Jazz arranging · Swing & the Big Band Era
LarryClinton
1909–1985 arranger · composer · orchestrator
Clinton's arranging style was characterized by sophistication, melodic focus, and careful orchestration.
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- Predominant era
- Swing & the Big Band Era
- Lifespan
- 1909–1985
- Signature
- iridescent color
Bio · 36 words
Larry Clinton was born in Brooklyn and studied trumpet before focusing on arranging. He arranged for several bands including those of the Dorsey Brothers, Glen Gray, and Bunny Berigan before forming his own orchestra in 1938.
01
Musical style
Sound DNA
Five shared dimensions make the arranger’s musical priorities visible at a glance.
Iridescent
Instrumental color leads the design.
Compact
Ideas arrive in tightly packed frames.
Expansive
Wide spans define the orchestral frame.
Transparent
Individual lines stay easy to follow.
Elastic
The rhythmic feel expands and contracts.
02
Orchestration
At the
arranging desk
“Small Hours,” orchestrated in the style of Larry Clinton. Hear the parts, follow the score, and examine the decisions inside each chord.
Original miniature
Small Hours
8 bars · C major · 4/4 Swing eighths · 2:1
Connected inner lines and a violin-reed blend give the tune a light concert-dance character. This eight-bar setting uses a root-and-fifth two-beat bass beneath clarinet.
Choose Play to hear the recorded ensemble.
The passage
Read what you hear
All parts at sounding pitch · middle C = C4 · eighth notes follow the selected feel. Select a bar to inspect or replay it.
Inside the ensemble
Listen by part
Combine Solo buttons to hear a voicing or a doubling. Mute removes a part from the mix.
Downloads include every part at concert pitch. MIDI includes the selected tempo and swing feel.
Bar 01 · I · tonic
Cmaj9
Solo the middle voices during the contrapuntal bars and hear their staggered entrances.
Sounding pitches
High to low · muted parts are dimmed · note releases can leave a rest between attacks.
| Part | Pitch | Chord role |
|---|
From the arranging bookshelf Sebesky · Nestico
This original Larry Clinton study applies the books’ approach of examining voicings, registers and instrumental combinations. It illustrates one facet of the artist’s work in a reduced ensemble; it is not a transcription or a reproduction of a book example. The melody and eight-bar progression remain the same throughout the artist collection.
- Don Sebesky, The Contemporary Arranger: “Combining the Woodwinds,” printed pp. 69–70 (PDF pp. 78–79), compares balance at different registers. “Voicing the Strings,” beginning on printed p. 124 (PDF p. 133), discusses distributing string voices. “Combining Strings with Winds,” printed p. 155 (PDF p. 164), demonstrates how a flute changes the color and balance of a string line.
- Sammy Nestico, The Complete Arranger: “Close [Block] Voicing” and “Semi-Open Voicing,” printed p. 24 (PDF p. 26), contrast a compact moving saxophone block with a voice dropped an octave. The part scores and pitch inspector let you examine the spacing used in this artist’s study.
Each artist’s arrangement uses separately recorded parts, so Solo and Mute reveal the same performance heard in the full ensemble. Winds, piano and supported orchestral instruments use MuseSounds; upright bass uses Karoryfer recordings. Other colors retain the credited libraries below. Tempo changes preserve concert pitch.
Performances rendered with free MuseSounds and the libraries below. Recording credits and instrument coverage.
Recordings: VSCO 2 CE (CC0), MTG Solo Saxophones (CC BY 4.0), and Karoryfer Meatbass (CC0). Additional sounds: FluidR3 GM (CC BY 3.0). Full credits and sample changes.
03
Music first
Scores & orchestras
Switch recordings to compare how this arranger’s musical priorities shape each orchestral profile.
My Reverie · 1938-1941
Rêverie
Clinton's arrangements of classical-based material showcase his sophisticated approach.
Listen forNotice how color shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
Deep Purple · 1939
Deep Purple
Clinton's arrangement of this Mitchell Parish/Peter DeRose song became the definitive version.
Listen forNotice how color shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
Our Love · 1939
Romeo and Juliet,
Based on Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet," Clinton's arrangement demonstrates his ability to adapt romantic classical themes for swing orchestra.
Listen forNotice how color shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
04
Start here
Three essential albums
One line each—enough context to choose the next listen.
- 01 1938-1941 My ReverieLarry Clinton Orchestra Clinton's arrangements of classical-based material showcase his sophisticated approach.
- 02 1939 Deep PurpleLarry Clinton Orchestra featuring Bea Wain Clinton's arrangement of this Mitchell Parish/Peter DeRose song became the definitive version.
- 03 1939 Our LoveLarry Clinton Orchestra Based on Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet," Clinton's arrangement demonstrates his ability to adapt romantic classical themes for swing orchestra.
Voicing & register
At the section’s first attack (beat 1), the voicing is: Violin E5 (3); Tenor sax B4 (maj7); French horn G4 (5); Alto sax D4 (9). Bass path: C2–G2.
Timbral combination
The background follows the melody’s attacks, so the harmony moves as a block. The clarinet remains the melodic foreground.
Voice leading & harmony
The opening E is the third. G–A–G makes the sixth a brief neighbor before the melody lands on D, the ninth.