Studying Big Band, Beat Music & Neo Swing

https://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.action?itemid=842263

This book is the best I've ever come across for jazz composition/arranging. It covers small group and full big band arrangements, voicings, and melodic paraphrasing techniques (melodic variations/modulations). It is organized so that if you follow the "assignments" from the first half of the book, you end up with a small group arrangement, and a full big band arrangement in the second half.

The book is meant to be used for a year long college jazz arranging class, but the concepts are presented simply, so I'm sure you could get what you need out of the book pretty quickly. There are lots of examples of both things that work, and things that don't.

This video is a good intro to jazz voicings. He also has an arranging book which is decent, but you'd get a lot more out of the book I linked.

 

Check out Inside the Score by Rayburn Wright and The Professional Arranger Composer by Russell Garcia. Sammy Nestico also has a great book on arranging.

 

I have the Nestico book in my basement somewhere, I remember opening it after it was shipped to me and thinking "this is not what I expected." I was expecting more of what the Tomaro book is. I knew at the time that the book was not something I was going to benefit from yet and put on my shelf to read through later... but I just haven't gone back to it yet.

In The Score is also great. If nothing else, you get a couple big band scores from Sammy Nestico, Thad Jones, and Bob Brookmeyer. There is an analysis of each piece also, which would be great to check after transcribing.

One tip if you are going to be performing or programming the music - emphasizing the upbeat makes the music swing, not the "swing rhythm." The amount of emphasis varies from style to style, just like the amount of "swing" in the rhythm. In general, the faster it is the straighter the eighth notes are, and the less the upbeats are emphasized. Based on the styles and bands you listed to, you'll likely be using a fair amount of emphasis on the upbeats, and swing in the eighth notes. There are a lot of other stylistic generalities I could try to write, but I think it would probably be confusing in text. It's a lot easier to demonstrate than it is write about lol.

 

I recommended both the Tomaro and Nestico texts to Sam in a p.m., just stepping in to give my two cents on the Nestico. It is pricey, but the 2006 revision is way better than the first edition. It is worth revisiting, especially if you have the accompanying recordings. There are parts that are redundant with other orchestration texts, but he presents the material in a pretty concise way and has a ton of score excerpts. If I had a complaint about the content, it would be that he glosses over voicings compared to the amount of time he spends on orchestration concerns. It is also pretty broad in scope (writing for Symphonic Band, Strings, electronics, etc.).

I also love the Tomaro (and agree with @John Royski), I think his arrangements are straight ahead and he gives great advice to novice jazz composers/arrangers. It also sticks more firmly in the big band world. At $150 less (with more to say and more modern audio interface), it is the clear value winner. I also like his emphasis on voicings and building an arrangement (formal sections). The two books are not exactly complementary but they're not covering redundant information either.

 

Looks like I need to find Nestico's book. I've moved since I put it back on my shelf, which means it's in a box in my basement somewhere...likely unlabeled...