I just had the remarkable privelege of participating in a rehearsal with the amazing Crescent Super Band! I participated by providing them with 6 new charts (or songs) that I have composed for the Improv Pathways classroom jazz improvisation method. How did they sound, playing six new charts for the first time?
Let me say, first of all, this band can Sa-Wing! Even with the complexities of unpredictable new melodies and rhythms, the kids in the Crescent Super Band performed every note with an incredible swing style. Woooeee, I've never heard a band swing so hard! The two up-tempo swing charts and the one swing ballad were delightful to listen to, even though the band was truly sight reading. The inflection and emotion infused into every phrase, every "du-wah", was mind-blowing.
The rock chart and 2 Latin charts were equally enjoyable, performed with an intense drive and nuanced style that just can't be produced by my MacBook Finale software...or many professional bands, for that matter.
How about the solos? Let me just say, "Oh, Yah!" The soloists not only demonstrated a mastery of scales, patterns, techniques, and solo-building strategies, but also a mastery of playing with SOUL.
In a few weeks we take the charts to the recording studio, and I'll be thrilled to hear the results! I think you'll agree that the Improv Pathways jazz charts are not just trite little songs composed to go along with a method book. They represent REAL jazz. They are meaty. They will be favorites at your concerts. They are festival worthy...and no adjudicator will question their pedagogical or musical value.
See you in a few weeks, Super Band!
Curtis Winters
The rock chart and 2 Latin charts were equally enjoyable, performed with an intense drive and nuanced style that just can't be produced by my MacBook Finale software...or many professional bands, for that matter.
How about the solos? Let me just say, "Oh, Yah!" The soloists not only demonstrated a mastery of scales, patterns, techniques, and solo-building strategies, but also a mastery of playing with SOUL.
In a few weeks we take the charts to the recording studio, and I'll be thrilled to hear the results! I think you'll agree that the Improv Pathways jazz charts are not just trite little songs composed to go along with a method book. They represent REAL jazz. They are meaty. They will be favorites at your concerts. They are festival worthy...and no adjudicator will question their pedagogical or musical value.
See you in a few weeks, Super Band!
Curtis Winters
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