Post 539: THE CALIFORNIA FEETWARMERS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Frequent correspondent Phil Lynch in the USA is a fan of the Los Angeles-based band called The California Feetwarmers. He has written to me about them in the past.

Now, Phil has alerted me to a concert they gave at The Red Room, Cookstown, in Northern Ireland when they were on tour there in July 2017.

Fortunately for us, a generous video-maker called John Watson put several videos from the concert on YouTube. The sound and visual qualities of these videos are exceptionally good, so this concert is something available for us all to enjoy.

And what we find is that this band is seriously good! Not only are they fine musicians; they are also brilliant at putting together a truly entertaining programme, holding an audience spellbound throughout.

The seven musicians arrange themselves in a straight line across the stage - just the way I like - so that the audience can see all of them and they can see each other. These young men play high-energy music, underpinned by a sensitive, accurate sousaphone, guitar and banjo and minimalist unobtrusive percussion. The clarinet, trumpet and trombone players are technically brilliant and great team-workers. On top of all that, the members of the band can sing; and there are times when the whole band joins in with vocals, in fine close harmony.

They obviously prepared well. There are some first-rate head arrangements, so there is no need for signalling on the hoof.

Take Clarinet Marmalade. They leap about among the various themes and bridges. And there is even a vocal - something I've never heard with this tune before:

CLICK HERE.

The same kind of slickness is evident in their performance of That's a Plenty:
CLICK HERE.

Then, for a contrasting example of their ability to entertain - and involve an audience - try I'm Feeling Good. You can't help wanting to join in on the Chorus, which is based on one of our most familiar 16-bar [plus two-bar tag] chord sequences. The use of stop chords against the cornet solo, and the Chorus in double-time (but with rallentando ending) illustrate how well the band has prepared. 

CLICK HERE.

There is even a storming 14-minute Medley of Sing On, Down By The Riverside, I'll Fly Away, Oh Mary, Don't You Weep, and Over in the Gloryland, which showcases well how brilliant each of the musicians is, both individually and in collective improvisation:
CLICK HERE.

I hope I have whetted your appetite. Explore the rest of the concert for yourself. I am sure you will be impressed by the way these musicians have absorbed the influences of the early ragtime, string and jug bands and given them a new life in the Twenty-First Century. I rate The California Feetwarmers as one of the top bands playing anywhere in the world today and wish I could get to hear them some time.

According to their web page, the members of the band are:

Brandon Armstrong - sousaphone/Bass
Charles De Castro - cornet/Accordion/vocals
Josh Kaufman - clarinet/accordion/piano/vocals
Carlos Reynoso - washboard/Guitar/vocals
Dominique Rodriguez - snare drum/bass drum
Justin Rubenstein - trombone/vocals
Patrick Morrison - Banjo/Guitar.

Post 531: HOW TO PLAY TRADITIONAL JAZZ - AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW

I received an interesting request. A reader said he likes traditional jazz but doesn't understand how it works. He asked me to pick a video of a band playing a tune and to 'talk him through it', explaining what is going on.

I am happy to do this and will try not to be too technical, though I think you may appreciate it if I at least make a small number of technical points that everyone should be able to grasp.

I have selected The Loose Marbles playing Take Me Out To The Ball Game in the video you may watch by clicking on this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBHn3dtqjos

We have to thank the video-maker 'Wild Bill' for filming it.

As it happens, this is also a very good performance, demonstrating well what great musicians can do with simple material.

So what do we find?

Take Me Out To The Ball Game - like hundreds of our tunes, comprises 32 bars. This means that, to get through it once, you beat one-two-three-four 32 times. The Loose Marbles choose to play through it seven times, so they play 7 x 32 = 224 bars in all. To put it another way, this means the performance contains 224 x 4 beats, making 896 beats in all - if you should wish to count! They play the tune entirely in the key of Bb, which is the most commonly used key in traditional jazz.

Throughout the performance, note how the rhythm players beat out a pulsating  but fairly gentle four-to-the bar, driving the music along in a most exciting way. (So many bands fail to achieve this.)

I have said the band runs through the tune seven times. So what happens in each of those seven choruses?

CHORUS ONE: 01 seconds - 32 seconds. Unusually, it is the clarinet who firmly states the tune, but note how tastefully he is supported by the trombone and trumpet.

CHORUS TWO: 32 seconds - 1 minute 03 seconds. This time, Barnabus on trombone presents the melody, but the clarinet and trumpet now provide decoration.

CHORUS THREE: 1 minute 03 seconds - 1 minute 36 seconds. Now the trumpet takes the lead; but the clarinet and trombone do not drop out. They give subtle, decorative support. By the end of this Chorus, the rhythm players have obviously had to go through the tune's chord progression three times, pumping out 3  x 32 x 4 beats = 384 beats! Get it? All of the rhythm players are working to the same chord chart. If they didn't, something would sound wrong. Here's how the chords for the 32 bars of this tune seem (to me) to run. You will notice that the musicians do not need to have this chart in front of them. They have memorised it.

Bb	Bb	F7	F7	Bb	Bb	F7	F7
G7	G7	Cm	Cm	C7	C7	F7	F7
Bb	Bb	F7	F7	Bb	Bb7	Eb	Eb
Eb	Bbo	Bb	G7	C7	F7	Bb	Bb

CHORUS FOUR: 1 minute 36 seconds - 2 minutes 06 seconds. For variety (and to give the 'front row' a little rest), this chorus is taken by the banjo. The great John Dixon gives us a very fine 32 bars.

CHORUS FIVE: 2 minutes 07 seconds - 2 minutes 39 seconds. Robin plays this as a percussion solo, improvising 32 bars for us. Note that, while he does so, Todd, Julie and John provide punctuation, striking some chords (for example, the first beat of every other bar) to remind us where we are in the tune.

CHORUS SIX: 2 minutes 39 - 3 minutes 08 seconds. Marla takes this as a vocal. Note how the pulsating 4-to-the-bar rhythm is maintained behind her. And, at 3 minutes 05 seconds, watch the leader Michael hold up one finger to signal to the band that he wants just one more chorus. So everybody clearly knows when the tune must be brought to an end and they can work to make this final chorus something of a climax.

CHORUS SEVEN: 3 minutes 09 seconds - 3 minutes 42 seconds. This is indeed a fine ensemble chorus. You may also note that Robin plays a double beat on the drum at 3 minutes 34 seconds and again at 3 minutes 35 seconds. This respects a very old tradition: for many decades it has been the custom in marching brass bands for the drummer to give this signal just eight bars before the end of a tune, to make absolutely sure everybody knows it is coming to an end.

The last thing to observe is that the tune ends abruptly on the third beat of the final bar - the 32nd bar. The fourth beat (the 896th beat of the performance) is left completely silent. This a clever and effective way of ending tunes - especially quick ones. Its use is widespread. (Sometimes a band adds a 'tag' or 'coda' - an extra little phrase to round the piece off; but I like the chopped 'sudden death' ending, as demonstrated so well here by The Loose Marbles.)

Post 337: REHEARSING TRADITIONAL JAZZ; AND HEAD ARRANGEMENTS

I don't think our bands should over-rehearse. But it helps if they at least rehearse a little, have planning meetings and work out how to make the presentation of a tune more interesting.

Here's an example of how effective such preparatory work can be. The piece of music to be played is a 32-bar song in Eb, with a typical a - a - b - a structure.

At a planning meeting, the band comes up with the following head arrangement. They will play the Verse once (16-bar) and then work through the song five times:

(1) The 16-bar introduction in which the cornet (or trumpet), backed by the rhythm section, firmly establishes the key of Eb, running around arpeggios in bars 1 - 8 and 13 - 16, with a contrasting 'middle 4' on G minor for bars 9 - 12.

(2) The trombone takes the lead as the band plays through the 32-bar tune for the first time.

(3) Surprise: an abrupt key change to Bb! The full 32-bar tune is played a second time - in the new key - with a good deal of drama added by the cornet's use of 6ths, 9ths and flattened 3rds.

(4) The vocal. The full 32-bar song in the key of Bb. In the first half, the singer is supported by the rhythm section. Then there is gentle support from the cornet in the 'middle eight' (which is distinctly of the IV - I -  II7  - V7  pattern).

(5) The Band improvises on the complete song as we go through it for the fourth time, but with the tuba taking the lead in the final sixteen bars (while the front line provides quiet sustained chords through the Middle Eight).

(6) Drama again! We have suddenly reverted without any transitional warning to the original higher key - Eb! Our attention is grabbed immediately by the cornet energetically improvising over well-disciplined stop chords for the first 24 bars. The full ensemble joins in for a storming final 8 bars, all stopping abruptly on the third beat of the 32nd bar (a common but very effective coda-less way of ending a tune in traditional jazz).

Now isn't that likely to be a lot more interesting and exciting for both band and audience than the all-too-common procession of 32-bar 'solo choruses' all in the same key - the 'arrangement' used by so many bands?

If you would like to hear this very head arrangement at work - demonstrated by one of the world's finest bands - listen to Tuba Skinny playing How Do They Do It That Way? on their CD entitled Owl Call Blues.

There are also some YouTube videos of them playing this song. In these, at Shaye's direction, tiny amendments to the head arrangement (e.g. a two-bar coda) are sometimes applied. Click here to watch one.

Tuba Skinny picked up this tune from Victoria Spivey's 1929 recording with Red Allen and his Orchestra, which you may also find on YouTube. You will discover that most of the features I have listed (including the key changes) were present in that original recording. Tuba Skinny have based their head arrangement closely on that of the Spivey original and you can hear and see what a great 'head' arrangement it is whenever the band plays this tune: all members of Tuba Skinny are well drilled in the structure.

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

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

Post 72: ENDING THE TUNE

A musician who is uneasy about confusion in bands when they are bringing tunes to an end has suggested I write on this topic. I'm happy to do so, for reasons that will become obvious.

I don't enjoy hearing bands ending a tune in a messy way - and I'm sorry to say this happens all too often. At worst, some of the players in the band think they are on the Out-Chorus and play an 'ending' while others keep going into another Chorus. The result is a shambles. Another type of messy ending occurs when one or two clever-dick players at the end of the tune take it upon themselves to play a few extra notes or start a two-bar or four-bar 'tag', forcing the other players to snatch up their instruments and try (unsuccessfully) to give the impression this was intended.

So this is a topic every band should talk about. A policy should be agreed.

The simplest solution is the 'chopped' ending. I like this. For example, every player stops dead on the first or third beat of the 32nd bar in a 32-bar Out-Chorus. This always has an impact, it sounds dramatic and it impresses the audience. Listen to the end of this performance for example: Click on here.

But if you must add something, then everybody needs to know that there will be a 2-bar or 4-bar tag (usually through the chord sequence IIm  -  V7  -  I), or even possibly that the final eight bars will be repeated. These endings should be polished at a rehearsal. Or at least they should be discussed and agreed in advance.

Of course it's essential that all members of the band know when the Out-Chorus is happening. The simplest solution is for one musician (most often the trumpet player) to give an indication by raising his instrument and ensuring that all can see it. (When playing seated, sticking out a leg has become a fashionable signal.) But there are more subtle methods. You can surely devise one with your colleagues easily enough.

Sometimes a problem is caused when a singer is delivering the lyrics in what might or might not be the final Chorus. Do we play one more instrumental Chorus after the singer, or do we bring the song to a conclusion on the singer's final note? Someone must clearly decide and signal. 

Another idea is to get away occasionally from the conventional barn-storming Out-Chorus ending. This requires pre-planning or discussion. How about devising a quiet low-octane ending (possibly with only two or three instruments playing the final 16 bars)? It can be very effective and give the audience a pleasant surprise.

Several famous tunes have acquired special codas and endings that have become an almost obligatory part of the performance. Think of Screamin' The Blues, Bouncing Around, Black Cat on the Fence, Joe Avery's Piece, Panama Rag, Perdido Street Blues, Pasadena. And there are a few tunes in which the Coda is by convention a repeat of the Introduction, examples being Bogalusa Strut and Clarinet Marmalade. If you are playing such tunes, you probably know what is required. But in such cases there's no harm in checking first that all members of the band are clear about what they have to do at the end.

Most bands these days play a great fun ending to Climax Rag (an ending which, incidentally, could be used with many other tunes). Everyone needs to know it's coming and that the little 2-bar phrase will be played twice - no more, no less:

Click here to enjoy it.