[Dixielandjazz] Horn Parts and Rags

[Kit Johnson]

This has been an interesting and slightly surprising thread to me. My group
has long incorporated rags arranged for the full ensemble or various combos
into our programs. In my corner of the U.S. there are several other bands
that do the same: Evergreen and Uptown Lowdown immediately come to mind. 

We issued a recording a couple of years ago called Ragtime Revelry that
includes quite a few but have also included at least a couple on each of our
jazz and gospel recordings as well.

As one of the arrangers in Black Swan, I find the piano lines don't always
lend themselves to a comfortable horn line (especially for the brass) and
that creates the biggest challenge to overcome. A couple of ways we have
found to successfully deal with that challenge include:

1)	shift octaves when necessary;
2)	switch lead instruments frequently to match natural registers and
avoid wearing out the trumpet player;
3)	"dumb down" the piano part to make it fit the assigned instrument
more comfortably (obviously trying to retain the spirit and nature of the
piece);
4)	change the key to fit the ensemble;
5)	use the piano frequently - the juxtaposition of the piano against
various lead instruments creates nice orchestration effects IMHO.

There is a relatively small but quite rabid group of fans of ensemble rags.
They make great dance tunes, are intellectually stimulating, generally force
you to keep your reading shops sharp, and provide yet another "trick in your
bag". Several of the west coast festivals use us specifically because we can
provide that style. 

Cheers,

Kit W. Johnson
BLACK SWAN CLASSIC JAZZ BAND
503-292-7673
kit at bscjb.com 
www.bscjb.com