Stravinsky called the percussion and bass the "central heating system". The percussion (drumset) and bass in the jazz ensemble are indeed the foundation upon which the rest of the ensemble builds from. Without a strong foundation, the building won't last, won't be strong. And even with a strong foundation, if the foundation does not know its role, everything built on top of it is subject to change. The foundation of a building is usually not seen, nor often talked about. You usually don't drive past a house and say, "Oooo, I like that foundation!" But when strong winds come and that building is knocked down, what does everyone talk about? The foundation! The same is true of an automobile. When you first notice a car or truck, your first thoughts are not of the engine, suspension, transmission, fuel intake, etc. You notice the color, style, line, interior and all the gadgets that come with it. But if you take a ride in that same car and the motor sputters, and your ride is bumpy, and the oil leaks, leaving a bad smell, the car that looked so good at first doesn't look so good anymore.

Well, the rhythm section in a jazz ensemble is the foundation, engine and suspension. And if the rhythm section is not running smoothly and does not know its role, it can affect the rest of the ensemble. In essence, the role of the rhythm section is to make the rest of the band feel good. The rhythm section should play in such a manner that it is easy for the rest of the ensemble to play well, comfortably and with ease.

The rhythm section consists of the piano, bass and drums at the very minimum. In addition, you may have guitar, vibes and percussion. The rhythm section has many functions, but two of the major roles are that of timekeeping (rhythmic/pulse support) and the other for harmonic foundation with chords from the piano/guitar/vibes and bass. Later, I will like to discuss some of the roles for each of the rhythm section instruments.

KEEPING TIME
Let me begin by saying that many people think of the rhythm section only as the timekeeper and while a good deal of this is true, there is more to the rhythm section. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the entire ensemble to maintain a constant and steady pulse. So often, if a tune rushes or drags, it is the drummer who gets blamed, or sometimes the entire rhythm section takes the heat. Sometimes, this is justified as it very well may be a rhythm section player who negatively manipulates the tempo. However, any ensemble player/section can easily change the tempo. Everyone in the ensemble must be diligent to maintain and keep the time steady, practice with a metronome, watch the conductor and listen to eachother to stay together. While the drums are a powerful instrument that can probably sway the tempo the easiest because of their mass, we need to be quick to listen to where the tempo change is coming from before assuming it is from the rhythm section. I have heard and played in ensembles where the drummer kept great time and was working his/her tail off to keep the band on task with much more effort than should be exerted because the rest of the band simply was not listening, counting, or aware of the tempo as they should be. I have played with ensembles where I as a drummer have played the role of horse jockey - pulling the reins back to keep the band from speeding away. Pay close attention to the entire ensembles awareness and treatment of the tempo.

EXPERIENCE
Many teachers who teach a school jazz ensemble may not have experience playing in a jazz ensemble, or teaching the different instruments in a jazz ensemble as they contain both band and string instruments. If this is the case, there are many great resources available to get you started. Many publishers are now making play-along instructional books that provide a wealth of information and opportunity for the student to listen to recorded CD's and even play along with them. I use these to teach and even to practice with myself. Some of my favorites are published by Hal Leonard and the Steve Houghton/Tom Warrington series for drummers and bass players. The very popular Jamie Abersold series have everything for the beginner to advanced player, from big band to small group jazz, and even books on playing blues, certain chord changes and even certain jazz artists tunes.

For those of you who do play jazz, think about what you like to hear from a rhythm section when you are performing. If you have experience playing in a professional group, a lot of what we like in a rhythm section we take for granted. Stop and think about what you like to hear, what makes your role in the ensemble easier as a result of what the rhythm section is doing and then teach that to your school ensemble.

LISTENING
The aforementioned play-along books provide CD's with them. They are all top rate performances and give very authentic and entertaining listening. Listening is such a key component for all members of the jazz ensemble. I give CD's to my rhythm section players to take home and listen. I ask them to have the music on and just listen in the background, then at other times, sit down and key in on their specific instrument and notice what that player is doing in context with the rest of the ensemble. Sometimes, during rehearsal, we will just listen to music and that's it! No playing, just constructive and focused listening. I try to have music playing in the background as often as possible as students are coming into rehearsal. So many of today's students listen to pop music and not as much to the jazz style we earn in jazz ensemble. Since they are more acquainted with pop music, they have no problem "copping" that style. Once they listen to more and more jazz music, they will not only become familiar with the style and sound, they will be more comfortable playing it.

Now let's talk about each of the rhythm section members:

BASS
The upright acoustic and/or electric bass provides the bottom end for the ensemble as well as a focal point for which the pulse moves. The bass works in close conjunction with the drummer for tempo/feel and the piano player for chordal voicings/accompaniment. The bass, along with the drummer sets the pace and feel for whatever style of song you are playing. In a swing tune, the bass player "walks", in a rock/funk tune, the bass player provides more of a rhythmic drive with the drummers bass drum, sometimes simple, sometimes syncopated, depending on what the tune calls for. In "latin" tunes, and there are many many different styles of what we will call "latin" tunes, the bass player plays a very specific rhythmic/harmonic pattern. It is often centered on the I chord and V chord with embellishments around that and depending on whether you are playing a samba, cha cha, salsa, meringue or something else, the rhythm from the bass will provide the harmonic accompaniment needed for that style. For further information on different stylistic elements for the bass player, please refer to the many excellent resources available for bass players. One of my favorites is the Essential Styles series for drumset and bass players, by Steve Houghton. They provide play along CD's, simple charts and recorded examples of swing, rock and "latin" tunes. These types of resources are excellent for the music teacher who has not had any experience playing with or teaching a bass player in your school jazz ensemble.

Most of the music written for bass is well laid out. Often times, an exact pattern is written. This works well for young or inexperienced bassists. As your bass players grows musically, encourage them to come up with musical lines and rhythmic figures of their own. Listening to many great recordings is the key here.

DRUMS
The drummer's role is that mainly of timekeeper. As said before, it is the responsibility of every musician to keep good time, however the drums are such a powerful instrument, they can push or pull and keep perfect the time of the ensemble. The drums also provide the cushion, or foundation for which the rest of the band plays on top of. The drummer should play simple figures and patterns, providing an easy and good feeling groove for the rest of the band to play along with. If the drummer, for the most part, plays simply, the rest of the band will have an easy time feeling the pulse and playing their figure on top of that. If the drums are too "busy" or complicated, the musicians in the band may not be able to play their music easily. They may not know where the pulse or even the downbeat is! The same is true for drum fills. While you don't want your drummer to play very square sounding fills, getting too complicated and syncopated can throw the band off. Even if all the musicians are excellent counters and master musicians, the drummer shouldn't always be playing so busy and complicated that no one in the band knows where to come in.

The drummer also has the responsibility to play in between the lines so to speak. "Setting up" figures that the horn players are playing is part of the drummer's job. When the band is playing, the drummer can play along while keeping time by "comping" with their snare drum and bass drum. The drummer can "comp" the same figure the band is playing. Not all the time, but occasionally, with taste and discretion. The drummer also can set up a bigger figure the band is playing by playing a fill before a tutti ensemble figure or just a big "drop" or snare drum whack on the beat before the band plays their figure.

There are many subtle things for the drummer to cover. If you are unsure, pay close attention to recordings and even have your school drummer take some lessons (if they aren't already) with a local professional who is familiar with this style of drumming. Again, the play-along books provide a wealth of information and recordings for the drummer to learn a great deal by both listening and then practicing.

The drum charts (music) is not always written in the drummers best interests. Sometimes, just a sketch of a drum part is written. Other times, a generic jazz cymbal pattern is written and other times still, just snare drum and bass drum. In most drum charts, if the drummer were to play what is written, the tune would end up sounding very square ad not relaxed, with a nice jazz feel. Encourage your drummers to first just play simple time and listen to the band. If they learn what the tune sounds like, while reading whatever their chart looks like, they can combine the listening and the reading for the best possible execution of the tune.

And don't forget the 5 "T's" of drumming: Time, Taste, Technique, Touch and Tuning.

PIANO
The piano provides the chordal harmony and harmonic backbone for not only the rhythm section, but the entire ensemble. The piano is not always easily heard in a jazz ensemble, but take it away and you will notice its absence! Like the drummer, the piano player should not play too busy. Providing chords, whether played block style or arpeggiated, the piano accompanies the moving chords of the ensemble and enhances/accompanies what the bass is playing. When the band is not playing as a full ensemble and a soloist is playing, the piano player can get more involved and play a bit busier, but not so much that they get in the way of the soloist.

Often times, the music for the piano player is written out, other times, you only have chords written. With written-out music, your piano player can play that and even alter any rhythms/chord voicings where appropriate. If just the chord names are written, your piano player has a multitude of options. As long as they understand what the different chord symbols and names mean, the sky is the limit as far as rhythm and voicings go. Again, listening to music in the style you are playing is beneficial. Just be sure the piano is plating appropriate to the style and character of the song you are playing. If you are playing Count Basie, they should listen to many recordings of Basie's band to glean from that. If you are playing a Duke Ellington tune, listen to the Duke and so on.

GUITAR
The guitar plays much of the same role as the piano player, but I feel, to a lesser degree. While sometimes you can hear the guitar more, the piano should take more of a lead role of the two. While piano, bass and drums are the primary rhythm section instruments, if you have a guitarist, they can play an integral role in the rhythm section. Keeping pulse and chordal accompaniment is paramount for the guitarist. Be careful that they do not get into eachothers way as far as rhythm and amount of sound and texture being played at once. That is, when you have a guitar and piano, either map out or keep close communication as to who will play when and how much they will play as far as comping chords is concerned. If the piano and guitar are too busy with their playing, it will tend to muddle the sound of the rhythm section and the rest of the band.

Encourage your guitarist to listen to recordings of great jazz guitarists, both in big band and small group settings. They will learn the sound and style and can incorporate all that they learn into their own playing.

Sometimes we will alternate the piano and guitar to play different choruses, especially behind a soloist. This helps the ensemble from sounding too muddled. The guitar works perfectly also to fill in for those small sections of a phrase where there is some space where the ensemble is not playing. Some very hip simple and tasty "licks" can spice up some otherwise dead space.

VIBES
The role of the vibes is much the same as the guitarist. Many bands won't even have a vibes player and that is fine. If you have someone to play, great! Just be careful not to let the chordal instruments get in the way of eachother. Often times, the vibes player will not just play chords, but also musical line. The vibes player should interpret the way in which the phrase is played according to the way the lead player (trumpet or sax usually) plays it. It is very important for your vibraphonist to listen to the way your lead player plays to catch the line, phrase, breathing, etc.

PERCUSSION
The last member of a rhythm section is the percussionist. Again, you may not have a percussionist in your band. Or perhaps the vibraphonists doubles on percussion. Perhaps you use 2 drummers and they share the role of drums/percussion. In any event, percussion can add a lot of life to the party! Congas, timbales, shakers, guiro, cowbell and more are the norm for latin style tunes. These plus tambourine work well in the rock/funk idiom. Wind chimes and cymbal swells and perhaps some tasty sound effects add nicely for ballads. Just be careful not to overplay in any of these styles. Percussion adds some nice spice, but only when used tastefully. I like to think of percussion like cooking. Less is more is often the best way to think. It's no fun to listen to your percussionist play the vibraslap every 4 measures. It wears thin and gets old pretty quickly. If you leave your audience wanting for more, they will enjoy the concert more than if they were banged over the head with a constant "in your face" style of playing. For swing, either have your percussionist not play at all or a light swing accompaniment on the congas fits nicely. The percussionist has two roles: Sound effects and colors by playing woodblocks, wind chimes, cymbal swells, shaker swells, etc. and timekeeper along with the drums, but secondary to the drums. Often I see young percussionist sit behind a set of congas and play them as if they were playing their favorite rudimental snare drum solo! Encourage them to find a nice simple groove and stay on it, repeating it over and over. Again, listening to recordings is key.

SET UP
There are many ways to set up your rhythm section, so I will offer a suggestion I feel works. As you the conductor face the band, the rhythm section is usually to your left. You will want to keep them in eye contact with eachother, so be sure to not have anything in the way so their sightline to you and eachother is impeded. If they can see eachother and take advantage of looking at eachother, this vital part of musical communication is taken care of. It is amazing how much communication takes place in music with your eyes only. Eyes on the conductor and vice versa and rhythm section players eyes on eachother.

Drums are usually set up nest to the trombones with the bass player either to the left of the drummer (next to the hi-hat) or to the right (next to the floor tom). The bass players amp is best placed behind the drummer (and behind the entire ensemble) so they can hear it clearly. The piano often faces towards the back of the stage rather than forwards. The piano player can now see you, the band and the rest of the rhythm section with ease. The guitar can be placed in front of the drummer and closer to the saxophone section. Percussion often goes behind or next to the drummer and the vibes are near the piano. Try not to space everyone too far away from eachother and the band for optimum results.

MUSIC
Your jazz ensemble music comes with the drums, piano and bass music, and usually guitar. The vibes and percussion are not always included. This doesn't mean you cannot use them however. In the event that you don't have vibes music, either write out the guitar part with chords and melody, or pick an ensemble member you would want doubled and transpose it for them (tenor sax, trumpet, etc.) For percussionists and drummers, when the charts are included, they aren't always the best to follow. As mentioned earlier, you may need to re-write some of these parts to make them clearer. Most drum and percussion parts are better used as guidelines rather than as a strict part to play.

EXTRA HELP
Many school age students are taking private lessons on their "main" instrument or another instrument they have picked up. This is such a vital way for the student to grow. One on one private instruction with a specialist propels the student forward with such momentum, that the growth is plainly visible. For those students who don't study privately, I suggest you encourage them and their parents to consider a season on private lessons. Some families cannot make the financial commitment for private study. Will you school help out? Is there a booster program that could help pay for some lessons for that student. I find this is particularly helpful for the guitar and bass players in my program. I know very little about the technical side of playing these instruments, but with the right private instructor, these kids can gain a great deal of technical knowledge and combine it with what we are teaching in school so that the end result will be what we are trying to achieve.

If you have a recording of the exact arrangement of what you are playing, having your rhythm section players listen to it while following their charts provides a wealth of information for them. You don't want them to clone what they are listening to, but rather take those ideas and all of the ideas from all the other music you play for them and what they listen to on their own and combine it with their own musicality to produce their sound.

FINALLY
Your rhythm section is a band within itself with rhythm, bass and melody. Consider having your rhythm section learn a tune or two just as themselves and showcase them in a concert. Your rhythm section musicians are there to support eachother and work as one cohesive unit. If your rhythm section functions well together, watches, studies and listens carefully, they will produce such a comfortable and strong foundation for the rest of your band to play, teaching the ensemble will be much easier. As long as each musician has a clearer idea of his or her role as a rhythm section player and their role in the ensemble as a whole, your jazz ensemble will be stronger and you will have a much happier jazz ensemble family living in a house with a rock solid foundation.