At the Stageband Jazzorchestra we have been used to dive deep into the compositions. That is why we rehearse every week. The philosophy of the band is that a composition is more than a succession of notes. With Steven Sluiter we have, in that respect, a very concise orchestra leader. He watches much more than playing the right notes in the right place (which in itself is a nice challenge in some of the pieces we play with the band). He can tell you that the beginning of the note needs more action than the middle and end of it. A lot of balance clues, who plays where the “lead”, and so on. As already written in previous blogs, Steven has indicated that he has been assigned to an internship band year after more than 15 years at the stage band. Very respectable of course.

Because we would make pictures for the cover of the CD of Treats that is presented during the concerts, Steven was present at the rehearsal. To my great joy, he immediately resumed his role as conductor and came up with ingenious input, especially for all wind players. And that’s what I was hoping for. Steven will direct the suite during the concert series, and will therefore be present more often during rehearsals. That is very good for the suite, which after all my influence, by writing and studying with the band, will get a new shine through the feedback and input from Steven, who knows the orchestra so thoroughly. We had a good rehearsal anyway, because despite the absence of some prominent band members, the band sounded pretty good. That means that the piece gets content and nestles in the minds of the musicians. This was also noticeable at the tempi, which were copied much better than previous rehearsals. Nice to see how these top musicians become master of the composition.

Really something to look forward to, the concerts in the Easter weekend. Make sure you’re there. And buy your tickets on time. That is good for us, and for you.