The Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra are teaming up with award winning guitarist/composer James Muller to perform a program of all original Australian compositions, arranged by Florian Ross (Germany).

An interview with tips for young guitarists playing in big bands from James Muller

JK: Do you have a different approach to playing in a big band setting?
JM: Not really, but big band music is generally more structured than your average small ensemble. Having said that, you have the best of both worlds as there are plenty of sections where the big band breaks down to a small ensemble for the solos, so you still get to stretch out and improvise as well as being a part of the ensemble experience.

JK: What are the highs of playing with a big band?
JM: It’s a tremendous thrill to be part of such a powerful ensemble – there’s nothing quite like a big band going full tilt. It’s also amazing to hear my own compositions arranged so brilliantly for large ensemble by Florian Ross who’s a real genius.

JK: What are the lows?
JM: Occasionally I’ve played big band charts where the arranger clearly didn’t give much thought to the guitar part in their piece and I’ve spent more time counting bars rest than playing! That can be a bit of a bore. It’s certainly not the case with Florian’s arrangements!!

JK:  What advice would you give to younger guitarists about playing in a big band?
JM:  A lot of contemporary big band charts will have sections for the guitar that are difficult to sight-read due to their complexity and also because most young guitarists are poor sight-readers. The tendency is for the young guitarist to ignore these (often brilliant) written sections and just play the chord symbols. My advice is for the guitarist to take the music home and learn the written parts rather than taking the soft option as it is far more rewarding experience to play what the arranger intended and really be a part of the team. You can also learn some fantastic compositional and arranging devices by spending the time learning the parts properly.

JK:  What are you looking forward to about this tour?
JM:  I always look forward to playing my own music but this is  extra special for me to play my music in a big band setting – I’m so honoured to have this incredibly rare opportunity to do it! I can’t wait!

The Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra are touring in November to Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra and Newcastle.

More info and dates on their webpage here

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