  Home B.M.P. BTWHSPVA Articles Interviews Reviews Books Biography Videos Photos Calendar Music Links Contact Sara Marantz Matt Marantz Luke Marantz
Bart Marantz NPR/KERA Jazz Education Interview    Click below to listen to the interview  Click below to read the article 
|
 Reviews "Easy Jazz Pack # 35" Arranged By: Jerry Nowak Instrumentation: Big Band/Collection of six (6) tunes. Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation Grade: 3 Swing, Rock Ballad, Bossa Nova, Rock “Easy Jazz pack # 35” is a collection of standard tunes arranged for big band by Jerry Nowak. The compositions cover an array of styles and are written with the good middle school or middle of the road high school band in mind. The collection consists of Bewitched, Hero, Little Boat, Thou Swell, You are too Beautiful and Born To Be Wild. With a list this diversified, “Easy Pack #35” is bound to please all of the players in your big band as well as the audience who hears them played. The arrangements are written very well and offer some solid teaching by “playing” the style of each tune. The director will need to be familiar with the Swing, Bossa Nova, Ballad and Rock styles. Little Boat and Born To Be Wild are the only tunes with changes for solos, but this can be easily remedied by a director who can write out the changes for his/her band members. There is plenty of soli work and all the horns in every arrangement and each chart is notated with excellent dynamic and articulations markings. The down side of this pack is it’s hefty asking price of, $59.95! This is a chunk out of the music budget for the year. When one takes into consideration that there are six (6) fully arranged charts for big band accompanied by a tape that enables the students to hear the chart played by the “pros”, it starts to look like a better deal. Check out “Easy Pack #35 for your big band next time your at the music store. With all six charts played as written you should have a very accomplished band in front of you by concert’s end. Top note for trumpet is written A above the staff which is optional. Next highest note is written G above the staff. Marantz
|
