[Dixielandjazz] Jazz goes to College --- High School and CollegeMusic Students

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

A few years ago I had the occasion to compare two styles of teaching.  One
was at a college prep Jesuit school.  Their jazz band had the tightest
section work out of a HS that I had ever heard and at the same time the most
pitiful solos you could imagine.  These were all college prep kids.  The
second school also a Catholic HS had a Jazzer for a band director.  (Joe
Bosie)  Joe plays Vibes and Trumpet very well. Their section work was really
not up to snuff but the solos were magnificent.  The young guy that played
tenor (Mike Fernandez) later joined the AF band with me and eventually blew
me away.  What a talent.  Band directors have a lot of influence on their
kids.

I think that the only way that you can learn jazz is by doing it and I think
that the 5 piece group is optimum.  The reason I say that is with two horns
you learn to make arrangements on the fly and you learn how to harmonize and
play background against the melody.

I think that being able to make arrangements on the fly is every bit as
important as being able to improvise well.  The only way that a young person
can learn how is by doing it.  I play with some pretty good musicians that
don't have a clue in this area.

Larry Walton
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles Suhor" <csuhor at zebra.net>
To: "LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing" <sign.guy at charter.net>
Cc: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>; <Vaxtrpts at aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 2:20 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Jazz goes to College --- High School and
CollegeMusic Students


> On May 21, 2005, at 1:22 PM, LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing
> wrote:
>
> > I think your suggestion to buy a few CD's is a great one.  Unguided,
> > what is
> > the student supposed to listen to?
>
> > ...So you have 18 piece
> > big bands with intermittent solos for about three or four of the
> > players.
> > Even the soloists really don't get that many solos in a session.  Even
> > the
> > best big band can't teach Jazz very well. (how many solos does the 4th
> > trombone or Bari sax get?
>
> Yes, requiring informal reviews of several CDs a semester would be a
> great way to expand the listening expeirences of high school students.
>
> Re the solo problem, I agree that it's inherent in school programs that
> feature crisp big band work without offering soloing in combo settings.
> It used to bug me in college when players who couldn't fake "Blue
> Moon," much less jam a chorus, acted the super-hip jazzer role because
> they were adequate section players--then they'd turn around and put
> down pre-swing styles and players.
>
> My brother Don got hired for all kinds of gigs. When he played sax with
> a very good big band, I'd ask him how it went. He'd invariably say
> something like, "Oh, it was fine, good charts and all, but you know how
> it is, you really don't get to PLAY."
>
> Charlie Suhor
>