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Bart Marantz NPR/KERA Jazz Education Interview Click below to listen to the interview Click below to read the article
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Reviews "Poultry Guest” By: Les Hooper Instrumentation: Big Band Publisher: Sierra Music Publications Grade: 3 1/2 Funk/Rock = 128 “Poultry Guest” is from the “chicken charts” series penned by veteran writer/arranger Les Hooper. This offering is full of fire, rooted in a funk/rock texture and should be played in a “muscular” fashion; that is with lots of energy. The chart indicates to “play in a funky, firey, rock manner”, so get ready to split some hairs in the front row! There are plenty of 16th-notes for trumpet and trombone and some of these passages are written in unison at measures 5, 31 and 77. It is suggested that if a problem is encountered in making these sections clean the director can tacit the first 4 bars of each of these segments. You will need some accomplished brass players though, who can articulate the above passages if you want a “meatier “ sound to make the piece “happen”. The solo section at measure 47 can be opened up for as many soloists as the director wishes to have. Changes are provided for Alto 1, Tenor 1, Trumpet 4, and Trombone 1, along with the piano and guitar parts. There are written backgrounds starting at measure 63 to commpliment the soloists to be cued by the director. This high-powered chart is a great closer and there are few in the business who write better then Les Hooper in this idiom. Top note for trumpet is written D above the staff (last quarter note of chart). Marantz |