Riff Background

The concept of written backgrounds behind soloists comes out of the riff tradition started in the early days of organized jazz ensembles. A riff is a short melodic statement, usually bluesy in flavor, that is improvised by a single player or section. Once the riff starts, other players or sections harmonize it or answer it in call-and-response fashion. This usually builds to a climx, at which point the next section of the chart begins.

This is still how bands improvise backgrounds to support soloists and create "head arrangements". But as the art of arranging became more sophisticated, arrangers began to include written background figures and passages sos that they could create specific compositional effects and better control the form, flow and musical impression of the arrangement.

In general, write sparsely when creating background. A good background usually allows the soloist to remain in the foreground. There may be occasions, however, when you want a texture to share the foreground with the soloist. You may try to shape the direction of the phrase with composed texture and have the soloist respond, rather than lead, as the solo is developed. While some soloists may consider this approach an obstacle, it can be very dramatic when an exciting background inspires the soloist to ascend to a more intense performance.

Background writing should not last for an entire solo. For example, in a thirty-two measure solo, an appropriate background might support just the second sixteen measures; for a two-chorus solo, you might include backgrounds in the second chorus only. You can encourage a call-and-response dialogue with the soloist by leaving space in your background passages. A background is also effective toward the end of a solo. It can help establish a point of climax and release in your arrangement and at the same time serve as a transition to the next section of the piece.

Choose instruments so as to distinguish the background's sound from that of the soloist. If a saxophone is soloing, for example, use the brass for backgrounds; if a brass player is soloing, create a sax background. Consider also the timbral contrasts among instruments in different registers. Behind the bright, penetrating timbre of a trumpet or alto, for instance, you might use the darker, mellower-sounding trombones and/or tenor saxes. It is difficult to prevent backgrounds from overwhelming rhythm-section soloists (piano, bass, and guitar); for these soloists, backgrounds should be sparse or not used at all.

The following sections describe three of the most common background techniques and present examples of each.

Although riff backgrounds are often based on improvised figures that are then memorized in a "head arrangement", they can also be part of written arrangements, as shown in the music that follows.

In this passage, Tenor 1 solos over three choruses of a blues. Alto 1, Alto 2, and Tenor 2 play a simple blues-based riff background during the first chorus. In the second, the sax riff is answered by a related figure played by the trombones. Such call-and-response ideas are often "layered in" this way, the call starting in the first chorus, the response joining in when the call is repeated in the second chorus. In the third chorus of this example, the trumpets and baritone sax add yet another line, lending a percussive feel to the background

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Backgrounds based on Guide Tone Lines

Another common type of background is based on guide tone lines. Guide tones are the notes that define the sound of a chord: the 3 and 7. Used most often for ii-V progressions, a guide tone line is created by voice leading, by step or common tone, from the 3 or 7 of one chord in a progression to the 3 or 7 of the next chord. Because 3 and 7 so clearly identify the sound of a chord, they provide a clarifying effect when played as a scale line through a progression. The smooth, linear motion does not distract the listener, thereby keeping attention on the soloist. Guide tone background lines may be scored in unison or in ocatves or they may be harmonized. They may ascend or descend.

More elaborate guide tone lines:

Compositional Approach

With this strategy, the arranger becomes a composer, taking a motive from the thematic material in a piece and developing it into a background passage.

References

"Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble" by Dick Lowell and Ken Pullig, Berklee Press, Boston, 2003, page 139-144