Double Bass Jazz Composition...

[Shakin-Slim]

So I've been wondering about different horns in jazz heads. Let's take Mingus' Goodbye Pork Pie Hat for example. Are the different horns playing different melodies that compliment each other and create harmony or are they usually the same, note for note. I've got a head coming along over some chords, using guitar pro, so far just bass and trumpet. Sounding good. When I try to add a sax part, it sounds bad whether I do the same notes or harmony. Hmmm...

 

[Shakin-Slim]

...

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

I don't think you can generalise - but quite often the idea is to harmonise the melody, if you have more than one horn. Horace Silver was the master of small-group harmonisation and there is a nice book he wrote on this - i.e. how to make a quintet sound like a big(ger) band by clever harmonisation.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0793556880/thehardbophomepa/

 

[Shakin-Slim]

Cool, thanks a lot. I didn't mean to generalise, but I was sure one must have been more common than the other. So in Mr Mingus' tribute to Lester Young, would you be able to tell me what's happening there in that sense?

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

On that album there are lots of nice harmonies in the horns - so especially on Better Git it in Your Soul - the opening track!

On Porkpie Hat - there is a lot of unison - but there are a few odd notes of quite dissonant harmony. Different individual notes are emphasised...?

The big thing about Mingus's band at this time, was that pieces evolved and changed on the bandstand - they were an improvising collective. So I bought the 50th Anniversary Deluxe 2 CD set of Mingus Ah Um and you can hear how alternative takes can be very different!


PS When I said "I don't think you can generalise" - I meant that "you" as "one" - as in there is a lot Jazz with no harmonies and a lot with harmonies - I wasn't saying that you, personally were generalising!

 

[kirksanger]

Check out some of Dave Holland's recent small band and bigger band recordings. He is great at writing multiple melodic lines the compliment each other sometimes its trombone and saxophone, or sax and vibes, etc. really great stuff.