Here is where I share some of the texts I’ve found useful over the years.  Good reads!

20th Century Harmony.  Vincent Persichetti, 1961.

A classic text on 20th century harmony.  Vince knew his theory!  I find the chapters on scale materials and polychords particularly useful.

Here is a choice nugget from this book that I recently needed to revisit:

“Resonant harmony is not formed by seeking higher and higher overtones but by using overtones of overtones…If we wish to add an additional resonant tone, we should add not a higher, weaker overtone of C (such as F#) but a lower and stronger overtone of an overtone (such as G# which is partial No. 5 of E).”

A coloristic device to consider:

“Most effective supporting tones are the fifth or ninth below the bottom tone of the chord because the fifth is a strong and resonant interval and the ninth is a fifth below the fifth.  Basses plucking the fifth or ninth below the actual bass line cast a reflected sheen over the harmony.”

THANKS VINCE!

The Complete Arranger.  Sammy Nestico, 1993, Revised 2014.

A treasure trove of knowledge, complete with recorded excerpts online.  A recent conversation about chord symbol variations reminded me of this book.  In the first chapter, Sammy strongly recommends using Standardized Chord Symbol Notation by Carl Brandt and Clinton Roemer (Roerick Music Co., 1976.)  Using this system eliminates any confusion about what a given chord symbol means.  The Brandt and Roemer text is prohibitively expensive, but Sammy includes a handy chart that summarizes what symbols to use and what not to use.

Perhaps the most entertaining section of The Complete Arranger is the final chapter, where Sammy tells stories, ranging from the swing era, to his time as arranger for the Marine Band, to working with Sarah Vaughn.  What a life!

Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble.  Dick Lowell and Ken Pullig, 2003.

Berklee Press offers a multitude of music instruction texts, several of which I will be reviewing.  This one is a fantastic introduction to scoring for the big band.  A fundamental technique I learned from this book was how to couple one section of instruments to another in concerted passages.

There are chapters on spread voicings, soli writing, backgrounds, clusters, upper structure triads, and style.  Comes with a CD, which is great.