Jazz Composition: Theory and Practice - Book Review

American Music Teacher, Feb-March, 2004 by John Salmon

by Ted Pease; edited by Rick Mattingly. Berklee Press (1140 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215-3693), 2003. 237pp. $39.95.

Unlike thirty years ago, nowadays there are many pedagogical materials devoted to jazz theory, improvisation, voicings, licks, arranging and styles. Add to this the growing number of transcriptions and play-along CDs and it might seem that a jazz student has every conceivable aid to becoming a great jazz musician.

The present book, on the other hand, fills in a gap by addressing the issue of actually writing down that music in every detail--not just coming up with a lead sheet. I cannot think of another book that treats jazz composition so comprehensively, is as practical or refers so richly to jazz literature. Learning how to compose jazz, although subsuming the aforementioned topics, is a separate skill. Ted Pease, who has taught jazz composition at Berklee College of Music since 1964, brings a lifetime's experience to this one volume, which easily could be the text for a college-level two-semester course.

Pease talks about all the elements of composition--antecedent/consequent phrasing, rhythmic texture, harmonic clarity, architectural issues and beyond--but couched in the jazz language. Many exercises, such as the one requiring reharmonization of "Happy Birthday" using standard jazz chords, engage the student and create a kind of built-in syllabus. All styles are covered, from the lush voicings of Billy Strayhorn to the modal music of Herbie Hancock, from the sophisticated stylings of Bill Evans to the fusion sounds of Chick Corea. Most jazz genres--such as blues, 32-bar ballad and extended forms--and mediums, for example, duet, sax soil and big band, also are discussed.

All these concepts are illustrated by Pease's own deft compositions, such as his beautiful three-movement "Suite for Jazz Band," wonderfully recorded on the accompanying CD. But he also cites a good portion of the jazz canon, like Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss" and Thelonious Monk's "Well You Needn't," at appropriate points, as they refer to his topic.

As useful as this book is, it is not for beginners or the fainthearted. I would recommend pairing it with an equally comprehensive jazz theory book, say the one by Mark Levine, and try to work through it with your local jazz guru. It is a serious book for serious jazz students. Reviewed by John Salmon, Greensboro, North Carolina.