How to play New Orleans/Dixie trumpet style?
Robert
I'm a trumpet player doing rather bebop and modern jazz. Now I'd like to
learn the New Orleans and Dixie style. My problem is that my solos sound
to modern for that oldtime stuff. I think, I already know some points
why I don't sound like an oldtime player, but can anybody tell me how to
play in a New Orleans-/Dixie-like trumpet style? I meam, what are the
characterisitcs? Or is there probably a web resource or a good book
where the characteristics of that style are explained? Of course I know
that everything you need to know is on the CD's... :-)
Thanks,
Robert
Al Stevens
>learn the New Orleans and Dixie style. My problem is that my solos sound
>to modern for that oldtime stuff.
Great question!
I play both styles on piano and trumpet and know several other players who
do, too. It might help that I started with the older style and learned the
new style later as I came to understand the modern harmonies. But, let's
consider some of the differences.
(I understand that there are lots of exceptions to each of these guidelines
and don't mean to start debates about how Hackett did such and such, etc.,
etc.)
Tone:
Mod: A legitimate tone on all styles.
Trad: A growly, biting tone. Sweet tone on blues and ballads.
Vibrato:
Mod: No vibrato or a small, quiet lip vibrato
Trad: Shake vibrato, often broad. No long tones w/out vibrato.
Harmonies:
Mod: Tritone substitutions, the sustained sound of ii mi7 -> V7. Goes
"outside" sometimes. Uses 9, b9 and #9 on 7 chords.
Trad: Stays on the basic chords. Lots of so-called "blue notes" (Eb and Bb
when the chord is C, for example);
Technique:
Mod: Lots of scales and runs. Frequent grace notes. Triplets, particularly
on the alt sound (Dd,Eb triplet on a C7)
Trad: Fewer notes. No pyrotechnics.
Range:
Mod: The higher the better. Scream every now and then. Hit the lower notes
on the horn for contrast and effect.
Trad: Stay in the staff most of the time.
Improvisation:
Mod: Get away from the melody as soon as possible and be creative. Play
"cool" and understate.
Trad: Improvise on the tune but never let the listener get lost. Frequently
state something that suggests the melody. Play "hot" and overstate.
Quotes:
Mod: Whenever one occurs to you.
Trad: Seldom if ever.
Cliches:
Mod: Yes, but different from trad cliches.
Trad: Yes, but different from mod cliches.
Mutes:
Mod: Harmon without the cup extension (Miles)
Trad: Stone-lined whisper mute for ballads. Small bathroom plunger with
wa-wa action.
Time:
Mod: Play in time, certainly, but take some liberties.
Trad: Hit most notes dead bang on the beat, or, when "pushing" a beat, with
an attack that makes it clear what you are doing.
My last piece of advice:
Since you are a modern player, pick a tune that both idioms play, maybe an
up tempo blues, and listen first to how that tune is played by players who
influenced you. For me, it's Brownie, Chet Baker, and Jack Sheldon. Now
listen to the same tune as played by trad players whose playing pleases you.
For me, it's Wild Bill Davison and Dick Cathcart. Compare the different
approaches and emulate what you are trying to learn.
A while back I played a club date on piano where Ira Sullivan, the great
bebop trumpet and sax player, was the guest artist. Knowing that I also play
in dixie bands, he wanted to play some dixie and called the Satch tune,
"Struttin With Some Barbeque." I expected a really modern version of the
tune from Ira, but he laid it down with as good a Chicago dixie style as
you'd want to hear. I've never heard him do it before or since.
Chris Laarman
--
Chris Laarman
(Amsterdam, NL)
Al Stevens heeft geschreven in bericht ...
Chris Gildersleeve
Thomas, Red Allen etc. They all had in common space in their playing, the
notes they didn't play were as important as the notes they did play. Leave
space in your playing! Link your notes harmonically. Stick to the melody,
improvise on it and not just the chord. There's lots more but you will need
to listen.
--
Regards,
Chris
Robert <A...@CD.com> wrote in message news:3816F44E...@CD.com...
> Hi!
>
> I'm a trumpet player doing rather bebop and modern jazz. Now I'd like to
> learn the New Orleans and Dixie style. My problem is that my solos sound
IISergioII
Thomas, Red Allen etc."
You forgot to mention the "master" of them all, the late Al Hirt.
Lawrence H. Iverson
IISergioII wrote:
There's a veritable plethora of Dixieland groups and outstanding musicians
who are exponents of the style. Unfortunately, most have passed from the
scene in New Orleans. (What you get nowadays in New Orleans pales in
comparison to the "olden days.") Fortunately, most of them are survived by
their recordings. They recorded in New Orleans, 40, 50 years ago. Who I have
in mind are: Tony Almerico, Sharky Bonano, George Girard, Frank
Trapani--trumpet; Santo Pecora, Jack Delaney, Bob Havens, Buba
Castigliola--trombone; Frank Federico-guitar; Stanley Mendelson--piano; Pee
Wee Spitelera, Pete Fountain (still playing)--clarinet; The Dukes of
Dixieland (the original), and of course, Al Hirt. There are lots, lots more.
What you need to do is get hold of recordings with some of these guys and
bands, and listen. Don't know where to tell you get them except at the
tourist shops in New Orleans. And, I'm guessing here because I don't go there
anymore.
LI
Howard Peirce
> Listen to the masters like Bunk, Kid Howard, Kid Rena, De De Pierce, Kid
> Thomas, Red Allen etc.
> >
> > I'm a trumpet player doing rather bebop and modern jazz. Now I'd like to
> > learn the New Orleans and Dixie style. My problem is that my solos sound
> > to modern for that oldtime stuff.
Listening is certainly the place to start--be sure to listen *technically*:
transcribe some of it, and try to figure out what works and why. One thing it
took me years to figure out, as a modern player interested in learning the
older styles, is that the theory governing note choices is very different. So,
even after I'd developed a nice terminal vibrato, and backed off on the scalar
runs, substitutions, etc., my playing still sounded too modern.
First of all, forget all the chord/scale correspondences you use when playing
modern. Generally, I think, the old players mostly used their ears (although
I'm not so sure about Red Allen--his playing is amazing, and he was big
influence on Coleman Hawkins, who was really into harmony). But, that doesn't
mean you can't understand theoretically how they chose the notes they did.
The key to choosing notes in trad lies in understanding that all chords occur
*within a key*. Dominant cycles are to trad what ii-V-Is are to modern jazz.
And all the chords in a dominant cycle occur within the key. Consider a typical
progression:
C E7 A7 D7 Dm G7 C
All of these chords are conceptually "in the key of C." When you approach the
E7, realize that this is V7/vi in C. So, rather than use myxolydian, or
diminished, or some other "jazz scale," you would approach it as the dominant
of A minor (vi in C), and use A harmonic minor or A melodic minor starting on
E. Or, to put it another way: play the root, third, (fifth,) and seventh of E7,
and choose passing tones and appogiaturas from either C major or A minor. The
second approach helps you play more idiomatically, since early improvisers
weren't thinking necessarily in terms of scales at all, but in terms of chord
tones connected by passing tones or decorated by appogiaturas. (A passing tone
is an unaccented non-chord tone; an appogiature is an accented non-chord tone.)
It's rather complicated to describe, but in terms of playing, it's rather
simple: you accent primarily the chord tones, and any non-chord tones come from
the primary key of the song, so there are in fact much fewer note choices.
It's also useful to know thoroughly a lot of traditional melodies.
("Thoroughly" means swung and embellished in all 12 keys.) The cornet and
trumpet in traditional jazz is first and foremost the carrier of the melody. A
perfectly acceptable, even beautiful, trad jazz cornet/trumpet solo can simply
be a swung, embellished version of the melody. Playing a melody beautifully is
a big part of the trumpet/cornet tradition in jazz, and you shouldn't overlook
either the skill involved in doing it well, or the creativity of the result.
Red Allen is a masterful melodist (IMO, Red is the greatest melody player
*ever*), as are the Ellingtonians like Ray Nance, Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart.
Heck, Artie Whetsol never played anything but melody.
HP
