Roger Aldridge / Blog
Sleepy Creek Samba for 5-horn jazz ensemble
This is a bright and happy samba written for friends in Berkeley Springs, WV and dedicated to the Morgan Arts Council. (A quartet version of the tune is #21 in my Reverbnation playlist). The score was originally conceived for woodwind quintet (with alto flute) and rhythm section. Alternate parts for woodwinds and brass are provided for each of the five horn lines. With this flexible approach to instrumentation just about any configuration of wind instruments can be used for a horn section such as brass & saxes, sax section, brass section, woodwind quintet, clarinet ensemble, or a custom mix of tone colors. In a similar way, the instrumentation for the rhythm section is flexible. At a minimum, piano and/or guitar, bass, and drums are needed. Other instruments can be added. Interested bands can contact me for parts and score.
Cloud Dance
Cloud Dance was composed in 1993, along with several other pieces, for a concert to benefit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. After that performance, the music gathered dust for 18 years (I completely forgot about it) until it was discovered in August, 2011 by George Spicka, a composer friend in Baltimore. After George's discovery, I found my original copy of the music and made some minor revisions. Keith Calmes used the new version of the music in a performance at the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York City on December 18, 2011. Please watch the video of Keith's performance. The piece was inspired by a day in which thick, low clouds driven by high winds seemed to perform a ballet. The music unfolds through shifting moods, textures, and movement. Except for a brief restatement toward the end of the opening phrases, the piece is largely through-composed and does not use conventional compositional forms. This piece is fairly short and is meant to sound ephemeral -- like clouds that come into our vision and then are gone. Zen like. A performer has a considerable amount of freedom to adapt this music to his own vision and personal style. Ideally, each performance will be a unique creation. Sheet music for this piece is available at the American Music Center. http://www.amc.net/library/composition.aspx?CompositionID=349815 It can be easily adapted for other instruments. At the AMC page, click on the PDF icon.
Baltimore Rowhouse for 5-horn jazz ensemble
This is an extended piece that goes through a series of moods and settings. (A sextet version of the music is #9 in my Reverbnation playlist.) Guitar is featured along with a soloist on an unspecified instrument. This music has a great deal of freedom and is dependent upon the soloists and ensemble to bring it to life. The score was originally conceived for woodwind quintet (with alto flute) and rhythm section. Alternate parts for woodwinds and brass are provided for each of the five horn lines. With this flexible approach to instrumentation just about any configuration of wind instruments can be used for a horn section such as brass & saxes, sax section, brass section, woodwind quintet, clarinet ensemble, or a custom mix of tone colors. In a similar way, the instrumentation for the rhythm section is flexible. At a minimum, piano and/or guitar, bass, and drums are needed. Other instruments can be added. Interested bands can contact me for parts and score.
More about my new approach to ensemble writing.
More ideas are coming together about the 5-horn jazz ensemble scores I'm working on. Here are some of my thoughts: Existing small jazz groups -- such as trios, quartets or quintets -- could add a 5-piece horn section on an ad-hoc basis and use these charts for special gigs. This can be a relatively easy thing to do if the groups are already performing some of my tunes and are familiar with the music. Just about any combination of wind instruments can be used (within the range of each horn line) for a horn section. Importantly, with this approach, pulling together a horn section can be based on player availability or specific tone colors wanted for the ensemble. It's all about FLEXIBILITY! One of the section configurations that I can't wait to hear is alto flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon. That is, a woodwind quintet with alto flute replacing concert flute. But, a section could also be more conventional with brass or saxes or clarinets (Bb clarinets, bass clarinets, optional contra-alto) or a mix of brass & saxes. One can also let their imagination go totally wild. How about an alto flute, soprano sax, english horn, bassoon, and tuba? Frustration opened the door to this concept. I became tired of writing charts for specific instruments and then have directors or groups complain that they didn't have a particular instrument. After being frustrated one time too many, an idea came to me to write charts for non-specific instrumentation and then have parts written for a large assortment of wind instruments. In this way, ensembles can use the parts for the horns they have. It's such a SIMPLE idea. I'm now wondering why I didn't think about it years ago! Three charts have been finished so far -- Connecticut Avenue SUVs, New Tango No. 1: Movement, and Baltimore Rowhouse. Sleepy Creek Samba, Buzzards in Love, and Blues for Lester are next in line. Please let me know if you have a group and would like to take these charts for a test drive. Just send an email and I'll send a ZIP file with a complete set of parts & score. Thanks, Roger
Buzzards in Love
Buzzards in Love (#10 in my playlist) has been used in a reverbnation global promotion. Following is information about the music: This composition evolved over time. It was originally written as an extended piece for small jazz ensemble in 1999. Then, it was recomposed and scored for wind ensemble in 2009. It is dedicated to Charlie Mariano. Besides being one of the greatest jazz alto saxophonists, Charlie had an equally great sense of humor. The music tells a story of an imaginary pair of buzzards. Each section of the score has a programmatic title: #1 - buzzard search for life's meaning, #2 - buzzard attraction, #3 - buzzard tango, #4 - buzzard dating, #5 - roadkill interlude, #6 - buzzard love in the sky. As one might gather, the music has a spirit of fun and adventure. The score has two sections where improvisation is used: "roadkill interlude" (period of silence in the demo recording) and over the 5/4 vamp toward the end. It was not possible to have improv in the demo recording. These sections can have any creative possibility taking place. The improv can be in a new music style or jazz or even (as an example) using a violin to play in an old-time or bluegrass fiddle style. Anything creative and fun is fair game! Besides concert band/wind ensemble, the piece can be performed by a large jazz ensemble with additional woodwinds and low brass. There is also a leadsheet format of the piece so it can be performed by small jazz groups. Note: the MP3 file was generated by Silibelius software and is a rough approximation of how the piece sounds with a real band. BANDS: CONTACT ME FOR A COMPLETE SET OF PARTS & SCORE. NO CHARGE FOR THE MUSIC.
New Tango No. 1: Movement for 5-horn jazz ensemble
Inspired by the tango, this music is about dance movement as well as exploring movement between time and free-time. The soloist’s part (unspecified instrument in the score) is entirely improvised. The rhythm section plays in and out of time. The background ensemble is entirely in free-time with each note conducted. In the solo section the background ensemble improvises interactions with the soloist. This piece is highly dependent upon the soloist and ensemble to bring the music to life, give it a sense of drama and momentum, and take the audience on a journey. The score was originally conceived for woodwind quintet (with alto flute) and rhythm section. Alternate parts for woodwinds and brass are provided for each of the five horn lines. With this flexible approach to instrumentation just about any configuration of wind instruments can be used for a horn section: brass & saxes, sax section, brass section, woodwind quintet, clarinet ensemble, or a custom mix of tone colors. In a similar way, the instrumentation for the rhythm section is flexible. At a minimum, piano and/or guitar, bass, and drums are needed. Other instruments can be added. Accordion (or keyboard with an accordion patch) is highly recommended. Interested bands can contact me for parts and score.
Beyond Notation
I like to extend a jazz soloist's freedom to the rest of the band in my ensemble scores. This is done in ways that are integral to the compositional framework. With this approach, both musicians and audiences can experience the music in fresh and different ways each time it's performed. This concept has its roots in early jazz. It enables ensemble musicians, not just the soloists, to go beyond written parts to add their vision and voice to the musical whole that is brought to life. When I write in this way I intend it to be a fun and adventurous experience for musicians and audiences. I'm especially happy when musicians working with my music take it in different directions than what I originally conceived.
Connecticut Avenue SUVs for 5-horn jazz ensemble
This piece is a minimalist composition -- the melody is only 16 bars. However, it has expanded improvisation concepts for the soloist and the ensemble. There's a great amount of freedom to take the music in many creative directions. The ensemble's collective improvisation is intended to have an effect of quickly changing music and radio sounds as one can hear in heavy traffic. The score was originally conceived for woodwind quintet (with alto flute) and rhythm section. Alternate parts for woodwinds and brass are provided for each of the five horn lines. With this flexible approach to instrumentation just about any configuration of wind instruments can be used for a horn section -- brass & saxes, sax section, brass section, woodwind quintet, clarinet ensemble, or a custom mix of tone colors. In a similar way, the instrumentation for the rhythm section is flexible. At a minimum, piano and/or guitar, bass, and drums are needed. Other instruments can be added. Interested bands can contact me for parts and score.
Writing for a 5-horn jazz ensemble
I've become a big fan of a mid-size jazz ensemble. Here are some thoughts about writing for one: I've found that I can be more creative in writing for a 5-piece horn section than for a conventional big band. Why? With one player on a line, each line can have a distinct tone color. Thinking of new color possibilities for 5 lines is deeply inspiring to me. In addition, the writing can be more linear instead of conventional top-down harmonization. Want a big & powerful sound? No problem! Use open & rich horn voicings. For an even bigger ensemble sound, use rhythm section instruments (such as keyboards, guitar, or bass) to extend or thicken the horn voicings.
