“Steve Slagle speaks of things that need to be heard."—Joe Lovano
“Full of fresh, original, and inspirational ideas about music and life."— Randy Brecker
“I loved this book! And I'm not even a professional musician."—Sue Mingus
Master jazz saxophonist, educator (Manhattan School of Music), award-winning composer and arranger Steve Slagle draws on years of experience to create—in one song-packed, illustrated workbook—an original guide to tapping into the creative spark for composition and improvisation. Titled Scenes, Songs & Solos—A Composition Workbook for the Creative Musician, Slagle's trade paperback will be published in Fall 2011 by Schaffner Press.
In a highly personal and insightful style, Slagle reveals the underlying components to songwriting, providing candid advice on the mechanics of composition. Using his own musical creations as examples, Slagle demystifies the art of songwriting, and explains in detail the inner workings of each piece in terms of its melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and structural components.
The workbook, he says, is an instruction manual for “what a composer taps into," designed to lead someone down their own path by providing the nuts and bolts of the creative process. Slagle demonstrates that it is only through the complete absorption of the song in all its aspects that the musician will find the key that opens the door to original composition and improvisation.
The workbook features a distinctive structure:
- An Intro includes observations on the spirit of composition, letting music lead the way, the difference between orchestration and arrangements, and the gifts that “space" and “time" provide.
- Five chapters then outline Slagle's views on the different directions that compositions can take, including: The Blues (a musical “tone" that produces a unique mood springing from the American experience and feeling); Melody Rules (following songs on melody alone, then exploring the harmony); People Music (songs inspired by musical friends and family members, with varied rhythmic influences); Songs Over Standards (creating over a pre-existing form); and Free Songs (freedom as a state of mind, in composing and improvising).
Forty of Slagle's original compositionsare used to illustrate key points in the text, and distinct Tips boxes offer handy instruction to musicians embarking on playing these songs.
Other boxes, called Trips, relate personal experiences, anecdotes or quotes relevant to the material at hand. Scenes, Songs & Solos concludes with an Outro of “Lifestories," inspirational anecdotes drawn from Slagle's life, travels and working with other musicians. A Discography of all of the songs featured in the book, chapter by chapter, is also provided to assist the reader in locating the songs online and downloading them for further reference, learning and enjoyment.
Included in the book are photographs from Steve Slagle's collection—such as dates with The Mingus Big Band, Dave Stryker, and other live appearances—as well as archival photos of great composers (Alban Berg, George Gershwin) and musicians (Lead Belly, the late Herb Pomeroy, Elvin Jones, John Hicks, Milton Nascimento, Ray Baretto, John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie). Also included are artwork and photos by Steve Slagle's late father Bryce, who was himself a skilled artist and musician.
World-renowned saxophonist, composer and arranger Steve Slagle has been a jazz musician all his life, and has worked over the past 30 years with Carla Bley, the Grammy Award-winning Charles Mingus Big Band, Joe Lovano, Ray Barretto, Milton Nascimento, Lionel Hampton, and countless others.
He was born in Los Angeles where he got his first saxophone. He studied with Herb Pomeroy at Berklee College of Music in Boston on a DownBeat scholarship. Steve moved to New York City in 1977, where he started to work with Machito and the Afro-Cuban Orchestra (lead alto).
Steve has been involved in two Grammy Award-winning recordings, in which he performed and was also composer and arranger—The Mingus Big Band (2011) and Joe Lovano Nonet (2001). He regularly performs with the Stryker/Slagle Band, with guitarist Dave Stryker, whose most recent album Keeper was released in 2010. A longtime resident of New York City where he lives with his wife and two daughters, Slagle is also a teacher at the Manhattan School of Music, where he has taught for over 20 years.
Schaffner Press: Books of Social Relevance for Discerning Readers
Founded by former literary agent Tim Schaffner in 2000, Tucson, Arizona-based Schaffner Press is an independent publisher of general trade books in the area of fiction, and non-fiction, with a particular focus on mysteries, literary fiction, memoir, biography and autobiography. Its mission is to provide the general reader with works of quality that address major social issues of our time, and to inspire and challenge audiences with new thoughts, ideas and perspectives on the world. Visit www.schaffnerpress.com.
