On Friday, February 29, 2008, I performed at the Brooks Center with the Clemson University Jazz Ensemble for the annual “Jungaleers” Reunion Concert. This has been my first semester serving as the guitar player for the Jazz Ensemble so I was understandably a little nervous for my first Brooks Center concert with them. The ensemble is fairly advanced, and harbors some of the best musical talent that the Clemson student body has to offer. Under the direction of Dr. Brian Sproul, our large repertoire covers a wide variety of jazz styles and big band music, ranging from swing to contemporary. Our 20 piece band consists of five saxophones, five trombones, five trumpets, and a rhythm section that includes piano, bass, drum set, auxiliary percussion, and guitar. Recently, we have also added a female vocalist who sings on a few select songs. My job, as the guitarist, is to add depth to the rhythm section by playing rhythm guitar and take solos when the piece calls for one. I look at our rhythm section as the backbone of the band, mostly due to our ability to lay down a solid foundation for the other instruments to layer on top of. The rhythm section, in my opinion, is the most important part of any big band and was certainly a large factor in the success of the night’s performance.
As a guitar player, my role is to be a part of the rhythm section. In a big band setting, the guitar generally takes a backseat position and is often shut out by the piano and saxophone section. Many big band arrangers don’t even write parts for guitar since it shares the same tonic range as the piano. The two instruments playing simultaneously in a big band can often lead to harmonic disaster. The best big band guitarists play very conservatively, making proactive effort to not step on anyone else’s feet. I feel that jazz guitar legend Freddie Green put it best by stating, “Rhythm guitar is like vanilla extract in cake. You can't taste it when it's there, but you know when it's left out.” Since hearing that quote a few months ago for the first time, I regularly say it myself before big band rehearsals and late night jam sessions.
We opened the evening with the George Gershwin standard, Summertime. The arrangement we perform, from Bill Potts, is played very fast compared to the original recorded version most people are familiar with. This hard swinging tune was followed by Black Orpheus, a Latin-infused bossa that always wins over the crowd. After playing a few more modern arrangements, we ended the first set with Charlie Mingus’ Moanin’, which features a sultry baritone sax solo for the introduction and during the solos section.
The second set was a completely new experience for most of us because we were joined by the “Jungaleers.” The Jungaleers are a musical group of Clemson Alumni who graduated from the university when big band music was actually considered “popular.” The older musicians make the trip to Clemson once a year, usually in decreasing numbers, specifically to play in this concert. Despite their age, the Jungaleers are a fun group of guys who make generous donations several times a year to keep Clemson’s music program afloat. It is very gratifying to share the stage with them knowing it this is the only thing these ask for in return for their generosity.
For the second set, with the geriatric Jungaleers joining use on stage, we played a very traditional, swing style set. We hit all the popular standards that made big band music famous. My personal favorite was Moonlight in Vermont, a song written by John Blackburn that has been recorded by artists such as Elle Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Nat King Cole, and Ray Charles. The arrangement we play of it is very slow and stays true to its original version. We then followed that with a few blues standards in F, Bb, and E which gave a chance for a lot of us to take solos. One of the old guys later got up to say a few things about the Clemson music program.
For the encore, which concluded the evening, we played an exciting arrangement of the cliché, but highly requested, In the Mood, a song written and performed by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. This famous standard earned us a standing ovation from the entire audience which was more than appreciated. The night was and overall success and everyone onstage, as well as in the audience, seemed to enjoy themselves.
As a guitar player, my role is to be a part of the rhythm section. In a big band setting, the guitar generally takes a backseat position and is often shut out by the piano and saxophone section. Many big band arrangers don’t even write parts for guitar since it shares the same tonic range as the piano. The two instruments playing simultaneously in a big band can often lead to harmonic disaster. The best big band guitarists play very conservatively, making proactive effort to not step on anyone else’s feet. I feel that jazz guitar legend Freddie Green put it best by stating, “Rhythm guitar is like vanilla extract in cake. You can't taste it when it's there, but you know when it's left out.” Since hearing that quote a few months ago for the first time, I regularly say it myself before big band rehearsals and late night jam sessions.
We opened the evening with the George Gershwin standard, Summertime. The arrangement we perform, from Bill Potts, is played very fast compared to the original recorded version most people are familiar with. This hard swinging tune was followed by Black Orpheus, a Latin-infused bossa that always wins over the crowd. After playing a few more modern arrangements, we ended the first set with Charlie Mingus’ Moanin’, which features a sultry baritone sax solo for the introduction and during the solos section.
The second set was a completely new experience for most of us because we were joined by the “Jungaleers.” The Jungaleers are a musical group of Clemson Alumni who graduated from the university when big band music was actually considered “popular.” The older musicians make the trip to Clemson once a year, usually in decreasing numbers, specifically to play in this concert. Despite their age, the Jungaleers are a fun group of guys who make generous donations several times a year to keep Clemson’s music program afloat. It is very gratifying to share the stage with them knowing it this is the only thing these ask for in return for their generosity.
For the second set, with the geriatric Jungaleers joining use on stage, we played a very traditional, swing style set. We hit all the popular standards that made big band music famous. My personal favorite was Moonlight in Vermont, a song written by John Blackburn that has been recorded by artists such as Elle Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Nat King Cole, and Ray Charles. The arrangement we play of it is very slow and stays true to its original version. We then followed that with a few blues standards in F, Bb, and E which gave a chance for a lot of us to take solos. One of the old guys later got up to say a few things about the Clemson music program.
For the encore, which concluded the evening, we played an exciting arrangement of the cliché, but highly requested, In the Mood, a song written and performed by the Glenn Miller Orchestra. This famous standard earned us a standing ovation from the entire audience which was more than appreciated. The night was and overall success and everyone onstage, as well as in the audience, seemed to enjoy themselves.
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