Double Bass Possible Names for a Community-Based Original Jazz Book

[PauFerro]

Let me know if/when you are taking submissions I'll let my pianist know about it. Also, how difficult should these tunes be?

My opinion is that they should be the kind of tunes that a competent jazz group can play with little or no rehearsal. The goal is to put music out there local musicians want to play. that are good tunes, and that don't require royalties. I often get charts plopped down in front of me on certain gigs, and just have to play them. So if there are a lot of nuances, time changes, feel changes, and stuff you kind of need to listen to, orchestrated parts to fill in the blanks, people don't call them. See my post above about the Pat Metheny Real Book....

I'll let you know when ready to take submissions. People have already been sending me stuff, but I do need to get the licensing ducks in order so people know what they are giving up. Coming off a wicked cold, wedding reception for my daughter, and family down these last couple weeks and only feeling myself, barely today. Really enjoying the discussion though.

 

[Drgonzonm]

My opinion is that they should be the kind of tunes that a competent jazz group can play with little or no rehearsal. The goal is to put music out there local musicians want to play. that are good tunes, and that don't require royalties. I often get charts plopped down in front of me on certain gigs, and just have to play them. So if there are a lot of nuances, time changes, feel changes, and stuff you kind of need to listen to, orchestrated parts to fill in the blanks, people don't call them. See my post above about the Pat Metheny Real Book....

I'll let you know when ready to take submissions. People have already been sending me stuff, but I do need to get the licensing ducks in order so people know what they are giving up. Coming off a wicked cold, wedding reception for my daughter, and family down these last couple weeks and only feeling myself, barely today. Really enjoying the discussion though.

I wonder if you can't use something like the photography release.

 

[PauFerro]

We called the outfit Jazz and Pie. Carlos B Jones on drums, who's now working mainly country gigs; me on bass, not doing much at all now; Steve Annibale on trumpet, now doing restaurant singles, playing horn over his keyboard; Jesse Pursely on bone, raising his young family in a hut in Mexico someplace and not playing at all; Dave Russell on tenor is still working pretty often in a restaurant quartet and doing big band for free; and co-writer Matt Jackson on piano, who died in '16, way too soon.

Since I last posted I've been running Gone Cat through my head with variations. It's got Latin possibilities, and I think it could kill as funk. It would be hard to squeeze down to trio, but I can imagine a single-soloist version. Bear in mind that these guys were working from pretty basic charts just covering the harmony, the expression is all theirs. I also have a big-band arrangement.

As a counter-example, take a look at Sue's Changes. Would that make the cut, you think?

Nice to hear about where the musicians ended up....music really is a part-time love for many of us, isn't it.

I think it might be easier to assess the tune if there was a chart for it. That way people can play through it in their head, if you know what I mean, without all the colors and articulation and slides and multi-instrumentation. The chart helps you envision what it would sound like if you made it your own....

Also, not sure what you mean by Sue's changes -- I don't see that post unless I'm missing something. Feel free to post it!

I do think it shows the importance of having some kind of recording and a chart when there is a submission. I think it needs to be easy for the musician to decide if they want to play the tune, so having the chart to assess complexity of changes, and a recording to get to the music fast, would help.

When I looked over "The New Standards" a book by today's to-of-scene musicians, they had some recordings but they were like Amazon clippings where you sometimes end up in the middle of a solo. So you don't get the essence of the song -- the head. That made it hard to for me to determine which songs had legs for my own group. Taken with an easy to get chart, the recording/chart combination is something I think is good for composers to submit....

 

[Steven Ayres]

... not sure what you mean by Sue's changes

Referring to the Mingus composition "Sue's Changes," as an example of a relatively complex chart. We picked this up for trio from one of the Real Books, and later built it up for sextet and won our combo division with it at Reno in '12.

 

[Steven Ayres]

I agree that using 'new' can be a ticket to instant obsolescence, but I think the book title should clearly identify the compositions as new and embedded in the 21st century -- that, after all, is the purpose and main selling point. 'Alternative' as a genre, while obviously drawn from cynical marketing to an extent, has managed to hold on as an identifier for quite a while. How about something like The Alt:Jazz Book?

 

[PauFerro]

Referring to the Mingus composition "Sue's Changes," as an example of a relatively complex chart. We picked this up for trio from one of the Real Books, and later built it up for sextet and won our combo division with it at Reno in '12.

Sorry this took a while. Been sick and feeling better today....

I listened to this about three times in detail, following along with the chart. I'd include this one in public domain book if it was written by someone who would give up the print royalties and certain public performance rights. It does have some feel changes, but I think there needs to be something for everyone in a book like the one we are talking about. I also bounced the tune off the professional arranger I am working with, and he said he found it interesting. I think the melody is memorable and the song has some interesting changes in feel to it. I wouldn't consider it a typical song, but one I think has enough character to be included in such a book as the one we are discussing. Now, it's not a "today's original" in that Charles Mingus wrote it, so it's probably not one we could get permission to use, but as an example/test case to consider, it has value. Chord changes every two beats aren't a big issue really. I found the local guys I played with balked at some of the changes in the Real Christmas Book when they were changing every quarter note beat. I also found that a bit much. But once every two beats, no biggie on average.

Hope that answers your question Steve?

 

[Steven Ayres]

Hope that answers your question Steve?

Indeed, and I feel the same way about it, more or less: it's not a piece for every player or gig, but it's rewarding if you're willing to bite into it. I can say from experience that it requires rehearsal, particularly the transitions between movements. As an editor, I would include pieces that are similarly challenging.

Mingus: Sue's Changes

 

[PauFerro]

Indeed, and I feel the same way about it, more or less: it's not a piece for every player or gig, but it's rewarding if you're willing to bite into it. I can say from experience that it requires rehearsal, particularly the transitions between movements. As an editor, I would include pieces that are similarly challenging.

Mingus: Sue's Changes

Yeah - I'm conscious of my biases, but have played with enough musicians to know they get tired of simple pieces and sometimes want to just rehearse.

And when you have a music festival to do, where all eyes are on the band, there is a tendency for the musicians to want to tackle more difficult pieces. There is also a greater willingness to rehearse for those situations. A good book would speak to those needs, I think.