Big Band Charts by John Alexander
John Alexander
John has performed with Ira Sullivan, Louis Bellson, Curtis Fuller, Gap Mangione, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Jack Jones, Woody Herman, Eddie Higgins, Astrud Gilberto, The Spinners, The Four Tops, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, and Lou Rawls. He has appeared at the North Carolina Jazz Showcase on two occasions, the Mammoth (CA) Jazz Festival with vocalist Beth Chorneau, the 2000 Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the 2002 Pawley’s Island Festival of Music and Art, as the season opener for the Gastonia Community Concerts Association, Jazz Charlotte, the Charlotte Symphony, in Okinawa, Japan, and in Gotha, Germany. He is the recipient of two Regional Artist Grants from the Arts and Science Council of Charlotte, NC, one on 2000 and the other in 2006. He has been a contributor of transcriptions and articles to Jazz Improv magazine since 2004. John’s recording credits include contributing his original composition "Stargazer" to drummer Les Demerle’s On Fire recording for Pablo Records; the title tune for the south Florida big band Atlantean Driftwood’s Melts In Your Mouth recording; compositions, arrangements, and performance on Ira Sullivan: With Strings Attached; Atlantic Blue for Earth Songs; Out Of Nowhere by vocalist Toshiko Watabe; and Brothers with pianist Gary Marcus; You Need ‘Dis, released in December of 2001 and including all original compositions; and Debt To Heaven, including jazz arrangements of traditional hymns. His latest release, Big Octave with the bassist Ron Brendle and drummer Chris Garges is an adventurous collection of original compositions, jam tunes, and works by Ornette Coleman and the Beatles. John and his family make their home in Gastonia, NC.
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Woodwind artist John Alexander, a native of Gastonia, NC, received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Erskine College, and his Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Miami (FL). His military service includes tours of duty with the 282nd Army Band at Fort Jackson, SC, and the 8th Army Band in Seoul, South Korea.Big Band Charts by John Alexander
Honeybelleby John Alexander Honeybelle is a tune that I wrote a good many years ago when I was listening to and learning some of Duke Ellington’s great compositions, particularly In A Mellow Tone. Over the years I have played the tune enough so that I had a very good idea of what I wanted in a big band chart, namely something reminiscent of the style of the great Count Basie Orchestra – medium swing, big dynamic changes, rhythm section with a Freddie Green style guitar, and a big soli section. So, here is an Ellington-style tune in a Basie-style chart. The chart is written for five trumpets, five bones, five saxes, and four rhythm. Solos include sixteen measures for Bone 1 and sixteen measures for Trpt 2. The tempo is quarter note at 120. At that tempo playing time should be just under four minutes. Make the most of the changes in dynamics and the hard swinging medium tempo. Price – $19.95 |
I’m Bad About DatJohn Alexander I’m Bad About ‘Dat is a medium tempo groove chart written for five saxes, five trumpets, five bones and four rhythm and features the 1st tenor player. The form is AABA. A sixteen bar soli section over the first two A’s of the form follows the 1st tenor solo. The first eight bars splits the horns down the middle from front to back instead of by sections. The last eight of the solo groups the horn sections conventionally. 1st trumpet solos over the following B section and the groove changes to a medium mambo. Piano solos over the last A and the feel returns to the original groove. With the D.S. the chart is ninety-four measures long and, at quarter note = 90, the playing time is around four minutes eleven seconds. Price – $19.95 |
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