Jazz Bands
Instrumentation: Jazz bands are made up of a rhythm section and a horn section. The rhythm section typically consists of a piano, bass, drums, guitar and often utilizes auxiliary percussion (especially in Latin pieces), a synthesizer, or a vibraphone. The wind section consists of trumpets, trombones, and saxophones, with either four or five players in each section. Other wind instruments are often included for special effects, while instruments like the tuba and clarinet are very common in New Orleans jazz bands. In many school music programs, instrumentation changes regularly based on the available instrumentation. Because of this, many composers also write flexible-instrumentation jazz charts to appeal to the needs of school jazz bands. But smaller combinations of jazz players are not unique to these situations; jazz combos of three to seven players are very common due to the ability of these groups to mesh sounds and focus much more on improvisation.
Jazz Band Setup: Below is a diagram of a traditional jazz band setup. Note that each player typically performs their own part, thus extreme rhythmic and melodic independence is necessary for each player. As such, jazz bands are often considered to be premier ensembles in school music programs, and are auditioned-based to maintain a high caliber of musicianship. In middle schools, many programs double up students on parts and make the experience much more inclusive so that students of different ability levels and non-traditional jazz instruments are able to participate.
Trumpet players typically stand while playing, and project over the rest of the wind section. Trombone players have commonly sat on four-legged stools, and saxophonists sit in the front row on chairs. The soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts of each section (1, 2, 3, and 4) are aligned so that trumpet 1, trombone 1, alto 1 are in a vertical column. This setup encourages players to listen within their section (to the first player who is in the middle of the section) and to their common part across the sections. The second player sits nearest to the rhythm section since most solos (written and improvised) are designated for the second part, while first parts focus on range and stylistic leadership of the sections.
Famous Jazz Bands: Many of the most famous jazz bands were led by prominent band leaders between the 1920s and 1960s, and the names of the groups were typically tied to the band leader. Because jazz musicians and band leaders changed so frequently, the names of these groups changed over the years. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra first recorded as the Washingtonians, then changed to Duke Ellington and his Kentucky Club Orchestra,then to Duke Ellington and his Cotton Club Orchestra and finally in the 1930s to Duke Ellington and his Orchestra. Other famous jazz band leaders include Stan Kenton, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Glen Miller, and Tommy Dorsey among others. From the 1950s on, it has been much more common for jazz artists to perform with combos, though some part-time jazz bands for hire in many parts of the country.
