Jazz arranging · Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
JohnFedchock
b. 1957 arranger · composer · orchestrator
Fedchock's arranging style features excellent brass writing rooted in his trombone expertise, combined with contemporary harmonies…
- Predominant era
- Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
- Lifespan
- b. 1957
- Signature
- expansive register
Bio · 31 words
John Fedchock was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and became an acclaimed trombonist and arranger. He studied at Ohio State University before playing with Woody Herman's Orchestra, Gerry Mulligan, and Louie Bellson.
01
Musical style
Sound DNA
Five shared dimensions make the arranger’s musical priorities visible at a glance.
Varied
Contrasting families shape the sound.
Balanced
Space and activity stay in balance.
Expansive
Wide spans define the orchestral frame.
Ornate
Dense detail rewards close listening.
Suspended
Motion unfolds with patience.
02
Orchestration
At the
arranging desk
“Small Hours,” orchestrated in the style of John Fedchock. 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 trombone melody meets open supporting brass voices and a separate tenor answer. This eight-bar setting uses quarter-note walking bass beneath trombone.
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 lower brass voices and hear their spacing beneath the trumpet before restoring the lead.
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 John Fedchock 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.
On the Edge · 1997
Fluffy
Fedchock's arrangements for his own big band showcase his distinctive voice.
Listen forNotice how register shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
Up & Running · 2001
Invitation
Fedchock's arrangements here demonstrate continued evolution and refinement.
Listen forNotice how register shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
Into the Shadows · 2015
Into the Shadows
Fedchock's later arrangements show mature synthesis of influences.
Listen forNotice how register 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 1997 On the EdgeJohn Fedchock New York Big Band Fedchock's arrangements for his own big band showcase his distinctive voice.
- 02 2001 Up & RunningJohn Fedchock New York Big Band Fedchock's arrangements here demonstrate continued evolution and refinement.
- 03 2015 Into the ShadowsJohn Fedchock New York Big Band Fedchock's later arrangements show mature synthesis of influences.
Voicing & register
At the section’s first attack (beat 1), the voicing is: Trumpet E5 (3); Trombone 1 B4 (maj7); Trombone 2 G4 (5); Alto sax D4 (9). Bass path: C2–G2–E2–G♯2.
Timbral combination
The background follows the melody’s attacks, so the harmony moves as a block. Tenor sax · 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.