full for drums, bass, piano, guitar, 2 of 3 spots taken for lead instruments
Please use this link to sign up and pay
https://tickts.co.uk/events/novice-12-2pm-may-30-vortex-upstairs
(Note you must already be accepted as a member of this group, otherwise your ticket will be cancelled)
Note the Vortex rehearsals will be starting at 10am and 12pm in the coming weeks.
full list of scheduled sessions: https://www.meetup.com/Practice-Jazz-Jam-Sessions/events/
What is it
The novice rehearsal sessions provide an opportunity for people who are relatively new to jazz, to play in a friendly, low-pressure environment. With a short set list that attendees can prepare in advance, it becomes a little less daunting to play and get the most out of practising in a group.
See below for this week's setlist. Please sign up before attending.
Already full for your instrument? Please check back every other Wednesday, when new sessions go live. If you keep not being able to get a spot, please message the organiser (Xie).
Location: Vortex upstairs
Who's it for
Anyone who has practised following the forms (chord progressions) of jazz tunes - maybe on their own at home - and would like to build up playing experience, expand repertoire and practice performing with other musicians.
There are various introductions on how jazz jams work - see e.g.
https://jazznightschool.org/pages/jam-session-basics
You don't need to get all these details right for these novice practice sessions. The set list format should offer opportunities for those at different levels of developing their playing.
While at the beginning one might struggle to follow/comp the chords or play through the melody, it gets easier over time and one can start to develop approaches to improvisation, harmonise lead lines, add intros/endings, work on communication between band members, and even listen to recordings together and pick up specific arrangements.
Bass players are expected to be able to play a walking bass line on swing tunes, and simple bossa lines for bossa novas.
Playing the melody, or "head" - the responsibility is shared between horns players (e.g. sax, trumpet, violin), guitar and piano. Feel free to discuss among the group before each song - different parts of the head or the starting / ending heads can be played by different players. Some melodies will better suit several voices at the same time, whereas others are sensitive to variations in how they are played and may prefer a single instrument at a time.
What it's like
A relaxed and welcoming atmosphere - please put aside any worries of making mistakes if you’re thinking of joining us for the first time. To ensure the group is accessible for those at different levels, I ask that each novice session should work on only the below four songs of the set list, unless each and every attendee feels they prefer to move on.
Each novice session is limited to up to: 1 drummer, 2 bass, 2 keys, 2 guitar, 3/4 lead instruments. The tickts.co.uk page will have tickets available only for the instruments/vocals with spots remaining.
Tunes this week (Sat May 30)
- Chitlins Con Carne in C (warm up)
(Kenny Burrell) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylGjvwXV3HA
- Work Song in Fm
(The Jazz Networks) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4sTguG5aV8
- Well you needn't in F
(Miles Davis) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JC1iqeoNQg
- Satin Doll in C (as slow swing)
(Johnny Hodges) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dS2Dod7CIY
Everyone is encouraged to listen to a variety of recordings for each song, but please ensure you are familiar with the recording provided as a primary reference. (Note the recordings provide stylistic reference, but may not be in the key listed, with the latter based on common real books)
Tune preview - next novice session (Sat June 6)
- Mack the knife (Moritat) (warm up)
(Kenny Garrett) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbFIVRztZ4E
- Black Orpheus in Am
(Freddie Hubbard) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK1lgP0WUhw
- Take Five in Ebm (tricky)
(Dave Brubeck) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs
- Our love is here to stay in F
(Dexter Gordon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_QEvFIz0qU
Preparing for the session
The chordal form of each song follow the iReal Pro app as a common reference, or you can use sheet music from Real Books.
Resource for sheet music:
https://www.seventhstring.com/fbindex.html
http://therealbook.info/
Try to immerse yourself in the songs by listening to recordings by different artists on youtube, spotify etc.
Learn the head (main melody) of the song if you can. Don't hesitate to let the band know you can play it so you can start things off
Playing well together
The rehearsal groups are often quite large for a jazz ensemble setting. Please follow the below arrangements, which are designed to help the group be mindful of each other's volumes, and to build good habits for playing as a group
- Every tune should be played at least twice. Swap the bass, piano and guitar players between the two renditions (if there are two attending)
- Only one guitarist should comp - i.e. play chords - for each rendition (both guitarists can solo, and comp without amplification)
- After each rendition of the warm up tune, the whole group should take a moment together and help each other to check on volumes, including:
** Can everyone hear themselves?
** Are the drums too loud?
** Can everyone hear the bass?
** Is the guitar comping too loud?
** Is the piano loud enough? (staff at the office can turn this up)
** Feel free to revisit volumes after subsequent songs
- For any song, if at least two people in the group feel it would be better, the guitar and piano should share the choruses for comping (instead of comping together) - e.g. guitar comps the first time through the head, then piano, then guitar, etc.
Equipment
there is a piano, drum kit (no cymbals or high hat clutch), bass and guitar amps, stands, and microphones. Drummers: please bring cymbals (none available for rental) and hi hat clutch
Percussion
Percussionists are welcome to join with their instruments, alongside the drummer. Feel free to sign up to any session, even one that says "full for all instruments" at the top, unless it explicitly mentions "full for percussion".
Vocalists
Singers are welcome, however please note that the songs have fixed keys, and some of the repertoire are likely not in the right key for your range. If you are an experienced singer, it may be possible to arrange sessions with repertoire catered to you - to explore this, please first come to the "Afternoon Open Jams" so I can get a sense of your singing.
Observing
Would you like to attend a session without playing/singing, to get an idea of the format or to get a sense of what to practise first at home? You can sign up as usual to any novice session, and send me a message that you'd like only to watch the session. When you feel ready, the fee paid can be carried over toward any future session where you join to play or sing at the rehearsal.
Cancellation policy
Please try to make it to any session you sign up to, as the jams are organised around a particular mix of instruments. However, if things do come up and you can no longer make a session, please send a message to the organiser, Xie, as soon as possible.
Places are non-refundable if your plans change, but if you provide over 1 week notice it may be possible to carry over the fee for a future session.
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any questions do get in touch!
