Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement

Description: Swing/Shuffle - Advanced

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Originally commissioned for the The University of Texas at Austin, Toshiko Akiyoshi's Ten Gallon Shuffle is the title track from the 1984 debut recording of the New York version of the big band she co-led with husband Lew Tabackin. This chart is a hard-swinging good time from the first note to the last, but be warned, it's also just flat-out hard to play. Featuring a gnarly sax soli, rangey brass parts, and some challenging woodwind doubles, your band will surely get a good workout from this one.

A boogie-woogie inspired introductory riff sets up the band's raucous first statement. After the volume tapers off a bit and the band settles into the groove, the melody commences at measure 21. Bouncing back and forth between the brass and saxes, a united feel is necessary to make the transitions between sections smooth and easy-sounding. A brief ascending figure sets up the first solo, courtesy of Tabackin on tenor sax. The backgrounds are simple and relatively sparse, but serve as effective prods to egg the soloist on when they do pop up.

Following a short brass fanfare at measure 81, the sax section gets to strut their stuff for a chorus, with occasional brass stabs to accentuate things. This soli takes full advantage of the virtuosity of the original Akiyoshi-Tabackin band's members, and will likely need quite a bit of attention during rehearsals. The soli is followed by a trombone solo courtesy of then-rising star Conrad Herwig, with the same background figures as before serving as accompaniment.

The final chorus of the arrangement begins with some cutesy trading back and forth between the cup-muted brass and the woodwinds, now doubling on various flutes and clarinets. An overexaggerated sense of swing will make this section pop out even more. The brass suddenly jolt the arrangement into high gear for the finale, beginning at measure 167 with a surprise double-time figure. The melody, and arrangement as a whole, comes to an end with Tabackin playing a raucous cadenza over a full-blast final ensemble chord.

This publication was based on Toshiko's original score and the set of parts used by the University of North Texas Jazz Orchestra - this is not a transcription.

Full Score
Woodwind 1: Alto Saxophone/Flute
Woodwind 2: Alto Saxophone/Clarinet
Woodwind 3: Tenor Saxophone/Flute
Woodwind 4: Tenor Saxophone/Clarinet
Woodwind 5: Baritone Saxophone/Bass Clarinet
4 Trumpets
4 Trombones
Guitar
Piano
Bass
Drums

Trumpet 1: F#6
Trumpet 2: D#6
Trombone 1: A4