The Big Band and your Concert Band

Big band sound in the modern concert band is very popular. Many publishers offer editions and compositions for this genre. In order for the sound of the wind orchestra not to become too ponderous, a lot of experience is needed in the realisation of the sound. It should sound jazzy, airy and yet compact. The leading parts, such as trumpets and trombones, as well as the saxophone register should be played by experienced musicians who are sure of their voices, especially because there are also exposed positions in the high registers. Those instruments that are more associated with rhythm must sound very exact, dynamic and swinging. Any insecurity inevitably leads to a clumsy and coarse sound. Therefore, even easier pieces are only recommended to experienced bands.

If you are looking for works in the “big band sound” in musicainfo.net, select the category “Wind Orchestra” and write the term “BigBand” in the “Full text search” field. You should get this result. Of course, you can also narrow down the level of difficulty or even the duration of a work.

In addition, various publishers offer entire series that include the big band sound. For example, Molenaar with its series “Real Big Band Sound“, Bernaerts with its “Big Band Series“. Edition Marc Reift has a great offer in his series “Jazzination“.

Have you had any experience in this field yourself? Write to us about how you approached the problem. Perhaps you also know one or two works that are not included in our list or database. And if you can recommend recordings or videos, we are also grateful for such tips.

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