Jaco Pastorius big band charts?

Norwegianwood · #1 02-06-2005, 12:07 PM

Good evening.

Me and some friends are getting together a Big Band this summer. And I really would like to play some Jaco-compositions, like Three Views of a Secret, Liberty City, Domingo....
Do you know if there are any good arrangements or transcriptions of those?
And before you dare say it; no I'm not much of an arranger myself

Bruce Lindfield · #2 02-07-2005, 02:05 AM

Well if none of you are good arrangers - then you are going to have big problems setting up a big band! Most big bands rely on there being at least one, but preferably several people in the band who can write arrangments.

So the big band I've been in the last few years has searched for ready-made, arranged tunes - but they are very few and far between and can be very expensive to buy!

So - there were 3 or 4 people in the band who had composition/score writing software and printed out parts for the horn arrangements they had made up themselves from transcribing or working out - sometimes with help from things like Real Books, as a starting point.

But generally - I think you need somebody in the band who can customise to suit what "forces" you have. I mean there's no point in buying expensive parts which are written for three trumpets - if you only have 2 Saxes and 2 trombones!!

Bruce Lindfield · #3 02-07-2005, 02:09 AM

PS - I've seen a few arrangements of "The Chicken" for big band - on sale on the net.

There was a pretty expensive, British one...but try this for a cheaper one :

http://www.ejazzlines.com/store.cfm?...4111&do=detail

Norwegianwood · #4 02-07-2005, 09:51 AM

Yeah, I hear you.
But we have lots of arrangements that we have been using. We have a pretty standard bigband setup, you see. And if it's needed we can also re-write some parts. I usually does that. But I don't have the time/skills to arrange a full song.
So if you see some charts - please shout it out loud

The Chicken, however, is a song I should manage to arrange out myself. Thanks anyway, though!

paintandsk8 · #5 02-07-2005, 08:02 PM

Well i don't know about where to find good jaco arrangements, but if you are looking for other good big band charts, I have to recommend Bob Curnow. I love his stuff, His big band charts for the "the music of pat metheny and lyle mays" are amazing. I like them better than the originals.

paintandsk8 · #6 02-07-2005, 08:05 PM

Oh yeah, you probably have it, but if you at least want to to hear some good arrangements of Jaco's stuff for big band, check out the word of mouth revisited cd. That should at least give you starting place if you have to resort to arranging on your own. That CD blows me away.

Norwegianwood · #7 02-08-2005, 01:46 AM

Yeah, and his birthday cd as well.

33degrees · #8 06-11-2005, 06:24 AM

Quote:

The Chicken, however, is a song I should manage to arrange out myself. Thanks anyway, though!

try listening to Jaco's arrangement on 'Invitation' , i think you'll find that you need experience with arranging before you can even come close to something like that, re-read Bruce Lindfield advice, he's not talking crap!

Norwegianwood · #9 06-11-2005, 08:15 AM

Yeah, well we have bought it now

We have gotten alot of money in support from the state, so we have bought a lot of cool arrangements. (Not Jaco, though.) I have arranging as a course at school, and I have done quite a bit for the school orchestra. I'm not very good, though, and my main problem is that I'm way to slow.
Next year, hovewer, I will be totally devoted to playing and arranging 24/7. So I'll come back to you in a year or so