The Creation, Care, and Feeding of a Jazz Band Chart
We’re fortunate to have a terrific non-profit in town, JazzFresno, that sponsors a lot of great events and programs. One of these is Jazz at the Library, a monthly performance/lecture presentation that features many outstanding performers from across the country, along with a lot of local jazz performers. Here is a recent presentation I did for the series. It’s called under the hood, and it is a look into the creative mind and processes of a jazz composer. Where does the original idea come from? How does a composer decide on the form and structure of a piece, and what instruments or sections to feature? If it’s an arrangement of a standard, how does one decide which standard to select, and what style to arrange it in.
This is what we explored in this performance/lecture, and I was so fortunate to have the FCC Jazz Composers Orchestra there to demonstrate, for a standing room only audience. The charts you’ll hear include many of my most popular titles:
- Hardly
- True North
- Song of Orpheus
- Shenandoah
- Bad Dog!
- Poinciana
- Beware The Moose In Love
- El Mercador de Groove
I hope you’ll take some time to check this out…AND, please like and subscribe to JazzFresno! They’re doing fantastic work!