The ensemble
The standard big band has 17 musicians: 5 saxophones (2 altos, 2 tenors, 1 baritone), 4 trumpets, 4 trombones (3 tenor + 1 bass), rhythm section (piano, guitar, double bass, drums). The historical lineups (Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, Thad Jones–Mel Lewis) vary, but this is the teaching standard (Berklee: Dick Lowell and Ken Pullig, “Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble”; Sammy Nestico, “The Complete Arranger”).
The typical form of an arrangement
- Intro (4–8 bars).
- Theme (head): the melody stated, often by one section with the others in the background.
- Solos with backgrounds (pads or section riffs behind the soloist).
- Soli: a section plays a written, harmonized melody in unison rhythm.
- Shout chorus: the climax, the whole band at fortissimo with strong rhythmic figures.
- Return of the theme and coda.
4-part voicings
- 4-way close: melody on top and the other 3 voices below, all within the octave below the melody, on the chord tones (C6 or Cmaj7: with melody E5 → E5 C5 A4 G4).
- Drop 2: the second voice from the top drops an octave; a more open sound and better suited to brass (E5 C5 G4 + A3).
- Drop 2 and 4: the fourth voice also drops; wider still.
- Spread: bass and a fifth/seventh at the bottom, triad on top.
Passing notes in the melody are harmonized with diminished chords or with the dominant (the “approach chord” technique).
5-part voicings
- Classic sax soli: 4-way close with the baritone doubling the melody an octave below (alto 1 melody, alto 2, tenor 1, tenor 2 below, bari melody 8vb).
- 5 parts with tension: add a ninth or a thirteenth in place of the doubling (Cmaj9: E5 D5 B4 G4 + C4).
- Trumpets: often upper-structure triads with the lead trumpet on top.
Lower interval limits (LIL)
Close intervals in the low register become muddy. Indicative values from teaching tables: minor third not below C3, major third not below Bb2, perfect fifth down to Bb1, sevenths and sixths down to about F2. Seconds should be kept above E3–Eb3.
Combining the sections
- Saxes + trombones under the trumpets: all the horns in a single voicing (tutti, “ensemble”).
- Contrasting sections: trumpets in rhythmic figures, saxophones in lines, trombones in pads.
- Call and response between sections: trumpets call, saxes answer (a Count Basie trademark).
- Unison and octaves for riffs: maximum clarity.
The rhythm section
The pianist doesn't play everything: he or she leaves room for the sections. The horn kicks/hits are written above the drummer's staff so that the drummer can “set them up” (set-up fill) and underline them. The guitar (Freddie Green style) plays quarter notes with 3-note voicings on the middle strings.
The shout chorus
- Often written in the highest register for the trumpets (lead up to concert D5–F5 and beyond).
- Syncopated rhythmic figures, anticipations, marked accents, falls and shakes.
- Drums with crashes on the figures and set-up fills.
- Often after a solo or a soli, before the final theme.
Examples
- Count Basie Orchestra — Li'l Darlin' (Neal Hefti, 1957): full voicings at a slow tempo.
- Count Basie — Corner Pocket (Freddie Green): classic riff and shout.
- Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Orchestra: modern voicings and complex soli.
- Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band: a contemporary big band with funk influences.
Practical exercise
Write an 8-bar sax soli over a blues in F (F7 Bb7 F7 F7 Bb7 Bb7 F7 D7): melody on alto 1, 4-part close voicing, baritone doubling the melody an octave below. Then write a 4-bar shout for the whole band with the trumpets in drop 2 and the trombones in drop 2 and 4.
Related topics
Voicing: Close, Open, Drop 2, Shell, Pop and Funk Horn Section, The Blues: 12-Bar Form and Harmony, Brass, Woodwinds, Call and Response.