Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement

Description: Easy Swing - Difficult

Publisher: Excelcia Music Publishing

Please click here for sound/score video.

We are so happy to welcome Drew Zaremba to the Excelcia catalog! Back Porch Swing is a masterful tribute to Count Basie and Sammy Nestico but it is Drew through and through. It swings like crazy!

From the composer/arranger:

"Thanks so much for checking out/performing this piece! This was originally commissioned for Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Arizona. This is a tribute to one of the great writers for big band, Sammy Nestico.

As such, this is Basie swing all the way. The Piano solo should be sparse and light, just like Basie. Freddie Green guitar should be employed the entire time, make sure the amp is off or extremely low and let the guitar player dig in!

The cup mutes should not hamper the volume of the trumpets – make sure they play forte through the mutes. It’s a timbral choice not a dynamic one. The

Trombones can also exaggerate the glissando and put some stank on it. Saxes - use lots of vibrato in the solis/divisi chords!

The chorus after the Piano solo really models after '88 Basie Street,' so reference that recording for the interpretation of this section. Make sure the melody and countermelody are as equal as possible, there isn’t one dominant melody over the other.

The drums can let loose on some Sonny Payne fills during the shout. For the last few bars, if the brass players don’t have bucket mutes, feel free to go deep into the stand for convenience.

Otherwise, just keep listening to Basie and this will all turn out great. Thanks for playing!"