arranging, Jazz piano, Music, Music Theory, Tutorials
0
arranging, Audio
Sample Project 1- Vocal album recording
We were approached last year by West End vocalist Tom Solomon to record his double album (Beautiful Day). We’re very pleased to say that this album reached No1 in the iTunes classical chart! Not only did Tom need the album recorded, he also wanted arrangements written for live musicians and click tracks for live performance. We transcribed and arranged all of the material and used a mixture of virtual instruments and two of London’s busiest session musicians – On drums we used the great Accy Yeats and the amazing James Pusey on guitar.
General
James Treweek – Recognition In The Arts
2015 had an unexpected start this January when I was honoured to be included in a mural in Stevenage (Hertfordshire) recognising people working in the arts, who grew up in the town.
Arts personalities from the worlds of theatre, film, sculpture and literature joined the guest list for the event at Stevenage Leisure Centre. The life size photo murals were unveiled by Stevenage Mayor and Gordon Craig Theatre patron, actress Vikki Michelle. An earlier set of panels saluting some of the town’s sporting stars, including Lewis Hamilton, was unveiled last year. The unveiling event was a lovely, relaxed affair attended by most of the artists in the mural, including author Ken Follet and fellow Spice Fusion Big Band member Giles Terera! 
The photo used (taken by the wonderful composer Lester Barnes) was from a recent album launch concert where I was playing a Steinway D concert grand, my Roland 700NX and Korg x50. I’ve been concentrating on piano playing throughout 2014 (I’m back working on the smartassmusic.com again now!) and for a look at the kind of thing I’ve been doing over the past year here’s a great video featuring fellow Stevenage mural artists :-) myself (James Treweek) on piano and Giles Terera on vocals. Sound Advice for Film
Ok, it may be a bad pun but I just came across this really good site and video with advice on sound recording in your films. There’s some great advice here on audio perspective and mic placement. It’s surprising what a huge difference audio can make in your films. It can have the effect of making your video captivating and slick or off-putting and cheap!
There’s some great resources here at lights online film school blog with some more audio tutorials including advice on noise reduction and removing background hiss.
A new and interesting Jazz Band has been formed for professional events, in the London area. The London Jazz Trio is a piano led Jazz band who love to perform a sophisticated combination of modern pop tunes, classic tracks and of course the Great American Songbook. The effect is a very slick, fun sound that people love to hear, no matter what the age group.
Each of the three musicians are highly experienced professionals who have played with many of the UK’s top Jazz musicians (seen below performing with the great John Etheridge) , as well as pop sessions, theatre and concert work.
The music that this group loves to play includes current chart music such as “Make You Feel My Love – Adele (Bob Dylan)”, “Only Girl in The World – Rihanna”, “Someone Like You – Kings of Leon”, “Price Tag – Jesse J” as well as well known Jazz Standards “Someone To Watch Over Me”, “A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square”, “Sophisticated Lady”, “Fly Me to The Moon”, “Come Fly With Me” and many, many more. Click here for more details.
To listen to some samples or for more information on hiring a jazz band for your event, visit the band’s site at www.london-jazz-trio.co.uk.
The jazz band is available to hire in the Greater London area for corporate events, functions, parties and weddings.
Cruise ship singers and entertainers can often find it difficult to know what makes a good quality arrangement and it may take a great deal of experience and money to learn how to avoid mistakes.
Here’s a few tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of long rehearsals, wasted money and nervous performances!
Firstly I should point out that personally, I’ve written arrangements for many professional cruise ship vocalists as well as the main shows (and TV show, orchestras and Pop acts) but aside from that I am also a freelance pianist and I get to see a wide variety of musical arrangements and talk to vocalists who regularly play guest spots on cruise ships.
My first 2 jobs out of college were in the cabaret band on cruise ships and I’ve even been a passenger and spoken to other bands and artists.
Tip1. Not all Musicians Are Created Equal.
Your arrangements should sound fantastic played by fantastic musicians but also sound good from bad musicians. I spoke to a singer recently at a gig in London and after the first set he was thanking the band for the way the charts sounded. He told me how he’d recently come back from a cruise ship guest spot and had to give up using the band, it sounded so bad. He moved from the theatre to the lounge and had to use backing tracks instead. It takes a lot of experience in order to write arrangements that take this into account. You may be a seasoned pro’ with beautiful charts and your regular session guys have no problem playing the intricacies that you’re used to hearing but if the band are not up to the same standard then you may have to pull numbers from your carefully worked out set, even after long, extended rehearsals.Tip2. Make It Easy To Read!
This may seem like stating the obvious but I come across this issue so often. Music which is quite simple to play but which is written in such a way as to make it difficult. Even if you don’t read music, does it look neat, clear and can be seen at 3-4 feet away? Even if the answer to these questions is “Yes” there’s detail which can still make the arrangement difficult. An example may be a chord symbol written as “Fb7(#11)” – although this may be technically correct sometimes, a commercial musician will ALWAYS prefer to see “E7(#11) , I guarantee it. Good arrangements are written to be read first time with no rehearsal as opposed to get marks in a college exam. Something which constantly irritates me is that people write music with 5 or 6 bars to each line, especially with Jazz or pop music. Rhythm sections tend to think in groups of 4 or 8 because that’s how the musical phrases sound. If your arrangements have 4 bars (measures) per line, a rhythm section doesn’t need to think much but if your charts have 5 bars (or 6 or 7….I’ve seen them all), your chances of the bass, drums, pianist or guitarist getting lost have just increased by a massive amount.Tip3. Bands Come In Different Shapes And Sizes
Cruise ship bands not only differ in their level of competence but also the amount of musicians and instruments within the group. This can be a real headache for the arranger as well as the vocalist. The band that I started my career with was a 7 piece, with piano, bass, drums, guitar and sax (doubling clarinet) trumpet and trombone. This is a good size band that can cover most music really well but it’s not that common any more. I tend to ensure that arrangements can be played well by a trio (piano, bass, drums) and include all the necessary cues of the horn parts. That way it’s all covered.Tip4. Choose Your Key Carefully
OK, we know the show is all about YOU…..and your voice sounds perfect in B major on this song. By all means use your B major arrangements for bands that you know but for bands that you don’t know or if you have little or no rehearsal, take it from me – Bb major of C major will make everybody’s life a great deal easier!Tip5. It’s Not All About Style, But……
With musicians, style IS important. A great Jazz player may know 1000s of tunes in any key but may not be able to read simple notation or if you put a page of chord symbols in front of a classical trained pianist and you tend to get silence! Your arrangements (especially for piano) should have enough information on them so that a Classical player can read some notes and so the Jazz player can read some chords. If you are a singer and have any questions regarding arrangements please do feel free to contact me and ask anything you like, no obligations. When all your arrangements are in order, the band should look like this: (My cruise ship band from 20 years ago ….and that’s me in the centre )
Good luck,
James Treweek
Pianist, arranger, composer
General, Piano Technique, Tutorials
The “Holy Grail” for pianists is to find an “effortless” technique which allows them to be at one with the instrument. This is something that has interested me for the past 20 years and which I believe I’m beginning to gain some understanding of. I’ve been meaning to blog about this for ages but it’s such a huge subject!
Most of what’s written below is taken from an email I sent to a colleague regarding piano students and how this may be of benefit to some of the more advanced pianists.
The whole subject of technique is extremely complicated and is not simply understanding the mechanism by which we play the instrument, but relies hugely on how we hear and think about music too.
For me, there is a distinct difference between “technique” and something which I shall call “mechanism”. By “mechanism” I mean an efficient use of the muscles of the hand and arm which allows for “effortless” playing by means of gaining maximum effect with minimum input of energy.
Of course this is “technique”, but that word has other implications such as ability to play thirds, octave passages and other specific technical difficulties which are a different concern. Jazz musicians don’t need to build a formidable “technique” in the same way that a classical musician does but the ability to play accurately with precise rhythm and good tone, without conscious awareness of technique is vital. Although applicable to any good musician, this is a specific area of concern for improvisers because we cannot fall back on knowing the notes .
Any physical discomfort is a barrier to improvisation as we need almost all of our conscious mind devoted to creating the notes in the first place. We also need to learn how to combat unwanted tension.
I once asked a very well respected teacher what one should do if experiencing tension and the reply was “play through it!” which is a familiar response and one I find at best unhelpful and can in extreme cases lead to focal dystonia. Another problem which arises more often with students of Jazz/ improvisation is that they usually come to the piano at a later age and haven’t built up a technique at a time when their hands and wrists are more supple and still growing. As a result, many students play the piano with tension or at the very least a highly inefficient technique which wastes energy and produces a bad tone, usually with muscle stiffness. My own approach is based upon:
Firstly “timing” the key correctly – nothing to do with rhythm, but rather, feeling the point at which the hammer strikes the string so that one can input the minimum required energy to gain the maximum affect.
Maximising the use of the small muscles of the hand (which are very weak but allow great independence) while minimising the work done by the long flexors and extensors which are joined to the forearm. This system of muscles and tendons is very strong and yet impedes finger independence, results in a stiffened wrist, finger insensitivity and can result in pain if overworked. Most students I see (and many professionals) overuse these long flexors and extensors.
For me, the basic piano playing mechanism relies on:
allowing the hand to drop completely -thus allowing a loose wrist and removing unnecessary work from the Flexor Digitorium System in the arm.
For the finger to strike the key (“timing” the key/ hammer precisely)
The finger then supports the weight of the hand (rather like a house resting on stilts).
The fingers do not press at all- they support (they are never passive).
The next key is struck by a finger and the weight of the hand is transferred from the first finger to the next with no break – producing an “effortless” legato.
Additional energy required for most playing can be added by pushing from the arm or adding additional weight from the arm.
The “feeling” of playing a legato phrase is to drop onto the first note, then feel a continuous connection with the keyboard throughout the phrase and finally pick the hand up at the end. Playing is effortless, with a good tone and extremely rapid.Although this sounds simple, most pianists are unable to achieve the correct results due to an overuse of the long flexors. These give the pianist a feeling of strength and security but they also “take over” work that needs to be done by the small, far weaker muscles within the hand. This means that the pianist may look as though he or she is performing the correct action but the work is done by the wrong muscle groups and the correct feeling will not be achieved. Work must e built up from a very small sound, learning to time the hammer precisely and to allow the arm to completely let go of the hand at the wrist. Only then can additional power be added. Obviously this is only part of a comprehensive technique but the “mechanism” is essential. This is a huge subject and one which produces much disagreement among pianists! This is a really an introduction and I’ll be adding to this subject with images and video. I’d love to hear the thoughts of other pianists.
Occasionally a gig comes along which makes all the hard work over the years, worth it- and for me, I was lucky enough to experience exactly that on Sunday. I had a gig with the great, British saxophonist Stan Sulzmann along with Nick Smart (trp), Buster Birch (drms), Pete Ringrose (bass) with myself (Jim Treweek) on piano. For me, it was one of those rare nights where everything comes together and playing is just a sheer joy. The prospect of playing with such fine musicians is rather daunting but I’ve found over the years that when great musicians have nothing to prove, then they’re the nicest people you could hope to meet.
It was also a real pleasure to meet Helen Mayhew, who was in the audience, and is certainly one of the UK’s top Jazz broadcasters and has interviewed Jazz giants such as McCoy Tyner, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Abdullah Ibrahim, Geri Allen, Michael Brecker, Eddie Harris, Dianne Reeves, Chick Corea, Stanley Turrentine, Quincy Jones and Shirley Horn.
In my opinion Stan Sulzmann really is the best of British Jazz, with a wonderful tone and a never ending stream of thoughtful, inventive ideas.
Stan Sulzmann is constantly in demand as a guest soloist and has appeared with bands across Europe, including the Hilversum Radio Orchestra, NDR Big Band (alongside Chet Baker), Hanover Radio Symphony Orchestra and the New York Composers Orchestra. His career stretches back to the 60’s, where he drew critical acclaim playing alongside Graham Collier, John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler, Gordon Beck, as well as leading many groups of his own. Since that time Stan has been at the forefront of European contemporary jazz, and has been in demand by musicians such as Gil Evans, Mike Gibbs, Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland and Michael Brecker.
Nick Smart (trp) is another musician who constructs intelligent, swinging solos with a beautiful tone. Nick has performed with numerous groups including the Stan Sulzmann Big Band, London Jazz Orchestra, Michael Garrick Big Band, BBC Big Band and is the regular soloist with the James Taylor Quartet.
Nick has been increasingly sought after in jazz education. Currently Jazz Co-ordinator and Bmus Tutor at the Royal Academy, he teaches the Jazz LRAM pedagogical diploma and directs the Big Band. Under Nick’s direction recent Big Band projects have included performances with Peter Erskine, John Taylor, Stan Sulzmann and Kenny Wheeler. Nick is also currently on the faculty at the Guildhall School of Music and Middlesex University, as well as a regular tutor on various Jazz summer schools including Glamorgan, Wavendon, Burnley and Trinity.
If you get a chance to see either (or both) of these great British Jazz musicians you really won’t be disappointed.
Holidays are well and truly over now and although I’m hanging onto the last of the Indian summer we’re having in Britain (I’m still in shorts!), there’s no denying the workload which is building and it’s time to get back to the blog :-)
The summer has been full of arranging for a variety of ensembles, managing the royalty free music site (more of that later) and the gig diary has been pretty continuous – culminating in a great evening with vocalist Sue Rivers last Friday.
Apart from the fact that the gig was a mile from home, it was a great evening for me because Sue is a great natural musician with excellent pitching and natural time. Very few vocalists are so reliable that they allow the accompanist complete freedom to use frequent harmonizations and in particular, space!
Playing in time is NOT about playing on the beat – in fact I have a pet hate of that. It’s about knowing where the beat is and either playing in front, on or behind it, depending upon the mood/ style of the music and the instrument.
Groove and swing is all about the rhythmic “pull” between a group of good live musicians which relies upon their ability to hear the “invisible” internal beat. You must hear the constant, imagined beat although you may never play on it.
For me, when musicians are able to do this, everything starts to flow, musically and technically. You can stop “fighting” the groove and trying to jostle musicians into hearing right time or feel. Sometimes it happens immediately and sometime never, but it’s the most rewarding experience when it occurs because ideas flow naturally and you are able to use the musicians most powerful tool……..space.
The key to all of this is not the ability to hear the notes – but the ability to hear the space that surrounds them. It took me years to understand what this means and it’s not always easy to do. I first heard Keith Jarrett talk about it with reference to his period in the Miles Davis band. Miles was “all about space”. If you learn to hear the silence, the notes are easy.
Some very good musicians never understand this although their natural gifts allow them to play very well, but for me their music it never artistic – it just does the job.
You must first imagine the beat (and “groove” or various subdivisions of the beat), then the harmony……. and only then you start to play! If you cannot conjure up these aspects before you play then it’s highly likely that you’re music won’t be very good.
If you’re a visually inclined thinker then the image to the left may make sense to you. This is quite literally what I see very often when playing. If you’re not visually oriented…. don’t be put off!