BMI Jazz Composers Workshop

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, now in its second decade, was formed to provide an environment where the composer has the freedom to explore new avenues in the creative process, while at the same time honing and solidifying his or her skills.

The workshop is led by acclaimed composers/educators: Jim McNeely, Musical Director; Mike Holober, Associate Musical Director; and Michael Abene, Adjunct Associate Musical Director. They understand the current state of jazz composition and have a strong sense of what can be accomplished through such an undertaking. The workshop was founded by acclaimed trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, composer/educator Manny Albam and author and jazz authority Burt Korall.

The workshop faculty and guest lecturers are a very specific breed. They began and have roots “in the street,” where much memorable jazz to comes to life and takes on a particular sense of identity.

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop stresses exploration, ranging from the traditional to the new. The primary emphasis is placed on the individual and ideas, along with the acquisition and understanding of techniques that make possible for the composer the execution of thoughts and the development of personal language within the big band setting. Experimentation with form, harmony and orchestration, the solving of performance problems and the need to produce lasting, excellent work are also concerns of the workshop directors.

Jim McNeely notes: “We seek in the workshop to create a structured environment — freedom with discipline — in which writers can more easily express themselves, a context in which they can get away from the constriction of commercial writing assignments. It is our intention that the jazz composer examine the past, write in the present, aim for the future.”

Michael Abene adds: “The composers in the workshop have the distinct advantage of hearing their compositions played as they develop them. The BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, comprised of top New York players, gives them an immediate idea about what they're doing — how good or bad it is, what has to be added. This is an invaluable factor in their growth.”

The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop meets from September through June, and is broken into two sections: Intermediate and Advanced. The classes are comprised of professionals; only degree of proficiency and development separates each group of musicians. If growth is rapid, a member of the Intermediate class may be moved into the Advanced assemblage.

Participating members also have the opportunity to hear their work played in monthly reading sessions with the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, a 16-piece modern jazz ensemble. The BMI/NYJO also performs at the BMI Summer Showcase Concert, which features a number of works developed in the workshop. Included in the summer concert program are the three pieces that have been designated as finalists in the BMI/Charlie Parker composition competition. The winning composer receives the Manny Albam Commission to compose a new work for the following year's concert. Previous winners have included Rufus Reid, Jamie Begian, and Noriko Ueda.

BMI represents more than 400,000 songwriters, composers, and publishers with more than 6.5 million works.

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