Just had my first jazz band concert

Anti-Product · #1 12-06-2007, 08:46 PM

Yea, so I'm in high school and we have a jazz band (we are pretty damn good, and that's not because I'm in it, there are some excellent players). Anyway I got in on the electric bass and we played our first show today. I played on one song while the upright bassist played on the other two, but I had a bass solo thing (playing a line by myself). Anyway, I don't quite know why I'm posting this, but I'm really happy right now and it was quite good..time to study for physics.

I guess, to foster to some discussion, how many of you guys play in jazz bands, professionally or on a high school level? How many of those have both an upright and electric bassist, or even just an electric bassist?
Yea, that's all I have.

will.i.am · #2 12-06-2007, 10:09 PM

Ah! Nice! =)
Well I uh... play the tenor saxophone but i have been playing bass for 4 years as well, can't read the bass clef quick enough. But this year i'm graduating from high school so i'll learn the bass then =)

We have about 4 electric bassists in our jazz band, haha. So what songs do you guys play? Right now, we have Give it all you got, Channel one suite, Fatbacks and greens, Since i fell for you. Have fun playing the bass! I know i regret not picking it! =P

rfclef · #3 12-07-2007, 12:45 AM

Well, Anti... I went to HS a couple hours from you in Martinsburg WV... We had a kickin' band program, and jazz was our bread n butter. We had total package... awesome saxes, and crazy trumpets... I was the bass bone player in them days....

These days I teach K-12 music... my HS jazz band in my current job had no bass player, so I started playing bass just over a year ago. So though I am 36 year old, I am playin gbass at the HS level...

Dave R · #4 12-07-2007, 01:52 AM

Not in HS, but many years ago I played with our college jazz band. They were desperate. I couldn't read music, just played by ear. Which is a lot harder with jazz than with pop/rock.

But I loved it. I learned to read charts, learned to read music (slowly) and it made me a much better player.

Oh, yeah, and I got to go with the BBall team to away games, and hang with the cheerleaders and stuff. It was a great life.

Later, the skills I developed there took me on a USO tour, and I made some good $$ (at the time) on that, and I did some studio work that got radio play and all.

So congrats! You're on a great ride!

Anti-Product · #5 12-07-2007, 02:13 PM

We played Hay Burner, Too Much of a Good Thing (by the director of the band, Andrew Neu), and Love Beams (that was the one I played one). We also have been working on another one of the director's charts.

FuryZ · #6 12-08-2007, 03:50 PM

I'm in the Jazz Band at my middle school. We're doing songs like Evil Ways, Oye Como Va, Theme from Shaft, Rock Around the Clock and Zoot Suit Riot.

will.i.am · #7 12-08-2007, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuryZ

Oye Como Va

OMG!! We played that a few years ago! haha awesome!

uethanian · #8 12-08-2007, 05:50 PM

yea im in high school jazz band(s). played trombone one year, piano and bass the next year, and just bass this year.

i dont own an upright bass but i play the school's on about 1/2 the songs.

someguy0105 · #9 12-08-2007, 06:10 PM

My HS has two jazz bands, last year I played tuba(most songs it was just the 4th bone part lowered. Although some songs had tuba parts like hot hot hot) and this year I play upright in the "better" jazz band and I play electric and upright in the other band. We have two in each band. Last year my friends and I got a solo ensemble started which was a school group, but it quickly evolved into our own band.

Alex · #10 12-09-2007, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anti-Product

Yea, so I'm in high school and we have a jazz band (we are pretty damn good, and that's not because I'm in it, there are some excellent players). Anyway I got in on the electric bass and we played our first show today. I played on one song while the upright bassist played on the other two, but I had a bass solo thing (playing a line by myself). Anyway, I don't quite know why I'm posting this, but I'm really happy right now and it was quite good..time to study for physics.

I guess, to foster to some discussion, how many of you guys play in jazz bands, professionally or on a high school level? How many of those have both an upright and electric bassist, or even just an electric bassist?
Yea, that's all I have.

I'm a junior and I've been in my school jazz band for 6 years (since 6th grade). I used to only play electric but now I play electric and electric upright and I have a fretless on the way.

Jazz is fun. keep at it!

hey maybe this is relevant: My area seems to have a dearth of bassists recently. My only middle school hasn't had a bassist for their jazz band in years and my High school doesn't have a bassist for the 2nd jazz band (we have three; I'm in the top one). I thought this was really weird, seeing as just a few years ago I was trying out against probably half a dozen other guys for one spot.

Have any of you other high school guys noticed this?

KYJazzy · #11 12-09-2007, 08:49 PM

I play in my college's (UK) jazz band (well really its a 'lab band', but it's essentially the 2nd jazz band) and I picked up that gig just by asking. Went in with virtually no experience reading music on electric bass and basically learned everything I had to within a week. From there it was just dedication to learning to play the changes, arpeggiating, improvising, etc. All the hard work has made me one hell of a better bass player beyond the rock n' roll I used to play. interestingly there are other and more advanced bassists but I think they're all classical snobs

Anti-Product · #12 12-09-2007, 09:04 PM

The other bassist and I were the only ones I saw auditioning on the try out list. But I'm sure neither of us would have gotten if we couldn't play (the other guy is excellent).

Febs · #13 12-09-2007, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anti-Product

how many of you guys play in jazz bands, professionally or on a high school level? How many of those have both an upright and electric bassist, or even just an electric bassist?

I play in the Jump City Jazz Orchestra. We're located in the Philadelphia, near you. Come out and see us some time!

I primarily play guitar in that band, though I was the band's bass player when it started back in 1994, and I still occasionally play bass for the band as the occasional calls for it. Our book calls for both upright and electric bass, though it is primarily upright.

Dave R · #14 12-10-2007, 08:45 PM

Quote:

My area seems to have a dearth of bassists recently.

Of course. Its always that way. Uncyclopedia had an article on bassists. They said there are two reasons to become a bassist.

1. Nobody ealse wants to.

2. You get gigs.

If it wasn't so true, it wouldn't be so funny.