Warwick Big Band

News and Information for students

Warwick Big Band
Warwick Big Band
Abbreviation	Big Band
Founded	1995
Members	72
Purpose
Playing jazz to a high degree of musicality, and having a good time
Officers
President	Frances Grier
Vice President	Alison Phelps
Meetings
Meets	7.30pm, every Tuesday and Thursday during term time
At	Arts Centre music room
Big Band Calendar
Links
Club/Society homepage

[edit] Introduction

The Big Band is both a society at Warwick and a band. This means it has members that both play and rehearse with the band and are non-active and participate on the social side. On the social side the band encourages participation from supporters at social events. The band is non-auditioned but based on a bi-weekly rehearsal process. The band aims to sustain an award winning

The Big Band is available for corporate functions and hire and recorded their first professional CD in 2007, The Cooler Sessions. They are due to record a new album in 2008.

[edit] Mission Statement

The University of Warwick Big Band is an unauditioned, international award winning band playing a wide range of music under the jazz umbrella, including swing, soul, funk, blues and Latin, and a number of vocal tunes. Our aim is to spread our love of jazz to as many people as possible, whilst maintaining and friendly and informal atmosphere.

[edit] History

an infamous big band poster. Big Band often use inuendo to draw attention to their gigs

Historically, the Big Band participates in many music festivals, competitions and Big Band tours. They take part in the National Concert Band Festival competition, where they have received multiple Gold awards. This represents the ethos of the band:

[edit] Musical Influences

The Big Band is influenced by a wide range of music jazz, blues, funk, [[Wikipedia: Soul| soul and Latin. These range from John Coltrane, Art Blakey and Charles Mingus to Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock and Tito Puente. Not all players in the band come from a jazz orientated background, a lot of band members come to the big band from Metal, Indie and Ska bands as well as having played in other youth jazz orchestras, so an eclectic mix is brought to the band which is reflected in the tunes played at gigs. This comes through in gigs in the Students' Union as well as for black tie corporate events. You may wish to check out the Big Band repertoire.

[edit] Membership

At present there are 72 members of Big band. Membership is open to all staff and students at the University of Warwick. Both players and non-players of instruments can join Big Band, with non-players able to join in on the social side. Joining involves either signing up at Freshers Fair or via the students' union website.

[edit] Socials

If you are not interested in playing in the band you can just turn up to their socials. Social members just need to turn up to the socials- this means just turning up after band rehersal. There's much more to being in the band than rehearsing and gigs: playing for the Big Band is a great opportunity to meet exciting new people and this is actively encouraged through regular socials - everything from barbecues to bowling, from ice-skating to a night out at the student union – and all in the great company of like-minded musicians.

The Big Band has a strong team network that lasts beyond university. Facebook contains a Group ^[2] for all people who used to be a member of Warwick Big Band.

[edit] Main club activities

The Big Band regularly performs at a wide variety of events, including corporate parties, weddings and other private functions, student balls and other student run events, national and international competitions and festivals, and charity events. In addition to this we often organise our own gigs in and around the University of Warwick.

The Big Band is always well received and has an excellent reputation both locally and internationally – a reputation which has seen us invited to play at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, and the Alma Jazz Music Festival, Italy, and has also seen the whole band flown to India to perform at a wedding. For more information on upcoming gigs, please visit The Big Band website. For booking inquiries, please email exec@thebigband.co.uk.

Twice each year, the band has a weekend 'Mini-tour' where it travels to another city in the UK to play a gig or two, gets a chance for sightseeing and shopping, and has a night out (in band-themed fancy dress!). For many of its members, the highlight of the Big Band calendar is the Summer Tour: this annual, week long event happens at the end of each academic year, and has seen the Big Band travel and perform across most of Europe, and even as far afield as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Canada. Like the mini-tours, but on a much grander scale, the Summer Tour involves several gigs (often as part of a festival or competition), the chance to see other bands perform, and plenty of time for sightseeing and socialising, maintaining the friendly and informal atmosphere that this award winning band preserve.

[edit] Playing in Big Band

The Big Band is open for all relevant instrumentalists (Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxophone; Trumpet; Trombone; Drums; Electric and Bass Guitar; Keyboard) without audition, the only auditions being for our singers (normally two male and two female) and our Musical Directors (MDs). Players of all standards join the band, from experienced players to those who may have just started, or taken their instrument back up after a long period of inactivity.

The Big Band rehearses once a week for approximately two and a half hours with a short interval. Our rehearsals are fairly informal, maintaining a fun atmosphere, whilst also working on pieces for upcoming concerts. Our gigs vary in frequency, but tend to be roughly every other week, and are a mixture of private functions, charity gigs and sit-down gigs. Band members also have the opportunity to compete annually in the National Concert Band Festival.

[edit] Big Band events

The Big Band play at a variety of events both within the University of Warwick and at external functions. We regularly play at private functions, such as dinner dances, birthday parties and charity events where it is always great to see people dancing and enjoying our music.

[edit] National Concert Band Festival

The Unviersity of Warwick will be hosting the 2008 National Concert Band Festival in Bridge House Theatre and the Guy Nelson Concert Hall

[edit] Warwick Society Balls

We have and continue to play for a number of the society balls, for example at the Medical Society Ball and History Ball. We also play at the Music Centre Ball every year, in which all musical societies attend. Every year we also play at the Vice Chancellor's address, in which the parents of new students to Warwick University are welcomed.

Big Band also take part in a number of student festivals held throughout the year at the university.

[edit] One World Week

One World Week is "the world's largest student run global event" and is held every year; this year it takes place in the middle of January at various locations around Warwick University. This year The Big Band are performing at the International Food Festival on Tuesday 22nd January 2008 and last year took part in the America's Day event in the Students’ Union.

[edit] Warwick students arts festival

Warwick Student Arts Festival takes place in the final week of the summer term. The wee ong festival hosts a variety of performances from across the societies at Warwick University. The Big Band takes part and last year performed on the Piazza outside the Students Union to a great audience in the sunshine!

[edit] Other gigs

The Leavers’ Gig takes place in June every year to celebrate the time spent in the band by members who are finishing university and now leaving. The gig normally takes place in the Warwick Arts Centre, a venue we are extremely lucky to have access to, and is always a fantastic end to the academic year.

Every year the Big Band organises a gig to raise money for local charities. For the last few years we have played in the Warwick Arts Centre and raised money for Wishes for Kids and InterArc.

This year, on Tuesday 26th February 2008, we will be playing at the Spa Centre in Leamington Spa with the University of Warwick Brass Society in aid of two local charities, still to be announced.

[edit] Local community involvement

The Big Band is also continuing to increase its involvement with the local community. We have recently played in the Sydenham Centre in Leamington Spa at a Poppy Party and in the past have played at a Divalli Festival. We are also playing in local schools to introduce children to a variety of instruments and music styles. We enjoy being able to give something back to the local community in this way, and it strengthens our aim to spread our love of jazz to as many people as possible.

[edit] Tours

The Big Band undertakes many tours throughout the year; two minitours which are generally to locations in the UK and then a larger summer tour abroad. Whilst away we will always perform, both socially and more formally. In 2006 the band went to Montreux in Switzerland and participated in the Montreux Jazz festival, a fantastic opportunity.

[edit] Alma Jazz Festival

One of the Big Band's more seminal achievements was winning the Alma Jazz festival in the autumn of 2007.

Big Band was selected to represent Britain at the Alma Jazz Music Festival in Bologna, Italy, alongside 9 other international Big Bands. After four days of performances, on the final evening of the festival, Warwick Big Band was awarded with the "Best Big Band" award. Judges comented on 'the energy and enthusiasm' of the band which after 4 days won them the top spot.

[edit] Barcelona tour

More of a social and cultural trip than competitive one, in September 07 The Big Band visited Barcelona, Spain on tour. Here a week was spent enjoying the company and jazz surrounding the Big Band. The band visited a couple of jazz clubs during their stay and heard a variety of music including some salsa and Latin music.

The band organised visits to the Dali exhibition as well as enjoying the beaches and water park. There was also plenty of time for sightseeing and the Gaudi architecture proved stunning, as well as visits to the Dali museum, beaches and a water park.

[edit] Links and partnerships with other societies

The Big Band has a great history of cooperating with student societies, both at Warwick and at other universities. No year goes by without a number of joint gigs and we have recently collaborated with societies such as Warwick BrassSoc and The University of York Big Band, as well as visiting Edinburgh University Jazz Band (EUJO) and taking part with other societies and campus events such as Warwick Student Arts Festival (WSAF), One World Week (OWW) and the Economics Summit. We have also collaborated on several occasions, and hopefully many more, with Warwick Volunteers who organise charitable and voluntary projects around the Midlands area and beyond, and we have played at a number of their events to raise money and awareness. Many of Warwick's academic societies have an annual ball for which the Big Band is always in demand; in recent years we have played for the Medical Society, Law and History Balls, not to mention the highly enjoyable Music Centre Ball which brings together all of the music societies at Warwick. The Big Band thoroughly enjoys working with and eclectic mix of societies, and we are always keen to foster new partnerships.

[edit] External Partnerships

The band has no formal external partnerships as such but has collaborated on events with other student societies (see other page). We also organise events to raise money for charities nationally and locally at which we invite charities to come and speak at our concerts, the proceeds of which will be divided between the charities. This year we plan to join with the Universities Brass Band to expand this scheme.

Over the years the band has performed for many organisations and groups of people or along side other bands in the local area or from other universities. We are offered gigs based on these friendships and our profile increases with every gig we do as companies pass our details throughout their departments and to their colleagues in other companies. Band members leave the band and get married or join corporations who require a live band at a function and they pass our details on and we make further contacts like this.

A lot of interest in the band stems from our website which is how we have been contacted to play in jazz festivals and gigs across the UK, Europe and in Canada.

[edit] Committee members

• President

As leader of the band, the President is the first point of contact to obtaining gigs, and communicating effectively with the organiser. The President is also Chair to exec meetings and thus coordinator of all exec members.

• Secretary

Responsible for the organisation of all gigs in terms of players and transportation. Also responsible for organising the bands’ annual summer tour, along with the termly minitours.

• Treasurer

Monitors band accounts, ensuring the correct amount of money leaves and enters as appropriate. Also responsible for covering the minitour costings, and ensuring the band budget suitably.

• Marketing

Responsible for advertising the band through means such as creating and distributing flyers or writing blurbs for local newspapers in order to gain maximum awareness for upcoming gigs, tours, or even potential new members.

• Merchandise

Produces items that can be sold to both band members and anyone interested in the band. Also responsible for gig ticket sales and the sale of the bands’ CD.

• Social Secretary

Organises regular band socials, and is jointly responsible for the itineraries of the annual summer tour, and the termly minitours. Also contributes to the more general University’s music centre socials.

• Librarian

Ensures band members have the correct copies of all music, and copies parts where appropriate for practicing. Also responsible for ensuring all music gets to and from gigs safely.

• Equipment Manager

Responsible for the stage set up of the band and for booking equipment and rooms for rehearsals and gigs. Also, monitors the condition of band equipment, replacing where necessary.

• IT Coordinator

Maintains the band mailing lists to ensure members are aware of upcoming events, and updates the bands’ website www.thebigband.co.uk.

• Musical Directors

Organise and run rehearsals, and write appropriate set lists for upcoming gigs, which are dependent on audience and venue. They are also responsible for obtaining new music for the band.

The “exec committee” are re-elected towards the end of every spring term, after which there is a transition period of handing over from the old exec to the new. This is always an exciting time as new ideas are brought forward and the progress of this award winning Big Band is advanced even further.

[edit] Current Executives

The current exec members are as follows:

• President: Chris Yapp
• Secretary: Rachel Walton
• Treasurer: Eoin Phillips
• Social Secretary: Tim Sentance
• Marketing Director: Andrew Rossall
• Merchandise Director: Cari Gillespie
• Librarian: Ellen Glaze-Krayer
• IT Manager: Pat Cottam
• Equipment Manager: David Ellis
• Musical Directors: Malik Refaat, User: Chris Mourant, Adrian Middup, Tom Lindsay

[edit] Playing in the band

Big Band recruits band members at the start of term. There is no auditioning process for members of the band but usually a band member will be at least grade 5 standard. Soloists tend to be around gade 7-8+.

Soloists such as solo pianists and solo singers are chosen on an individual and auditioned basis.

^[3] standard, and 'strives for musical excellence whilst maintaining a professional yet friendly and informal atmosphere.'^[4]

[edit] Notes

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ Warwick Big Band Facebook Group.
3. ↑ Big Band wins International Alma Jazz Festival.
4. ↑ Big Band aims on website.