JAZZed Magazine on Herb Pomeroy

I first read about Berklee College of Music Herb Pomeroy, who passed away in August 2007, in David Valdez's excellent jazz blog. In the January issue of JAZZed magazine, an homage to Pomeroy by musician Bryan Kane had some inspiring passages for band leaders.

At the end of my first rehearsal with Herb, I knew I was in for a completely different experience. I was shocked at how quietly the band played! The band rehearsed in a small room with very limited sound treatments. The tendency for all bands in these rooms was to overplay. This was never allowed when Herb was in the room. He always taught the importance of listening in difficult acoustic situations. Herb's job was to listen to and carefully evaluate student compositions. In order to do this, he needed to hear every part and every harmony. The band's job was to play in perfect balance, sight read the charts as close to perfection as possible, and follow all dynamics to the extreme while adding appropriate style.

When everyone in a band is listening intently, big bands become almost like living, breathing organisms. Hearing the balance within a sax section, the hum of vibrato, and the interaction of how lines move between winds and brass is almost a meditative experience. Though I had been playing in extremely good big bands for years, I had never heard anything like this. Imagine, a second tenor player, clearly hearing the fourth trumpet part within the balance of the trumpet section, trying to listen to match intonation, and being frowned at by Herb if the intonation wasn't perfect. That was me.

Two other points worth sharing:

Know Your Band
...When choosing music for a group or creating arrangements, make your decisions based on the band you have, not the band you wish you had. ... Is it better for students to have the exeprience of playing ten or twenty different pieces per year to gradually develop their musicianship and skills or is it better to spend time trying to master three extremely difficult pieces for performance?...


Respect the Person, Teach the Musician
...I've often encountered bands where directors were hesitant to remove musicians because they felt they needed them to fill a section or complete a band. I can say, from personal experience, that it is much better to have an incomplete band than allow a disruptive and negative influence into the group. All of your good students will appreciate and respect you for the decision.

Both are good principles for life in general: Set realistic goals for gradual improvement, and remove negative people from your inner social circle.