"While The City Sleeps": My First Composition - For Jazz Ensemble

Hi,

I'll be honest I havn't worked on this piece for very long but I worked on it alot in that time. It's for a jazz ensemble and, erm, well tell me what you think (the audio file provided was completly composed in Finale Allegro 2005 but edited in seperate software - try to listen to the tune and ignore any bad sound quality). I think HUman Playback takes dynamics a bit over the top so you may need to adjust your speaker volume. Throughout the piece.

Enjoy! Post feedback please!

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absolutely brilliant, i love what you did in m.27, gorgeous, simply gorgeous.

Gotta link? :(

Hi,

I'll be honest I havn't worked on this piece for very long but I worked on it alot in that time. It's for a jazz ensemble and, erm, well tell me what you think (the audio file provided was completly composed in Finale Allegro 2005 but edited in seperate software - try to listen to the tune and ignore any bad sound quality). I think HUman Playback takes dynamics a bit over the top so you may need to adjust your speaker volume. Throughout the piece.

Enjoy! Post feedback please!

I'd be happy to check it out...but you'll have to actually post the file y'know!? :(

Yeah sorry - just posted it :-)

Good work...a nice, clean, swing chart...almost too clean.

One comment, your voicings are a little bland (I noticed particlarly the pyramid around 1:36). Make friends with dissonance. The voicings (to me) are quite square, too clean sounding. In a bluesy chart like this I want to hear the 3rd rub against the #9; a 5th against a b13 etc. Stacked thirds and plain seventh chords get tiresome...be creative with it.

Any chance of checking out a score?

For some sense of where I'm coming from, check out Big Ugly Blues here.

It's a good chart - especially for a first try! You're sense of feel in a jazz sense is great, you just need to beef up your harmonic language...

...

Thanks for your comments. I felt that some parts lacked rhythmic variation (especially the drum part as I am not very familier with drums).

I completly see where you are coming from regarding the pyramid at 1:36. You'll notcie I tried to create some jazz style clashing notes in the piano solo but failed a bit :-(. After listening to it for the 10th time I can see that sections don't blend into each other very well (ie: you can tell i've just compied and pasted some parts then added something different!). It could definitly do with some work but it was a little bit experimental to get me used to Finale.

I'll send you the score. In .mus or PDF or something?

Thanks for your comments. I felt that some parts lacked rhythmic variation (especially the drum part as I am not very familier with drums).

...sections don't blend into each other very well (ie: you can tell i've just compied and pasted some parts then added something different!). It could definitly do with some work but it was a little bit experimental to get me used to Finale.

I'll send you the score. In .mus or PDF or something?

I didn't really notice the drums - assuming, in performance a live drummer would simply play better.

I'll listen again for the section transitions - though they didn't jump out at me the first time. Score? MUS or PDF are cool...

Well that's alright then :) .

Here's the MUS file:

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