Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement

Description: Swing - Difficult

Publisher: Jazz at Lincoln Center

This romp seems simple on paper and on wax, but one thing Duke Ellington was known for was dissonance. After the four-bar intro that highlights the feature of this tune (the upbeats), be prepared to work through each chord and tune them accordingly. There are a lot of raised ninth chords, so instruments will rub elbows pretty often. You get a great example of tension and release, whether it comes from raised ninth chords, 13th chords, or diminished chords. The tendency sometimes is to want to put the blues in our sound, but in cases like this, the blue notes are written in the voicing, mostly in the low reeds and trombones. You’ve had too much of a good thing before, right?

Part of the 2023 Essentially Ellington Competition.

 

Full Score
2 Alto Saxophones
2 Tenor Saxophones
Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Guitar
Piano
Bass
Drum Set

Trumpet 1: E6 (Optional G6)
Trombone 1: C5