Session: Lead Trumpet Style; How to play stylistically accurate in a big band with Donald Albrecht

Prelude: University of North Alabama Trumpet Ensemble

Playing lead trumpet in a big band setting is a position that demands a great deal from a musician. The skills that are necessary do not just include the ability to play high notes and have tremendous endurance. Both skills are required, but the job is much more than just that. The ability to set the time feel for the whole band, along with the articulations, phrasing, dynamics, and other stylistic nuances, are a requirement of the lead trumpet chair. Each of these nuances is varied by the band and the era in which the music was written, and a knowledge of how the music developed and the significant lead trumpet stylists is essential for playing the role of the lead trumpet in a big band.