Why do we always sound like this?

We've all been there, probably more often than not. You're on the bandstand, happily playing away at your part on a familiar tune... when it happens. Again. The same mistake that was played last time. And 'fixed' last time. And the time before that, too. Maybe it’s minor enough that the band can barely hold it together until the tune mercifully ends. But maybe this time the wheels come off, and the band is completely derailed.

Eyes roll. Heads shake, and muttered curses can be heard. Somewhere a fairy loses her wings and tumbles out of the sky.

Bands can be forever stuck in this loop of ‘fixing’ trouble spots, only to have them reappear next time, or even in the same tune when the trouble spot that was just ‘fixed’ in section A is repeated in section B. Only it’s not so much a loop, but a downward spiral of decaying confidence, flaring tempers, and eventually passive resignation. An equilibrium of schlocky mediocrity is achieved. Everyone goes through the motions and hopes for the best, never expecting much. Occasionally the fear of an upcoming high profile gig can temporarily alleviate the worst of this, but not for long.

I found a great article entitled “Interpretation of Jazz Band Literature”, published by John Bryne, a sergeant major with the US Army Field Band. The Introduction nails it. Our problems are twofold, says Bryne:

It is imperative that jazz band players and directors become familiar with the various jazz band styles by listening to recordings of jazz bands. One of the most important things involved with playing jazz band music is to really develop an understanding of the music, and to know basically what it is supposed to sound like. Without this basic understanding, effective interpretation is nearly impossible, and is always frustrating.

But fixing this isn't so straightforward, as he explains:

Many jazz band players, directors, and teachers have been exposed to the printed music page only from an orchestral point of view during their formal musical training. This is where the problem originates concerning the reading, interpretation, and stylizing of jazz band music because in some forms, the notation found on the page is not literally what is to be played. The notation as well as the markings for interpretation and articulation as found on the jazz band page are many times completely different in meaning from those found in orchestral music. This is complicated by the fact that publishers of jazz band literature have yet to come to a meeting of the minds concerning a standardized system for notation and articulation.

If our reading skills aren't honed and aligned with the rest of the ensemble, our listening skills are undermined. Eventually we learn to bury ourselves in the page and actively ignore everyone except the one or two people next to us in our own section. The phenomenon of ‘see-saw’ tempos and other related discoordinations stems from this. The arrangement of any tune typically passes emphasis between the four sections of the band (trumpets, trombones, saxes, & rhythm) between and even within phrases. If there are fundamentally different approaches to interpreting what’s on the page, trouble results. Enter the downward spiral I described above. The band devolves from ‘ensemble’ to ‘group’ to a ‘mob’ at the whim of whatever random event pops up.

That’s no way to approach being an amateur musician, especially in a group that’s supposed to play music that people would want to dance to.

So, what to do? Stay tuned...