Here are 100 books that The Complete Arranger fans have personally recommended if you like
The Complete Arranger.
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I’ve been fascinated by jazz, classical, and film music since I was in junior high school. As I grew older, I came to believe that music was a unique form of expression and that through music, I could attain a high level of spiritual awareness. While studying privately in Philadelphia and New York, I began searching for books that could help me attain greater facility with my craft. As I found myself pursuing a full-time career as a jazz musician and composer, I was drawn to the books on my list. These books became invaluable resources for me as a professional musician and educator at the Manhattan School of Music.
I love this book because it’s a fantastic reference book on basic techniques for arranging for brass, woodwinds, strings, and voices. There are numerous practical and professional music examples that illustrate the text. I used this book for years as my bible for practical arranging techniques and basic information on all the instruments.
I always kept a copy of it on my piano when writing for quick and easy reference. Don Sebesky was a seasoned and successful arranger with a talent for organizing the material in a manner that’s clear, musical, and easy to understand.
An authoritative, easy-to-understand text covering all aspects of arranging. This beautifully bound edition contains a compact disc with examples performed by jazz greats such as George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws and Don Sebesky's complete orchestra. The comb binding creates a lay-flat book that is perfect for study and performance.
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
I’ve been fascinated by jazz, classical, and film music since I was in junior high school. As I grew older, I came to believe that music was a unique form of expression and that through music, I could attain a high level of spiritual awareness. While studying privately in Philadelphia and New York, I began searching for books that could help me attain greater facility with my craft. As I found myself pursuing a full-time career as a jazz musician and composer, I was drawn to the books on my list. These books became invaluable resources for me as a professional musician and educator at the Manhattan School of Music.
I love this book because it provides essential practical knowledge of jazz arranging techniques through an in-depth analysis of 8 familiar arrangements by three of the most successful jazz arrangers, Thad Jones, Sammy Nestico, and Bob Brookmeyer.
The musical analyses are particularly valuable because of the way the author presents the analyzed scores with a condensed, concert analysis of the form and structure of the music below the score. In addition to being a successful New York arranger, Ray Wright was an accomplished educator having spent many years directing the Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media Program at the Eastman School of Music.
I’ve been fascinated by jazz, classical, and film music since I was in junior high school. As I grew older, I came to believe that music was a unique form of expression and that through music, I could attain a high level of spiritual awareness. While studying privately in Philadelphia and New York, I began searching for books that could help me attain greater facility with my craft. As I found myself pursuing a full-time career as a jazz musician and composer, I was drawn to the books on my list. These books became invaluable resources for me as a professional musician and educator at the Manhattan School of Music.
I love this book because it provides not only specific techniques for film scoring but also an overview of the lifestyle and business considerations of the film composer. This book reads like a novel but still presents a multitude of valuable information in a well-organized and anecdotal manner. It’s not an exhaustive textbook, but is a great place to start to get a feel for what it means to be a film composer.
I read the whole thing (132 pages) on a 5-hour flight from LA to New York. I love the fact that there are appendices (film/music schools, professional societies, and organizations, suggested scores to study, suggested reading, and websites) as well as a glossary of technical terms.
Scoring for film has changed dramatically over the past twenty years. With the advent of MIDI, sequencers and low-cost recording gear, just about any composer anywhere can score a film. Well-known composer Sonny Kompanek teaches this new film scoring process at prestigious New York University and now he shares his secrets within the pages of From Score to Screen. Learn about the cast of professionals you’ll work with as a film composer. Find out how to meet people in the business, network, and create a promotional demo. Learn how to compose themes and battle writers’ block. Understand how to preview…
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother had…
I’ve been fascinated by jazz, classical, and film music since I was in junior high school. As I grew older, I came to believe that music was a unique form of expression and that through music, I could attain a high level of spiritual awareness. While studying privately in Philadelphia and New York, I began searching for books that could help me attain greater facility with my craft. As I found myself pursuing a full-time career as a jazz musician and composer, I was drawn to the books on my list. These books became invaluable resources for me as a professional musician and educator at the Manhattan School of Music.
I love this book because it is a truly comprehensive textbook on contemporary film scoring, covering invaluable sections on musical techniques, the relation of music to film, the technology of film scoring, and the business and lifestyle of film composers. It features references to 150 films as well as interviews with many film composers.
The extensive practical information on musical techniques and technology, as well as the relation of music to picture and drama, are timeless and still valid in today’s world. I also love the way this book presents a wealth of information on the relation and interaction of the composer and filmmaker.
On the Track offers a comprehensive guide to scoring for film and television. Covering all styles and genres, the authors, both noted film composers, cover everything from the nuts-and-bolts of timing, cuing, and recording through balancing the composer's aesthetic vision with the needs of the film itself. Unlike other books that are aimed at the person "dreaming" of a career, this is truly a guide that can be used by everyone from students to technically sophisticated professionals. It contains over 100 interviews with noted composers, illustrating the many technical points made through the text.
I've been a working journalist for 50 years, and as a child of TV, especially in the 1960s, I grew up with some of the most memorable TV themes ever written. I started writing about TV in the 1980s, and since moving to Los Angeles in 1986, have used every opportunity to meet and interview all of my favorite composers of movie and TV music. The result is this book, which looks at the history of TV themes and, in a larger sense, music written for TV generally. Every genre of TV, from crime to sitcoms, westerns to adventure, has had fun, often compelling, and truly memorable music, and I've tried to celebrate it here.
Mancini wrote "Moon River," "Days of Wine and Roses," the Pink Panther theme and, for TV, music for Peter Gunn, Newhart, and The Thorn Birds.
He was the first film composer to become a household name in the 1960s and '70s. His cool jazz for Peter Gunn was so popular and influential that every cop and detective for the next 20 years was accompanied by "crime jazz," as it became known.
This is less about Mancini's personal life than about his career (the composer covered that already in his autobiography, Did They Mention the Music?), but I was captivated, particularly with Caps' ability to convey the essence of Mancini's music in descriptive words and phrases.
Through film composer Henry Mancini, mere background music in movies became part of pop culture--an expression of sophistication and wit with a modern sense of cool and a lasting lyricism that has not dated. The first comprehensive study of Mancini's music, Henry Mancini: Reinventing Film Music describes how the composer served as a bridge between the Big Band period of World War II and the impatient eclecticism of the Baby Boomer generation, between the grand formal orchestral film scores of the past and a modern American minimalist approach. Mancini's sound seemed to capture the bright, confident, welcoming voice of the…
My prime credential for writing these books is my own humanity, as someone who's felt the deep power of music on the human spirit since childhood. The stories I tell in these books are about musicians and artists, people who had a passion for creating something out of thin air with patience and many years of hard work. I highlight their lives to give kids (and adults) examples of passion coupled with persistence because Life is often very challenging.
Deservedly, this book received 6 starred reviews for a superb pairing of text and artwork recounting the story of a historic photograph. Taken in 1958 for Esquire Magazine, A Great Day in Harlem captured the gathering of outstanding jazz musicians on a city street, and Orgill's book brings the magic of that summer day to life for young readers. How I wish this idea had been mine! ;]
What happens when you invite as many jazz musicians as you can to pose for a photo in 1950s Harlem? Playful verse and glorious artwork capture an iconic moment for American jazz.
When Esquire magazine planned an issue to salute the American jazz scene in 1958, graphic designer Art Kane pitched a crazy idea: how about gathering a group of beloved jazz musicians and photographing them? He didn’t own a good camera, didn’t know if any musicians would show up, and insisted on setting up the shoot in front of a Harlem brownstone. Could he pull it off? In a…
The Duke's Christmas Redemption
by
Arietta Richmond,
A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.
Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…
I've been passionate about music for almost my entire life. Jazz music in particular speaks to me but not just jazz. I love music, full stop. I really discovered jazz when I attended a jazz club workshop in London and there, I had to join in or leave. I chose to join in and since then I have never looked back. I was introduced to more jazz musicians and now write about music for three major columns as well as Readers’ Digest. My Women In Jazz book won several awards. I have been International Editor for the Jazz Journalist Association and had my work commissioned by the Library of Congress.
This was my ‘go to’ book for years when I first began to write about music and jazz music in particular.
Cooke explains many things that until then, I had only heard about. The history of jazz music is explained clearly. From Be-bop and hard bop to free jazz and the avante garde. His writing allowed me to put names to music styles I found fascinating and it was as if an author was truly speaking my language. He introduces some well-known jazz musicians and their impact on jazz music
A year-by-year history of people and events, this lively multi-layered account tells the whole story of jazz music and its personalities. The Chronicle of Jazz charts the evolution of jazz from its roots in Africa and the southern United States to the myriad urban styles heard around the world today, Mervyn Cooke gives us a narrative rich with innovation, experimentation, controversy, and emotion. The book is completely up to date, exploring the exciting recent developments in the world of jazz, from the rise of modern Big Bands and the renaissance of the piano trio to the popular appeal of Jamie…
I’ve been the pianist for the Heath Brothers and the Jimmy Heath Quartet for over 20 years. Since moving to NYC in 1996, I’ve had the honor of playing and recording with an assortment of jazz luminaries including Charles McPherson, Roberta Gambarini, Lewis Nash, Winard Harper, Rodney Green, Michael Rodriguez, David Wong, among many others. During that time, I’ve also been actively involved in teaching, arranging, and writing, having three books published by Chuck Sher since 2013, An Approach to Comping Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and Introduction to Jazz Piano, A Deep Dive.
This resource offers a great selection of standards. Some include verses as well. The lyrics, chords, and melody are crystal clear and professionally copied. The look and style of these real books are legendary and very easy to use. I personally own the version in B-flat. This helps me see these tunes in another key and in turn, makes them slightly easier to transpose in general. Knowledge of standards cannot be underestimated in my opinion. For me, hearing how the great jazz pianists interpreted jazz standards is very illuminating.
The Standards Real Book is the most comprehensive book of classic songs in the jazz tradition ever published. Lyrics are included for every song that has a lyric and even the verses are there, especially valuable for vocalists. The book includes the best songs of Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel and many more! The Gold Standard in jazz songbooks.
I’ve been the pianist for the Heath Brothers and the Jimmy Heath Quartet for over 20 years. Since moving to NYC in 1996, I’ve had the honor of playing and recording with an assortment of jazz luminaries including Charles McPherson, Roberta Gambarini, Lewis Nash, Winard Harper, Rodney Green, Michael Rodriguez, David Wong, among many others. During that time, I’ve also been actively involved in teaching, arranging, and writing, having three books published by Chuck Sher since 2013, An Approach to Comping Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and Introduction to Jazz Piano, A Deep Dive.
I love the way Mr. Mathews retains Monk’s personal and instantly recognizable sound while presenting very playable and economical jazz piano arrangements. I would recommend this to jazz piano students looking for a way to play Monk’s music as solo piano pieces. It's nice to be able to reference how to voice these tunes from a master who actually exchanged ideas with Monk himself. The collection includes some of the most popular Monk compositions along with some lesser-known gems.
(Artist Transcriptions). Now the intermediate-level pianist can play and study the music of this jazz giant! This collection includes 14 tunes Monk made great, arranged by T.S. Monk band member Ronnie Mathews. Songs include: Brilliant Corners * Criss Cross * Hackensack * Pannonica * 'Round Midnight * Thelonious * Well You Needn't * and more. Also includes a biography, discography, performance notes and more.
This book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom as he narrates encounters with 12 distinguished American men over 80, including Paul Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world’s most famous heart surgeon.
In these and other intimate conversations, the book…
I’ve been the pianist for the Heath Brothers and the Jimmy Heath Quartet for over 20 years. Since moving to NYC in 1996, I’ve had the honor of playing and recording with an assortment of jazz luminaries including Charles McPherson, Roberta Gambarini, Lewis Nash, Winard Harper, Rodney Green, Michael Rodriguez, David Wong, among many others. During that time, I’ve also been actively involved in teaching, arranging, and writing, having three books published by Chuck Sher since 2013, An Approach to Comping Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and Introduction to Jazz Piano, A Deep Dive.
First of all, the compositions are incredibly beautiful. Kenny Dorham is the ultimate romantic. As an added bonus, Walter Davis arranges these often complex tunes in a way that is accessible for the intermediate pianist. The simple and economical voicings offer insights that you just can’t get from fake books.
Kenny Dorham: jazz legend, master composer, arranger and performer. His unique and compelling voice on trumpet is well documented on recordings. Now K.D.'s music is presented in print, through the eyes, ears and heart of pianist Walter Davis, Jr. All 30 compositions have been recorded by major jazz artists. Complete with recording credits, chord symbols and instructions for expanding the arrangements to include improvised solo choruses. Contents include: Escapade + The Fox + Karioka + La Mesha + Night Watch + An Oscar for Oscar + Philly Twist + Whistle Stop + Windmill + Una Mas + and 20 others.…
