OK… now that I have your attention, 🙂 Like a lot of my fellow composers, I have some charts that I like a lot that are really, in my opinion anyway, under performed. Sometimes it’s because they were not published by one of the really big publishing houses. Sometimes they’re not published at all. And sometimes they are tunes that have sort of fallen off a director’s radar. In any case, here are a few titles that I think might deserve a second look from you.
High School/College
Check out my arrangement of Shenandoah. It’s a flugel feature, with some very nice re-harmonizations going on. It was originally performed by the Tokyo Big Band, but other than that I don’t believe it’s been performed much, if at all, in the States. Take a listen here:
Then there’s my chart on Can’t Buy Me Love, the Beatles classic (with a little Thad added in.) The one features solos for alto and guitar, and has a challenging (and somewhat clever I think) trombone soli. Check it out:
High School/Middle School
Hailu is a unique chart, and a great ballad vehicle for your lead alto player. The melody is based on the haiku grouping of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, done here as a haunting melody with lots of moody harmonic textures and colors. It’s one of those charts that makes your band sound more mature than it might actually be. 🙂 Have a listen to Haiku here:
Nye Time has a Steely Dan vibe… half time swing/funk, lots of solo space, some cool grooves. It’s a very unique-sounding chart. Listen to Nye Time here.
I also really like Azucar, a medium-up Latin chart that can feature any soloist. Kristen Strom programmed this for the Stanford Jazz Workshop recently… it looks like a pretty your band, and they sound really good! Watch the YouTube of Azucar here.
Middle School/Developing Bands
My friend Mike Gangemi was always brilliant with young bands. He loved Abyssinia, an up-swing modal tune that sounds very hip, but comes together quickly. Listen to a recent performance by the SCSBOA Honor Jazz Ensemble here.
Beware The Moose In Love was another favorite. It’s an easy blues, but with a cool bass line/groove and, yes… optional Moose poetry. You read that right. Kids love it, audiences scratch their heads, a win-win. 🙂 Check out Beware The Moose In Love here.
You should be able to order these from the publisher, or your favorite retailer. If you’re having any trouble, feel free to reach out to me here.