Haite Schootstra: The big band composer who connects with classical

Going outside the lines

Haite has had piano lessons from an early age. “When I was 16, I wanted to try new things. So I started playing the saxophone. This instrument has more possibilities for shaping notes.” After secondary school, Haite opted for the Music in Education bachelor course in Enschede. It was then that he discovered Count Basie's big band music. “I fell in love with it the instant I heard it. It was just bursting with boldness! I was so intrigued that I had to find out more about it. Later I discovered my role models Bob Reynolds and Sammy Nestico, who also composed for Count Basie.” In Enschede, Haite took arranging classes. This inspired him to move in that direction. During the master in Zwolle, he deep-dived into arranging and composing. “I had more or less stayed within the lines up until then. The master changed that.”

The reason why I chose Zwolle is because cooperation is a key component of this Master's, and working with other genres appealed to me

Working with other master students of the Zwolle Academy of Music took some getting used to. “Initially I thought, How is this going to work?” The other students study Classical Music, Haite is the only one Jazz & Pop student. “But the experience has actually brought me a lot. I've composed classical pieces and this is entirely different than composing for big band, which I do mostly.” Haite thinks it is important to get as wide an education as possible. “This is the reason why I chose Zwolle instead of Arnhem. Cooperation is a key component of the master course in Zwolle. I could easily have focused solely on big band. There is plenty to learn in that area alone. But I found working with other genres more appealing.” 

Slowing down and acceleratin

Classical music and big band have a different way of working, Haite continues. “Classical musicians want to be given the opportunity to discuss the dynamics of a piece. They prefer not everything to be set in stone and want to contribute ideas.” There are also differences in terms of tempo. “Big band pieces usually have a fixed tempo, because with large ensembles it can be difficult to accelerate and slow down. Classical music allows for more leeway as far as tempo in concerned, which I find makes the music more dynamic and alive. Working with classical provides interesting insights, some of which I can apply to big band. For instance, there was a classical pianist who, during a long crescendo, held back on volume for a while and then built it up again. This greatly enhanced the effect of the crescendo. I used this for my big band.” 

Interviews with instrumentalists

Haite's graduation research builds on this interaction. “My research project focuses on the interaction between the composer and the instrumentalist. Often composers only speak to each other, and instrumentalists are not included. But there is so much we can learn from instrumentalists. They know everything there is to know about their instrument. During the composing process, I conduct interviews and ask them what they like about a piece, and what they think is a good way to play it. This information is very useful to me. Of course, you can also get it from books, but for me an interview is more productive. It's a first step in the process of finding out what they want and what I want, especially in terms of the innovative aspect of music.”

I don't want to make it too complicated. Compositions are often too complex. I try to prevent this as much as possible. For me, it's about melodies that stick in people's minds.