Jazz at C.H.

[Richard Ruck]

Last Friday I went to an evening of jazz in the Theatre at C.H., a kind of showcase for a lot of talented pupils to show what they can do.

The backing group for most of the show was a bunch of seriously good jazz musicians, most of whom seem to be on the teaching staff.

The performances featured a range of numbers from various vocalists and instrumentalists (including two really excellent sax players), a jazz ensemble consisting entirely of pupils, a female vocal ensemble and the gospel choir.

I've got to say that I was really, really impressed by the standards of musicianship on display, and by the fact that so many of the musicians obviously felt so at ease with performing jazz.

It's evident that the music department now takes the subject very seriously, and that having fine jazz musicians on hand to teach and inspire is obviously paying handsome dividends.

In the seventies, I was in the first Dance Band formed by Dave Elliott, and some of us also formed a smaller group, The St. Louis Jazz Band, but our knowledge and understanding of jazz styles came mostly from listening to records, as jazz was never on the 'official' music curriculum.

Musically, these pupils are performing to much, much higher levels than anything we ever managed to achieve, and while part of me is, I have to admit, rather jealous of the tuition which they have and which was never available to us I am delighted to see that jazz at C.H. is in very rude health.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

[hound of the baskervilles]

Thank you Richard for your kind words about friday night,

It is true that us jazzers at school have benifited in recent times from the great teaching.. We all owe a great deal to Alex L'estrange who was playing bass/piano on the night as he spends considerable amounts of his own time putting in exceptional arrangments....

Also, thank you for the cd collection you gave Mr Grindlay, some pretty hip stuff there!!!!

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!!!

Michael Baskerville, B.C
Grecians East

[Richard Ruck]

Thanks, Michael.

Seems you're all getting a lot out of it.

Keep it up!

[darthmaul]

Hmmm: Michael Baskerville - that's a name I remember from Maine B! Hey, my memory hasn't failed me completely just yet

Otherwise known as Beans nowadays! Our top jazz saxophonist (tenor).

Tis a fortunate thing to have such people about!

[Richard Ruck]

One other thing re. Friday's gig - no trombones anywhere to be seen. As this is my instrument, I was hoping to see how the latest generation are coming along.

Perhaps there are a few who are 'almost there'.........

Any ideas, anyone?

[darthmaul]

One other thing re. Friday's gig - no trombones anywhere to be seen. As this is my instrument, I was hoping to see how the latest generation are coming along.

Perhaps there are a few who are 'almost there'.........

Any ideas, anyone?

The current Deps who play are not amazing (publicly anyway). Neither are the GE. However, a certain UF is reputed to be outstanding. Whether or not he does jazz, I know not.

[Richard Ruck]

Thanks for the info. I hope it works out for them.

[Great Plum]

Jazz definately seems to be very big at CH...

on my seniors there was also a 'funk' band run by Julian Jackson, a pupil - they were also pretty good...

[hound of the baskervilles]

Indeed i am a Maine B guy,
Richard, there are a lack of Jazz Trombone players in the country, I often go to the National Youth Jazz Orchestras were the trombones section is definately the poorest represented, plenty of sax players though...

There is a young guy at school who is potentially a great player, but Jazz is really a full time thing and if you aren't listening to it all the time its like any other classical study....

When my brother (also a tenor sax player and band captain) was at school (1990-1997) he had his own jazz/funk outfits, there are VHS tapes in the music school of gigs put on in the theatre purely by the guys in the band doing all the publicity and sound themselves. I think its a shame no opportunity other than the 'Talent' Show/Rock Concert for the pupils to do gigs.

My brother once told me that the school arranged for a popular indie rock group to play the theatre when he was at school, i forget their name but it went down a storm at the time.

Yeah i have to say that i will miss the music schools fantastic facilities and teaching when i leave. Its no wonder CH is getting a reputation as a Music School and not as a 'Rock School' i hope!!!

Darth Maul is a Sax player of some calibre i'd like to add......

One last thing, what Jazz Trombone players to do listen to Richard, i only know Curtis Fuller off Coltranes 'Blue Trane' and from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers...

Please enlighten me!!!!!

MB

[Great Plum]

Was your brother Gus Baskerville?

[Richard Ruck]

Lack of trombpne players? That's a real shame. It's great fun to play and really versatile (in that it can be used for many types of music).

It's probably fair to say that it's not really seen as a 'sexy' instrument, though, in the way that the sax is, or possibly the trumpet. Not many glamourous trombone players around as role models.

Off the top of my head, J.J.Johnson and Kai Winding were always considered to be top players, although my favourite was Al Grey (played with Basie a lot, and many others besides).

There's a short tribute here -

http://www.trombone.org/articles/librar ... ribute.asp

Someone told me that he played a gig at C.H. once (after my time, unfortunately).

You'll find some more pointers here :

http://forum.trombone.org/viewtopic.php?t=20206

(I've only just found that website, so I'll be having a good read too....)

[hound of the baskervilles]

Yer, angus is my brother - like brother like brother it seems to be!!!!!

J.J Johnson rings a bell...
Did he play on those 'Birth of the cool' Miles albums??

I really like the sound of the trombone in jazz, its really rich.. Big band stuff especially.

[Richard Ruck]

J.J Johnson rings a bell...
Did he play on those 'Birth of the cool' Miles albums??

Yes he did.

Here's his obituary from 'The Independent' :

http://trombone.org/articles/library/Th ... tuary.html

[Richard Ruck]

I think its a shame no opportunity other than the 'Talent' Show/Rock Concert for the pupils to do gigs.

This reminds me - when we had The St. Louis Jazz Band we sometimes got invited to play at local dances / barbecues etc.

We didn't charge money for this, we just asked for transport to and from the gig and to be fed and, ahem, 'watered'.

We usually ended up playing for people with big houses, and a hat normally got passed round for us as well.

The only problem was coping with whatever piano was provided. At one gig the bl*ody thing was just under a tone flat, so no amount of fiddling with tuning slides etc. was going to get us right in tune with it.

I suppose it was quite cool of the school to let us disappear on our own to these gigs. I think we behaved ourselves (mostly), although drink was certainly taken.

[Great Plum]

I think its a shame no opportunity other than the 'Talent' Show/Rock Concert for the pupils to do gigs.

This reminds me - when we had The St. Louis Jazz Band we sometimes got invited to play at local dances / barbecues etc.

We didn't charge money for this, we just asked for transport to and from the gig and to be fed and, ahem, 'watered'.

We usually ended up playing for people with big houses, and a hat normally got passed round for us as well.

The only problem was coping with whatever piano was provided. At one gig the bl*ody thing was just under a tone flat, so no amount of fiddling with tuning slides etc. was going to get us right in tune with it.

I suppose it was quite cool of the school to let us disappear on our own to these gigs. I think we behaved ourselves (mostly), although drink was certainly taken.

When I was at school, some of the bands used to play in th octagon, or under it at the weekends - some also played on a Saturday night - surprised that this doesn't still happen...