The Rhythm Section Jazz Band (RSJB) is an American jazz band based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The ensemble was formed in June 2002 for the purpose of advocating the performance of American music from the first half of the 20th century. The ensemble refers to itself as a "Little Big Band" and is made up of 10 musicians: 2 alto saxophonists, a tenor saxophonist, a trombonist, a trumpeter, a pianist, a guitarist, a bass guitarist, a drumer, and a singer. Since its inception, the band has toured throughout the United States and has held over 155 recording sessions.
The RSJB's repertoire is taken from the Paul Sherwood Music Arrangement Archive an archive of over 3,500 arrangements for jazz bands and theater orchestras. Some of the gifted arrangers represented in this archive include: Fletcher Henderson, Horace Henderson, Spud Murphy, Lou Halmy, Don Redman, Joe Glover, Dave Wolpe, Earl Holt, Sammy Nestico, Fud Livingston, Will Hudson, Jack Mason, Frank Skinner, Jimmy Dale, Fred Van Eps, Jimmy Lally, Larry Clinton, Larry Wagner, Frank Mantooth, Glenn Osser, David Drubeck, Frank Metis, Walter Paul, Bob Lowden, Jerry Gray, Louis Katzman, Archie Bleyer, Arthur Lange, Ken Macomber, Johnny Warrington, Bill Oliver, George Snowhill, Roger Holmes, Lennie Hiehaus, Art McKay, Hawley Ades, Johnny Sterling, Sid Phillips, Milton Ager, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Buck Ram, W.C. Polla, Marty Paich, Bob Haring, Van Alexander, and Teddy Black among others.
Famous quotes containing the words rhythm, section, jazz and/or band:
“It is one of the prodigious privileges of art that the horrific, artistically expressed, becomes beauty, and that sorrow, given rhythm and cadence, fills the spirit with a calm joy.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)
“The demonstrations are always early in the morning, at six o’clock. It’s wonderful, because I’m not doing anything at six anyway, so why not demonstrate?... When you’ve written to your president, to your congressman, to your senator and nothing, nothing has come of it, you take to the streets.”
—Erica Bouza, U.S. jewelry designer and social activist. As quoted in The Great Divide, book 2, section 7, by Studs Terkel (1988)
“He could jazz up the map-reading class by having a full-size color photograph of Betty Grable in a bathing suit, with a co- ordinate grid system laid over it. The instructor could point to different parts of her and say, “Give me the co-ordinates.”... The Major could see every unit in the Army using his idea.... Hot dog!”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)
“The band waked me with a serenade. How they improve! A fine band and what a life in a regiment! Their music is better than food and clothing to give spirit to the men.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)