time to start looking at audition pieces

[fr0me0]

ok so here are the rules

1.A medium tempo Blues selection.
Play melody and 2 improvised choruses.

2.An up - tempo "Rhythm Changes" selection.
Play melody and 2 improvised choruses

2.A Jazz standard of your choice
Play melody and 2 improvised choruses
Rhythm section players must “comp” for a soloist.


can you give me some suggestions at pieces to start looking at? I emailed the director to ask him how melody intensive the pieces need to be in order to qualify but in the meantime any suggestions help. I really don't want to get disqualified by pickign inappropriate pieces so suggestions from vets. would be much appreciated.

thanks


Fraser

[BassChuck]

You'll get a lot of different suggestions here. Here are mine.

For the Blues if you have to use a standard song with a melody you might look into "St. James Infirmary". But if it's just comping and doing some improv over Blues changes, be prepared to use changes other than I IV and V. For istance,

I |IV |I |I7 |IV |IV |I |VI |ii |V7 |I iii |ii V7 |

There are tons of variations and subsitutions. Levine's Jazz Book and Abersold books are a goldmine of information. You should have those books before your audtion. Any jazz teacher in college will ask to see what you have read/studied.

For "Rhythm Changes" of course "I've Got Rhythm" comes to mind first, but if you'd rather, "Salt Peanuts" is a fun tune, "Lester Leaps In" is a good standard..... the Levine book has a long list (and of course you're getting that book, aren't you?)

For the "jazz standard", there are so many choices that are good that it makes the head spin. "Autumn Leaves" is always a good choice. Or you might want to try something that shows a different style. "Blue Bossa" is probably a good choice. Again, the Levine book is full of very fine suggestions.

Good luck!

[fr0me0]

hey thanks for the info man! I'm going to check out those books after I get off work.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Originally Posted by fr0me0

ok so here are the rules

1.A medium tempo Blues selection.
Play melody and 2 improvised choruses.

2.An up - tempo "Rhythm Changes" selection.
Play melody and 2 improvised choruses

2.A Jazz standard of your choice
Play melody and 2 improvised choruses
Rhythm section players must “comp” for a soloist.


can you give me some suggestions at pieces to start looking at? I emailed the director to ask him how melody intensive the pieces need to be in order to qualify but in the meantime any suggestions help. I really don't want to get disqualified by pickign inappropriate pieces so suggestions from vets. would be much appreciated.

thanks


Fraser

Some standard ones that they like at auditions...

1. Billie's Bounce
2. Anthropology
3. Confirmation / Stella / Autom Leaves / Wave /...


Yeah, its mostly Charlie Parker, but for a jazz audion... These tunes in their basic form will display an understandin of chord changes and if you can, put in some substitutions...

you need to make sure you are not going out of some of the "Real Book" transcriptions because alot of them have the wrong changes etc... they work, but they are not the pure changes...

I think I used those same three when I auditioned for Berklee college of music.... worked out pretty well if you know what i mean

[fr0me0]

sorry I'm a littel daft what do you mean by real book?

[stretchcat]

He's talking about the old "illegal" Real Book where some of the tunes aren't in the keys that most people play (Autumn Leaves for instance) and some of the changes are wrong (Dolphin Dance).

Look here:
http://www.shermusic.com/

and here:
www.aebersold.com

for plenty of material.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

The Jamie Aebersold play along books are GREAT! They are pretty much set up like an audtion... you can play the head to them have a few chourses to walk and solo on...

I used to have so many of those books... they are accurate...