After our first gig we were invited to play at the opening of a local village town hall; the organisers wanted a half hour set from us. After the success of our first gig we were delighted be invited to another gig. We wanted more experience of playing in more gigs and more importantly we wanted some experience of what its really like to play at an outdoor venue and how this changes the sound of the band and how the band balances playing in what came to be a more acoustic set with limited technology.

We went into the gig feeling positive, knowing we have at least one song though knowing we need to improve this to fill our set. Back onto the internet we went and found a number of songs specifically arranged for wind instruments. Our biggest influencing arranger was Paul Murther. Although he wrote more for a bigger wind band we put our heads together and chopped it down. We read through the scores and found where instruments played together and thought where we could play in harmonies. This led us to a variety of different ideas. Since the wind instruments were monophonic instruments we looked towards the piano to give us depth in chords and fill out empty parts which through hard work we managed to work out. This gave us something to build on in terms of structure. Did we want to chop and change it so much that it became hard for us to prepare for and would it become too complicated for us let alone the listeners? We stuck with the main outline that was given to us in the end and this paid off because we could understand our parts. This was not for just this song but we could really identify where we were able to employ our new ideas and implement them into this song.

We did a medley of songs from the Blues Brothers. This was chosen because it was a chance to demonstrate our abilities. This music was something we thought could work well with the instruments that were available to us – in fact, on the day we could not find a guitar player, but that didn’t stop us. We wanted to continue growing as a band and experiment with new challenges – like not having a guitar player! Luckily, on that day, not having that part played did not have a massive impact on our overall sound.

Earlier in 2017 I was offered a gig in a local regional showcase. I gratefully agreed to playing in it and was over the moon that we were invited to do this gig. Although this was no competition in any way, because we were one of the oldest groups we had to deliver; and in this performance we sure did.

We named ourselves ‘The Accidentals’ because we thought was a clever yet catchy name. As a group we did some research into the type of repertoire that we could play given the instruments each individual had. Collectively we had an understanding of which road we wanted to go down and a way in which we didn’t exclude any instrument as we didn’t want it to be a case of accompaniment. By this I mean everyone in the band had a significant part to play no matter how big or small the part. Within the wind section we had a good understanding of each other’s abilities which helped us come down to this particular choice of song: “Runaway baby” was originally performed by Bruno Mars and we felt this would be suitable for all of us and our abilities.

As a band the general consensus was that to give a good performance we didn’t want to strictly follow the format of the original. We changed it accordingly by adding instruments at different times, giving it a different structure and something different for the listeners in which the so called “rhythm” section did brilliantly at the start allowing the wind section come in with punchy stabbing notes. The wind section moved onto a trombone solo of the verse before we jumped into the chorus. In the chorus the saxophone and myself (trumpet) played together within the same pitch and accompaniment playing underneath.

As you can see, one of the biggest factors with playing as a group and having no formal conductor was that we had to self conduct and be on the same page. That helped the piece flow and stay within the time signature. This would all come down to communication within the band and each individual player. A good example of this would be when we had our selected improvised sections. The piano and the trumpet made good communication when they were unaware of whose solo it was.

From an outside perspective I feel as if you wouldn’t notice if you were in the audience that there was communication on stage which I feel also helped the song to continue without fault and with fluidity.  This was a continuous theme throughout the piece as we could see it from the start all the way through to the end. For example: we had a slight pause in the piece, came back in together on the same beat and ended the piece well with minor difficulty. From the first bar to the last bar we kept in time with each other and were following the same part on our adapted score; the preparation we put in before the day really payed. This allowed us to be more relaxed, part of how we sound. If we prepare well, we play well. If preparations aren’t quite right this can effect our playing ability and in this case nerves  did not get the better of us.

We all enjoyed playing whilst trying to look and sound professional and we believe this was an important factor to the success of the video, which clocks in at just under 2 thousand views on a social media platform. The feedback we got was absolutely incredible and due to the success of the video it earned us more gigs and we really enjoyed performing for people; although we enjoy ourselves performing we can have self satisfaction that what were doing also puts a smile on the face of the audience.

On the whole the band played very well on what was to be their first gig. We had parts where we felt we couldn’t have played so good and parts we could have played better. Though this did not stop us from moving forward as a band in trying to improve and get things better. For some of the band members I know this was the best they could have played but for some others there is still room for improvement.

For me personally, I felt I played very well. My overall dynamic was clear: what was loud, what was quiet. I feel as if the balance suited us and we could hear each individual player. I managed to reach a high level of playing whilst trying to work on fitting in with the overall sound of the band and that my playing was not over powering the rest of the instruments. I’d like to believe that I portrayed a good level of understanding when it came to trying to lead the band as much as i could with the support of others and not making it obvious to the audience, all while trying to organise myself. I managed to show a good range on my trumpet going above the stave particularly in my improvised solo.

I feel I could work on my tonality. At some points I feel as if this let me down and the sound was a bit sharp. To avoid this I could stop playing so loudly and try and use the acoustics of the room to more affect. Another thing which I felt let me down was my articulation. This was most noticeable when we played the main riff one by one. I felt that I could have used my tongue instead of slurring the passage which would give me a more definitive sound.

Overall the band and I were very happy with this result and made a decision to continue playing and build up our repertoire as we could see this building into something bigger in the future.

We stayed together for a season, but then some of the group had to leave for university and that brought an end to our playing together – at least for now.

This jazz band, The Accidentals, was a great combination. The band came to an end when several of the members went off to uni. Education, I ask you, what a pain…

Obviously the lighting for the video wasn’t a priority. But the music is great…

There will be some more interesting music videos on this blog, honest! But since part of the purpose of this enterprise is to show my tutors at Cardiff and the Vale College (Deri and Simon, let’s hear it!) what I have been up to outside College, here’s a short video of me playing in the pit orchestra at a recent performance of ‘The Adams Family’.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton