U.S. Navy Band Commodores' trombone section clinic

On behalf of the U.S. Navy Band
Washington, D.C., and our Commodores
trombone section I would like to thank you
for attending our clinic. The Commodores
have been entertaining audiences for over
40 years with their own special brand of
world-class big band jazz. Their unit leader,
Senior Chief Musician Phil Burlin and music
director, Chief Musician Luis Hernandez,
continue the long-standing tradition of
programming arrangements and original
compositions by current members. I am
especially pleased to present this clinic to
educators to assist in improving their big
band trombone section.
Based at the historic Navy Yard in
Washington, D.C., the U.S. Navy Band
consists of five performing units in addition
to the Commodores: the Concert/Ceremonial Band, the Sea Chanters
chorus, Country Current, our country/bluegrass group and the Cruisers,
a top-40 and R&B band. Our music ranges from military ceremonies, to
wind ensemble repertoire and chamber music, choral works of all kinds,
Broadway, Top 40, small group jazz and oldies, country, and bluegrass,
entertaining audiences of all ages and musical preferences.
I am delighted that we are providing an educational forum for high
school and college band directors with the goal of encouraging young
musicians to hone their craft. It is encouraging to see educators fostering
the love of music for future generations. Thanks again for your attendance
at our clinic.
Brian O. Walden
Captain, U.S. Navy
Commanding Officer/Leader

“It Don’t Mean a Thing,
If Your ‘Bones Ain’t Got Swing!”
Educators attending this clinic will walk away with many ideas for
improving their high school or college big band trombone section. Some of
the topics we will explore are section blend, balance, intonation, style and
how the bone section fits in with the rest of the ensemble. You will be able
to see firsthand how to address various issues in the trombone section, as
the members of the Commodores trombone section illustrate key concepts,
as well as work with a student section.
A great trombone section benefits any ensemble, whether it’s
orchestral, symphonic, or jazz. This clinic will address good fundamentals
of trombone playing as part of a jazz trombone section, but the section
concepts apply for any genre. This handout will also provide educators a
list of the Commodore’s favorite listening examples of great trombone solo
and section playing. Also included is a list of educational resources that
have been used by members of the section.
Introduction
The Four Fundamental
Trombone Concepts
I. Listen
II. Sound
III. Air
IV. Technique
Big Band Style, Influential
Big Band Trombonists
and Basic Improvisation Tips:
MU1 David Perkel
MU1 Jennifer Krupa
I. Pyramid of listening
in the big band setting
II. Groove is the most important
thing - applying concepts to all styles
III. Extension of your voice.
Sing what you hear, then play it.

The roles of the big MUC Matthew J. Neff
band bass bone player:
I. Play with section (balance & blend)
II. Identify potential student
a. Independent
b. Rhythmically solid
c. Good sound concept
d. Solid pitch
III. Four roles of a Bass Trombone:
a. Soloist
b. Baritone saxophone
c. Solid time
d. Listen
Ways to learn jazz improvisation
I. The importance of
learning to play by ear
II. Learning to improvise
with various recordings
MUC Jamie Way
Section discusses the following: MUC Matthew J. Neff, MUC Jamie Way
I. Daily practice duration MU1 Jennifer Krupa, MU1 David Perkel
and method books
II. Warm-up ideas
III. Why each one of
us got into music
IV. Important musical
influences
program subject to change

The Navy’s premier jazz
ensemble, the Commodores, presents
the finest in America’s truly original
music. A specialty unit of the United
States Navy Band in Washington,
D.C., the group features 18 of the
Navy’s top jazz and “big band”
musicians. Under the leadership of
Senior Chief Musician Philip M. Burlin,
the Commodores combine the best of
jazz and popular music.
Since their founding in 1969, the
Commodores have become one of
the most acclaimed jazz ensembles in
the country. Many jazz legends have
appeared with the group, including
Jerry Bergonzi, Ray Charles, Louie
Bellson, Terry Gibbs, Bob Mintzer,
James Moody, Chris Potter, Clark
Terry and Eugene “Snooky” Young.
In addition, they have appeared on
ABC’s “Good Morning, America.”
They are highly sought after by the
nation’s foremost jazz festivals and
educational conferences such as The
Midwest Clinic, the Detroit/Montreux
Jazz Festival and the Elkhart
(Ind.) Jazz Festival. They are also
featured at the annual Navy Band
International Saxophone Symposium
and have appeared at International
Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE)
Conventions.
The Commodores trace their
roots to before World War II, when
Band members with jazz experience
formed dance bands and rehearsed
on an as-needed basis for specific
occasions. Responding to public
demand for unique types of music
as well as the changing needs of
Navy recruiting, then-Ensign Ned
Muffley formed a dance band in
1966 from members of the concert
and ceremonial units, and in 1968,
preparations began to make the
ensemble a separate group. In
January 1969, the Dance Band
officially became the Commodores
jazz ensemble.
Their performances are highenergy
affairs that not only pay
tribute to the legendary big bands of
yesterday, but also feature original
compositions by members of the
group. In 2009, the Commodores
released their latest compact disc,
Directions, which featured many of
these new compositions in addition
to fresh arrangements of popular
favorites. The Commodores continue
to preserve the great heritage of jazz
while also being an innovative force
for the future.

From left to right Musicians 1st Class Jennifer Krupa and David Perkel
and Chief Musicians Jamie Way and Matthew Neff.
A native of
Hollidaysburg,
Penn., Matt
Neff joined the
Commodores as
bass trombonist
in October of
2009. Prior to his
appointment with
the Navy’s premier
jazz ensemble, he Neff served as
bass trombonist with the Concert/
Ceremonial Band, a position he
held since joining the Navy Band in
1992. He has performed as soloist
on numerous occasions and served
as bass trombonist with the Navy
Band Brass Quintet from 2003-
2009. A multi-talented musician,
Chief Neff has composed more than
30 works for the Navy Band Brass
Quintet, and has published several
works for brass ensembles. He holds
a Bachelor of Music from Penn State
University and a Master of Music
from The Catholic University of
America.
A strong advocate for music
education, he has performed as
guest artist/clinician at high schools
and colleges throughout the country.
He currently serves as adjunct
professor of trombone at George
Mason University.
Jamie Way
joined the
Navy Band in
1996. Prior to
his appointment
with the Navy
Band, Chief Way
was a member
of the United
States Military
Academy Band at West Point, New
York, where he performed with
the “Jazz Knights” jazz ensemble.
He received a diploma from the
Interlochen Arts Academy and a
Bachelor of Music from the Eastman
School of Music.
Born in Rutland, Vt., his

family moved during his youth to
Evanston, Wyo. where he was a
student of Carson Sharp, formerly
the principal trombonist of the Utah
Symphony. In college, he studied
jazz improvisation with pianist
Bill Dobbins. His other trombone
teachers include John Marcellus and
Raymond Premru. In his spare time
he enjoys reading of all kinds and
has a keen interest in trombone
instrument design.
Jennifer
Krupa, born in
Connecticut and
raised in Hemet,
Calif., joined the
Navy Band in
2004. She earned
a Bachelor of
Music from the
University of North Florida in 1994
and an Artist Diploma from The
Juilliard School in 2003, both in
jazz studies performance. While at
Juilliard, she studied trombone with
Wycliffe Gordon and arranging with
Ellington aficionado David Berger. In
2003, she won positions in the IAJE
Sisters jazz combo at the Henry
Mancini Institute and performed
throughout North America and
Europe. In 2006, the 23rd Annual
World Premiere Composition Series
commissioned her to conduct and
compose pieces for the University of
Scranton Concert Band and Choir.
Petty Officer Krupa has
performed with Wynton Marsalis and
The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra,
the Wycliffe Gordon Quintet/Sextet,
the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks
Orchestra, Sherrie Maricle & the
DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and Christian
McBride in addition to co-leading her
own small group JLQ. She has also
contributed arrangements to the
last two Commodores recordings,
in addition to serving as the
Commodores Librarian. In her free
time, she enjoys spending time with
her family and training for athletic
events.
Dave Perkel,
originally from St.
Louis, Missouri,
joined the Navy
Band in 2002 and
as lead trombone
for the Navy Band
Commodores
jazz ensemble.
He earned a Bachelor of Music
from the University of North Texas
and a Master of Music from the
Manhattan School of Music. A
well-rounded orchestral and jazz
artist, he has performed with the
National Symphony Orchestra,
the Kennedy Center Opera House
Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony,
Virginia Symphony, Harrisburg
Symphony and the San Antonio
Symphony Orchestra. In 1999, he
was appointed principal trombonist
in the Annapolis Symphony and
later performed the Overture for
Trombone and Strings by Alan
Hovhaness for a subscription series.
As a jazz musician, Petty Officer
Perkel was a member and featured
soloist of the famed University of
North Texas One O’clock Lab Band
and the Dallas Jazz Orchestra.
Petty Officer Perkel is an active
educator, having spent five years
as an Artist in Residence at the
Sewanee Summer Music Festival
in Tennessee. He has taught at
many schools in the Washington
D.C. metropolitan area and had a
one-year teaching appointment at
Towson University. In his free time,
he enjoys spending time with family.

The following is for information purposes ONLY. The Navy Band does
NOT endorse or promote the following products and materials. Inclusion
in this program is not to be construed as an endorsement, promotion or
recommendation of any kind by the Navy Band or the United States Navy.
Recommended Jazz
Trombone Albums
J.J. Johnson
First Place
The Trombone Master
-Misterioso
-Laura (BALLAD)
-What Is This Thing Called Love
-Blue Trombone
The Eminent J.J. Johnson -
volume 2 (& vol. 1)
-All of the selections are great.
-“Jay” and “Coffee Pot” are smoking!
Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson
At the Opera House
(CLASSIC BEBOP TROMBONE)
J.J. Johnson and Al Grey
“Things Are Getting Better All the Time”
Wycliffe Gordon
The Search
Slidin’ Home
-Mood Indigo
-“It Don’t Mean a Thing” & “Blooz”
(PLUNGER)
United Soul Experience
-Karen’s Contemplation
(BALLAD)
-Low Key Lightly
(MUTED PLUNGER BALLAD)
John Allred & Wycliffe Gordon
Head To Head
- Louis Armstrong’s “West End Blues”
- Horace Silvers’ “The Preacher”
- “Sophisticated Lady”
- “I Got It Bad”
Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino Quintet
- Cherry
- Let’s Make It
- How Long Has This Been Going On
(BALLAD)
Turn Me Loose (Rosolino also sings on
album)
- Too Marvelous For Words
- Please Don’t Bug Me
- Pennies From Heaven
Jack Teagarden
“Mis’ry and the Blues”
“Bobby Hackett & Jack Teagarden”
(DIXIELAND & the SWING ERA)
Curtis Fuller
Blues-ette
The Curtis Fuller Jazztet with Benny
Golson
- I’ll Walk Alone
(BALLAD)
- It’s All Right With Me
- Judy’s Dilemma
(BEBOP)
Ray Anderson
On John Scofield’s “Electric Outlet”
(Ray solos on two songs)
-Pick Hits (at 4:53)
-Just My Luck (at 3:04)
(FUNK / ROCK STYLES)
J P Torres
“Trombone Man” and “Cuba Swings”
(LATIN AMERICAN / CUBAN STYLES)
Fred Wesley
On Maceo Parker’s
“Live on Planet Groove”
Wesley solos on “Pass the Peas”
(FUNK)
Alan Kaplan
“Lonely Town”
(LYRICAL BALLAD STYLE)
Bill Watrous
“Bone-ified”
“Manhattan Wildlife Refuge”
Carl Fontana
“The Great Fontana”
Bobby Shew’s “Heavyweights”

Michael Davis
(www.hip-bonemusic.com)
Bobby Knight’s Great American
Trombone Co.
(www.davisandjones.com/jazzmark
jmorder.pdf)
Matt Finders
(www.mattfinders.com)
Commercially
successful trombones
Urbie Green, Dick Nash
Current modern trombonists
Steve Turre, Conrad Herwig, Wycliffe
Gordon, John Allred, Robin Eubanks,
Steve Davis, Vincent Gardner, Luis
Bonilla, Ray Anderson, Michael Davis,
Ryan Keberle, Marshall Gilkes
Other recommended albums and
educational resources
Jazz Albums
1. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
2. John Coltrane - Blue Train
3. Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
4. Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins &
Sonny Stitt - Sonny Side Up
5. Charlie Parker - The Legendary
Dial Masters, Vol. 1
6. Art Blakey and the Jazz
Messengers - 1958 Paris Olympia
7. Ahmad Jamal - Live at the Pershing
8. Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson
- Louis Armstrong
Meets Oscar Peterson
9. Hank Mobley - Soul Station
10. Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz
or Waltz For Debby
11. Wynton Marsalis -
Standard Time vol. 1 or 2
12. Chet Baker -
It Could Happen To You
or Someday My Prince Will Come
13. Lee Morgan – Sidewinder
Big Band Albums
Count Basie and The Orchestra - Sinatra
at the Sands in concert
Sarah Vaughan and the Count Basie
Orchestra - Send in the Clowns
Count Basie and His Orchestra - This
Time by Basie (Hits of the 50’s and 60’s)
Duke Ellington - The Great Paris Concert
Woody Hermann
Stan Kenton
Maria Schneider
Rob McConnell
Bob Florence
Jazz Trombone Group CD’s
Slide Hampton - World of Trombones
Capitol Bones - My Favorite Things;
Stan Kenton Christmas
New York Trombone Conspiracy - A
Matter of Time
Classical Trombone Group CD’s
London Trombone Artists - London
Trombone Sound
Trombones de Costa Rica - Imagenes;
Contrastes
Classical Trombone CD’s
Slide Area by Joseph Alessi
Towards the Light by Nitzan Haroz
Audition Window - Timeless Trombone
Tales by Carl Lenthe
10 year Jubilee by Christian Lindberg
The Burlesque Trombone by Christian
Lindberg
Offroad by James Markey
Proof by Ko-ichiro Yamamoto
X Over trombone by Jim Pugh and the
Colorado Symphony

Classical Bass Trombone CD’s
Fancy Free by Blair Bollinger
Melodrama - Romantic Music from
Russia by Randall Hawes
First Song; Nana by Ben Van Dijk
Bass Trombone by Charles Vernon
Proclamation; Two of a Mind (with Nick
Hudson) by Douglas Yeo
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Play along CD’s
(Aebersold’s and others)
JAZZ METHOD BOOKS
Exercises & Etudes by J. J. Johnson
Bop Duets by Bugs Bower
Patterns for Jazz by Jerry Coker
Jazz Conception by Jim Snidero (for
tenor or bass)
12 Jazz Duets; 24 Jazz Etudes by Jack
Gale
CLASSICAL METHOD BOOKS
(Most of these books are at
www.hickeys.com)
The F Attachment and Bass Trombone
by Allen Ostrander
Complete Method for Trombone and
Euphonium by Arban - revised by Joseph
Alessi and Dr. Brian Bowman
Daily Drills and Technical Studies for
Trombone by Max Schlossberg
The Remington Warm-Up edited by
Donald Hunsberger
Melodious Etudes for Trombone by
Bordogni (Rochut) - Volumes 1, 2 and 3
Lyrical Etudes for Trombone by Phil
Snedecor
Introductory Studies in Tenor and Alto
Clef by Brad Edwards
Rhythmical Studies by Marcel Bitsch
Sixty Selected Studies for Trombone by
George Kopprasch
METHOD BOOKS FOR BASS
TROMBONE
(good transition books
for tenor players)
Gillis - 70 Progressive studies; 20 etudes
Pederson - elementary, intermediate,
advanced etudes
Notes:

Notes:

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