Ending tunes

[Turkle]

Hi, everyone.

So in addition to my usual combos that I lead and play with, like many of you I am occasionally hired to play with other jazz combos without rehearsal. Show up, play some standards, have a few drinks, get paid, and go home. You know the drill.

Since I'm usually the only horn on these gigs, I generally call the tunes and count off the tempos, etc. I'm playing the melody, after all.

Now, with my own groups that I regularly lead, we have a pretty good idea of how to end tunes - they are used to my (perhaps bizarre) hand signals, lengthy cadenzas, and other idiosyncratic ways of ending the dang tune.

But when I'm playing with a strange/new group, the endings of tunes are often very sloppy. Players can usually pick up the "Ellington Ending" or a cadenza at the end of a ballad, but on faster tunes or whatever, I find that the endings of tunes are... just bad! This has happened multiple times to me, and I think that I must be the problem.

I mean, the beginnings of tunes and the solos are wonderful, everyone is grooving, and then the ending of the tune is just sloppy... It really is just a shame, you know?

So with all of the above in mind, I wonder if you could share with me your strategies for ending tunes when you're leading, particularly if you're playing with musicians in a jazz combo that you've never worked with before. Are there certain "stock" endings that maybe aren't in my repertoire? Any strategies that work for you? Any advice would be quite welcome.

Thanks!
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Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[Arranger-Transcriber]

I'm not really a combo player or much of a music scholar, but here are three fairly standard types of endings:

1. Tag. Go back and repeat a phrase, perhaps the last four bars.
2. Augmentation. Take the last cadence and extend it, let's say to half or quarter time. [Rudolph] You'll go down in his---to---ry."
3. Harmonic variation. Where the tonic [I] is expected, go instead to a substitute of I, let's say iii / V of ii / ii / V / I. In the key of C, where we expect the C chord, extend the line by playing Emi7, A7, Dmi7, G7, C. This chord sequence might be a pattern for a cadenza.

A problem is that until you get to the end of a piece, you probably don't know how you want to end it. But if you repeat a lot of standards in performance, then I suspect you're more likely use the same type of ending every time. Then you'd be able to dictate the ending by use of hand / finger signals. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer": two fingers.

[Turkle]

Right - I am aware of all the standard endings, the difficulty is coordinating those endings when leading a group I haven't played with before.

To be clear, when I'm working with my own groups, they know all my hand signals and know the music well so we are great on the endings. The problem is when I'm on gigs with strangers, which I do maybe once or twice a month?

I guess I could make sure that when I call the tune, key, style, and tempo, I could call the ending as well? I'm just so used to choosing the endings spontaneously as we are playing that it seems a bit square to have to do it before the tune. But I suppose if it's too difficult to coordinate when playing with strangers then I could always just call the ending when counting it off.

Your further thoughts and experience welcomed! Again, the problem is not with my own regular groups, it's when leading groups of strangers.

Thanks!
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Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[robbo]

You really just need to have courage in your convictions as a trumpeter in a jazz combo. Unless anyone's said otherwise, the trumpeter will lead the endings!

Having said that, you also need to be harmonically clear with what your'e doing . I think it sounds like you know what you're doing, so I'll just say go for it!

You also have to accept that the endings will be a bit more basic and "cliché" as mentioned previously.

Rob
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Currently staff arranger for the band of the South Australia Police.
Berklee College of Music, Elder Conservatorium Adelaide, Australia.
For some great trumpet and band music please visit piglet music.com. Grab some free music there!

[Turkle]

Right - this may be more a failure of the other instrumentalists to be paying proper attention to the cues (both aural and physical) that I am giving. I am certainly NOT subtle when giving cues.

Perhaps some (polite) verbal encouragement to the other musicians to stay aware would be helpful, and running through my most-used hand signals prior to the gig is all it would take.
_________________
Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.