How to Tie Together a Big Band Rhythm Section

Guitarist James Chirillo, bassist Ari Roland, and drummer Alvin Atkinson demonstrate ways you can improve your rhythm section's cohesion and sense of swing.
Learn more by visiting our Jazz Academy: academy.jalc.org
James Chirillo - Guitar
Ari Roland - Bass
Alvin Atkinson - Drums
Eric Suquet - Director
Bill Thomas - Director of Photography
Jessica Paz - Sound Engineer
Richard Emery - Production Assistant
Seton Hawkins - Producer
Recorded June 14, 2013

[@bicisnobombas]

This is pure gold, effortlessly and professionally taught.

[@oldethangoogleacc8484]

"i call it *real* time" agree. as the bassist to me it feels like i'm constantly playing an ostinato at quarter note speed where beats 1 and 3 are really strong

[@joshuatendoornkaat7401]

what is that noise that i keep hearing right after the down beat? it sounds like one of the band members is mumbling along with the beat?

[@thestarwarscraft4005]

yeh, it weird

[@imothy]

yeah i think its Alvin's lapel mic and we're hearing his humming of the syncopated off beats. Very weird and I'm surprised he doesn't mention it. I had to put my headphones on to confirm it but its definitely Alvin lol.

[@warningchimes24]

@@imothy It's actually James humming, you can see it at 3:50.

[@Updog89]

I thought it was my dog snoring in the other room until I read this comment 🤣.

[@DaMonster]

I’m pretty sure it’s ari I’ll be honest. He does that a little bit but it’s only noticeable because of the lapel

[@yansa1966]

I gotta be perfectly honest. I watch these purely to see the weird expressions and mannerisms of James Chirillo, haha. He’s the best

[@TonyfromBham]

Every time I catch James on KZbin, I get better on guitar.

[@isabellafinegold]

Alvin, I'm using these videos in my classes. I miss playing with you, man.

[@soundland.channel]

The attitude of the guys is just pure Gold!

[@owenchan8431]

love it, I'm starting to play big band guitar, and this definitely helps a lot.

[@ovepayne]

Great! It´s like hearing the Basie rhythm section with the one and only Freddie Green in the center!

[@Norlo28]

This video is beyond awesome. Thanks.

[@fieldfullofthistles]

Excellent. I'm just learning Big Band style rhythm guitar using Charlton Johnson's book and its brilliant. Called "Swing and Big Band Guitar".

Instructional and inspirational as always, Thanks a lot, proffesors! Greetings from Argentina.

[@ryankaser6726]

Excellent content and very nice and concise and to the point

[@muuroonggeooffrey246]

I love this video, its help me a lot

[@eduardocruces3030]

i love how always people are so kind in a jazz videos, gret video , great lerning, keep practice evereybody

[@chilimangaros7857]

Super valuable and super personable!

[@PP-bw8ig]

Well explained. Thank you gentlemen.

[@A.ChristopherJohnson]

Right On fellows !!

[@rationalanalysis960]

Total perfection.

[@AcousticStandards]

Nice one guys, it s also working nicely when the acoustic guitar is taking the lead. I should try to play sme trio stuff with the acoustic only

[@sydneysitwala]

So clean.

[@willy1986tralara]

Esto es acojonante! gracias!

[@casiandsouza7031]

He is visual, which is restricted to a narrow front view. Whether on cajon or vocal, I face the audience and use my hearing to connect 360 degrees with my vision on the director.

[@StephenAntKneeBk5]

Great video. Thanks for making it and sharing it. :-)

[@TessaAnderson]

Great lesson

[@smithy280663]

these guys are beyond genius..................

[@skibielsg]

i cant help but hear the humming the whole time

[@mijaresaldo]

Great!!!

[@harrisonmyers1572]

I've seen some big bands using electric guitar rather than acoustic. Even the great Charlie Christian used an electric guitar when he was in Benny Goodman's big band.

[@TN-D18]

See 3:10

[@lordofthemound3890]

Charlie Christian never was in Benny Goodman‘s big band. He played primarily on Benny’s special small group recordings. And, he was featured on a couple of big band recordings as well, but he was never a working member of the band. He was a featured solo performer. Big band music usually calls for a purely rhythm role for the guitar, like Freddie Green. In that case, usually you want an acoustic (or an electric that sounds very acoustic). Of course, there are exceptions. Bob Wills wasn’t a straight jazz guy but he had some pretty gnarly electric guitar players in his big band.

[@udomatthiasdrums5322]

cool stuff!!

[@georgesskriba8437]

je joue en big band , vive le swing , et la rhythm section ! ..

[@mr16325]

Why was someone humming?

[@THuang-lt1ob]

yo the last video i watched on playing guitar for big band was taught by james chirillo

[@AlbertoMartinezDelRio]

MASTERS

[@peterharoldjanakjr2078]

I'm learning electric guitar. One hour or more per day, everyday since January. Shamefully, I don't know chords yet. I've gotten addicted to playing along with the multitudes of jam tracks that can be found on KZbin as the lead. Some jam tracks have a good rythm guitar going where it's great for the jam track and the newbie lead guitarists. But others have rythm guitar that the lead should probably listen to closely. When I hear a track. The first thing I connect to is the bass. Then the drums. From there I seem to know what feels right and therefore what to do. But if the rythm guitar is fairly busy, I find it very difficult to just jump in and do my thing. Instead, whatever I play must coordinate with the rythm guitar. I suppose that sounds like a a "no kidding" kind of thing to say. But I don't know. I guess it's just one of those, "you'll no it's right when you feel it" kind of things. I'm playing with this one track where I'm pretty much bouncing off the bass as if the rythm guitar isn't there. Playing it back it sounds awful BECAUSE I'm playing as if there is no conversation between me and the rythm guitar. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I guess I was hoping for an impossible solution.

[@eduardocruces3030]

hey we need an update, how its going your guitar playing?

[@peterharoldjanakjr2078]

@@eduardocruces3030 I'm putting something together. Still haven't focused on chords but need to. I guess I'll see what Rocksmith can do for learning chords

[@Wishuponapancake]

@@peterharoldjanakjr2078 if you're good at being critical of your own technique, I Really recommend rocksmith! it's very fun tbh, and it really gets you motivated to practice

[@peterharoldjanakjr2078]

@@Wishuponapancake Yeah, I've got it. HAD for 3 years. But coukdn't use it until my new PC that I just built came to be. What I don't like is that there is no direction. Or plan to work from.

[@lukewalkeroa2137]

Nice~

[@jerrymcgeorge4117]

Hi Jim!

[@ivantoroman60]

They make it look easy man

[@fiddlestix3025]

Lovely…thanks for that ;)

[@alessandrogouveia2268]

Hi, I'm the hard rocker guy that will try to do it the loudest I can and dirtiest I can. - talking seriously, I love how the African element of the "melodical rythim", speaking drums (and also the bass at this case). It takes everything to a upper level, in my opinion.

[@arnekronvall817]

0:28 WoW, the suit on the guy to the left.

[@naufaladen2401]

Nice

[@diegoricketts595]

What's that upbeat noise??😁

[@cruz.c]

Diego Ricketts i feel like its the guitar guy humming lmao

[@jjy135]

The chords.

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

It's the drummer humming the offbeats

[@bogonanaz9404]

Jazz

[@ryancandelario3608]

Wow, intelligent. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@michaelhughes5890]

Rhythm section killin it tho

[@utube9000]

This is most controlled thing I've seen all day...

[@juanbusquier8546]

Freddie Green changes!!

[@legoyoda7832]

What is that ride cymbal? I love the way it sounds!

[@matthewphillips5950]

20" K Light Flat Ride

[@StraightNoChaser86]

I was actually thinking the opposite. That's personal preference for ya!

[@carosgerardollallyereacost6810]

Traduzcanlo por favor

[@CrystallMechelleBanks-]

not always watching mostly listening...to add to it...trapping that flow to lead it or compliment it, if that makes any sense.

[@billybarnett]

Incredible. But ,whats up with upright sound ?.maybe its these silly phone speakers.

[@russellesimonetta9071]

Close the door with a button!

[@coreybartos125]

where can i get a guitar like that for less than a grand?

[@MsMegajosh]

Corey Bartos You can't. Unless you want to cheap out, you can't buy one like that. Although if you mean acoustic archtops in general, "The Loar" makes a few good ones, and Godin also makes one. You could also go down the road of getting a vintage Harmony or kay or something cheap like that.

[@phamjames]

Godin 5th Avenue is really good budget archtop. Also, Eastman, Peerless used guitars.

[@Lieutenant_Dude]

Ibanez. They have a lot of semi hollow and hollowbody guitars for good prices.

[@DavideSchachterJazz]

4:35 James sounds like a piano!!!

[@webproductions28]

Yeah it's that Basie sound haha

[@trektroncz9864]

who can tell me chords 4:45 guitar.. please!

[@remyf7073]

Neck

[@mlekoff]

thats solo chords on guitar are WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!! please tab for me - n4p... :))

[@TheLowbob55]

Very basic question: Do they know which chord progression they gonna play before or is this just playing with what they hear?

[@MrEdUrAt]

They are playing blues progression

[@vinigretzky97]

In other words: Have some feeling for music and you're good to go.

[@doyourbest999]

Vini I think it's more nuanced than that.

[@aidannyblom3552]

can bass players talk? or are they inherently mute?

[@zoomzoom3950]

no one listens when they talk with words. ;)

[@munichmapper3245]

1:33 the loose string on the side of his overcoat is r/mildlyinfuriating

[@florriemccarthy9347]

maybe its cos im not in the room but i can barely hear the bass

[@NevertahnProduction]

Why is there someone humming while theyre playing?

[@zavugaderek3306]

Then here in Uganda it's not music but entertainment

[@ben_co8558]

Thats a heavy ass ride cymbal, but somehow still kind of works

[@talliftw6890]

No piano?

[@adamgomez2812]

Talli FTW if there is a guitar, piano isn’t that Necessary

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

Guitar is a substitute for piano. They sound slightly similar.

[@ethanw7943]

@@TomEyeTheSFMguy They don't necessarily sound similar, but they have the same function. Harmony. They can substitute for each other!

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

@@ethanw7943 oh ok

[@luisfloresgonzalez2337]

Where's the piano :v

[@user-jg3my7cg1x]

And the bass player remained silent

[@TiagoLageira]

How to learn to burn

[@jiyujizai]

🙄🌾💛🌱

[@4251268]

The humming is very irritating, it kinda fucks up the hole sound and vibe

[@arekpocicki5681]

i hear a frog or something in upbeat

[@TarnTarn-zv6cp]

I appreciate this but,if you TRY to do this, you will fail, you can only FEEL THIS, its something you can try to explain but you need to be playing to understand and have your balls tingle

[@KidneyPunch11]

Lol the bass player says nothing

[@roberte.tewksbury7601]

COMPARE TO CONTEMPORARY JAZZ , ONE SOLOIST, NO CONNECTION WITH OTHER PLAYERS, NO SWING, NO MESSAGE AND BORING MUSIC.

[@brickvideos4851]

What? In contemporary jazz, the musicians have to be connected even more so, because the rhythm section must still connect with each other, but also must work WITH the soloist.

[@jacobpark9051]

Robert E. Tewksbury wtf r u saying lmao

[@vidkid1067]

Congrats on bottom comment