Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement

Description: Swing - Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Avenue C is considered one of the cornerstone performances of the classic era of the Count Basie Orchestra. This arrangement, courtesy of the pen of Frank Foster, is effectively a re-orchestration that follows the form of the original extremely closely, with the main differences being some updated, modernized harmonies. It was recorded by the Basie band on their commemorative album The Count Basie Story, which was released in 1961 to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary.

This is a classic example of a "head" arrangement - it's not a clearly defined melody as much as it is a series of riffs built around a series of solos that can be easily customized on the fly. Although there is a clearly designated sequence of soloists and solo lengths, you are encouraged to take advantage of the chart's loose structure in order to add additional choruses or soloists if you're so inclined.

Once the soloists have said their piece, the band comes together for a shout chorus that carries on through the rest of the arrangement. The first major melodic riff is carried by the saxophones at measure 109, while the second is carried by the trombones at measure 121, with the non-melody sections providing a secondary supported riff. An eight bar drum solo leads into the final extended tag, with the conclusion marked by the trumpets ascending to a climactic high note and a rhythm section "thud" bringing things to a quick, clean ending.

This arrangement has largely been prepared from the Basie band's original parts. Unfortunately, a few of these parts (tenor sax 1, trumpets 2 and 3) have been lost over the years. They have been transcribed and recreated from the original recording accordingly.

This publication was prepared from the original set of parts used for the 1961 recording session - this is not a transcription.

 

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

Trumpet 1: G6
Trumpet 2: Eb6
Trombone 1: Bb4