Instrumentation: Big Band

STYLE
DIFFICULTY
VOCALS
PERFORMER
SOLOS
    • Solos
    • Clarinet
    • Trumpet

    Minnie the Moocher’s Wedding

    as performed by the Benny Goodman Orchestra
    $80
    This wild piece starts out with Fletcher Henderson quoting of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March," but after two bars it's off to the races with tons of intricate riffs, solos, and a rowdy shout chorus at the end. Watch out for the lightening quick mute changing, which was standard practice in the 1930s. This piece makes a great wedding reception opener and many working bands using it now will open up the first solo section as a vamp to introduce a wedding party.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 4
    TEMPO quarter note = 185
    Trumpet
    Range
    C6
    • Solos
    • Tenor
    • Piano

    Flip Lid

    as performed by Les Brown and His Band of Renown
    $80
    Flip Lid comes at the peak of Les Brown's band, coming out of the swing era with Lunceford and Basie sensibilities, but tapping into the bebop vocabulary of Dizzy Gillespie's and Woody Herman's bands. Featuring the trumpet section throughout the head and a well balanced shout chorus, this swingin' chart sits right in between two eras of jazz. This is a very soft level 4, just a tad too difficult for level 3.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Bebop, Swing Era
    Level 4
    TEMPO quarter note = 188
    Trumpet
    Range
    C6
    • Solos
    • Clarinet
    • Tenor
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone

    Lindyhopper’s Delight

    as performed by the Chick Webb Orchestra
    $80
    As standard dance repertoire, Lindyhopper's Delight is a catchy riff tune with a startlingly modern middle chorus that features some relatively harsh sax harmonies flanked by thickly-voiced plunger-supported brass hits. The final chorus is a raucous one, even though the brass are in full octave unison on a concert Bb! This is a great tune for any library though, and a good, albeit sometimes tricky, introduction to plungers for younger brass players.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 2
    TEMPO quarter note = 195
    Trumpet
    Range
    A5
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Tenor
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone

    Keep Punchin’

    as performed by the Lee Norman Orchestra
    $80
    Also known as "The Big Apple Contest," this is a swing dancer staple and a must-have for any band that will ever play for swing dancers! After the famous simple intro a brass trio work plays off of a sax riff, and from there on it's simple burnin' riffs all the way home, with lots of great brass plunger work.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 2
    TEMPO quarter note = 200
    Trumpet
    Range
    Eb5
    • Solos
    • Clarinet
    • Tenor
    • Trombone

    Diga Diga Doo

    as performed by the Artie Shaw Orchestra
    $80
    Diga Diga Doo was a heavily covered tune in the 1920s and '30s, but Artie Shaw's version was one of the tightest. A hard swinging and nimble riff vehicle that has some room for solos as well, Diga is a great upbeat piece that isn't too tricky and has lots of fun moments! Saxes configured as CAATT.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 3
    TEMPO quarter note = 205
    Trumpet
    Range
    Eb6
    • Solos
    • Tenor
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone
    • Drums

    Up An Atom

    as performed by Gene Krupa and His Orchestra
    $80
    Another killin' Edwin Finckel original, Up an Atom pushes Gene Krupa's young orchestra to the limit, blurring the line between swing and bebop. Long stretches of solo space and plenty of great ensemble passages makes this a great flagwaver.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Bebop, Swing Era
    Level 4
    TEMPO quarter note = 212
    Trumpet
    Range
    D6
    • Solos
    • Alto

    A Form of Art

    as performed by the Danny Fratina Jazz Orchestra
    $95
    A Form of Art is a wild alto sax feature filled with the vocabulary of Duke Ellington and Paul Gonsalves. This is a frenetic, crescendoing rhythm changes tune featuring the alto soloing throughout. It's purely an improvisation vehicle; there is no melody for the alto to play. You must have an alto saxophone player in your band who is comfortable keeping the energy up across one long extended solo.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 4
    TEMPO quarter note = 220
    Trumpet
    Range
    Eb6
    • Solos
    • Tenor
    • Trumpet
    • Piano
    • Drums

    Swingin’ the Blues

    as performed by Count Basie and His Orchestra
    $80
    This early Count Basie barn burner absolutely crushes on the blues, with catchy section work, a killer shout chorus, and solo space for both tenors and two trumpets. Starting small up front in the key of C, this arrangement builds up with great riffs, a Durham/Lunceford style chromatic modulation, and a massive shout chorus in two parts.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 3
    TEMPO quarter note = 225
    Trumpet
    Range
    Eb6
    • Solos
    • Clarinet
    • Tenor
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone
    • Piano

    Man From Mars

    as performed by the Artie Shaw Orchestra
    $80
    Man From Mars is an uptempo puncher with some slick solo spots and cool riffs for each section. A little intricate for a level 3, but not quite as demanding as a level 4, this piece swings hard and ends with a bang.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 3
    TEMPO quarter note = 230
    Trumpet
    Range
    D6
    • Solos
    • Clarinet
    • Tenor
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone

    Bugle Call Rag

    as performed by the Benny Goodman Orchestra
    $80
    Bugle Call Rag is an all out flag waver that was a major hit for Benny Goodman. With simple chords and riffs and lots of solo space, this burning boogie-woogie/swing hybrid swings hard and is a quintessential swing era anthem.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 3
    TEMPO quarter note = 235
    Trumpet
    Range
    C6
    • Solos
    • Clarinet
    • Trumpet
    • Drums

    Anchors Aweigh

    as performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
    $80
    Anchors Aweigh is a classic Glenn Miller flag waver and it is a beast of chart. Lightning fast mute changes, rapid fire horn lines, swinging fanfare sections, and a rager of a back half make this is a difficult but exciting chart despite the unassuming source material it's based off of.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Swing Era
    Level 4
    TEMPO quarter note = 270
    Trumpet
    Range
    B5

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