To transcribing a piece is easy enough if the recording is clean, but re-arranging the instrumentation is not just a case writing the dots, it requires a knowledge of the instruments range and the peculiarities it has (such as the breaks on wind instruments like the clarinet). Then you have to blend the instruments in a way that uses their strengths in the correct way.
Matt has often written brass or a string arrangement for artists who have presented him with a track or several tracks from an album they may be working on, or in co-compositions with writing partners such as Andy Hamilton and Keith Clouston (RSC) Matt is frequently presented with a melody that needs orchestrating. Some examples of these are to be found on the trumpet player page.
As well as standard transcriptions, many function bands play medleys of musicĀ where only half of a number will be played and it segues into the next number. I have arranged many medleys for Function band such as Mixed Feeling and Metropolis.
On the Led Zeppelin concert at the O2 arena, Matt’s job was to re-arrange for 7 brass players, The fanfare for the Common Man (Aaron Copeland) for Keith Emerson (Emerson,Lake and Palmer), the original pop arrangements having been lost and over the years its format had changed considerably.
Next came Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings where (along with Nick Payn) he had to arrange and reduce pieces for artists such as Paulo Nuttini, Ben E King, Soloman Burke and Sam Moore (Sam & Dave). Some of these were full orchestral originals that had to be tailored to fit a 10 piece band.
Subsequent arrangements/reductions for other artist such as Robin Gibb (Bee Gees), Paul Carrack, Mick Hucknell, Lulu, Suggs (Madness), Gary Brooker and Melanie C (Spice Girls) amongst others have been done.