Jazz arranging · Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
RobMcConnell
1935–2010 arranger · composer · orchestrator
McConnell's arranging style featured excellent brass writing combining sophisticated harmonies with strong swing feeling, showcasing the…
- Predominant era
- Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
- Lifespan
- 1935–2010
- Signature
- iridescent color
Bio · 41 words
Robert Murray Gordon McConnell was born in London, Ontario, Canada, and became one of North America's finest big band leaders and arrangers. He played valve trombone and led the Boss Brass, an all-brass and rhythm big band, for over 40 years.
01
Musical style
Sound DNA
Five shared dimensions make the arranger’s musical priorities visible at a glance.
Iridescent
Instrumental color leads the design.
Balanced
Space and activity stay in balance.
Expansive
Wide spans define the orchestral frame.
Layered
Several musical planes coexist.
Elastic
The rhythmic feel expands and contracts.
02
Orchestration
At the
arranging desk
“Small Hours,” orchestrated in the style of Rob McConnell. 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 develops through reed-and-brass counterpoint into a broad ensemble closing gesture. 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 reed voices, then add the brass and compare the two colors within the same rhythm.
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 Rob McConnell 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.
Big Band Jazz · 1979
Big Band Jazz
McConnell's arrangements for the Boss Brass showcase his distinctive approach to all-brass big band.
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.
Overtime · 1983
Overtime
McConnell's arrangements here demonstrate his mature style.
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 25th Year · 1993
Tribute to Basie
McConnell's arrangements celebrating the band's longevity demonstrate sustained quality over decades.
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 1979 Big Band JazzRob McConnell and the Boss Brass McConnell's arrangements for the Boss Brass showcase his distinctive approach to all-brass big band.
- 02 1983 OvertimeRob McConnell and the Boss Brass McConnell's arrangements here demonstrate his mature style.
- 03 1993 Our 25th YearRob McConnell and the Boss Brass McConnell's arrangements celebrating the band's longevity demonstrate sustained quality over decades.
Voicing & register
At the section’s first attack (beat 1), the voicing is: Trumpet E5 (3); Alto sax D5 (9); Tenor sax B3 (maj7); Trombone G3 (5); Baritone sax E3 (3). Bass path: C2–G1–E2–G♯2.
Timbral combination
The background follows the melody’s attacks, so the harmony moves as a block. Muted 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.