REHEARSAL STRATEGIES HARLEM CONGO BY LOREN SCHOENBERG, Like most big band leaders, drummer Chick Webb relied heavily on composers and arrangers to write material that would give his band a distinctive sound and style. Many of them became well known; Edgar Sampson s work for Webb led to many hits that Benny Goodman and others also recorded. But the two men behind Harlem Congo remain as obscure as Sampson became famous. Trombonist Harry Father White played in many fine bands, the best one being Cab Calloway s. He was known as an idea man, who wrote good songs, but whose creativity came mostly in inspiring other players and contributing phrases and riffs that spread amongst musicians, usually without attribution. White is said to have coined the phrase jitterbugs for the dancers who loved swing music. His tune, Harlem Congo is arranged by another undersung creator, Charlie Dixon. Dixon had been the banjoist in the early Fletcher Henderson band, alongside Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins, before he traded in playing for arranging. Webb relied heavily on him throughout the 1930 s, and before Dixon faded into obscurity, he also did some writing work for Glenn Miller. There were three basic categories of pieces that the most big bands played during the Swing Era: danceable ballads, medium-tempo swingers, and fast showpieces. Harlem Congo belongs to the last category, and when Chick Webb s band launched into it, the dance floor would clear except for the brave Lindy Hoppers who took the fast tempo as nothing less than a challenge of their mettle. Back then, all big bands made their reputations on how well they played for dancers, and the back and forth that ensued affected both groups. Dancers learned how to incorporate the band s phrases into their routines, and the bands integrated the dancer s moves into their solos and arrangements. Keep this in mind as you navigate the swing patterns of Harlem Congo. ENSEMBLE Think of Louis Armstrong particularly in Swing that Music when you play the introduction. He had a way of playing fast tempos that will help your conception of the beat and how to phrase with precision and fire and swing and relaxation. Starting with eighth notes, as the saxes do, is never easy. Unless the count off and the band is totally secure in the tempo before a note is played, things can fall apart easily. Make sure that the intro isn t played sloppily, waiting for Letter A to arrive to get everything in strict tempo. A four bar count off is probably best for something this fast, and it s imperative that everyone in the band is concentrating on the tempo so that everything is coordinated when the saxes and rhythm section hit the first downbeat. Rehearse the
count off and the first two measures until they are perfect. If you can manage that, the rest of the piece becomes much easier to nail in tempo. Work on the third beat of the first measure where the brass meet the saxes attacks must be precisely the same. Also, the eighth measure, with its syncopations at the beginning and end of the measure, must be lined up perfectly. Note the staccato notes, and you may want to add an accent to the last dotted quarter. These are the seemingly small but vital elements that the best bands never pass over.
With all of the syncopation in jazz, it has become difficult for some players to hit downbeats precisely on the downbeat; some lay back a little, some a lot, some anticipate the beat. The sax melodies at A and B offer a great opportunity to overcome this challenge by having the saxes rehearse with just the drummer playing the bass drums on 1 and 3. Don t move on until all of the downbeats are lined up with no ambiguity. Then add the rest of the rhythm section, and then the rest of the horns.
Brass plunger responses to the saxes must be in perfect rhythmic unison, as well as coordinated as a section, their distance from the bell and the specific motion used. They should look as rehearsed and together as they sound. One of the most exciting moments in the piece occurs at C, when the band shifts from the relaxed two-beat into a charging four. The same comments as above about rhythmic unity, plunger coordination all apply. The half notes at the end of the phrase and the hit in the eighth measure can be rehearsed separately to ensure that they are precise a lot hangs on those phrases being lined up just right to contrast with the main figure.
The sax soli at D needs to be precise so, take your time and don t take the tempo any faster than your students can handle As before, the ensemble hit at the end of the bridge should not be taken for granted work on getting everyone lined up:
Make as much as you can of the dynamic contrast during the interlude at E. Brass players can play their backgrounds in the stands to blend with saxes. Make sure all attacks and cutoffs are precise, which will make the solo part stand out even more. Once the solo sequence starts at F, it s pretty much a matter of having the various backgrounds flow smoothly and quietly behind the solos. The trombone soli at G looks simple, but because it s so exposed, any imperfection will stand out. If you have four trombones, you can have two on each part, but the rest of the chart should be played with only five brass. Doubling parts always throws the balance off. The measure before the shout chorus at J is a key one. After all of the solos and the backgrounds, the high reeds entrance signals that it s time to switch into high gear. Rehearse the end of the brass phrase and the precise (and blended) entrance of the reeds so that is swings by itself, without the rhythm section.
All of the previous comments about downbeats, syncopation, linking with the bass drum and rhythm section apply as you charge through the shout choruses. This should feel like the most intense part of the performance. Pay special attention to the reed gliss that starts on the eighth measure of K. Most bands will lose their precision due to their general excitement work against this so it stands out, cleanly. The entrance after the drum solo and the slower quarter note drum hits calls for all the horns to concentrate so everyone plays it precisely together too often, the ensemble loses its snap at slower tempos.
Exaggerate the switch from the regular eighth notes to the dotted rhythms at the end:
A great thing to do to save time and also help the students learn the piece before they play it is to have them sketch a graph of the dynamic levels from softest to loudest. Another option would be to distrubite a dynamics graph to your students but they will most likely intergrate the lesson better if they sketch the graph themselves. Try using a different color for each dynamic level, and have them draw a line of that color over those measures. Too often, bands play a limited number of dynamic levels never getting really soft or gradating the various levels of fortes. If colors don t work, figure out some other way to ensure that your band is able to make subtle dynamic changes within sections. Without that, this piece loses much of its greatest quality variety. Here are two key elements that work for every piece the band plays: Before examining 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. RHYTHM SECTION The biggest challenge here (besides having to play a Chick Webb drum solo!) is the basic conception of a relaxed two beat at such a fast tempo, and then switching into four without sounding frantic or stressed. These styles of fast tempo playing don t occur in contemporary jazz and most young players haven t encountered them before. It s important to be relaxed and to think of both the two and the four sections in terms of the whole measure. Let the time flow and don t get caught up in sweating out each quarter note. Make it a point to hit the downbeats together, and again, not to tighten up or stress. The more relaxed you think, the more relaxed you ll look, and the better you ll play. This also helps the horn players deal with their challenges. As for the drum solo, play as much of the original as you can. If you go off on your own, incorporate as much of Webb s style as you can. That s the challenge here not to play what you already know and are comfortable with, but to stretch your abilities and pay tribute to the man who was Buddy Rich s idol.