Post 301: ACKER BILK AND 'STRANGER ON THE SHORE'

The famous British clarinet player Acker Bilk died in November 2014. I particularly enjoyed his early traditional jazz work with the Ken Colyer Band. But the Great British Public always associates him with his 'hit' - Stranger on the Shore - which is indeed a beautiful melody and which he sometimes played with a lush background of orchestral strings.

I received the following email from an American correspondent. It gives us an unusual angle on the subject.
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I don't know where Acker Bilk stands in the pantheon of great clarinet players, but I did notice his passing yesterday. I knew his name mostly from an album cover that my step-Dad used to leave around the house, though at the time I never listened to it. In any case, I read his obit in the BBC online blog and saw that, in addition to being a trad clarinet player, he had also written a pop instrumental hit called "Stranger on the Shore".

My curiosity piqued, I went to Youtube to listen to it. It took me a couple of listens to see why it had attracted the general public's attention (who can explain these things really?), but after a couple of listens, I felt I had done my duty, and moved on.

This evening, I was in the kitchen working on the computer while a housemate was in the livingroom watching TV. Wafting out of the next room I hear the sounds of....believe it or not, "Stranger on the Shore" played on clarinet. At first I thought I was imagining it, but I was not.

It turns out that "Stranger" plays in the background of an Arnold Schwarzenegger/ Jim Belushi movie called "Red Heat" in the scene where the two of them are sitting in a "greasy-spoon" diner ordering coffee. What a strange coincidence!

David Rumpler

Boston, MA
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I have since received this email from Barrie in the North of England.
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Ivan

I read your piece about the tune being on the soundtrack of a film. I remember it was used in the film 'There's Something About Mary'. I checked on line and there it is in the soundtrack listings.

Barrie

Post 300: ARRANGING JAZZ BAND MUSIC - THE THREE METHODS

Before a band plays a tune, it needs to have some idea of how to tackle it. In which key will it play? Who is going to state the melody in the first chorus? Who is likely to take solos, and when? Are we going to do anything unusual, such as playing a verse after a chorus?

A correspondent in the USA has asked me to say something about how musicians answer these questions.

There are three ways in which the questions can be answered. Most bands use METHOD ONE (On The Fly) for most tunes and METHOD TWO (Head Arrangements) for a few tunes. Very few bands use METHOD THREE (Orchestration).

METHOD ONE: ON THE FLY

There is no preparation. Someone picks a tune and a key; someone beats it in; and away they go. Musicians who often play together know well what everyone is expected to do. During the playing, the Leader may signal to individuals to take a chorus or half-chorus or middle eight, and may indicate whether some particular sort of backing to solos (e.g. stop chords or offbeats) is to be provided. The Leader can even signal a change in key: fingers representing the number of flats [down] and sharps [up] are a popular way of doing this. The Leader may signal a return to the first theme (usually by pointing upwards or by tapping his hand on the top of his head). The Leader will usually signal the out-chorus. If there is to be a tag, this is likely to arise spontaneously, with one player leading it and the others instantly joining in. This method is used and works very well for 90% of all tunes performed by traditional jazz bands. It often has great results. It is particularly suited to 32-bar standard tunes.

METHOD TWO: HEAD ARRANGEMENT

Before the performance, the band is likely to have rehearsed the tune or at least to have agreed who will do what and when. All the members of the band have to remember in their heads what has been agreed: hence the expression 'head arrangement'. Head arrangements are more likely to be used with complex tunes, rather than with straightforward 32-bar standards. A specimen head arrangement is as follows. I'm using the tune She's Crying For Me (Santa Pecora, 1925) and I'm showing you the head arrangement currently being followed by one of my local bands.

She's Crying for Me
1. Theme A : 16 Bars in F minor. Ensemble. Once.
2. Theme B : 16 bars in Ab. Ensemble. Twice - second time at Bar 15 merging into BRIDGE.
3. Bridge : Start on Bar 15 of Theme B; add 4 bars transition to F.
4. Theme C : 12 bars in F. Ensemble.
5. Theme C: Trumpet 12-bar solo with offbeats from rhythm section.
6. Theme C : Piano 12-bar solo, ending with transition to Ab.
7. Clarinet solo Ab on Theme B (16 bars).
8. Trombone solo on first 8 bars of Theme B.
9. Ensemble final 8 bars of Theme B.
10. 2- bar tag (trombone). All in on final note.

Most bands have in their repertoire a few tunes at least  that involve a head arrangement, though I know of one adequate and entertaining band that does not bother with any and sticks entirely with METHOD ONE.

METHOD THREE: ORCHESTRATED

Parts are printed or written out for the instruments and these will either have been learned by heart or will be on music stands in front of the players. This is particularly necessary with big bands where the effects can be terrific when, for example, the parts of the reed players are scored in close harmony.

I have seen this method used only occasionally by conventional traditional jazz bands: mostly it is used by beginners who have purchased some 'dixieland arrangements'. These published arrangements are good and will usually include provision for improvised solos: the orchestrator prints the chord sequence and leaves you to create your own solo. In traditional jazz, METHOD THREE has a place but it should be used sparingly. It can take some of the 'soul' and spontaneity out of the music.

Jazzers in the Seventeenth Century using METHOD THREE

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FOOTNOTE
The book Playing Traditional Jazz, by Pops Coffee, is available from Amazon.

Post 299: MORE CHORD SUBSTITUTION AND SIMPLIFICATION

I have previously mentioned that you can sometimes simplify matters by playing a basic triad major chord instead of the minor 7th of the note three semitones below it.

For example, play C major triad instead of A minor 7th. (Nobody will notice!)

Banjo-playing friends have since reminded me of two more similar tricks. One friend said 'Because we have four strings, we often play partial chords, as the full chord pattern on each inversion would stretch fingers beyond human limits at times'.

TRICK ONE

The music calls for a Diminished Chord. Instead, play the 7th of the chord one semitone below it. But LEAVE OUT THE BOTTOM NOTE. For example, for F diminished, play E7th (but leaving out the E at the bottom). It works.

For C diminished, play B7th without the B;

For F# diminished, play F7th without the F, etc.

TRICK TWO

The music calls for a Minor 7th with flattened fifth (sometimes called the 'half-diminished' chord). Instead, play the Minor 6th based on the note three semitones above.

For example,

For Cm7-5, play Ebm6;

For Dm7-5, play Fm6;

For Gm7-5, play Bbm6;

etc.

Tricks. But you will get away with them.