Old pictures always look epic.
The summer composers' workshop is now officially underway with our first rehearsal this past Sunday. We're trying something a bit different this session by inviting participants to do an arranging exercise. We're doing short arrangments of Strayhorn's "Take the A Train." The point being to get a feel for arranging for the group as a warm up for the original tunes that we will ultimately perform in August. The biggest obstacle in writing for BHIC is always the nontraditional instrumentation and it can be intimidating to write for a group with an instrumentation you've never seen or even heard of anyone using. The fun of having everyone do the same tune is that creates a very clear comparison of taste, personality and artistic perspective. Clint Ashlock has generously donated his time and will be coming to rehearsal later this month to give everyone critiques on their arrangements. Then we will get off the A Train and focus entirely on working up the original music for the performance.
Unfortunately, I failed to remember to take pictures until everyone was packing up after rehearsal but I will be continue to document this session as it unfolds.
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