It’s always neat to hear your music performed, but most of the music I compose is generally written for a specific ensemble, often one that I’m involved with as a performer or director. It’s even cooler when a group that you aren’t familiar with plays your music. Poking around on online I discovered the New Sound Big Band, a Belgian jazz orchestra based in Arendonk. I was thrilled to see that they have performed two of my big band compositions, Snipe Hunt and A Kneezy Waltz. Here are their YouTube videos of these charts.
The trombone soloist must have transcribed my solo from the demo recording of this tune. Either that or we have some of the same licks. He doesn’t play it note for note, but borrowed some of my ideas as branching off points for some of his own improvisation.
I always enjoy hearing different interpretations of my music. On A Kneezy Waltz I wrote in a trombone solo (I think a lot of us trombonists got into composing and arranging to make sure that we get interesting solos to play). The New Sound Big Band opted to give that solo to the soprano saxophonist. While I’m partial to trombone solos I have to admit that I liked how a soprano sax sounded there. Plus the soloist sounds good.
The New Sound Big Band has a bunch more videos up on their YouTube channel from different performances. Go check them out there or on their official web site.
where is the Armed Forces Medley chart by wilken available