Developing Musical Ideas

The commute to New York City is without question the least glorious aspect of my participation in the BMI Jazz Composers' Workshop.  I drive for two hours and then take the train for an additional two hours.  EACH WAY.  The up side is that it gives me some uninterrupted time to think, problem solve, or listen to some new music.

On my way to the last meeting I found myself obsessing about how I might lengthen or add to my piece.  Currently, it's duration is just under 5 minutes, which seems a bit short.  It dawned on me that I haven't consciously utilized any of the conventional development techniques used in music composition.  I have been so focused on adhering to rhythmic clave, and staying within the parameters and spirit of salsa, that I somehow overlooked the obvious.

I often tell my arranging students that "everything we write is viable for development".  It's funny how when we are personally in the act of creating, we sometimes don't see the obvious, or forget basic principals, because our focus is too narrow.

So... I've decided to take a step back.  My plan is to distance myself from the piece for a couple of weeks, and then dive in again, with the understanding that everything is "up for grabs".  Any and all aspects of the piece are subject to development, including:

• all salsa elements: rhythms, montunos, bass tumbaos, brass hits, instrumentation, repeated figures, form, etc.  They can all be developed, and they don't have to sit in the expected/standard 4-bar format.
• melodies (backwards, upside down, etc.)
• motifs
• the harmonic progressions (move, transpose, modulate, elongate, truncate, etc.)
• dynamics
• voicings
• form
• counterpoint

[I included this reading session recording in my last post, but here it is again for reference:]


This may sound strange, but when writing this piece, I intentionally tried NOT to incorporate a clearly distinguishable melody.  I wanted to see if rhythm alone could carry the piece.  In lieu of a "melody" I wanted to integrate some weird, chromatic "Eric Dolphy-esque" lines.  Somehow this notion may have "obscured my vision" and hindered my process.  By accepting that these weird lines ARE in fact a melody or THE melody, I can proceed to take these lines, or portions of them, and work with them using conventional techniques of good composition and arranging.  This material could be used elsewhere in the piece!

By trying (so hard) not to break any of the rules of Salsa, I may have inadvertently handcuffed my creativity.  The genre is now established.  The parameters are in place.  Now it's time to think outside of those parameters and feel free to break some rules.  I will allow myself to take the music to another place.

So... that's what I came up with during the commute.  At the actual workshop, I also got some valuable tips from my colleagues.  Their general consensus was that my piece was too dense --- both in orchestration and with too much going on at once, thereby overwhelming the listener.  Overwritten brass and backgrounds which obscure and detract from the soloist are other valued criticisms I received and plan to address.

Clearly I've got my work cut out for me.  But in the meanwhile, I have two other new pieces on the go.  I'll fill you in about those later.

Like Someone In Love

Here's a fun clip featuring Rob McConnell's writing for tentet.  This arrangement of "Like Someone In Love" is one of the pieces I am preparing this semester with the University of Connecticut Jazz Ensemble.  Our concert is on Nov. 6th at von der Mehden Recital Hall.

Note: This is not Rob's regular, Toronto-based ensemble.  These are primarily New York musicians, assembled to perform at the 2004 New York Brass Conference, at Purchase College, where Rob was honored.  The roster is: Tim Ries and Ted Nash on tenor sax; Lawrence Feldman on alto sax; Bob Milikan and Tony Kadleck on trumpet; Jim Pugh on trombone; Chip Jackson on bass; Kenny Ascher on piano and Dennis Mackrel on drums. It's nice to see Rob smiling during Ted Nash's tenor solo.

To contrast this performance, here is a performance by Joey Sellers' Jazz Aggregation.  I recognize both Wayne Bergeron and Ron Stout playing trumpet in the back row.  I am hoping to feature Joey's music with my UConn band in the not too distant future.  It deserves to be heard!

Manipulation Techniques

If you have been following my current blogging series (about writing a big band arrangement for Tyler Hornby), you may be wondering where I have been for the past week.  Truth be told, I have been hunkering down and trying to get this piece finished.  I have my own recording project at the beginning of next month, so I'd like to get this project wrapped up ASAP, get my piano chops in shape, and fine tune my own music.

I found the following YouTube video recording of Tyler playing "Dig In Buddy", the piece I am arranging.  It features Toronto-based pianist/brainiac David Braid along with Tyler's very capable band from Alberta.



Braid sure is an inventive player!  Not many pianists are daring enough to start a solo with the left hand only.  His ideas are clever and well-organized.  I really enjoyed this performance, and was impressed by the whole band.  It is nice to see jazz played on this high level in western Canada.

If I were to express one criticism, it would be that the performance lacked a certain "fire" or unabashed spiritedness.  It was perhaps too polite and restrained.  During the trombone solo it started to go somewhere, but it still felt like the band had yet to break a sweat.  I had hoped that guitarist, Jim Head would kick it into high gear, but unfortunately, he didn't partake in the festivities.

One of the key roles of an arranger is to steer soloists.  Obviously David Braid would have played very differently if he was "competing" with horn interjections, or if layers of instruments were added part way through his solo, thereby forcing him to build his intensity.  For this reason, Bob Brookmeyer referred to backgrounds as "solo enhancements".  I love that label.

Speaking of Brookmeyer, I often think about some of the statements he made on his web site and in interviews before his passing. He said a lot about the role of soloists within a big band and their relationship to the composition.  I took to heart his thought that the arranger shouldn't turn over control to the soloist until he has literally no other option.  Even then, I like keeping my finger in the mix, playing the role of a manipulator, by "stirring things up" when I feel the whim, or need to shape a passage in certain way.

It will be after the four minute mark in my arrangement that a soloist (other than drums) is allowed to cut loose.  The drum solo after the initial melody statement is carefully scripted, interacting with robust, energetic ensemble hits.  Sketches for this passage appeared in my last post.  The solo then continues into an elongated, rhythmically quirky restatement of the melody, where drums play exuberant fills in all the "holes".  Here is a taste:

Now I'm completing a saxophone soli that builds over two choruses. The improvising horn soloists will need to demonstrate patience for just a little while longer.

Vince Mendoza Interview

On Wednesday I posted a video performance of the Metropole Orchestra performing Vince Mendoza's composition, "Esperaça".  This afternoon, while eating my lunch, I stumbled upon an interview from the same time, where he discusses this very piece and has the orchestra demonstrate some of its constituent parts.  What a find!

Keepin' It Real

This has been a much more productive week of music writing.  I attribute it to two things:

1. better (rigid) time management, and 
2. returning to the use of old fashioned manuscript paper.

Maybe I'm showing my age, but I love working with pencil and paper.

It has been insightful to blog about my process as I go about arranging music.  Every once in a while I have an "ah ha moment" where I make a major observation about myself and how I work best.  I had one of these realizations when I saw how much faster ideas came to me when I turned off my computer and worked at the piano, rather than in front of a computer screen. As nice as the music looked in a previous post when presented using Finale notation software, I think I was jumping the gun.  I don't normally use Finale until later, and by using it early on, I inadvertently slowed myself down.

In an effort to "keep things real" and to honestly present how I go about writing, I've decided to show more of my pencil sketchings (complete with many visible erasures),  rather than transferring my work to music notation software as I go. 

Here is a sample of what I wrote on Tuesday.  It is a shout chorus which will utilize surrounding drum fills/hits.  I wanted to keep the intensity up after the initial statement of the head (melody), and to feature the drums early in the piece, as the composer, Tyler Hornby is a drummer.  I also like the idea of "messing" with the form by presenting a shout chorus towards the beginning, rather than at the end as one sees in 90% of published big band music.

The audio clip is a recording of me at the piano, but the passage will be played by the entire horn section, with the exception of the fourth measure which will be played only by the rhythm section, to allow the music to breathe.  The lead lines presented here will be fully harmonized by the horns.

After this section there will be a quirky, paraphrased restatement of the head with plenty of space for drum solo fills to continue.

Orchestration

I made some progress on Tyler Hornby's tune this afternoon by sketching a harmonized version of the bridge.  Here is a "sneak peek":

The trumpets will play the melody in octaves.  I think I will put 3 trumpets in the higher octave and one down.  This is a trick I learned from Michael Abene in the BMI Jazz Composers' Workshop.  According to Michael, Manny Albam emphatically discouraged octave writing with 2 trumpets up and 2 trumpets down.  1 up and 3 down or 3 up and 1 down are both preferable for intonation reasons.

To the trumpets I may add one saxophone to the lower octave to help emulsify the sound.

The trombones are harmonized, similar to how a pianist punctuates with his/her left hand.  I will add the bari sax to the bottom, playing roots along with a similar, but not identical string bass part.

I had to be careful about the lower octave trumpet crossing into the trombone range.  By choosing mid-register trombone voicings and leaving some space, I think I avoided any problems.  The melody is just a bit too high for lead alto saxophone... and there's nothing worse than sax parts in the highest minor 3rd of the instrument. 

I changed a couple of rhythms and notes but more or less kept this section true to Tyler's original lead sheet.

Drums are always in the forefront of my mind, but interestingly, they are the last thing I enter into a score.

Now I'm onto the "shout" section, with drums soloing around ensemble hits.  Where did I put that hand-held cassette recorder of mine?

Wordless Wednesdays

Every Wednesday I plan to post a video that has caught my attention or inspired me in some way.

I listened to the Brussels Jazz Orchestra this morning while doing a training run.  I have heard this ensemble live twice, and think they are one of the most polished big bands around.  I really wonder if they are on the radar of musicians from this side of the pond.  Composer/Arranger Bert Joris is an incredible talent.  Enjoy!

Making Headway

Slowly but surely I am making progress in arranging Tyler Hornby's piece "Dig In Buddy", for big band.  Below I have posted a MIDI audio file and the first five pages of the score.

To be honest, usually at this stage in the arranging process I haven't added as much detail within the score as I am presenting today.  Rather, I try to sketch lead lines for a bigger portion of the piece, and fill in the missing elements later.  Because I am presenting my ideas publicly through this blog, I decided to leave less to the imagination.

As you listen to this preview/excerpt, here are the basic elements to listen for:

• the underpinning vamp played by the trombones and rhythm section
• the bluesy riff lines played by 2 altos, flute (optional), harmon trumpet and guitar
• full ensemble "punctuations" at the end of phrases

On the repeat back to rehearsal letter A, I will add additional horns to reinforce the melody and provide some contrasting interest.  The trombones will then join the piano in playing the vamp, after having had their horns off their faces during the first repeat.  I will mark this with the instruction "second time only".

Feel free to ask me any questions about what I have presented here today.  I still view all of the above as a draft, and am trying not to become too attached to my ideas just yet, so as to remain open and subjective.  More will be on the way soon.

You can hear Tyler Hornby's orginal version of "Dig In Buddy" (and follow along with his lead sheet) by clicking on this link to one of my earlier posts.

By the way, I'm looking for some more followers of this blog.  Please consider signing up on the right hand column.  Thanks!

The Leap

Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012

7:47 PM:
The kids are in bed and settled.  The evening dishes are washed and put away.  I've got my electronic keyboard set up on the kitchen table and the coffee pot is on.  Tonight I have a three hour window of time to get some music written for the big band project I am doing for Tyler Hornby.  Let's go!

tonight's work station

Tonight's goals:

• Start up a Finale file for this project, using my big band template.  Enter title, credits, etc.
• Enter notes for the intro and "in head", following the formal plan I created at the end of last week.

I don't want to get caught up with too many details.  My focus will be on lead lines, the vamp I wrote on Thursday, and the piano part.

8:22 PM:
Completed the customization of my template file for this project.  Now, onto entering notes.

9:09 PM:
It feels GREAT to have finally made the leap from lists and scraps of paper to entering notes into a score.  It now looks and feels like I'm writing a big band chart, rather than just dealing with a collection of vague, abstract ideas.  Psychologically this is HUGE!

10:32 PM:
Cracked open a Sam Adams Octoberfest (my first of the season).  If I have any more caffeine at this hour it'll be a sleepless night.  Since ending my fast a week ago, I have been extra sensitive to caffeine.  One evening I had two cups of tea and didn't sleep a wink.  I ended up catching a nasty cold which has slowed me down considerably and set me back in my running training.

About a 1/2 hour ago I found a nice contrary motion line for the recurring "measure 16 lick".  I like it!

11:57 PM:
I'm calling it quits for the night.  My kids will be up at 6 AM, and I'm on my own this weekend.  My wife is off in Boston running the Boston Half Marathon. This was a full and busy day.  In the morning I mowed the lawn and did some painting outside, and then I spent the afternoon with my kids at Old Sturbridge Village.  I'm wiped.

I'm happy with the work I did this evening.  So far I haven't deviated at all from my formal plan, and it appears to be working.   I like how it sounds with Finale's playback function.  Maybe I'll post an audio MIDI file and a score excerpt on Monday.  I have about a minute and a half of music done so far.  Not all the details are filled in, but I can see where its going and what needs to be done.  I'm feeling good and optimistic.  This will be a great chart, if I say so myself.

Jazz Arranging

This is my second day of blogging about my current big band arranging project; it's a piece entitled "Dig In Buddy" by Calgary-based drummer, Tyler Hornby.  After completing yesterday's list of observations and ideas, I sat down at the piano to do some experimenting and exploring.

The first item on my list was reinforcing the Art Blakey-esque quality of the piece, if possible.  The question soon became "How?"  I experimented with 3-horn "crunch" voicings (for a lack of a better label), that I have seen in many of the Jazz Messenger charts I have transcribed over the years.  These voicings typically have a major third and a minor second below the melody. Often they are used over a pedal point.  I applied these to Tyler's progression and came up with a little vamp that could be used within the intro, to underpin the melody, and as a background figure behind soloists.

Next, I experimented with the expansion of the hip rhythmic idea in the final measure of the piece.  I reharmonized it a few ways to create an expanded sound-off which will lead into a solo break of sorts.

Both of these ideas are demonstrated in the video above.

Today my main goal was to map out a formal plan.  This may change, but here is what I sketched:

•  Introduction:  8 measures.  Vamp.  Trombones + rhythm. Maybe unison sax lines over top.  End w/ lick from m.16, either in its original form or w/ rhythmic expansion, played by full brass.
•  Melody (1st 8): vamp continues underneath.  Melody presented by trpt and tenor, like original.  M. 8, entire brass section plays punctuation figure.  Spill off on Cmi.
• return of 8 measure vamp.  [I'm not ready to move on yet.]
• Melody (1st 8) again.  Full brass punctuations at measures 4 and 8, using his melodies.
• 2nd 8: swing release (walking).  Big.  Maybe change orchestration on beat 3 of measure 12.
• Full ensemble shout/rhythmic hits encasing a drum solo [it's his tune after all!].  This will serve to extend the intensity generated in m. 16.  I'll keep it big and exciting.  16 measures, ending w/ lick from m. 16.
• Restatement of head, in a different way.  Voice it.  Alter it rhythmically slightly (either melody or phrase ending punctuations)
• "Extended sound-off" (from video): Gb13, Eb13, D7, Db7, G7, break.  Sax section "fills" over extended harmonies.  Sax section takes 4 measure solo break.
• Saxophone soli.  2 choruses.  During the 2nd chorus the brass backgrounds gain prominence, build and gradually take over.  Incorporate last 2 measures of melody.
•  Full ensemble continues well into the first chorus of a trumpet solo, keeping the intensity up initially.  3 chorues.  2nd chorus, minimal backgrounds.  3rd chorus, intro vamp by tbns, on first half.
• Lead into a fire-y tenor sax solo, propelled by quirky low register 5ths, alternating w/ 4ths structures.  Looped vamp?  Perhaps a modulation here would "give it a lift".
• Rhythmically expand the tune's melody, leaving large spaces for drum fills.  Keep it quirky.  Fairly big at points.  Some lines in contrary motion.  End the piece with a different vibe from where it began.  Arrive somewhere new, rather than return home.

Ok... so there we have it.  It will be interesting to see to what degree I end up deviating from this plan.  For now, I am simply pleased to have a plan in place.  Now... to roll up my sleeves, sharpen my pencils and get to work!!!

Digging In

"Dig In Buddy" is one of two tunes by Tyler Hornby, which I will be arranging for 17-piece big band over the next couple of weeks.  The music and a recording from his "Shadows of A Brighter Day" compact disc appear below.  Listen along as you scroll down to read my commentary.

In the early stages of planning an arrangement, I often find it helpful to list ideas which could be further developed.  Here are my thoughts and observations when listening to the quintet version of this piece:

• It has a real Art Blakey "vibe", in the hard bop vein (explosive at times, dynamic contrasts, blues-y yet sophisticated)
• Maybe I will expand upon this, making it even more Blakey-esque, using idiomatic 3 horn voicings.  Perhaps I could go so far as to add a "Blues March" section.
• Strong features:  
• the rhythmic element in the last 3 bars.  This could be expanded (intro, "sound-offs", etc.).  I like how the last measure functions as a "sound off" into the solos.
• The quiet first half of the head builds anticipation.  It foreshadows something big about to happen in the 2nd half.
• The second half of the tune could easily be orchestrated to bounce around between sections or groups of instruments, like a group conversation (1 or 2 measure fragments).  If I go that route, this conversational idea could be continued and expanded.
• Measures 4 and 8, when played up the octave (as written), act as a strong punctuation.  To further enhance this effect, these measures could be orchestrated for full big band.  I also like these measures played down the octave, as the horn players elected to do on the first repeat of the "in head".  In some ways I actually prefer everything played down.
• The tempo would lend itself well to an Afro-Cuban 12/8 feel.  Tyler almost goes there a few times.
• There are lots of chords.  When developing the piece, some form of modal release might be welcome.
• C blues scale ideas are an easy, yet effective way to skate over the expanded C minor progression in the first 8 measures.  Knowing this might come in handy when writing a soulful sounding soli.
• The piano player, Chip Stephens, plays some hip, lower register 5ths, alternating with chords at about 5:15 on the recording.  Something like this could be expanded into a solo vamp, to create an alternate improvisational environment for one of the horn soloists.
• The last measure of the tune is incredibly strong, going into the solos.  Coming out of this, I found myself wishing that the intensity would continue at the top of the form, into the solos.  As the arranger, maybe I can play a hand in dictating how the soloists and rhythm section respond, so that the formal lines are blurred, thereby creating a more cohesive overall shape.  Perhaps I will have the ensemble continue playing (well) into the solo form, extending the intensity created by the figure in measure 16.

Musicians, if you see/hear elements within this tune which I didn't list, but that really captured your interest and sparked your imagination, please let me know.  It would be nice to have some interactive input from folks --- as opposed to just working alone in the black holed vacuum of my studio.

My plan for tomorrow is to come up with a formal outline/plan for the arrangement.  It may change as I "dig in" (pardon the pun), but it should serve as a good entry point.

The Process

The impressive mural in the picture below mysteriously appeared on a wall in the University of Connecticut Art Department one morning.  Apparently a group of students erected it during the night, when no one was around.  I Googled the phrase, but nothing really came up.  It doesn't appear to be a famous quote, but yet it spoke to me on several levels.

THE PROCESS OF FAILURE IS GREATER THAN THE PRODUCT OF SUCCESS.

So, what does it mean?  The following thoughts came to mind:

• The process is what matters.  The process is where we grow, learn and develop as artists, people/spiritual beings.
• We often learn far more from our failures than from our successes.
• As uncomfortable as it may be, stepping out of our comfort zones, stretching ourselves, and trying new things/approaches is of paramount importance if we don't want to stagnate.
• It is better to try and fail than not to try at all. (OK, now I'm starting to sound overtly cliché.)

I think a lot about my process when writing music.  I walk a fine line in trying to be as efficient as possible with my time, while often trying new methods and approaches.  However, I think there are some steps I take consistently at the various stages of composing and arranging pieces.

This mural got me thinking...  Maybe I should take a closer look at my approach to artistic creation. Here's what I plan to do:  I was recently hired to write two big band arrangements of compositions written by Canadian jazz drummer, Tyler Hornby.  I hope to complete them over the next couple of weeks.  On this blog I will share my methodology, as well as my observations from self examination during the process.  Hopefully I will learn something about myself and the systems I employ while providing you with some insight into what goes into writing a big band chart.

Ultimately, failure is not an option for me here, but I do anticipate that there will be a few along the way.  Something would probably be wrong if there weren't.  :)  I hope you will come along for the ride.

Arranging for the Westchester Jazz Orchestra

I was hoping that a real writer would review last Saturday's Westchester Jazz Orchestra concert.  Because nothing of the sort has surfaced, I will share my observations.  This clearly can't be read as an unbiased, objective review, as one of my arrangements was featured.  The program was entitled "the Music of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles".  The following music was programmed:

Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing
Stevie Wonder, arranged for WJO by Tony Kadleck

Isn't She Lovely
Stevie Wonder, arranged by Bill Holman

Creepin'
Stevie Wonder, arranged for WJO by Tony Kadleck

Hit the Road Jack
Percy Mayfield, arranged for WJO by Earl MacDonald

---- intermission ----

America the Beautiful
Samuel A. Ward, arranged for WJO by Alan Broadbent

Too High
Stevie Wonder, arranged by WJO by Richard Sussman

Georgia
Hoagy Carmichael, arranged by John Clayton

One Mint Julep
Rudolph Toombs, arranged by Billy Byers

It was clear after the first tune that the band was "on".  They were well rehearsed and sounded inspired.  All the soloists were impressive.  Real standouts were tenor saxophonists Ben Kono and Walt Weiskopf, trumpeters John Bailey and Marvin Stamm, trombonist Mike Christianson and pianist Allen Farnham.  As a pianist, I tend to be critical of my piano playing counterparts, but I have no beef to pick with Allen.  His playing was solid, mature and tasteful.  This was my first time hearing Walt Weiskopf live and did he ever impress!  Taste, style and chops all wrapped up into one.  I'd hire him in a second.

The arrangers all did terrific work.  Tony Kadleck's arranging was especially dazzling.  He's no lead trumpet lughead.  For him to play and write so well is a true testament to his musicianship.

I chuckled upon seeing Richard Sussman listed as one of the other commissioned arrangers.  His new jazz arranging textbook is currently on my beside table, and has been keeping me up late at night.  I enjoyed chatting with him briefly backstage after the show.

Here is my commissioned piece; an arrangement of "Hit the Road Jack":

I described the process of writing it in my last post, and received the comment that sharing insight into my process was insightful and appreciated.  At the risk of appearing slightly neurotic, I will expand on this, and provide a list of things I  am now considering tweaking, after having heard the recording a few times:

• the trombones ending 2 consecutive phrases on an A flat bothers me at 0:30 and 0:33.  I will subtly change something here.
• at 2:30 I might eliminate the trombone hits to create more "space".
• I really missed the sax section in the ensemble passage at 2:53 through 3:21  Adding them to the brass will help to "fill up" the ensemble sound here.
• 3:46 through 4:33 is somewhat problematic for me.  There are certain Count Basie charts where the rhythmic figures lay perfectly and you get a good feeling of ease and contentment from the rhythmic swing.  I didn't experience that joyful sensation in this instance.  I felt "on edge" during this portion of the chart.  There probably needs to be more space/"breathing room" here.
•  I also want to achieve a more obvious, orchestrational color change when bouncing between sections in this same passage.
• Looping the ending 3 times from 4:34 to 5:08 was Mike Holober's idea, which I liked very much.  I might orchestrate these repeats differently to achieve more contrast/interest.

So there you have it... additional insights into the mind of a slightly obsessive (aren't we all?), and very grateful jazz arranger.  It was truly a thrill to have my music performed by this terrific band.  As you can see, it was an experience from which I am continuing to learn and grow.  When I have revised the chart I will give a finalized version to the band in hopes that it's life has just begun.  I suppose that is every arranger's hope.

Hit The Road Jack

This week I have been feeling a bit like this character in the recent Geico commercial, who emerges from living under a rock. For the past couple of weeks I have been more or less “unplugged” and in seclusion, trying to complete a big band commission for the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. I finished the piece on Monday and will get to hear it performed tonight at the Irvington Town Theatre.

The concert is billed as “the music of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles”. When the musical director, Mike Holober called, asking if I was interested in writing something and if I had a piece in mind, I naturally consulted my wife who is much more in tune with pop music than I am. She suggested, “Hit the Road Jack”, which I conveyed to Mike without really listening to the piece. As the deadline approached and other projects were completed, thereby creating time to write, I sat down and actually checked out the tune. I started to get nervous when I realized there was one, repetitive, 4-note bass line throughout, with no harmonic motion/variance to other key areas.

The task got even harder when I considered how I might manipulate and personalize the piece to make it my arrangement. It would be easy to turn it on its ear by doing something crazy like altering the bass line or time signature, but then something else dawned on me. The audience. People would be paying to hear their favorite Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder tunes, not my mutilation of one of their hits. I found myself paralyzed thinking about how I might satisfy both the audience and the progressive thinking band members who would have no interest in playing a stock, instrumental version of the original.

Surprisingly, it was jazz trumpeter, Dave Douglas that helped get unstuck. I shared my quandary with Dave while he was at UConn, doing a brief residency. He suggested that I write two short arrangements --- one where I “knocked it out of the ballpark”, catering to the audience (while remaining hip), and the other, where I presented my compositional response. This was enough to get me inspired and going. I ended up only completing phase one of his recommendation, but plan to follow through and complete a response at some point --- certainly before I ever consider recording the piece. I imagine calling it “...And Good Riddance”, but am open to suggestions.

In general, I’m happy with what I’ve written for tonight’s show. I think I created some allure by imposing some interesting twists and turns. Here is a MIDI audio file generated from my Finale music notation software, to give you the gist of how I manipulated the piece. You will have to imagine an open trumpet solo, drum fills, etc.



For those interested in the mechanics of arranging, here are some notes to document both the process and techniques I employed. [If I don’t take a moment to write this now, I will undoubtedly forget what was involved.]

I began by listening to many versions on YouTube. I researched not only renditions by Ray Charles, but by others as well. Surprisingly, with the exception of Tina Turner, no one has deviated too far from the original. A version by the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, albeit somewhat cheesy, provided a stop-time solo break idea. The Lennon Sisters’ version sparked an idea to have the trombones play a riff response to the bass line, although expanded. The motion picture rendition from “Ray” helped to solidify the essence of a heated, two-way conversation. I tried to depict this with sections of the ensemble conversing and responding to one another.

I chose to stick with a medium bright shuffle groove, reminiscent of something Thad Jones might do.

Because the bass line is so prominent in the original, I decided to play/experiment with it subtly in the introduction, middle development section and ending.

The melody was presented first in the saxes, in octaves, using some blues inflections.

The response was given to the trombones, again in octaves. In between there are some harmonized ensemble hits to create excitement and variety.

This led to big, harmonized, stop-time ensemble hits around which a trumpet solos. Unlike the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, I varied the rhythm of each hit to make it sound less commercial and more jazz-like. At this point I deviated from the repetitive harmonic progression, going to the IV chord, eventually descending by step, leading to an open minor blues. It seemed natural and would help to satisfy the improvisational urges and expectations of a progressive, soloing, modern jazz orchestra. Trombones were used in writing background figures.

For the lyric “Oh woman, Oh woman, don’t you treat me so mean…” I brought in the trumpet section, in unison, accompanied by harmonized trombones (in a manner similar to how a pianist’s right is accompanied by left hand rootless voicings.) The octave saxes returned for the recap of “hit the road Jack, and…”.

I knew a key change would be helpful if the piece were to be extended beyond the original’s 2 minutes and 20 seconds. The question was, would I take it up a half step, or would that be regarded as “too stock” and be perceived as a device geared to pander to the audience. I elected to go up a major third. The deal was sealed when I realized all of the common tones that existed between an Ab minor tonality and the G7 altered dominant chord used to get to C.

At this point in the chart I was becoming desperate to create some harmonic activity. To do this, I loaded it up with secondary dominants, working backwards from target chords. Because the lines were fairly active (primarily eighth notes), I used the 4-part Basie style of writing.

To contrast this, in the subsequent section I wrote a simple soli for the low register instruments, expanding the bass line figure. This was delegated to the bari sax, bass trombone, string bass, piano and guitar. Drums fill in the special holes.

The chart climaxes with an ensemble shout chorus, which is very loosely based on the melody. Some very intentional melodic and rhythmic liberties were taken. It then winds down by my distributing the melodic material around the band with combinations of sections: saxes/tbns, trpts/tbns, saxes/rhythm, trpts/saxes, etc.

The ending is similar to the intro, but concludes with an ascending line leading to one last statement of “take the road, Jack!”.

It never fails to amaze me how much time goes into conceiving and writing a big band chart. This arrangements represents almost two weeks of my life.  Hearing it performed live tonight by the excellent Westchester Jazz Orchestra should make it all worthwhile.

The Westchester Jazz Orchestra