What It Takes to Play in a Big Band

While they have a rich history that dates back more than a century, big bands and jazz orchestras are still booming to this very day. What’s it like to play in a big band and what does it take? Read on and find out!

Sounding Like One Big Instrument

Freelance trumpeter and bandleader Sander Zweerink loves big bands so much that he leads three of them. He’s part of a professional party-band called ‘The Boston Tea Party’, plays in the Metropole Orchestra’s big band, and he’s with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. “I grew up around brass instruments. I love playing in big bands just as much as I love directing them and listening to them. The same goes for jazz. Big bands are just incredibly versatile in terms of both style and sound. Hearing a big band play and get it right sounds absolutely amazing. Big bands are mainly composed of brass instruments, which can only play one note at a time. The challenge is to sound like one big instrument where each musician plays one note. Pulling it off is a thrill every time.”

A Fixed Line-Up

Big bands are generally made up of four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones (two altos, two tenors and a baritone), and a rhythm section that usually consists of a double brass or electric bass, piano and sometimes a guitar. “The brass players can usually play more than one wind instrument, so sometimes someone breaks out a clarinet, flute or flugelhorn,” Sander says. The first big bands popped up during the Roaring Twenties and started out as more ‘romantic’ ensembles that also included strings. They played a mild form of jazz with just a little bit of improv, since it was all about accompanying ballroom dancing. The strings were dropped during the 1930s and the big-band-sound shifted more towards swing. Notable big-band leaders from that era include Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. If you’ve ever seen a Second World War movie where the Americans are shown liberating Europe, you will have no doubt heard the sound of a big band — most likely Glenn Miller’s.

While the big-band-sound of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s was made for dancing, the big bands that came after focussed more and more on the music itself, with more room for improvisation and solos. “Improvised solos are still a huge part of big band music today,” Sander remarks. “A lot of big band arrangements are based on jazz standards. The musicians simply improvise playing over the chord progressions. But big band music evolves too. In fact, there’s a growing number of styles that influence it, including fusion and modern classical music. Some big bands even incorporate ‘guest-instruments’. Me and the rest of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw actually played with Hammond organ player, Dr. Lonnie Smith a while back.”

Lead Trumpeter

No matter what kind of band you’re in, communication is key when it comes to making music and getting it right. In big bands, however, there’s also a certain sense of hierarchy. Sander: “The brass players in each section are ranked ‘first’, ‘second’, ‘third’ and so on. The ‘first’ player is the lead player. The lead trumpeter is at the front of the row. They decide, in conjunction with the conductor, how the band plays in terms of things like articulation, timing, phrasing and dynamics.”

Big band musicians play off sheet music. While that may seem strict and limited, the notation actually allows a lot of room for interpretation. “The biggest challenge has to do with timing the start and ending of a note. To sound as one big whole, everyone in the band has to start and end their notes at exactly the same moment,” Sander says. So how does it work? “The lead trumpeter is in charge. The first saxophone player and the first trombone player follow their lead, while the rest of the musicians follow their respective lead, paying close attention to the musician next to them.” Not everyone plays the same note either. “On the contrary, everyone has their own part to play, though there are doublings of course. Playing in sync isn’t just about the notes. It’s also about the things I mentioned earlier, so the articulation, timing, phrasing and dynamics.”

Listen to Your Neighbour

So everything goes as smoothly as possible, every lead musician sits in the middle. In the case of four-piece sections, you get a 2-1-3-4 or a 3-1-3-4 set-up. This is different from classical orchestras, where the lead violinist is at the front. “Every big-band musician pays half of their attention to their own playing and the other half to what their lead is doing,” Sander explains. “Besides knowing your own parts, it’s extremely important that you’re aware of your function and place. There’s no time or room to worry about your parts when half of your focus needs to be on your neighbour.” Musicians in pop bands have more freedom when it comes to keeping tabs on fellow band members. It’s a different story for big-band musicians, who are neatly seated in rows and have a music stand in front of them. “It’s true,” says Sander. “Playing in sync is something that requires honing. Play a piece for the first time and it might sound like a shambles. Play it together a second time and it’ll immediately sound much better. It’s ‘practice makes perfect’, basically.”

Fixed Leads

Being the ‘lead’ also requires certain qualifications. Sander: “The lead musicians need to be consistent so that they’re more predictable for the other musicians. You also need to be able to literally lead by example and, since the lead trumpeter always plays the highest and therefore the hardest parts, you simply have to be good at what you do. In pop, the rhythmic foundation is built by the drummer and the bassist. In a big band, that responsibility mainly falls on the lead trumpeter and the drummer. When they’re playing bang-on, you’re already halfway there.” The lead trumpeter is usually also the same person. “If you keep çhanging it up, you’re forcing everyone to adapt every single time you switch leads, which is why almost all big bands have a fixed lead trumpeter. The big band of the German broadcasting company, WDR, actually has two: a Dutch and an Austrian lead.” A number of professional European big bands, like the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, don’t feature permanently appointed musicians.

A Feel for Jazz and Swing

What is an easy mistake made by big bands? Without having to think about the answer, Sander asserts: “Playing too loudly. It kills off all playing dynamics, which makes the band much less interesting to listen to. It also takes away any impact you would make when you actually go all-out.” Does playing in a big band require a different skill set than playing in a concert band or a marching band? “Not really,” Sander says. “I have my roots in symphonic wind ensembles. It’s no different there. Communication remains key since it’s all about playing together. The only real difference is the music and the idioms that come with it. Big bands have their own jargon, which differs from the jargon of marching bands and saxophone quartets. If you’re thinking about joining a big band, you just need to have a feel for jazz and you need to be able to play swing, because a lot of big bands take a swing-based approach.”

Hall of Fame

The best big bands? That’s up for debate. Here’s Sander’s list:

Count Basie

Duke Ellington

Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra

And these are Sander’s favourite composers and arrangers:

Thad Jones
Bill Holman
Maria Schneider
Sammy Nestico