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treddle wrote: I had thought about a New Orleans dixie ensemble, but doesnt that require saxaphones?

You might attract more saxophone players if you spell it right, but I think the only reeds you need for that is one clarinet. Bass drum, snare, tuba, trombone, couple trumpets.

Just say New Orleans jazz and don't mention dixie, and the saxes might be into it after all. I play in a local band that appears on the street occasionally. We do a couple NO type tunes - Second Line, Wild Tschopitoulas or something like that - and they're extremely fun for the saxes. A saxophone or two can take a lot of the load off the front brass, who will burn out faster if they have to carry the tune all the time. Second Line should be easy to find on a recording or something and learn, not sure WT is as well known. Instrumentation just depends on who shows up.

We also get a lot of mileage out of a couple of church hymns. We know them with names and words from the IWW (Wobbly) song book, but I think it's something like "Sweet Bye & Bye", "Revive Us Again". With the right attitude, you can really stomp out on just about anything, I guess, but it's a lot more likely to work when the music is familiar. Some of the people who show up for our band basically don't have to worry, they know everything -- once out of the blue we started playing Charles Mingus' "Fables of Faubus", no kidding -- but the whole band gets a lot more together with the simple stuff.

Needless to say, it helps if everyone can play by ear and take a part suited to their instrument. The result will be disorderly and ragged, but more fun.

I marched in a pick-up funk group for this year's homecoming parade. There were 6 of us, 7 including the guy pedaling the bicycle cab with the bass drum cymbal and snare (and percussionist) on it. We had 1 tpt, 2 bones, 1 alto sax, 1 doubler on saprano and bari sax, and myself on sousaphone. Three of us are over 40, the rest were undergrads.

We played Chameleon (H. Hancook) Freedom Jazz dance (Harris?) Stratus (forgot who?) amd Mo Better Blues. No music, all improvised. I worked out a bass line, and the others jammmed. I played virtually nonstop for over an hour. We did a Zappa lick to switch from one peice to another.

It was a blast! Although a bit uncomfortable as one of my bits came unsoldered as the parade began. Of course the unsoldered part was stuck in the other bit so I couldn't just use one bit. I just crammed it back in and held it with my hand. I would have killed for some duct or black tape - guess what I'll be carrying next year.

Try http://www.sldbrass.com

Since a clarinet plays the same pitch as trumpet, you should be alright, and the website has literature for just about any known combination of horns possible.

Philip Jensen wrote:We played Chameleon (H. Hancook) Freedom Jazz dance (Harris?) Stratus (forgot who?) amd Mo Better Blues.

You might like to try "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (Zawinul.)

As for Second Line -- the data format of that recording isn't accessible from my computer, so I can't comment on whether we do it right, but the tune I'm thinking of, I'm just happy when no one gets it confused with "Rock around the Clock".

treddle wrote:I appreciate the suggestions for jazz. There seems to be interest with a few of the members. Other than jazz, is there anything else? Something different?

Well, sure! The band I have alluded to has sort of spontaneously lurched into "Sailors Hornpipe", "La Cucaracha". We often used to play the Internationale. Rivers of Babylon. Couple of pieces from The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, as Performed by the Inmates at the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction of the Marquis De Sade (greatest movie ever, some fun tunes.) A branle (kind of dance tune, pronounced "brawl") by Pierre Phalese
(from an arrangement for 4 recorders.) Nkose Sikelele, said to be the African National Anthem. Macho Man. Something we call "The East is Pink", where we play "The East is Red" faster and faster until it blends into a horrid racket. Much of this stuff may not be to your taste. You should look for something like that Phalese, though - late Renaissance era, slowish dance forms. It's easy to get down, and nice change of pace.

Some good old KJ Alford might be nice....

If you were to do a military stile band, the smallest I would shrink to is

trumpet 1
Euph (GO COUNTER MELODY!)
Tuba
Piccolo (I know I know)
Bass Drum
Snare Drum

clarinets are nice to add to the mix if you have them