REHEARSAL STRATEGIES I AIN T GOT NOTHIN BUT THE BLUES BY LOREN SCHOENBERG

Transcription

1 REHEARSAL STRATEGIES I AIN T GOT NOTHIN BUT THE BLUES BY LOREN SCHOENBERG Duke Ellington managed many miracles in his long life, but none is more worthy of study than how he managed to write music that appealed to a wide variety of people at all times. Over the course of over five decades, his melodies were always floating somewhere in the air of contemporary culture, no matter what the current trends and fads were. Some were more commercially successful than others, but they all carry that magical imprint of Ellington s improvisation and compositional genius. Significantly, at the root of virtually everything he wrote, was the blues. Whereas most musicians would stick to a standard blues structure throughout (8, 12 or 16 bars), Ellington, from the very beginning of his career, wove the blues into his compositions with great ingenuity. Black and Tan Fantasy, The Mooche and Merry-Go-Round are just three examples of dozens from the late 20 s through the early 30 s. Once Mood Indigo established Ellington as the creator of hit tunes in 1930, he followed it with a string of pop tunes that are still played and sung to this day. I Ain t Got Nothin But The Blues had its moment when both Ellington and Lena Horne recorded it for RCA Victor in This version was put together for the historic collaboration that Ellington and Billy Strayhorn put together for an Ella Fitzgerald album in It is what might be called a bare-bones arrangement, with just enough band and orchestration to create the perfect background for a soulful vocal. ENSEMBLE The most vital element that will make or break a performance of this arrangement is the groove. It is always worthwhile to think about how you count off the tempo; everyone should concentrate on getting that specific sequence of quarter notes internalized before the first note is played. On this recording, the rhythm section plays a four bar introduction. You can experiment with extending or changing this, but whatever you do, be sure to bring everyone, even including the horns that are not playing, into the process of feeling the specific groove and tempo and beat. At A, the baritone has the melody and this is as good a time as any for the baritone player to make a real study of how Harry Carney sounded in Ellington s band. He could make his horn sound like four of five different instruments by varying his tone, overtones, texture and attack. Indeed, all of the horn players should examine what their setups are horns/mouthpieces/reeds/mutes in order to get that uniquely Ellingtonian sound that his music depends on. The plunger brass answers to the melody, also need to be at once loose and very precise:

2 The feeling is laid-back, but once the lead player sets the phrasing, plunger motion (yes!) and the rhythm, everyone must follow it precisely and consistently, especially the attacks and cutoffs. Too many times, players get too loose and sloppy when playing plunger passages. They are to be given the same concentration as the most fast, notey phrases. The sax figures that enter at B are very basic, and should be rehearsed with the plunger brass until they are both perfectly synced. Seemingly simple moments such as these are too often brushed over, but if they re not done perfectly, it throws the groove off, and diminishes the effect. You might also consider bringing up the dynamic level a bit here, to contrast with what came before and what follows.

3 C offers two great moments: a sudden subito p for everyone, to dramatize the entrance of the vocal, and an almost off-stage, distant effect in the trombone background. From the very beginning of his career, Ellington went out of his way to create novel and dramatic sound effects in his recordings. Sometimes, they would put a microphone in a bathroom next to the studio to capture an echo, and musicians would move and play in corners or odd spots of the recording studio to get the effect Ellington wanted. This trombone background should sound as though it s coming from another room. You may be able to have them face away from the vocalist, or play into the stands or into hats feel free to experiment. Equally vital, is the blend of the trombones so they sound like one horn. There are subtle but important dynamic changes in the trombone backgrounds exaggerate them for effect. Listeners should be able to discern that something has changed. To do this, the section must have a handle on the relative levels before they start playing p, mp, mf - without it, there ll be no consistency in performance. The sax unison at E should sound as though one person is playing softly; spend time on this, as it is a beautiful and relatively unusual effect for Ellington.

4 The subito f figures at G are a challenge. The clarinet has the highest note and the lead, and must predominate over all of the high horns. This can only work if the trumpets make way for the clarinet note. Even though the register is high, remember to obtain a balanced and warm sound ; at no point should it be harsh or brash. Brass may want to experiment with playing these parts on the stand or partially in the stand. Focus on the attacks and cutoffs throughout G and H, so they are very precise. The dynamic levels for brass and reeds at I are different and should be observed to give prominence to the reeds:

5 Here are two key elements that work for every piece the band plays: Before we examine what the rhythm section does, make one point clear to the entire band: everyone should focus on every element of the piece being rehearsed, and when one section is rehearsing their part, the others should pay close attention to see what they can pick up from that particular part. The ability to maintain concentration during rehearsals will translate into better concentration during individual practice and performance as well. Give each member of the band a copy of the score and recording and have them sing the arrangement as best they can. Sing not only the lead lines but the backgrounds as well. The band will get a kick out of this exercise and will be learning much more about the piece than they would by only playing their individual part. This will also greatly improve the quality of your rehearsal time. Those who are unable to read the score should be encouraged to ask you and/or their peers for help; regardless, everyone - despite their reading abilities - will benefit from this exercise.

6 RHYTHM SECTION By far the biggest challenge here is for the drummer. It s difficult to transition back and forth between a 12/8 shuffle and 4/4 swing time without a feeling of a let-down or dragging the tempo at some point. Things tend to get more intense with a shuffle, so keeping the momentum when going back to 4/4 takes real concentration. One way to get around this is to take it easy on the shuffle parts, and not get carried away. The bass and piano can also assist in keeping an even keel throughout, especially when the transitions occur. Study the Ellington/Ella recording to hear how Sam Woodyard does it perfectly.