Jazz Composition and Orchestration [Paperback]

William Russo (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226732134 | ISBN-13: 978-0226732138 | Publication Date: August 15, 1975

"Russo has undertaken an ambitious project, attempting to discuss together the elements of music that are commonly treated separately in books on harmony, counterpoint, and orchestration. As such, his new book contains enough musical instruction to be of interest even to students not particularly interested in 'jazz' or Russo's own musical idiom. For the student who wants to compose or arrange for 'jazz' ensembles from dance bands to full orchestras, Russo has shown himself to be a generous source of good advice."—Jon Newsom, Notes

Product Details

• Paperback: 843 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (August 15, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226732134
• ISBN-13: 978-0226732138
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a jazz orchestration text!!!!, April 11, 1999

By 

Edward Lewis "tigerlewis" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jazz Composition and Orchestration (Paperback)

I had borrowed this text at least five times from our public library and decided, after the fifth time, that I needed to own this book.

The scope implied by the title, "Jazz Composition and Orchestration", is narrow enough to be slightly misleading. The actual content is so vast and complete that it could almost be considered the answer to the question, "What is music?". I've learned many things from this book about music in general which actually don't fall within the scope of the title. And yet, each of these THINGS is presented in a way which greatly enhances my concept of "Jazz Composition and Orchestration".

I am making certain to do all of the exercises after each chapter. Doing so in the context of my own writing projects has helped me to write some of my best works to date.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The fault lies in the title . . ., December 14, 2000

By 

Robert M. Freedman (Gilbert, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jazz Composition and Orchestration (Paperback)

Bill Russo is a major figure in the world of jazz composition and arranging. His writing and his place in the trombone section contributed significantly to forming the sound and identity of the Stan Kenton band. This book's title and its sheer weight imply much more than is delivered. It is by no means satisfactorily extensive in its coverage of either composition or orchestration. For the most part it fails to 'teach' either of these subjects, rather it presents aspects of them through Mr Russo's own personal filter, a fact which he states in his Preface. The accompanying CD of musical examples, which by its inclusion also seems to suggest great value, is of little use because the excerpts are generally far too brief to enable their intentions to sink in. Also, the lack of indexing on the CD makes locating any specific example impossible. The reason I believe this book warrants at least a 4-star rating is that it's an excellent coffee table book for accomplished arranger/composers. Those of us who fall into that group can pick up the book and mentally applaud or denounce the author's statements and opinions while being aware that he is a musician who believes in what he does and who does what he does very well. On the list of the book's nearly-unforgivables is the discussion of strings by dealing only the with 'cello, which Mr Russo justifies by saying that whatever applies to 'cello pretty much applies as well to viola and violin. The fact that he encountered a specific situation in which using four 'celli was a better choice than utilizing standard string quartet is not sufficient reason for excluding violin, viola and contrabass from the discussion. Mr Russo has certain opinions - clearly labeled as such - with which many will argue. What is highly commendable is the fact that he does not present his personal preferences as being rules. As I mentioned above, he does what he does, and he believes what he believes. In spite of what I consider to be the faults of this book, I do not regret spending the money to purchase it. For me it's fun and interesting to peruse. Neophyte arranger/composers may want to look at it as representing places they may someday wish to go, but they must search elsewhere for their basic knowledge. Finally, there can be no serious criticism of the author's use of his own music to demonstrate his theories at work. William Russo drew from scores with which he is very familiar and he doesn't have to pay royalties to any other composers for their presence in the book. Bob Freedman

5.0 out of 5 stars Bill Russo's Legacy:, August 20, 2010

By 

JMura "Jm" (Orlando. Fl) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jazz Composition and Orchestration (Audio CD)

Having studied with Bill Russo for 5 years some years ago and to whom I personally credit with opening doors to music and arranging that answered years of questions, I recommend this book with enthusiasm. Page after page of examples open up various approaches to arranging in ways that
are timeless and inspiring. While this book is not for those looking for a "quick fix"or a bunch of "magic formulas," it is definitely for those who wish to venture further into the "Land of the Unexplored"and those who are not satisfied with just arranging in a standard way.
I do also suggest that this book is for experienced composer/arrangers and not beginners.I also suggest that the companion CD(by the same title as the book) should be obtained(perhaps from Amazon .com) This will allow the writer to hear the book examples played. Although the examples are not easily found in the book since the CD and book are not clearly coordinated there is enough good material on the CD to make it well worth while to search out the written examples. Finally, this is a reference book to be kept always, both as a reference and as a tribute to a great writer and teacher and a musician whom I most truly admire and respect.