Admittedly it's been pretty quiet here on Playjazz recently, but I'm pleased to tell you that it's not because I've given up on jazz and joined a Britney Spears tribute band, but because I've been working up an idea for a new project which I'm excited to let you know about today.
The JazzFromScratch Project is going to be a unqiue online document showcasing the evolution of a jazz band and its music from the very beginning.
As many of you know, I have long been an advocate of jazz musicians branching out from the safe but uninspiring haven of the pick-up-band and starting write and playing music that really inspires them. In fact, a while back, I wrote what is still one of my favourite posts on why I think it's so important, and the JazzFromScratch Project is my attempt to do just that.
I spent most of last year building up my private teaching practice and I'm currently fortunate enough to have a full teaching schedule. Now it's time to turn my attention back to playing.
I also did a little bit of composing for my own amusement last year, which I haven't done for ages, and it inspired me to want to put a band together and start working on some original material.
Putting a band together can be a tricky process and a lot of work has to be put in before the band is ready to play in public. Most of the time this work is done behind closed doors and nobody gets to see or hear anything until the band is ready to gig.
I mentioned my intention to form a band to some of my students and the questions they asked me made me realise that people might be interested in the whole process of how a band develops - as well as the finished product.
This is where JazzFromScratch comes in. At the moment, all I have is a domain name, some free wordpress software that I don't really know how to use, a couple of tunes and the desire to play them with other musicians.Everything that happens from this point will be recorded on theJazzFromScratch website so you can follow the evolution of the band and its music.
I'll be posting lead sheets, recordings of tunes, videos of rehearsals, articles on how I'm trying to promote the music and get gigs, fragments of developing compositions and pretty much everything that happens as I try and get the project off the ground.
What's more, I'd really like you to become part of the process too. I don't want you merely to watch what happens, but I'd love for you to get involved and help shape the band and its sound too!
Give us your feedback on the music, pick your favourite arrangement of a tune, come up with a name for the band, suggest some covers that would complement the original material, give us suggestions on where to play or the best sites to put our recordings on, help us pick the artwork for a recording, a design for the website or the tunes to play at the next gig. Whether you're a musician or not, you can get involved and help dictate the direction of the band and its music.
I'm really excited about this project and I don't think I've come across anything quite like it. If you're interested in the idea, then head over towww.jazzfromscratch.com and join in the journey from the very start.
I hope I'll see you there...
http://playjazz.blog.co.uk/2012/02/13/introducing-the-jazzfromscratch-project-12771156/
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