Catalog

Composing for Jazz Orchestra

Music and Theater Arts MIT CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 9 lectures

This class explores composition and arrangement for the large jazz ensemble from 1920s foundations to current postmodern practice. Consideration given to a variety of styles and to the interaction of improvisation and composition. Study of works by Basie, Ellington, Evans, Gillespie, Golson, Mingus, Morris, Nelson, Williams, and others. Open rehearsals, workshops, and performances of student compositions by the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble and the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra.

Syllabus

  1. 1 Empty Bottles
  2. 2 Event 10
  3. 3 Lecture 16: Gil Evans / Miles Davis collaborations (audio only)
  4. 4 Lecture 17: George Russell and modal jazz (audio only)
  5. 5 Lecture 18: Afro-Cuban music and bebop (audio only)
  6. 6 Lecture 20: Postmodern approaches (audio only)
  7. 7 Lecture 21
  8. 8 Spring 2009 Event
  9. 9 Totality

Course materials