Category: big band
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What does N.V. mean?
A student of mine recently asked the question, “What does N.V. mean?” They tried googling it or thought it also could be a J.V. No vibrato. Without looking at the score, I would guess the parts are in unison/octaves. Hopefully this will answer the question for anybody else searching to find out what N.V. means.…
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Surprise autograph!
I ordered Sammy’s new CD at the tail end of the year. I knew it was coming via USPS this week, so every day I anxiously ran to the mail, only to be disappointed. Well it finally came in Saturday. When I first opened it, I noticed it wasn’t shrink wrapped. I opened…
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What’s in my shed
woodshed [v.] – To lock oneself away with a musical instrument and practice, either a particular piece or in general, until the player has improved greatly or can perfectly play the piece he has been practicing. I’ve had my hands full on a couple of very difficult parts on some great arrangements of some holiday classics.…
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RIP Frank Foster
From A Blog Supreme/NPR Jazz: Frank Foster, a saxophonist and composer/arranger best known for his longtime association with the Count Basie Orchestra, has died. He passed away in his sleep early Tuesday morning at his home in Chesapeake, Va., according to his widow and manager, Cecilia Foster. He was 82. Foster was a key member…
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Dave Liebman interview on The Jazz Session
On a recent episode of the podcast The Jazz Session, Jason Crane interviewed saxophonist and composer Dave Liebman. It is a great conversation on a variety of topics including the state of jazz education, playing original music as well as the music of jazz giants, his current large group and small group ensembles, and receiving…
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Patrick Williams – Aurora
One of world’s finest musical minds, composer/arranger Patrick Williams has released a new album of original big band music. He probably is best known for his work on TV show themes including After Mash, The Bob Newhart Show, Mary Tyler Moore, Columbo, and The Streets of San Francisco, just to name a few. He won multiple…
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Sal Lozano interview on the Big Phat Chat
I had the pleasure of meeting Sal Lozano back in 2008. I was in the Los Angeles area and he invited me to sit in on a recording session for Disney. No, I wasn’t playing, just sitting back and listening to him and other great woodwind players Dan Higgins and Chris Bleth. Afterwords, Sal and…