This may sound self-explanatory but if your embouchure is really sore and you can not figure out why in the world you are not playing like you normally do, consider if you were just playing a contact sport, and if you might have been "clocked" in the face. Yeah, it's funny, kind of. Recently, I have been battling with my chops and only after trimming my beard did I see a dark mark above my lips - a bruise. It all came rushing back then - the flying elbow, my complaint to the basketball ref (that went unanswered!) and the light-headedness. Time to get some mouth gear. I am not sure if that would have reduced this injury but it is worth trying. I would hate to think that I would have to give-up men's basketball night. It is intense but some weeks, it is the only exercise I get, and I do love the run and the occasional 3-pointer I sink. Anyway, there is my strange advice for this post. 

The big band conductor does most of his/her work before hand, in rehearsal. However, nailing the right tempo so that the band can really groove is crucial. It is not as if you are conducting and can adjust the tempo "on the fly." This being said, we all count off tunes a little fast and a little slow in the heat of battle and a good band will take that tempo and reshape the tune, i.e., make the groove work. Tonight, here's hoping I do not ask my band to do that too often. 

In my latest improvisation workshop, we focused on lifting a lick from a jazz master and using that to base our improvisation off of. The players were sounding better than ever and it reminded me of the importance of listening and immersing yourself in the sounds and figures of a jazz giant. Really internalising a great line has immediate fruition for an soloist.  

Putting on a concert in a few months with all Canadian content. Sadly, this is not something that you can go to the nearest music store and pick-up. With some digging, I am hoping to find a set-list that will showcase my band and the great writers of this country. 

Took the afternoon to get set-up to teach Trombone Techniques at Wilfrid Laurier University. Great to be back on campus. This year they assigned me the large ensemble room - awesome! We will do our best to fill up that space with brilliant brass bell tones. Well, the best we can muster at 8:30 in the morning. 

At times, I find myself overwriting charts. There is enough ideas for four arrangements. I have to keep myself in check and keep it simple. In the end, all that matters is that the band can play the music, that they enjoy your writing and that is sounds good. Generally, a band's ability to play the chart, their enjoyment of that chart and the success (quality of sound) of the arrangement are correlated. Try to get too tricky or academic and the piece is sunk. Just make it swing, regardless of the genre. ​

At times, I find myself overwriting charts. There is enough ideas for four arrangements. I have to keep myself in check and keep it simple. In the end, all that matters is that the band can play the music, that they enjoy your writing and that is sounds good. Generally, a band's ability to play the chart, their enjoyment of that chart and the success (quality of sound) of the arrangement are correlated. Try to get too tricky or academic and the piece is sunk. Just make it swing, regardless of the genre. 

Having a fabulous time writing this arrangement of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Triste." I have gone "old school," writing the majority of the lines at the piano. Now all the hard work is done, I need to flesh-out all the voices on the computer and put in all the details that make any chart come to life. That's okay; I love both parts of the writing process.

You can spend days tweaking your website and second guessing how you arrange your "merchandise." Do you arrange your music by style or do you arrange it by difficulty level or do you arrange it by ensemble type? I think I will constantly be rearranging my site until I am satisfied with the traffic flow and the amount of business I receive, and since I am a perfectionist, you knows when that will be. :) That being said, please check out my most recent layout of my big band and jazz combo charts. Now time to get back to my family!

My band's next gig is at the Lion. Looking forward to it. The first set is a swing set, the second has a touch of Latin (Bossa Novas, Sambas, Latin Rock) and the last set is a contemporary one with modal jazz, blues, R&B, rock, and pop. We usually fill the place and I expect the same this time. At the gig, we will be premiering my arrangement of Twenty One Pilots' "House of Gold." Don't miss it! Link to set list.