Guess what, I'm in Iowa, it's 4:51 am cst. What is with these huge sax sections. First song. See the bass, can't hear the bass. I like the drummer. Second song. Drummer a bit heavy on 2 & 4. I would have mimicked the trumpet hits more a bit later on. Do more with the fills when possible.....simple double stop triplets soft to loud. Sax feature, don't be afraid to lay into 2 & 4 heavy on the cymbal and snare and bass. Or, if possible, do the swing beat on the bass drum before returning to normal. Last song. Shaker? okay. I would have opted for congas. Nice fills by set player. Strong band. Enjoyed the music.
Yes, still in Iowa at 4:30am cst. First song. First bass guitar sighting. You guys grow sax players on trees out there? Set player consider changing things up a bit. Lay off the ride cymbal during solos. Like the touch of vibes. Second song. Nice trombone solos...begging for a plunger though. Can't hear the bass player and I'd like more bass drum on the kicks. A slow swing tune the set can do triplets on the hi-hat. Last tune, I would have used one of the saxes on congas. Like the cowbell. Nice groove with piano and set and cowbell. Next playing that last song, consider getting one of the other bands to do a conga line across the stage with other latin percussion instruments. Crowd would love it and the kids would too. Looks to be middle school aged kids. Very nice job.
Still in Iowa at 4:00 am CST. First song a bit trumpet heavy but decent solos. Set player lived off the hi-hat. Consider changing things up...8th notes on the ride with every other note on the bell. Another group with no bass player. Second song WOW. Great singing. Set player maybe opt for a bosa nova beat instead of doing things straight. Third song. Great sax soloist. When set player goes to the ride cymbal, consider driving it more by playing triplets. And then again later on when the whole band plays. Also, punch that hi-hat with your foot. 2 & 4...make it tight. Shout out to the speech. I'm 61 and still play. Marched in drum corps for many years and have done brass bands and alumni corps many years. Fourth song. YES to the drummer. Constantly changing things up. Great tenor sax solo. Tommy Newsom would be proud. Strong finish.
Watching from Iowa at 3:13 AM CST. Huge band. Clearly missing a bass player. In Groovin Hard, I'd opt for 2 & 4 for the set player instead of just 4. Nothing wrong with switching things up now and then but the song's title is Groovin Hard. Without that bass line, drummer has to drive it. Got thin during the unison sax part in Groovin and set laid out for the following trumpet feature. I would have driven straight through it, may with stick shots on 2 & 4 to for a different feel. Funny Valentine, consider two vibe mallets in one hand scissoring the cymbal with your strongest hand while 2 & 4 with a brush on snare. A suspended cymbal sound would have added more emotion to the swells in volume the band had. Many of the smaller schools in my area recruit "ringers" when needed. Even for contests, ringers are allowed as long as they are declared ahead of time. I've sat in with 3-4 bands that needed a drummer at the last second due to illness or lack of members. Once I got called at work at 10am and asked to play set at noon. I did it over lunch, maybe glanced at the music 2-3 times while i was playing (I'm a drummer after all and no real drummer would admit to reading the music note by note). They can NOT be scored but, they do get critiqued by the judges. Have you considered a stand up bass player from the orchestra or simpler yet, playing the bass parts on an electric piano. It worked for the Doors. Heck, have the conductor play it right in front of the band. He'd still be able to conduct the hits and tempos. That last song is screaming for a hard, driving cowbell. Nice group. Good luck in the future.
