My Music: Explorations in the Application of 12 Tone Techniques to Jazz Composition and Improvisation

Bruce Arnold, the New York-based guitarist-composer, educator, and author, has achieved a strikingly original sound by applying jazz improvisational techniques to late 20th century 12-tone compositional methods. His live performances and recordings with The Bruce Arnold Trio consist of adventurous explorations of this unexpectedly combustible sonic combination. This book takes an in depth look at the techniques he uses to derive his signature sound. Full scores of all compositions are included in the book. The Paperback edition contains an audio CD with all relevant compositions. The ebook edition supplies links to an on-line archive of fully downloadable audio examples in mp3 format. Bruce Arnold s music has been warmly received by the press: Jazziz Magazine wrote Finding an original spin in a world full of compositional cliches is no easy task, but guitarist Bruce Arnold takes an impressive shot on Blue Eleven his debut recording as a leader. On A Few Dozen the sound was New York downtown cool, with a banked, dry ice burn. Of this CD, the Los Angles Times said, Arnold's music never loses its contact with jazz and he deserves credit for his effort to expand the potential of the jazz palette. On his most recent CD, Give 'Em Some Arnold lets loose with hard-hitting rock riffs, prompting the All Music Guide to write (This CD) demonstrates something Schoenberg and his followers couldn t have foreseen: that serialism has applications beyond the concert hall and may even be of use to a guitar power trio. In this book Bruce Arnold takes this highly complex subject, and in simple, clear language explains the methods used in his compositions.