Attracting the best musicians for your project

In a sense, this is a follow up thread to http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214106

I am going to start a new project. Kinda jazz/funk/hiphop fusion. Heavy groove, jazz harmony. All instrumental - bass, drums, keys, sax. I don't have any of the players lined up yet. Here in the SF Bay Area, musician wanted postings on Craigslist are pretty effective.

The better the musician, the greater their expectations are for the rest of the band, and the bandleader. First impressions are important, so before I invite musicians over, I want to be maximally prepared, so that the experienced players feel that rehearsals are going to be efficient and focussed, and that their time is going to be well spent with the project.

The first thing I need to complete is writing a set's worth of tunes. I am going to insist on players that can read (not necessarily at sight). Without real charts, tunes just take longer to learn, and make it difficult to use subs. Recently, I have been composing using Ableton Live, and once I have a tune close, I dump all the midi data into Sibelius and massage it into a lead sheet or arrangement. This way I can give folks a chart, and an Ableton Live MIDI 'scratch track' to play along to.

Then I need to really master my part on all of these songs. Master as in being able to play it confidently while cueing or otherwise directing the band. Something new for me, and something that will be a challenge.

With this homework done, I think I would be ready to invite musicians over and give them the charts and playalong beforehand. This should make the rehearsal reasonably efficient, and hopefully give the experienced guys a warm fuzzy that the project will move forward efficiently toward a first gig.

What else should I do before the first rehearsal to get my 'ducks in a row'? Perhaps a project timeline with milestones for completing a demo package, and a target date to start gigging?

Any other tips for attracting and retaining the best musicians?

 

What went wrong? Did the composer have good charts? Did you not like the music?

 

My notion is not to exclude anybody's creativity. Seems to me any gigging group needs way more tunes that just one set. I would hope that other band members would bring in their charts too. I am not looking to be the only composer/arranger in the group.

I am however, very interested in making efficient use of rehearsal time. My experience with good horn players is that in a combo situation, you put a lead sheet in front of them, everybody instantly knows what to do, or at least are asking the same questions. (e.g. head 2x in and out? Bossa for the A, swing the B? ) Likewise, you put them in a big band situation, they're going to read the part and then take their solo when the time comes.

My goal is not to write funky chamber music. This is improvised music. Having a chart in front of you that has the changes and the melody is just the starting point.

Also, I should be clear on the nature and intent of the MIDI realization. I really do think of this as a scratch track. Enough to give a musician a feel for the changes, groove, melody, structure, etc., but with fairly Mickey Mouse parts for the instruments I really don't play.

 

No smilies, but I have the sense you are being at least a little tongue in cheek. However, your point is still well taken.

The real strong players out there are busy. The only way I could get them on my project is by paying them. They're not going to volunteer because we both know that as players, they are in a different league. But since the band works from charts, and they can both sight read and solo, one rehearsal before the gig, maybe on the same night oughta do it. Everybody's happy, they make some $ and the band gets the benefit of a super badass at a gig.

 

We'll see what actually develops, but I have written some big band and similar largish mixed ensemble tunes for other bands in the past, so there undoubtedly will be some through composed stuff.
The sound in my head is more groove oriented, so I'm looking at extended soloing over relatively simple changes, broken up by contrasting sections that might be hits or otherwise through composed.