Jazz band

[thommotitanium]

Hey all,

There are jazz band auditions for school tomorrow and I really want to get in. Could you recommend me some good jazz songs I could learn for tomorrow?

Thanks

[TheBassman238]

im in the same boat as you my tryout are the 19th... im playing Cromatic Fantasy by Jaco and then wander into Portrait of Tracy...

Good Luck:thumb:

-TBM

[Phalanx]

I recommend you learn some jazz "basslines", not solo pieces as you aren't going to be doing much solo stuff in Jazz band (apart from solo sections) so if you do play some jazz bass lines like Come on Come over or Birdland, that would be more appropriate. Jazz band forced me to learn how to read music and it is very beneficial even if most of the songs are cheesy

[mastrrbasser]

what about funk songs. Im sure if you played "brick house" or "jungle boogie" clearly and in time you'll be in a good spot. They're not very tough lines at all either. Also practice walking basslines if you know how to at all. The goal for you is to support the band. A band directer once told me: "The bass player is like spaghetti. He is the foundation. You cannot have fancy things like meatballs, sauce, and cheese if you don't have good spaghetti." Don't try to wow them with technique or anything, but play as in time as you can, and have a strong clear sound. Go to your audition thinking spaghetti. /**** metaphor

[MasterofBass]

yeah, well, I didn't have to audition for my jazz band in high school (lack of bassists actually made the band director ask me to learn bass, man that was a great day). Anyways, for an audition, I'd just do a good walking bass line, because that's the majority of stuff you're going to play. A few songs here and there won't follow that regular quarter note walking bassline, but most will be. I guess a reccomendation would be something from Cout Basie (C.B. Express is a good one)

Just make sure you do a very important thing. It'll most definitely be a solo audition, no drums or band, so you have to make sure you're keeping a steady tempo. As my old band director said to me, I was the "heart" of the jazz band, so you have to be able to keep a steady time, because you'll be part of the rhythm section, and in my eyes, the most important part, because you bridge the gap between the rhythm of the song and the chordal structure of the song.

good luck :thumb:

[HaVIC5]

Like what the other people said, don't even think about learning solo pieces. Sure, it might impress them a bit, but they really don't care if you can play Chromatic Fantasy if you can't walk a line and sight read music well.

[Spazzout22]

Like what the other people said, don't even think about learning solo pieces. Sure, it might impress them a bit, but they really don't care if you can play Chromatic Fantasy if you can't walk a line and sight read music well.

Honestly in most highschool jazz bands you don't even need to be able to sight read music, if you can work your way through it then it should be fine. Unless you have a good jazzband and you're competing against other bassists who can sight-read.

Having a good sense of time is fairly crucial.

[I play that funky music]

Way to start early...

[Afrokid]

reggae...suprising its what i played to get into my schools jazz band, and i practically had the whole band moving along, and doing their best to sound like bob marley...lol....

[thelowsoundofbass]

just do some walking over a chord progresion. thats what you really need ot know anyway

lowsound

[if_jaco_was_punk]

I didn't have to audition either as I was learning and there was another bassist to fill in on the songs I couldn't play. I just played something simple like arpeggios while reading the guitar chords for quite a while and I have now bumped him elegantly out of the band. If you can play a descent walking bass line and add some runs mabye then that should do it 'cause that's your job in a jazz band usually. But to be honest playing Chromatic Fantasy and Portrait of Tracy would probably get you the place aswell.