Edition: Jazz Octet Arrangement

Description: Swing - Medium

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

One of the trademark tricks of the Dave Pell Octet was to perform modernized, mellowed-out takes on standards dating back from the earliest years of jazz. Harry Betts' arrangement of The Jazz Me Blues, originally composed in 1920, is yet another example of this concept in action. This was recorded and released on the Old South Wails! album (1961).

Interestingly enough, the arrangement gets off to a bit of a brusque start, with some beefy 4th-based voicings and a melodic cadence that serves as a hat-tip to the Dixieland era from which the tune came. The melody follows a typical Pell Octet interpretation - trumpet and tenor start out before being joined in by a counter line from baritone and trombone at measure 17 before coming together in rhythmic unison at measure 29. The arrangement does throw a couple more Dixie-inspired tricks in just for fun, however - note the choked cymbal crash at measure 28.

Solo festivities kick off at measure 45, with a few brief ensemble interludes to break things up along the way. In this chart, the spotlight shines on tenor sax for half a chorus, piano for the final A section of the form, and baritone sax for a brief 4 bars at measure 81. The second half of the melody is played as it was the first time around, concluding with a cheeky horn tag and one last old-school cymbal whack.

This publication was based on the original parts used during the recording session, supplied to us by Dave Pell - this is not a transcription.

 

Full Score
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet
Trombone
Piano
Bass
Drums
Guitar

Trumpet: A5
Trombone: G4