Jazz arranging · Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
TomKubis
b. 1953 arranger · composer · orchestrator
Kubis's arranging style combines big band tradition with contemporary approaches, featuring strong melodies, exciting rhythms, and…
- Predominant era
- Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
- Lifespan
- b. 1953
- Signature
- iridescent color
Bio · 32 words
Tom Kubis was born in California and became an active saxophonist, composer, and arranger in Los Angeles. He studied at North Texas State University and established himself in L.A.'s competitive music scene.
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.
Layered
Registers work as distinct layers.
Ornate
Dense detail rewards close listening.
Elastic
The rhythmic feel expands and contracts.
02
Orchestration
At the
arranging desk
“Small Hours,” orchestrated in the style of Tom Kubis. 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
A clear alto melody and compact section blocks are punctuated by short brass attacks. This eight-bar setting uses quarter-note walking bass beneath alto sax.
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
Compare the alto-led moving bars with the clipped section answers without changing tempo.
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 Tom Kubis 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.
Live at the Moonlight · 1995
Night Song
Kubis's arrangements for his own big band showcase his approach to contemporary big band writing.
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.
Slightly Off the Ground · 2000
Slightly Off the Ground
Kubis's arrangements here show continued development and refinement.
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.
Play Time · 2010
Blue Skies Ahead
Kubis's later arrangements demonstrate sustained quality and continued evolution.
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 1995 Live at the MoonlightTom Kubis Big Band Kubis's arrangements for his own big band showcase his approach to contemporary big band writing.
- 02 2000 Slightly Off the GroundTom Kubis Kubis's arrangements here show continued development and refinement.
- 03 2010 Play TimeTom Kubis Big Band Kubis's later arrangements demonstrate sustained quality and continued evolution.
Voicing & register
At the section’s first attack (beat 1), the voicing is: Alto sax E5 (3); Tenor sax D5 (9); Trumpet B4 (maj7); Trombone G4 (5). Bass path: C2–E2–G2–G♯2.
Timbral combination
The background follows the melody’s attacks, so the harmony moves as a block. Trumpet · answer rests here, leaving the lead color exposed.
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.