From the author:

I’m very excited to release the third volume in my Creative Jazz Composing and Arranging series: Writing for Small Groups. If I were to recommend the order in which to read the three books, this new volume would be first. The book starts with basic rhythmic, melodic, harmonic and orchestrational techniques and builds through analyses of a series of increasingly complex arrangements—each demonstrating different styles and approaches.

You’re probably thinking, “I already have arranging books that I like. Why do I need another one?” The answer is simple: this book is different in one very important way. Most other books on the subject are designed to give you easy-to-follow rules to make your music correct and accessible. Their examples are simplistic and out of context. This book (as well as the other two in the series) starts with the conventional ways of writing and then pushes further to make the music not just functional but artistic and personal.

It would help if you already have a background in harmony, but that isn’t really necessary, since I break down the basics of how harmony works early on in the book. I do assume that you can read treble and bass clef.

Like my other books, my goal isn’t to teach you how to write like me but to unlock your creativity and give you some tools to be able to express yourself. Your style is up to you. There are no wrong notes, only choices.

I’m an intuitive writer, so I not only tell you what I am thinking while writing music but also what decisions are going on in my subconscious mind where hundreds of thousands of hours of music and life experience are stored.

If you are a beginning composer or arranger, a part-time writer, a professional or a teacher, at the very least, I think you will enjoy some ideas that may be new to you and get a handle on how to express musical concepts verbally. At most, I think you will find this book to be a fresh way to look at creating music from an aesthetic rather than functional point of view.

Writing for Small Groups comes after 30 years of teaching in the finest conservatories and music schools in New York. It took decades to amass all this information and learn the jazz language. Then came organizing the book and communicating in understandable and friendly language. We write jazz for fun, and I want the experience of this book to be enjoyable, not a dry task.

Along the way, I talk a bit about my experiences throughout my life in music. I was very fortunate to work with many of the greatest composers, arrangers, instrumentalists, and singers of the last 50 years. I learned from all of them, and I’m happy to pass on that knowledge to you.

The book includes full scores of the pieces I discuss along with links to the recordings.

And if you could leave a review on Amazon.com, I would really appreciate it.