill up a whole rehersal. Do I postpone the rehearsal untill next week? Any advice will help.
THANKS!

[paulwl]

Charts? Who needs charts. You can get together some Heads! It's been done since forever and is a great way to learn to think creatively as an ensemble.

Have the rhythm play blues, or Rhythm changes, or something everyone knows.
Throw the horns a riff to play over the changes. Then maybe another one, or harmonize the first one.
Keep doing this until you have a few choruses of ensemble that you like.
Then let everyone loose on solos.
When you have a routine down, write a roadmap. That's a sheet that says who's playing what choruses, intros, solos, interludes, etc. - whatever you dream up.

Try it. Have fun...

[saxymanzach]

I suppose that would be in the spirit of the music we are playing...Jazz.

[Razzy]

It's nice to work on some professional arrangements, too. The dean at my school and the director of the 10-tet I play in have both done some wonderful arranging for the group. For the latter's work check out evansolot.com. These are high level studio quality players so I'm not sure if our charts are out of your league or not, but I can point you in the direction of some good arrangements if you'd like. They could also be an inspiration to start writing your own stuff for the group. In the meantime, though, follow the above suggestions.

[saxymanzach]

Well....
thank you both. In the future, when I try to start something like this I will definitely try this.
However, due to unforseen circumstanes (poor planning on my part), the whole band evaporated even before the forst rehearsal. Oh, well. I was able to salvage my plan b from the wreckage, my rhythm section and a bone player. Much easier to work with.

THANKS!

[playitfunky]

theres some good fake books out there. Get the real book they have all the heads and tag lines wrote out, make up your own arrangement, throw solos in etc and you are good to go. Never call off rehearsal!!!!!! Thats my opinion. Nothing will ever come from not rehearsing.

[saxymanzach]

I never did call off rehearsal, I had nothing to rehearse with.

[playitfunky]

you will run into that when playing music. Lots of people talk it up, but when can't work it up. Hang in there and you will for sure.