The Arrangers on Jazz FM
We're set to celebrate 'The Arrangers' in a brand-new series on Jazz FM
Hosted by musician and broadcaster Joe Stilgoe, we learn about arrangers in jazz, the new series will feature exclusive contributions from Jules Buckley, Siedah Garrett, and Guy Barker.
The series launches with a celebration of Quincy Jones on the eve of his 90th birthday
A new landmark four-part series is to launch on Sunday 12th March, which will look at the role of the arranger in jazz music. Known as a genre based in improvisation, musician and broadcaster Joe Stilgoe looks to explore what an arranger’s place is in jazz, and how they achieve it in “The Arrangers”.
Throughout the series, Joe will talk to many musicians an arrangers themselves, including Vince Mendoza, Ollie Howell, Rosie Frater-Taylor, Guy Barker and Jules Buckley. Together they will look at the role of arranging through the themes “Orchestration”, “Romance” and “Education”. Joe will also be joined throughout the series by accomplished arranger and educator Tom Richards who will demystify these key themes.
The series’ first episode throws the spotlight on one of the greatest living arrangers in the music today – Quincy Jones, who turns 90 that week. One of the most successful musicians and arrangers of his generation, Quincy has 80 GRAMMY® nominations to his name alongside his 28 wins and was not only responsible for releases under his own name, but as an arranger for the likes of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Sinatra. He later went on to take the pop world by storm in arranging and producing some of the biggest selling albums of all time. In this programme, Joe will talk with Siedah Garrett and Toto’s David Paich along with many others about working with Quincy, and visit some unheard archive audio from Quincy Jones himself.
Of the series Joe Stilgoe says : “I grabbed the opportunity to make a series about arrangers with both ears as I feel it’s very much a dark art for lots of people - many record producers are well known and celebrated the world over but arrangers, who often do so much of the work with little fanfare, have mostly been fairly anonymous to the wider public. The aim was to peek into their world while making the conversations accessible, and to celebrate the people who are there to realise musical ideas in the most meticulous, ingenious and beautiful way. This series aims to makes stars of those who work in the shadows.”
The Arrangers episode schedule and overview:
Episode 1 - Quincy Jones
Sunday 12th March, 9pm
As Quincy Jones turns 90, Joe throws the spotlight on the arrangers' Arranger. Quincy – known for his production of million-selling 1980s and 1990s pop songs – is a jazzman and arranger by trade, and in this special episode to kick the series off, the great and the good talk about how Quincy has influenced them and for those that have, what it’s like working with him. This episode also features unheard audio from a National Jazz Archive interview with Quincy from 1963.
Episode 2 - Orchestration
Sunday 19th March, 9pm
Joe takes on the difficult task of making sense of the mystery that is orchestration with the help of resident experts Tom Richards and Sarah Freestone. Also explaining some of his journey into arranging is one of the top jazz arrangers and orchestrators in the UK, Guy Barker, who joins Joe at the Jazz FM piano to help him illustrate. Joe also uses music from Jacob Collier and Cleo Laine to illustrate some of his favourite orchestrations and what makes them so special.
Episode 3 - Romance
Sunday 26th March, 9pm
One of the most magical and mysterious things about music is the way it can make us feel. Joe meets with one of the world’s most renowned arrangers, Vince Mendoza, to talk about what he sees to be the secret of provoking an emotional response through music. Tom Richards and Sarah Freestone also feature, shedding light on the technicalities of creating the sound of romance in music, and members of the Jazz FM Family, Nigel Williams, Sarah Ward, Helen Mayhew and Yolanda Brown share what they see to be the most romantic pieces of music and why.
Episode 4 - Education
Sunday 2nd April, 9pm
After exploring the ‘art of arranging’ through orchestration, and romance and looking at one of the greatest masters of the craft, Quincy Jones, Joe explores the process of becoming an arranger. How easy is it to turn one’s hand to it, and for those who want to become an arranger, what sort of path might it take? Jules Buckley, known for his stunning pop arrangements shares his story as an arranger, and up-and-coming guitarist and singer-songwriter Rosie Frater-Taylor, who tried her hand at arranging more recently, shares her experience of starting off arranging. Finally, Joe reflects on what he’s learnt to be the secret to arranging through the series.