Creating a Listening Environment in Your Jazz Ensemble Classroom

If you find that your jazz ensemble is having consistent issues with balance, tempo, or overall tone quality, it might be time to check the way your ensemble is set up. I always refer to the Jazz Ensemble as the largest chamber ensemble in which most students will play. Most players are on their own separate part that contributes equally to the overall ensemble sound. Therefore, there is a lot of targeted listening that needs to take place during both rehearsal and performance. This requires both the purposeful setup of the ensemble and the student’s understanding of where to how to listen.

When setting up your jazz ensemble, there are a couple of traditional setups that you can use that allow for effective listening environments. Most setups have saxophones in the front row, trombones in the second, and trumpets in the third with the rhythm section to the left of the ensemble from an audience perspective. The differences come from how the parts are set up within the rows.

The “traditional” setup (from left to right):

Saxophones: Tenor Sax 1, Alto Sax 2, Alto Sax 1, Tenor Sax 2, and Bari Sax.
Trombones: Trombone 2, Trombone 1, Trombone 3, Trombone 4 (Bass)
Trumpets: Trumpet 2, Trumpet 1, Trumpet 3, Trumpet 4

The “flipped” setup (from left to right):

Saxophones: Bari Sax, Tenor 2, Alto Sax 1, Alto Sax 2, Tenor 1
Trombones: Trombone 4 (Bass), Trombone 3, Trombone 1, Trombone 2
Trumpets: Trumpet 4, Trumpet 3, Trumpet 1, Trumpet 2

Both setups allow for the “in and back” listening environment. Each section is able to listen to their lead players in the center of the section and then back to the lead trumpet. When playing as a section, the lead player in each row is designed through orchestration to be heard over the other members of the section. However, when playing as a full ensemble, the entire ensemble is listening back to the lead trumpet for style and interpretation. It is important that your lead trumpet is a confident player, and they are working with you to establish the articulation and phrasing of each musical phrase.

The biggest difference between these setups is the location of the lowest instruments and the typical solo parts. The “traditional” setup allows the typical solo parts of Tenor 1, Trumpet 2 to be located right next to the rhythm section in almost a jazz combo-like setting. While using the “flipped” setup allows the lowest instruments to be brought next to the rhythm sections. Some feel that having the bari sax and bass trombone next to the rhythm section solidifies the bass voices as they are next to the bass itself. The “traditional” setup, however, allows for a stereophonic bass sound to come from the ensemble to the audience. Regardless of the setup choice, the bari sax should be the second-loudest sound in the ensemble.

Regardless of the setup choice that you use, the most important part is that the students are aware of the intentional nature of the setup and how to use it when listening. To reinforce this, have your students point “in and back” when talking about the order of listening priorities. You might also have just the lead players play so the sections know what they are listening for and then do the inverse so players understand the chord structure being performed.

The second half of the listening environment responsibilities come from how the rhythm section is set up. While you will see more variety in how rhythm sections are set up based on personal preference, here are a few suggestions based on a proven rhythm section setup.

Drum Set: putting the hi-hat in line with and close to the trombone row puts the drum set in a location that they are made part of the total ensemble and all parts of the drum set can be heard easily.
Bass: putting the bass player right next to the ride cymbal of the drum set allows the bass player to have a line of sight to both the ride cymbal and hi-hat. Visual communication between the bass player and drum set player and cymbals allows for the two core tempo elements of the rhythm section to lock-in and make adjustments when necessary.
Piano: the piano player should be facing in a way that they can see both the rhythm section and the conductor simultaneously. If using a grand/baby grand piano, the bass player can fit right into the curved section (pocket) of the piano. This allows the rhythm section and ensemble to hear the piano with the lid slightly propped open.
Guitar: the guitar player is placed as almost an extension to the saxophone row but still horizontally placed as part of the rhythm section. The guitar should be in front of the rest of the rhythm section and hear the combined parts of the rhythm section come together.

It is important that both the bass and guitar amps are placed behind the players themselves. This way the players are able to hear themselves and make adjustments as necessary. The amps also need to be placed in a way that they are not completely obstructed by other equipment. I must stress the importance of doing a short rhythm section sound check prior to performing. Taking the time to do this especially when performing away at a festival or assessment will make a world of difference. If possible, have someone in the audience of the performance venue assist you in making adjustments.

For the wind players, creating an intentional and focused listening environment to the parts of the rhythm section can make a large difference in tempo and style. In most styles of music, the bass should be considered the source of the tempo of the ensemble. At the beginning of the year, I always like to ask my students to point to where tempo comes from and most younger students point to the drum set. I quickly explain how the walking bass line of a swing tune and the repeated pattern of a Latin bass line provides true tempo. The hi-hat of the drum set and guitar player (especially when utilizing Freddie Green style) need to listen to the bass to lock in tempo.

While the bass is the source of tempo, the ride cymbal of the drum set is the best way to define style. In most music, the ride cymbal is sub-dividing the beat in the proper style (either swing or straight eighth notes). In swing style, where the ride cymbal places the second eighth note is the “depth” of the swing that the ensemble needs to match. The slower the tempo of the swing tune, the more vital this is for the ensemble to agree.

Making sure that all students in the ensemble are tapping their foot or heel throughout the entire performance and listening over to the bass and rhythm section will allow them to feel pulse internally and together as an ensemble. Having the rhythm section play and just have the students tap their feet while you make sure they are doing so will have a dramatic effect on your group’s ability to keep time. I prefer the tapping of the left heel as the standard across the ensemble because it is able to be done by all students and involves the whole body and not just the foot.

If you intentionally set up your ensemble using the guidelines above and then reinforce these choices by establishing focused listening environments, you will notice a dramatic difference in your ensemble’s ability to balance and keep time. When you want to reinforce listening and matching later in the preparatory period for a performance, switch things up! You might try having the ensemble play in a box setup or have the saxophone turn around and face back to the brass. Just get them listening!

Mr. Peter Sampson is the Director of Bands at Whiteland Community High School and his Jazz Bands have been honored as ISSMA Jazz State Finalists five times, and performed at the Indiana MEA State Conference as well as the Indiana State House. In 2014, Whiteland Jazz Band One was selected as a National Finalist in the Essentially Ellington program through Jazz at Lincoln Center. Mr. Sampson is a proud graduate of Ball State and Indiana Universities and has been named the 2021 “Outstanding High School Music Teacher” by the Indiana Music Education Association, a national “Distinguished Music Educator” by Yale University, a 2020 Grammy National Music Educator Award Semi-finalist, and a “Graduate of the Last Decade” by Ball State University. Mr. Sampson currently serves as the Vice-President of the Indiana Jazz Educators Association, the Past-President of the Indiana State School Music Association, the IMEA State Jazz Chair, and is a member of the NAfME National Jazz Council. Mr. Sampson resides in Whiteland, Indiana with his wife Julie and their twin 14-year-old sons Conner and Luke.