ali-stare Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 (edited) this coming tuesday i am auditioning for a place as the bassist for our school jazz band i have to pick a piece to play and i wondered what would be a good choice. do i play a simple bassline that shows my timing but sounds dull on its own or do i play an interesting complex bass solo e.g. Stu Hamm's bass solo from san fransisco with steve vai? Options and opinions please Edited September 14, 2007 by ali-stare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Blue Monk - Thelonius Monk All Blues - Miles Davis Not very complicated but a great chance to show how you handle the basics. They'll probably want to hear you on something other than just blues changes though, so something else with II-V-I changes too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parker_muse Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 what scool are you from ali-stare? Im a cheltenham boy too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 What sort of stuff do they play - jazz is a very broad church? Stu Hamm and Steve Vai are not the first names that spring to mind when someone says jazz. How about So What? Nice bit of bass and they should know it unless they are a dixieland band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-stare Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 Pates Grammar they play pretty much everything from that church but not so much dixie or blues as there are seperate bands for that i dont mean to play anything by hamm but that was an example of the complexity of the solo i was looking at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parker_muse Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Pates is a top school. Turned it down for tommies, too far to travel from tewks! Ummm.... any jaco? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmandan Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='60605' date='Sep 14 2007, 09:04 PM']Stu Hamm and Steve Vai are not the first names that spring to mind when someone says jazz.[/quote] +1 hit 'em with a bit of Birdland! The Funk's suggestion of Blue Monk's a top idea too, I've got a really great arrangement of that in an old Bassist mag somewhere under my bed, I'll see if I can find it and whack it in the scanner for you: it's a solo Bass thing with loads of tasty maj7th chromatic runs in it..... sounds complex but it's actually dead easy to play! good luck with it anyway, whatever you opt for! - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-stare Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 well i can play the chicken so i thought about that or maybe teen town but im not so confident with that but i have till tues. i failed the tommies test but past the pates one...weird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Oh yeah. Are you going to be playing on your own or with the rest of the band? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 [quote name='ali-stare' date='Sep 14 2007, 08:29 PM' post='60582'] this coming tuesday i am auditioning for a place as the bassist for our school jazz band i have to pick a piece to play and i wondered what would be a good choice. do i play a simple bassline that shows my timing but sounds dull on its own or do i play an interesting complex bass solo e.g. Stu Hamm's bass solo from san fransisco with steve vai? Options and opinions please MB1. Just play that F**K**G BIG FISH! and youll be fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Have you talked to the old bass player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey D Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 If it is a jazz band chances are 99% of the tiem you are going to be walking. So prepare a nice piece that shows of this skill and possibly with an improvised solo if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 [quote name='ali-stare' post='60582' date='Sep 14 2007, 08:29 PM'].... i have to pick a piece to play....[/quote] Well, you must play something that they will want to hear and is relevant to that band and make sure you play it well. You have to show you are competent and can fit in with them and at the same time add something to the whole. No matter how good Keith Moon was, he would have failed auditions with Dire Straits and Led Zep because he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. If you really want this gig make sure they think you are right for them. Play the flash stuff later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 (edited) I'm surprised at the solo and extreme recom's - play what they want to hear and expect you to play: walking, 2 feel, the different approaches and fluidity over different chord sequences. If you can; show off with a (non-too showy) short, melodic solo that is at least seemingly improvised -- that ought to portray passion, improvisation skills and room for progression. When/If you get the gig, you can start exploring innovation and creativity if the band allows for it. Not everyone has weather report behind them though. And get a really cool hat. Edited September 15, 2007 by paul, the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwbassman Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 +1 for a bit of birdland... will you need to sight read anything on the audition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-stare Posted September 15, 2007 Author Share Posted September 15, 2007 in answer to your questions no i wont be playing with the rest of the band no i cant get hold of the last bass player no i wont be needing to sight read thanks for all your input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 [quote name='ali-stare' post='60950' date='Sep 15 2007, 07:52 PM']in answer to your questions no i wont be playing with the rest of the band no i cant get hold of the last bass player no i wont be needing to sight read thanks for all your input[/quote] Hey! Pates does concerts in aid of the charity I'm involved in [url="http://www.kambia.org.uk/"]http://www.kambia.org.uk/[/url] Meanwhile +1 on the previous suggestions but just ask the musical director for some pointers or pick something yo like from the current repertoire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beneath It All Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 [quote name='ali-stare' post='60950' date='Sep 15 2007, 07:52 PM']in answer to your questions no i wont be playing with the rest of the band no i cant get hold of the last bass player no i wont be needing to sight read thanks for all your input[/quote] .............................................Seems like a very odd scenario; Jazz band audition with no sight reading involved ..Do the rest of the band read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 [quote name='hipbass' post='61228' date='Sep 16 2007, 04:56 PM'].............................................Seems like a very odd scenario; Jazz band audition with no sight reading involved ..Do the rest of the band read?[/quote] Why? Lots of jazz is just improvision over a basic pattern. OK the Duke and Miles might have scored stuff but they were the exeption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='61239' date='Sep 16 2007, 05:13 PM']Why? Lots of jazz is just improvision over a basic pattern. OK the Duke and Miles might have scored stuff but they were the exeption.[/quote] You Jest! Big band jazz stuff is scored very precisely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemarks Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Jazz bands in schools need a bassist who can walk - pick a tune that has some chord changes and that swings. 'So What' only has 2 chords... so not such a great option. Maybe a nice jazz blues. They are going to be looking for feel - can you swing? Time - can you stay in time and keep a pulse ? (make sure you practice swing with your metronome only clicking on beats 2 & 4 - sim to the jazz drummer's hi-hat.) Harmonic knowledge i.e. -don't play 7ths over Maj 7 chords etc. professionalism (a bit) a simple tune that is well prepared will impress more than something flash that's underprepared or falls apart if you get nervous. Good luck with it -let us know how it goes.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 [quote name='OldGit' post='61245' date='Sep 16 2007, 05:20 PM']You Jest! Big band jazz stuff is scored very precisely[/quote] Which is why jazz is such a broad church. You obviously can't have a big band all improvising. I dont consider most big bands to be jazz - there is a big difference between dance bands like Glenn Miller and the god like genius of Duke Ellington. When I played jazz at school we were an un-official band and nothing was scored. But then schools did not usually have jazz bands back then. The school I went to had an orchestra and a brass band but no jazz band, but I think that jazz bands have replaced the brass bands (at my old school) - or you could say its a brass band with some reeds playing jazz music. One of the good things about being un-official was that we could play what we wanted but still appeared at all the school concerts where the head, who was a jazz buff and supported us against the music dept who were not entirely happy, would sit in the front row. You should have seen his face when we started to play Whinin Boy Blues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 I don't think I can really add anything to what Dave and others have said above - some in time swinging walking and maybe a brief melodic solo should do it - basically something which will make people think "yes, I'd like to hear this bass playing in my band". Hope it goes well. Cheers, Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='61298' date='Sep 16 2007, 06:28 PM']Which is why jazz is such a broad church. You obviously can't have a big band all improvising. I dont consider most big bands to be jazz - there is a big difference between dance bands like Glenn Miller and the god like genius of Duke Ellington. When I played jazz at school we were an un-official band and nothing was scored. But then schools did not usually have jazz bands back then. The school I went to had an orchestra and a brass band but no jazz band, but I think that jazz bands have replaced the brass bands (at my old school) - or you could say its a brass band with some reeds playing jazz music. One of the good things about being un-official was that we could play what we wanted but still appeared at all the school concerts where the head, who was a jazz buff and supported us against the music dept who were not entirely happy, would sit in the front row. You should have seen his face when we started to play Whinin Boy Blues [/quote] Well it's been a while since I was at school but I assumed "school jazz band" would be a big band playing scores. I've played Duke Ellington stuff - in a big band- it may have been improvised when it was recorded but then some nice people have taken the records and transcribed the arrangements note for note. So yeah Jazz can be improvised over a theme but if everyone improvised in big band stuff, it's so complex and the harmonies are so well thought out and symbiotic that impro would generally make it sound less good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-stare Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 wahey been accepted for the band and also got asked to play in the house blues band. woot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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