Alien Cyclops Pickles Jazz Trumpet Quartet

Description

Alien Cyclops Pickles Jazz Trumpet Quartet

by Eddie Lewis

Alien Cyclops Pickles jazz trumpet quartet is an ambitious piece of chamber music composed in the swing style. The harmonies are a modified, 24 bar blues. The meter and rhythm of the composition is based on the clave, which gives it hints of a New Orleans second line feel.

The original tune used as a bases for this composition was written during a class I taught at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In the 90’s I taught the advanced jazz improvisation class at the school. I composed this altered blues during the class as an example of how to write a jazz tune. When the tune was complete, I asked the students to name it. They are the ones who chose the title, Alien Cyclops Pickles, because that’s what it sounded like to them.

There are a lot of dissonances in this trumpet quartet version of Alien Cyclops Pickles. All of the dissonances are derived from the chord progression. So, they are functional and almost pleasant to the ear.

The form of this piece plays out like a jazz band arrangement. There’s an intro, the head (2X), then each member of the quartet takes a solo (written out), then there is an ensemble tutti section, a modulation to the shout section (the climax of the composition), a brief return to the head, and then a tag/outro/coda to finish with a bang.

On a personal note, Alien Cyclops Pickles has a lot of meaning to me. It’s “life” began in my improv class, but my jazz group, Living Rhythms, performed it several times over the years. On one of those occasions, we performed it in Corpus Christi at the Texas Jazz Festival. I had David Caceres (the best jazz musician I’ve ever worked with) and Malcolm Pinson (a legendary Houston drummer) in the band and people were talking about that performance long afterward.

Practice Recommendations

Alien Cyclops Pickles jazz trumpet quartet is a swing piece. I have added articulations to the parts that should make it easier to swing. If you are new to jazz and don’t know how to swing yet, then I strongly advice that you adhere to those slur marks. However, if you are an accomplished jazz musician, then you may take more personal liberties with the articulations.

If the piece is too long, or if you have a musician in the quartet who does not wish to be featured as a “soloist”, then individual solos may be cut.

Is improvisation an option?

I am specifically leaving the chord changes out of the arrangement because I don’t believe that improvised solos would enhance the composition. If you think I am wrong and would like the chords, please contact me and I will send them to you.

Alien Cyclops Pickles Jazz Trumpet Quartet Play-Along

We have a free trumpet play-along video in our You Play First Chair video series for Alien Cyclops Pickles jazz trumpet quartet. These trumpet play-along videos are educational tools meant to help trumpet students practice their sight reading and ensemble playing. But they also work very well for letting prospective customers take the piece for a proverbial test drive. Click on the following button to access the trumpet play along video for Alien Cyclops Pickles:

Alien Cyclops Pickles Jazz Trumpet Quartet Score Video

The following is a score video for Alien Cyclops Pickles. We offer these score videos so you have an opportunity to see and hear the piece before you buy it. As mentioned above, Alien Cyclops Pickles is a very ambitious piece for advanced trumpet players. Here’s your chance to take a look inside and see how difficult the parts really are.