Now i must say if you havent heard of Glenn Miller You Arent a REAL trombone Player. now thats other time for the question... does anyone know the starting notes for Glenn Millers famous `In The Mood`??? post them if you know thnx.

It was originally in the key of Ab, I believe.

the first notes to what?

what phrase?

what key?


=)


and glen miller is just the beginning. there is A LOT more you need to discover. i remember when i first heard glen miller and being excited that there were trombone players who were good. trust me though, go out and discover some more.

You know, for some reason, I`ve never really been into Glenn Miller. Don`t get me wrong, he`s an amazing player, I`m just not into that style much.

But your right, guys like Miller and Tommy Dorsey where the first trombone players I heard, and it was awesome to hear my instrument. But then I discovered guys like J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, Wycliffe Gordon, Michael Davis, and the funk master Fred Wesley. Then, unfortunately, I got into classical, and haven`t looked back since. (Nothin` quite like that big phat sound of a low brass section goin` full bore.)

nothing like a big phat horn section like Earth Wind and Fire also!

Glenn miller him self said "im not really a trombone player im a band director." so there you go i guess hes not a real player. Infact on a lot hof his cds the boner that is playing is not glen but one of his cronies, ok most of the bone solos are his though.

That`s true Mas. While I don`t listen to very much, if any, jazz any more, I am still a man of the funk. Fred Wesley, Parliament, Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago, Average White Band, and of course, the greatest, Tower of Power. And some of the jazzier stuff like Liquid Soul, Groove Collective, Galactic, and Soulive. Can`t get enough of the funk.

Most of the Miller solos of note are found on released airchecks of the band in recent years. The include "Are you Rusty, Gate" and "King Porter Stomp (not the studio recording. As a trombonist, Miller usually played 3rd. He was never lead in any group he played with before launching a bandleading career. During the years he was active as a famed bandleader, the trombonist of note was Will Bradley, who had amazing range and a great tone. True story: During a benefit at Manhattan Center in 1940, Miller, Dorsey and Will Bradley played a trombone duet. After the set, Miller said they would have never got thru the pieces, had it not been for Bradley.
Of today`s horn players,Bill Watrous is my man!

Re: "Glenn miller him self said `im not really a trombone player im a band director.` "

And Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw and many others have pointed out that Miller`s band was not really a jazz or swing band. I don`t see any reason to promulgate Glenn Miller as essential listening. He was a successful pop musician in his day, and that day has long since passed.

i would say it`s essential for the reason that if you play in any big band chances are pretty good you are gonna play In The Mood or Moonlight Serenade, or some other tune Glen either wrote or made famous.
whether you call it "real jazz" or "real swing" is not as relevant as the fact that if you are gonna play in a band that plays those tunes, you had better be familiar with them.
trust me, i`ve played in the mood enough times to be pretty good and sick of it. but play a dance for some older folks some time.. they LOVE it!!! and that`s what gets you hired.. and that`s what makes it relevant.

Re: "i would say it`s essential for the reason that if you play in any big band chances are pretty good you are gonna play In The Mood or Moonlight Serenade,or some other tune Glen either wrote or made famous."

I did use to play in a big band, quite some time ago, I`m afraid, and we did have "In the Mood" in our book (and possibly "Moonlight Serenade" as well; I can`t remember), but I don`t see that that makes listening to Glenn Miller essential.

Re: "whether you call it `real jazz` or `real swing` is not as relevant as the fact that if you are gonna play in a band that plays those tunes, you had better be familiar with them."

It`s relevant to whether we can consider Glenn Miller essential. In any case, the big band I played in had hundreds of tunes in its book; you play the chart when the leader calls it.

Re: "trust me, i`ve played in the mood enough times to be pretty good and sick of it. but play a dance for some older folks some time.. they LOVE it!!! and that`s what gets you hired.. and that`s what makes it relevant."

Those who turned twenty in 1940 will turn eighty-six this year: The swing era nostalgia market is steadily dwindling. Better to separate the wheat from the chaff and venerate the truly worthy exponents.

Re: "I did use to play"

Used.

Re: "True story: During a benefit at Manhattan Center in 1940, Miller, Dorsey and Will Bradley played a trombone duet."

Three trombones playing a trombone duet? Wow, that IS strange!

I found a midi file of In The Mood on the web and turned it into a written score using a public domain software tool. I can`t remember where I got the stuff from, but I guess if I could search and find it, you could to!

OK, a trombone trio. I`m surprised that the name Will Bradley does not ring a bell with anyone out there.