Edition: Jazz Sextet Arrangement

Description: Swing - Medium

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Written for longtime Count Basie trumpet star Joe Newman, Ernie Wilkins' take on the old standard I Never Knew manages to create the illusion of a far larger ensemble while maintaining a levity that a greater number of instruments may have weighed down. This was recorded for the 1957 album The Happy Cats.

Part of this levity stems from Wilkins opting to utilize Frank Wess on flute for the introduction and roughly half of the melody. Not only does this create an airier sound initially, but it adds even more impact when Wess eventually switches to tenor sax at the pickups to measure 35. This is aided even more by having trombonist Frank Rehak play in the instrument's upper register (and hand in bell) most of the time, although this will make said trombone part a bit challenging for less experienced players.

Once the slickly-reharmonized melody is through, each of the horns and piano get a chance to solo for a bit before a somewhat adventurous series of staggered entrances at measure 101 lead into a key change for the melody's return. A short tag is followed up by Newman ad-libbing around the tune's A section twice more at measure 119, finishing up with a classic ending riff in the rhythm section.

This publication is based on Ernie Wilkins' original score and parts. For Newman's 1957 recording, however, some noticeable alterations were made. The trumpet solo at measure 39 is skipped over entirely, jumping straight to measure 65 for Wess, who solos on tenor sax as opposed to flute as indicated in his part. Wess also plays the solo break originally written for Newman before measure 39. The arrangement then proceeds as written until measure 119, where a solo chorus for Newman is inserted before resuming with the ending.

Full Score
Flute/Tenor Saxophone
Trumpet
Trombone
Guitar (Optional)
Piano
Bass
Drum Set

Trumpet: Bb5
Trombone: B4