Composing and Arranging for the Contemporary Big Band

This book follows the creative process from the composition of a tune through further development and orchestration, to a complete arrangement for big band. The music from the CD Prism featuring the GRAMMY® Award-winning WDR Big Band and drummer Peter Erskine is the content through which the creative discipline of writing for big band is illustrated and discussed, including melody harmonization for individual sections and full ensemble, writing for the rhythm section, contrapuntal writing, passing harmonies and harmonic embellishment, thematic development, harmonic backgrounds, introductions, interludes, endings, and orchestration, including the use of woodwind doubles and brass mutes. The five original compositions by Bill Dobbins, and his arrangements of three tunes by Peter Erskine, cover a broad range of modern jazz and jazz related styles. Complete concert pitch sketch scores of each composition and arrangement are included, with detailed analytical commentary on the lower half of each page, as well as lead sheets of the tunes on which the arrangements are based. A copy of the Prism CD is included in the book.