Jazz arranging · Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
MattHarris
dates unavailable arranger · composer · orchestrator
Harris's arranging style combines traditional big band approaches with modern harmonies and grooves, featuring clear section…
- Predominant era
- Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
- Lifespan
- dates unavailable
- Signature
- iridescent color
Bio · 33 words
Matt Harris is a trombonist, composer, and arranger working in contemporary jazz contexts. He has established himself through work with various ensembles and educational institutions, contributing arrangements that balance tradition and contemporary approaches.
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.
Layered
Several musical planes coexist.
Propulsive
Rhythm actively drives the architecture.
02
Orchestration
At the
arranging desk
“Small Hours,” orchestrated in the style of Matt Harris. Hear the parts, follow the score, and examine the decisions inside each chord.
Original miniature
Small Hours
8 bars · C major · 4/4 Straight eighths
A piano foreground meets clear open horn structures and a syncopated electric-bass accompaniment. This eight-bar setting uses a syncopated electric-bass figure beneath piano.
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 acoustic piano lead with the short electric-piano notes inside the rhythm section.
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 Matt Harris 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.
Professional Ensemble Work
Professional Ensemble Work
Harris's arrangements for professional big bands demonstrate his gifts for contemporary large ensemble 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.
Educational Contributions
Educational Contributions
Harris's work in educational settings demonstrates his commitment to developing young musicians while maintaining artistic standards.
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.
Contemporary Big Band Scene
Contemporary Big Band Scene
Harris's contributions to contemporary big band performance demonstrate the tradition's continued vitality.
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 — Professional Ensemble WorkMatt Harris Harris's arrangements for professional big bands demonstrate his gifts for contemporary large ensemble writing.
- 02 — Educational ContributionsMatt Harris Harris's work in educational settings demonstrates his commitment to developing young musicians while maintaining artistic standards.
- 03 — Contemporary Big Band SceneMatt Harris Harris's contributions to contemporary big band performance demonstrate the tradition's continued vitality.
Voicing & register
At the section’s first attack (beat 1), the voicing is: Alto sax E5 (3); Trumpet B4 (maj7); Trombone G4 (5); Tenor sax D4 (9). Bass path: C2–G2–C2–G2.
Timbral combination
The background follows the melody’s attacks, so the harmony moves as a block. Baritone 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.