[Dixielandjazz] Two horn ensemble

[Ministry of Jazz]

Ken,

A typical line up for my Doctor Jazz band in Israel, when we are not playing
with all 5 players, is me doubling on trumpet, tuba and vocals, a banjo for
rhythm and chords, a washboard or other light percussion, and the second
horn player is either on clarinet or trombone. So we have learned to
compensate for the tuba dropping in and out when I sing or play trumpet, and
when on trumpet, the dialog with the second horn is an adventure. We try to
avoid long solos on any one instrument. Instead, we'll give breaks to the
various players to give them a chance to show off a little, or we'll trade
4's or 8's between the 2 lead horns, or actually that works between any 2 of
the instruments. We've done some nice dialogs between trumpet or tuba and
washboard. When not singing, we make the effort to keep the ensemble going
as much as possible. Listening to one another is the key to playing
successfully off one another. To tell you the truth, I am not sure what we
do to compensate when the tuba drops out, for example. All I know is that we
have learned to do it so it doesn't leave a hole. The other players get
quieter, and usually I follow tuba with a vocal, and then something on
trumpet. We just make sure there is enough going on at any given time that
the music doesn't sound empty.

Good luck,

Elazar
Dr. Jazz Dixieland Band
Tekiya Trumpet Ensemble
Jerusalem, Israel
www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
+972-2-679-2537


-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Gates [mailto:kwg28 at sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 7:30 PM
To: Dixieland Jazz
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Two horn ensemble

In a two horn front line, ensemble passages take a different form----looking
to see if you experienced musicians think I'm on the right track----------