Christine wrote: Quote:
I did notice on thing: almost all the trumpeters there come in one of two categories: "screamers" and "how many different valve combinations can you press in a given amount of time". In my very humble opinion, the screamers are great... for about 15 minutes after which it gets kinda old. The fast valve stuff, flying up and down the scales at 100 mph in a jazz setting just isn't my thing. Whatever happened to the lyrical stuff?
...I guess this is modern trumpet playing: I can either play higher than you or faster than you. Am I the only one who misses the likes of Harry James or Herb Alpert?
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Christine,
I could not agree with you more!
I do not like the way big band has shifted, they have everybody playing as high as they can. This seems to be what kids think trumpet playing is all about.
One of the reasons I like our swing band so much is that we play transcriptions of the great bands of the 30's & 40's. Harry James, Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Chicl Webb, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, etc. The se bands played very lyrically and the soloists all played melodic solos. Very little screaming. The highest notes I have to play are G's and there are very few of those. A lot of F's though.
We had a fellow playing the jazz book, (2nd trumpet, out of three books) He wanted to be Maynard. At the end of every tune, he found it neccesary to "cap" me. Whatever note I played as lead, he would go above it. We finally told him stop or you're out. We fired him. We have a guy now, who is a very young 63, with tons of taste. Bill Hart, he played with the Dorsey band under Sam Donohue. He can and does play very lyrically, so much so that I really have to pay attention during his solos or I will miss my entrances. It is a plaesure to play with someone who knows how to play to the style of the music.
Anyway, I agree with you, LEARN to p;ay MUSIC!
-cw-