Can jazz music work without trumpet or cymbals?

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I am composing music for a video project of mine, and I want jazz music as I feel that will fit the tone. However, I don't have the trumpet or cymbals in my repertroire of samples, and I never really liked those instruments much so are they worth getting, if I don't think much of them?

But then again, would jazz work without those instruments and with other instruments to fill those places, like maybe violin and snare drums instead perhaps? Or what do you think? Can any instruments work for any genre as long as the beats are good?

Thank you for any opinions on this! I really appreciate it!

It's probably easier to lose the trumpet than cymbals, but I don't see why not. There is jazz without trumpets. But, why can't you make a style by excluding both?

Oh okay, thanks. Do you know of any jazz songs without trumpets to get inspiration from, as when I research, they all seem to have them? I just thought it would be weird if I made a style that excluded both because every jazz song I can think of has both in them I think.

I wanted to do a jazz tune similar to this in beat and feel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=580iA_bOnvo

But if that song took out the trumpets and cymbals and replaced them with snares and violins, would that be too weird for such a jazz tune?

There is actually a lot of jazz without trumpets. The Bill Evans Trio, for example, was piano, bass, and drums. The Dave Brubeck Quartet was piano, saxophone, bass, and drums. Coltrane's groups didn't often use a trumpet. There isn't one on Coltrane Jazz, Giant Steps, or My Favorite Things. (There is one on Blue Train, however.)

You may wish to compare this Bill Evans version of "Blue in Green" to the one on Kind of Blue, by Miles Davis, to hear it without trumpet:



Some more examples, for your convenience:

Bill Evans - "Peace Piece" (no trumpet or cymbals, here)



Charles Mingus - "Self-Portrait in Three Colors" (cymbals)



John Coltrane - "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" (cymbals)



Other recordings to try:

Money Jungle - Duke Ellington
Mulligan Meets Monk - Thelonious Monk and Gerry Mulligan
Thelonious Monk/Sonny Rollins
Django - The Modern Jazz Quartet
Looking Ahead - Ken McIntyre and Eric Dolphy
Other Sounds - Yusef Lateef

I can see violins replacing horns, but snares in place of cymbals might be too different. Still, I think you can make something interesting out of what you have.

Oh okay, thanks for the examples! I wanted to do some fast jazz that was more like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=580iA_bOnvo&t=35s

This song has more layers than the example you gave, so if it has more layers can I still get away without trumpets or much brass? I have trombone and tuba samples, so I can use those though.

If violins would work in the trumpets place, I would prefer to you use those but only if they will work. However, as for not having cymbals being too weird for jazz, I can get cymbal samples, if it's a must for the genre, but would China cymbals work at all, since I prefer the sounds of those over common jazz cymbals?

Yeah, I'm sorry. I got excited and posted a bunch of examples before listening to the song you posted. I realized the styles I offered weren't necessarily what you were looking for. Hopefully they gave you something to think about.

It sounds like you're trying to do something more like swing/showtunes, though, with a jazz influence. I'd recommend studying Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, or some Billie Holiday. Maybe something arranged by Nelson Riddle would help you.



This starts slow, but gets more upbeat. I think it had a little trumpet in spots, but I don't see why you can't do something similar without one.



I don't know what China cymbals are. I think you will just have to experiment and see if it sounds good. Otherwise we could speculate endlessly.

Also...clarinet might be an option, instead of trumpet.

That's true, thanks for the examples! I suppose I am going more for swing/showtunes, and I am not good the genre enough to explain it right. Thanks. Swing is probably closer.

However, if it's swing music, would violins instead of Trumpets work for swing?

Oh thanks for the suggestion! I never liked the clarinet though, and wonder if I could use something else instead.

I don't honestly know, but the idea intrigues me. I think you'll have to experiment to see if it works.

Oh okay thank you. Do you or anyone happen to know of any swing type songs, with voilins/violas instead, to see what it would sound like or get inspiration from?