Tango! puts a fresh spin on any young bands' library. It features some slinky Alto Saxophone and is a good opportunity to teach about the Harmonic Minor scale and maybe world music in general.

Other Features:

• Lead trumpet to G
• Clapping parts for the horns
• Improvising on the Harmonic Minor scale

"Atlantic crossing" is a modal tune with a light straight 8ths feel. I wrote this to get the kind of feeling of being alone on the quiet water. It features some wave sound effects in the brass and some room for your trumpet soloist to blow. A good teaching opportunity is the Mixolydian scale and modal Jazz as a whole.

Other features:

• Lead trumpet to F
• Wave effects in the horns
• Trumpet solo on the mixolydian scale

"A Kingdom’s Last Hope" a story telling tune. The first section is the pleading villagers, followed by a gallant hero called to action, and then to monster section and eventual heroic victory. See if you can hear the imagery. This track was featured on the "Composer's Collective Big Band" self titled record. It features the saxophone section doubling on clarinet and flute. Also featured are some evil plunger trombones and a Brass fanfare finale.

Other features:

• Sax section is: Soprano/flute, Alto/flute, 2 Tenor/clarinets, Bari/Bass Clarinet
• There is no Guitar part

"Pete’s Chune" is a Reggae chart dedicated to my high school teacher Pete Scherzinger. He told me one day that no one ever writes Reggae for big band. While now they do! This tune is a relaxed feel that’s somewhere between cut time and regular 4/4. The little melodies throughout should be played as if they were being sung.

"A Kingdom’s Last Hope" is a story telling tune. The first section is the pleading villagers, followed by a gallant hero called to action, and then to monster section and eventual heroic victory. See if you can hear the imagery. This grade 2 version is a simplified version of the original recorded by the "Composer's Collective Big Band" designed for high school players.

Andy says: "I wrote most of 'Vista' while on a summer vacation with my family near Banff Alberta, and I'm sure the breath-taking mountain scenery had an affect on the outcome. Overall I was going for a feeling of space or openness with this composition. The 6/8 feel with eighth notes grouped in two's is obviously African-influenced, and was in fact inspired by a piece from Mauritius that I happened to hear on the radio."

Other Features:

• Solo space for baritone sax and drums
• 6/8 feel and 3/4 feel

"The Dance Hall Shake” is an infectious groove inspired by Jamaican dance hall rhythms. Its melodies are very rhythmic and are played in a call and answer type fashion. The sections are often divided in pairs and the lines are very specifically marked long and short to fit the style. This tune is a good teaching opportunity to talk about working on efficient and accurate articulations.

Other Features:

• Improvising for trombone and drums
• A lot of unison

“Femi’s Flight” is an afrobeat adventure inspired by the Nigerian afrobeat sound. It features an exciting 12/8 groove and a substantial amount of unison melody in the horns, This tune makes for a fresh change in the Jazz band repertoire with a world music flavour.

Other Features:

• A lot of unison
• Solos for Alto Saxophone and drums

Andy Says: This is my homage to legendary producer George Martin, who is often referred to as "the fifth Beatle" because of his impact on the classic recordings of the Fab Four. It's basically a pop tune with a few surprises, most notably the 7/4 time signature. There are also some polytonal chords inspired by the tape-looping on "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Elements of Beatles melodies and George Martin's instrumental arrangements crop up throughout.

Other Features:

• 7/4 time signature
• Mutes for brass

“The Test” is an exciting African inspired tune in 12/8 time that’s both challenging yet accessible. It features an agile melody for the saxophones and a modal solo section with improvising on a single scale. It also features a drum solo section and some simple bass improvising off the top. This was recorded by the University of Toronto 10 o'clock Jazz Orchestra.

Other Features:

• Good introduction to 12/8
• Afro Cuban feel
• Sectional playing

Don Carlos' Dream is an intense Flamenco piece in 6/8 time. It features tight chord voicings to bring out the intensity of the piece, as well as an ostinato bass-line to anchor the ensemble.The drums can use a multitude of rimshots, castanets, and cymbals to create the feeling of dancing in the mountains of Andalusia, Spain. The piece features the melody and a solo for the baritone sax, as well as a solo for the piano. During the piano solo, the horn players clap a Flamenco pattern to simulate the rhythms of the castanets, and the stamping of Flamenco dancers.!

Inspired by island rhythms “Blue Water Sailing Club” is a fun way to get your band exposed to different rhythmic grooves. With lots of unison and easy section playing. This will be a fun and confident addition to your concert season

This original from saxophonist Tara Davidson is arranged for big band by stellar arranger Ernesto Cervini. It’s a tune of longing inspired by Tara’s favourite characters from the hit TV show “The Wire”