[A Greene]

I'm going to be leaving in about 15 minutes to play a big band gig. This is a big band that's been playing a regular montly gig for 10 years. "A" List jazz players. Many of the guys have written arrangements for the group - very impressive.

Now I gig TONS in a wedding comercial setting but this is SIGHT READING Thad Jones and Matt Harris arrangements. Haven't been in this scene since college. Got called last week to sub. WOW!!!!!!!!!! It's all very exciting.

I bugged the music manager and got the 2nd tenor book and have worked through all the arranges (200 or so). I needed something like this to get FIRED-UP about playing. I'm hoping for the best.

Stay Calm - Read the TUNES - RELAX - THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK.

I'll write back later to night to share the adventure.

 

[RootyTootoot]

Good luck!

 

[CiaranAudio]

Dont suck!

 

[Agent27]

Feed ducks!

Sorry, it rhymed.

 

[RootyTootoot]

There is another rather obvious rhyme but i shouldn't think it's that kind of gig... :twisted:

 

[Carl H.]

Don't get dehydrated, but don't fill your bladder. Remember to relax and breath. Eat a little something before you leave, like a banana.

 

[A Greene]

Well - I'm Back.

I read like CRAZY. Very few mistakes. By working on reading difficult charts for 2 weeks, I developed a slick counting system that allowed me to read swing charts - even at insanely fast tempi.

NOW - Having worked on reading for 2 weeks I didn't bother doing my normal ii V drills. I figured 2nd tenor - no solos - It's all good.

Tune #1 - Tenor Solo.

Tune #3 - Tenor feature "A" Train - non standard key with breaks. So I'm sitting down and the guys are saying "Keep Playing" so they wanted more CRAP.

The worst thing I played was a SLOW blues in Ab (That's right Concert Ab)
Now I've been working on blues in all keys but Ab is just not natural for me. So I did the best I could and moved on. Give me a nice A or G Blues and STEP ASIDE but Ab not so good.

HORN ISSUES:

After the break I went back up - feeling confident. Played some tunes (Then the Ab Blues thing) Then all of a sudden my horn started feeling strange. 20 years with the same horn and it's never EVER acted up.

What happened was my fault. There's a pivot screw on the G# that has a tendency to loosen up as I play. So I usually use my finger nail and tighten it up. I thought "This is an important gig so I better tighten it with a screw driver." I guess the horn got cold during break and the screw - instead of loosening started to tighten. So the last 3 tunes I left out all the G#.

It was a great learning experience. Got $40 for a couple hours of playing and feel as though my sight-reading chops have taken a HUGE leap forward. Now back to working on the improvisation STARTING WITH Ab Blues.

Thanks for listen - Now everyone can go back you G.A.S. Attacks.

 

[cann0nba11]

$40 for a big band gig? damn.. that's awesome. I'm used to playing free rehearsal bands, sometimes I get $10 plus free beer. ;-)

 

[EZ]

My fingertips just got slippery while reading this.

Hats off to you.

 

[JL]

Great job on the sight reading. I doubt I could have pulled that part off, since I don't read very often. But the Ab blues is another thing. I actually really enjoy playing in that key on tenor (Bb on the tenor). I originally got to playing in Ab by playing Night Train, which kind of opened up that key for me. Play with it awhile and I bet you end up liking it.

 

[RootyTootoot]

Fab. I'm intrigued though about how they would come to be playing a tenor Ab/concert F# blues as part of normal rep for a big band. I mean, why bother?

 

[hgiles]

Inspirational. I wish I could read big band charts better. I remember playing second tenor in college Jazz Ensemble and the only reason that I was there was because I could half-way improvise. Couldn't read for crap -- still can't!

Good job!

 

[JL]

Fab. I'm intrigued though about how they would come to be playing a tenor Ab/concert F# blues as part of normal rep for a big band. I mean, why bother?

I believe he said it was in concert Ab (not F#). So it's Bb on the tenor. This is not so uncommon a key for the blues as you might think and it fits the tenor sax very nicely---you can really honk on that low Bb! Now, F# concert would be quite unusual.

 

[Agent27]

Inspirational. I wish I could read big band charts better. I remember playing second tenor in college Jazz Ensemble and the only reason that I was there was because I could half-way improvise. Couldn't read for crap -- still can't!

Good job!

Sight reading is hella important. Most of my gigs are sight reading.

 

[Carl H.]

Sight reading is hella important. Most of my gigs are sight reading.

Funny how some people aren't concerned with reading much. Most of my gigs are "reading" as well. Beethoven 5 and others are usually done in the standard key though, so it is not totally sight reading.

 

[hgiles]

Sight reading is hella important. Most of my gigs are sight reading.

I don't disagree with you, however, I haven't really been asked to site read anything since I started back playing.

I am in a Big Band for the holidays, so I am reading some of that stuff again. I need to practice it more...:|

 

[Carl H.]

I don't disagree with you, however, I haven't really been asked to site read anything since I started back playing.

|

Probably a mis-spelling, but this IS something I do. Get a call, go to the gig, get handed the music 5 minutes before the gig starts, play all night. Hopefully they inform you of what instrument(s) are needed before you get there.

If people find out you can do it, the phone will ring.

 

[Agent27]

I don't disagree with you, however, I haven't really been asked to site read anything since I started back playing.

I am in a Big Band for the holidays, so I am reading some of that stuff again. I need to practice it more...:|

The only way to do it is to do it. A lot of big bands don't rehearse. The musicians get paid so little anyway (1/18 of the pot) that it's really not financially worth it to rehearse. So you sightread your *** off and if the band gigs regularly, you learn the tunes on the stand.

I was lucky in college that sometimes the jazz department would hire out a little big band (9 piece). It'd be a mixture of the advanced jazz students and Austin pros. No rehearsal, just sightread a book. I got some good experience doing that. It's paid off because now I'm gigging with 9 piece swing band that is the exact same situation, only I'm playing tenor instead of lead alto.

PS - The good thing about the 9 piece big band is that it pays twice as much as the 18 piece big band.

 

[RootyTootoot]

I believe he said it was in concert Ab (not F#). So it's Bb on the tenor. This is not so uncommon a key for the blues as you might think and it fits the tenor sax very nicely---you can really honk on that low Bb! Now, F# concert would be quite unusual.

You're quite right of course. I misunderstood/misread. Concert Ab blues isn't too bad for tenor. Actually i'd take it over C blues because of the C# flat third and the low Bb.

 

[A Greene]

Bb Blues may be common if you play in Big Band Settings. But I've been playing in a guitar/commercial oriented bands for 15 years. The only time I play Bb or Eb blues is in the occasional big band gig. At least once a week, I work on Blues in all 12 keys but my REALLY COOL LICKS and SCREAMIN' STUFF is in Concert E, G, D, and F. I was hearing some pretty HIP stuff but just couldn't find it on my horn.

I spent an hour today tightening up the Bb blues (Concert Ab) so in 10 years when I get another call - I'll BE READY.