![]() There are so few people who appreciate the art, and even fewer who can do it properly that are still alive. TOWER OF POWER HORN TRANSCRIPTIONS HOW TOAll of Q's recordings, along with Gil Evans, Jimmy Giuffre, Stan Kenton and Duke's arrangements are textbook examples of how to do it right.Īrranging is truly a lost art. I last studied Jazz Composition and Arranging in Berklee 15 years ago, and I'm still learning about the craft. He also had formal education at Berklee, before it was called Berklee back in the day. Of course, studying with Tadd Dameron, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Duke Ellington & having great players like Clifford Brown, Prez, Ray Brown and the like didn't hamper Q's development, either. These days, coming across a 16 piece big band to try your work out on ain't easy. You have to have the real thing at your disposal. Unfortunately, working with a keyboard and plug ins doesn't do the art justice. It's a long, involved process, but the knowledge of the above makes it possible.Īrranging is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together, and it takes constant experimentation. If you have a solid background in jazz theory, and know the instruments that you're arranging, and have an intimate knowledge of the tune that you're working on, coming up with hip arrangements is really quite easy. That's a great example of how tempo changes everything. Count told the band to slow it waaaaay down, and it became an instant classic. It sounded just like everything else everyone else was doing. When Neil Hefti brought his tune, "Li'l Darlin'" to the Basie band for an audition, he counted it off at a medium-up tempo. Only time, talent and great ears and vision can do what they do. I wish there was a Quincy Jones plug in, or a Neil Hefti, Ahmad Jamal or Gil Evans plug in. This alone will cause the players to change their approach to interpreting the tune, leading to an entirely different tone. slow it down a few notches, and the chords can breathe properly. Play it too fast, and it sounds all bunched together. Sometimes, the tempo will affect the overall feel of the entire tune. Sometimes, the alto flutes sound better playing below the reeds in certain chords. Sometimes, a baritone sax sounds better in certain chords playing above the tenor sax. It's much more than coming up with a nice six part spread voicing, making sure that the upper partials of the chords have nice voice leading, and avoiding the tritone in the top two voices because it just doesn't sound right, and keeping each instrument within their respective ranges. You have to have serious arranging chops to pull off that kind of sound. A prime example is how he is able to blend French horn, Flugelhorn, trumpets, flutes and tuba into beautiful voicings. Quincy KNOWS what sounds good BEFORE he writes it. Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with what the engineer does or any sort of technology. ![]()
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