The New Real Book series, published by Sher Music, is the canonical source of the list for tunes under discussion. Of course, you may venture outside of canon, but don't be too surprised if you are excommunicated, or maybe exorcised.
The Jamey Aebersold catalog (online version) has about everything that's in print. You can get a free catalog by calling 1-800-456-1388 or by writing to
Jamey Aebersold P.O. Box 1244 New Albany, IN 47151-1244 U.S.A.
reed:
My favourite "first" arranging books would be:
"First Chart" by Van Alexander. There are actually two books, an original and a revised. I may be getting the titles wrong. The original and revised are quite a bit different and it's worth getting both. They have slightly different titles. I think the other might be called "First Arrangement" or something. This book really starts you from zero and leads you through writing your first charts. Breaking the ice is important for people getting started.
"Professional Arranger" by (Russell?) Garcia. This is a good book which also starts from zero and leads to a very advanced level. He has a book 2 which I havent read yet.
Of course no library is complete without the Mancini Book or the Nelson Riddle book. I think those are a bit more advanced in that it they are true "arranging" books and don't talk at all about harmony, reharmonization, etc. Also they don't really explain things like drop 2's, etc. They assume you know all that and as such deal with more arranging and orchestration issues.
There also used to be a great set of records/scores produced by Berklee press which I'm guessing are out of print. There were quite a few volumes (maybe even 20 or more) and they feature some well known arrangers in some cases (like Arif Mardin) that were just starting off. They were designed as teaching tools so that students could see/hear lots of big band styles/instrumentations/ideas. (If anyone knows where someone can get these I'd love to know. They were available many moons ago when I was in high school but I've tried to find them since that but to no avail.)
[...more...]
Someone was asking about materials for jazz composition etc and for some reason I forgot to mention an excellent harmony book though it is extremely advanced.
The book is "Modern Harmonic Technique" by Gordon Delamont. It is in a Modern Composing and Arranging Series. There is also a counterpoint book which I've never read and perhaps some others. It's published by Kendor Music.
It is in two volumes with the second perhaps a bit more interesting than the first.
It purports to start from zero with a basic description of intervals but it is really an extremely advanced text from beginning to end.
I think you would have to know alot of tunes and have spent alot of time thinking about and doing reharmonization for it to make any sense at all.
It also has alot of information regarding voice leading considerations of harmony which makes it also an excellent advanced arranging text (though it doesnt discuss orchestration at all).
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Mike (fitzgera@eclipse.net):
1) What is your favorite jazz arranger text book?
Of course the Ray Wright one is great. Also Don Sebesky's and Sammy Nestico's.
2) Is there a text that outlines or explains the various big band styles of the 30's/40's? (Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, et al)
The Glenn Miller Arranging Handbook (or whatever it's really called) is probably out of print but would be the best source for GM.
Try "Duke Ellington: Jazz Composer" for an interesting look into *some* of Duke's style.
reed on improvisation books:
I seem to remember a nice book (that I have at home but can't think of where I put it) by I think Jerry Coker (not his small paper back books, it's plastic spiral bound I think) on Jazz Improvistation where he really categorized the various improvisation techniques that are in practice. It came out about four or five years ago. (Although Jerry's paperback books are nice too).
Another book you might like is "Creative Jazz Improvisation" by Scott D. Reeves. I have it and have only leafed through it but it seems to been a Walter Piston type approach.
For me, even the good books don't make alot of sense (or help much) if you arent transcribing and learning lots of tunes.
-- Bob Murray
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a very personal approach to
communicate what real professional jazz musicians experience from their
early exposures to the music on through their maturation. The author is
a trumpet player himself and did an outstanding job of bringing across
the points of view of the musicians he interviewed. Reading the stories
of these musicians as told by them is an uplifting experience. There's
also a couple of hundred pages of music in it.
It is a must read.
-- Frank
reed:
I mentioned this book several times but couldnt find it to give a good reference.
It's "The Jazz Language" by Dan Haerle. Warner Brothers Publications.
It's a great compact book on nomenclature. It's very easy to find what you're looking for.
It's 58 packed pages of basic definitions of alot of the terms we have been using.
Jeremy M. Crosbie <JCrosbie@po6.mv.unisys.com> :
I would like to recommend a book that I have been studying with about Chord Substitution.
It is by Ed Arkin and is called "Creative Chord Substitution." It is an outstanding book, covering diatonic and chromatic chord substitution. It goes fairly in depth, with an explanation as to why a particular chord was used in place of another one.
Someone had asked about substitutions for "static" changes. He has some very good ideas on doing this over tunes like "Girl from Ipanema" where the I chord is played for two measures before resolving to the II chord.
Anyway, enough said. Anyone who gets an opportunity should check out this book. It runs for about $15.00 and is available through Belwin Mills publications (a division of Warner Bros. publications).
I watched a nice guitar instructional video by Joe Beck tonight that I havent watched for a while.
It's called "Jazz Chord Variations" and is a great video, a definite must for any library.
He goes over so many things. It's almost a four year course in a one hour video. It's one of those videos you can watch over and over again for years and each time, learn some more things you missed the previous time.
One thing he talks about a bit is inversions, which is something we discussed a while back.
Not to open up that whole discussion again but he shows some applications of inversions in a musical context of certain kinds of playing.
It made me think about what I consider the fundamental knowledge of inversions.
That is, one should intellectually know the inversions. In other words, one shouldnt hesitate when trying to name the first 3 notes of a B major chord or a Eb major chord in first inversion or a D maj7 chord in 3rd inversion, etc. (Really it's more important to know the chord forms with the root, 3rd, fifth and seventh (if applicable) as the bass note.
One should also know on the the guitar, the names of all the notes.
For me, this is basically the end of practicing inversions for the most part.
Oh, well I guess you play through some. Like I said earlier there are alot of excercises in the "Modern Method for the Guitar" by William Leavitt for these.
However, the main thing is the intellectual understanding of what they are.
Spending time being able to go between them is not, IMHO, too useful unless you have some particular musical things that you want to do and then you should just practice that.
reed:
While not marketted as an instructinal video, there is a new Bill Evans Video that just came out which is unbelieveable as far as instruction value, IHMO.
It's called "Bill Evans in Europe, vidjazz 38, Concerts and Jam Sessions on Video".
It takes place mostly in 1964 and 1965 with Bill in his prime (one tune is from 1970). In includes a very young Eddie Gomeze on one track and Chuck Israels on the remaining. It's so revealing in many ways about his playing.