Commission piece information
Instrumentation
All pieces written for standard 17 piece jazz orchestra line up: 5 saxophones (2 altos, 2 tenors, 1 bari), 4 trumpets, 4 trombones (3 tenors, 1 bass), Guitar Piano, Bass and Drums.
Additional parts are available for flute, violin, clarinet and treble clef trombones.
Accessible for students of all levels
Rhythm section parts have been made accessible for students of all levels and include -
Guitar: suggested rhythmic comps, voicings and chord symbols
Piano: suggested rhythmic comps, voicings and chord symbols
Bass: suggested written bass lines as well as chord symbols
Drums: suggested basic grooves for drum parts
Trumpet 1 range is no higher than a concert Bb (optional octave lower parts are included on the rare occasion that a higher note is written).
Improvised solo sections: our composers have made sure that solo sections are accessible for all players. The solo sections are written on all instrument parts and are based around one or two straightforward scales.
The Commissions
The levels suggested here are a guide and an easier level doesn’t mean less interesting to play!
If you would like to purchase the charts to use with your youth jazz orchestra, please contact the individual composers directly.
All recordings featured here are played by youth jazz orchestras who took part in the project during 2024.
Grade 4+
Fast Foot Shuffle by Dennis Rollins - funky disco feel, improvising on concert D dorian, includes a drum/bass solo feature
Hit the Like Button by Mike Walker arr. Iain Dixon - Gentle bossa nova feel, improvising on concert G dorian
The Seven Foot Warrior and the Accidental Unicorn by Laura Cole - Straight 8s feel, minimalist style that builds up in layers throughout, improvising on concert F aeolian
Crocodile Boogie by Iain Dixon - Funky straight 8s feel, improvising on a concert G 16 bar blues (can use blues scale throughout)
Grade 5+
Glow by Nikki Iles - Medium up tempo straight 8s feel, improvising on concert G mixolydian and F mixolydian, includes a drum solo feature, rich harmonies made easy and playable
Cascara by Flo Taylor - Bright up tempo latin feel, montuno patterns in piano/guitar parts, optional singing/clapping parts, includes a saxophone soli feature, improvising on concert Bb mixolydian
Seize the Day by Phil Meadows - Straight 8s feel that builds throughout, fast and exciting drum groove and solo, improvising on concert D aeolian/blues scale
Panda-monium by Richard Jones - Straight 8s funky bossa feel, written out piano part and piano solo features throughout, saxophone soli feature, improvising on a concert F 24 bar blues (can use blues scale throughout)
Grade 7+
Tallulah by Percy Pursglove - Opens with a brass chorale feature (optional saxophone parts available to double the trombones), straight 8s ECM type feel, use of syncopated rhythms throughout, use of advanced harmony with written comp parts for piano/guitar to help, improvising on concert C lydian
Perfume and a Hint of Cigarette by Mike Walker - Moves between gentle swing feel and straight 8s feel, guitar/piano/bass parts all written out (no comping), use of off beat rhythms throughout, contrapuntal writing within instrument sections, improvising on concert A minor pentatonic
Grade 6+
Feet First by Laura Jurd - Second line New Orleans feel, fast yet playable pentatonic influenced melodies, improvising on concert G major pentatonic, optional drum solo feature
Grade 8++
The Undergold by Rebecca Nash - Use of complex and dissonant harmony throughout, afro cuban 6/8 feel, use of cross rhythms, guitar/piano/bass parts include written melodies as well as comping, improvising on concert F# dorian and A dorian.