Category
Arranging

You will notice that on my desk I have a pretty unique layout of input devices, but everything is there for a reason. I spend many hours sitting here working and have developed and refined this setup over the years. I am also always trying out new toys, anything to make work easier, faster, and more ergonomic, all of which allow me to be more creative. Note that this setup is totally geared towards orchestrating and arranging. While I do use it to compose, if…
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It was a pleasure to add Killer Mike to the list of collaborations I've had with the Kennedy Center and the National Symphony Orchestra over the past decade. He now joins artists such as Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Common, Ne-Yo, and Maxwell with whom we have done shows. This was a last-minute production, so I could not have done it without the help of my team. Thanks to Jeremy Levy, Jordan Seigel, Lauren Elizabeth Baba, Cameron Moody, Carlos Simon, Lorenzo Carrano, Pano Fountas, and Tyler Detulio.…
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Last spring, I was very busy arranging for a wide range of shows. As an arranger, I enjoy the challenge of working on and adapting any musical material. Sometimes you receive material that requires all of your skills to make it work, but other times you are lucky, and the music and artist you are given fit perfectly with the ensemble, making the charts practically write themselves. The latter was the case with Mark Letteri, who trusted me to arrange a few pieces for his…
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For the last 10 years or so, I have been lucky enough to work on shows for the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and the National Symphony Orchestra. This started with NAS and the Twentieth Anniversary performance of Illmatic, continued with Kendrick Lamar, Common, Babyface, Maxwell, Ne-Yo and, most recently, Killer Mike. Along the way, I have done one-offs for many other shows and orchestras and whole shows for Aminé and Tech N9ne. The process for putting these shows together has evolved over the years to…
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Having written shows for the likes of Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Common, Ne-Yo, and Maxwell, it was Tech N9ne's turn to receive the Symphonic Tim Treatment. On May 4th, 2024, at the Midland Theatre, I had the pleasure of conducting my arrangements of over 30 songs with the Kansas City Symphony. Tech is a KC native so it was an honor to bring two Kansas City institutions together.   
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Continuing from my busy summer of arranging work, I had the opportunity to work with Jules Buckley again for a couple shows celebrating Stevie Wonder. The first was a show for the 2023 BBC Proms covering Stevie Wonder's album Innervsisions, with guest soloist Cory Henry. I did arrangements of Something Out of the Blue They Won't Go When I Go Jesus Children of America Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer You've Got It Bad, Girl Jules also came to LA to conduct the Hollywood Bowl…
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Besides the usual film and television work, I've also had a number of arranging projects come my way this year. A number of them have been for my friend Jules Buckley. The first was a concert in June with the BBC Symphony Orchestra titled "Beyond the Bricks of Brum," celebrating the city of Birmingham. I arranged a few tunes for SANITY and also composed a piece to play with a poem by Casey Bailey. The BBC Symphony Orchestra: Beyond the Bricks of Brum Then a…
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Here are 5 tracks from my new album. More information here. Conceivilization Sarahbande Minor Incidents The Expensive Train Set for Double Big Band   Jazz Vespas
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Introduction This is the first part in a series of articles where I will explain how to take a simple melody and turn it into a jazz tune, complete with appropriate harmony, voicing, bass part, and notation for a session or performance. I will explain and demonstrate the basic concepts of jazz. These are the cheat notes that even a drummer should be able to understand (I should know, I am one). Part 1 deals with the melody, harmony, and piano voicing. Part 2 explains…
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