Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement

Description: Swing - Medium Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Frank Foster's contributions to the Count Basie orchestra of the 1950s cannot be underestimated. Whether serving as the band's star tenor saxophone soloist or one of its definitive arrangers, Foster played an integral role in shaping the sound of what was the world's greatest big band. This arrangement, from Basie's 1960 album "Not Now, I'll Tell You When," is not as well known as some of Foster's other work, but in terms of quality and cleverness it undoubtedly ranks among his best.

The arrangement begins with what was one of the trademark sounds of the Basie band: a melody statement from cup muted trumpets and saxophones doubling on flute and clarinets. The density and playful dissonance of the voicings employed during this section could almost be mistaken for something Thad Jones would have written for Basie during this time period.

The arrangement begins to open up once the melody ends at measure 21, where the spotlight is handed over to a trombone solo by the plunger-wielding Al Grey. Foster wrote this portion of the chart as a way to specifically take advantange of Grey's mastery of the uppermost reaches of the trombone's range, but the solo works just as well taken down an octave. The solo begins with an as-written portion, but eventually shifts into an improvisatory gear with a break at measure 35.

After the conclusion of the trombone solo, the whole band re-enters at full blast at measure 53. The melody line of the shout section bares a significant resemblance to the main melody of the piece, but Foster breaks things up a bit by changing some of the underpinning rhythmic concepts; a prime example of this would be the shuffling feel in the saxophones and trombones at measure 61.

After the shout comes to an end, Basie plays a typically-yet-simply effective fill as the volume level tapers back down for a re-statement of the melody, complete with muted trumpets and doubling saxophones. Starting at measure 103, the dynamics continue to diminish to a barely-audible level all the way up to the final bar, where a brief flute cadenza over a dissonant ensemble trill brings the proceedings to a close.

This arrangement was written for a standard big band instrumentation. This is not a transcription - it was engraved directly from Foster's original score. We hope you enjoy playing this piece as much as we enjoyed preparing it for you!

Full Score
2 Alto Saxophones (Alto Sax 1 Doubles Flute, Alto Sax 2 Doubles Clarinet)
2 Tenor Saxophones (Both Double Clarinet)
Baritone Saxophone (Doubles Bass Clarinet)
4 Trumpets
4 Trombones
Guitar
Piano
Bass
Drums

Trumpet 1: E6
Trombone 1: D5
Trombone 2: F5 (optional 8vb)