Blues and Swing Jazz Ensemble Charts

This chart has it all - a driving swing groove, lots of strong ensemble writing, a sax soli, and plenty of solo space. Created as a tribute to the music of the great Thad Jones, this chart is sure to become

Looking for a great opener or closer? This hard-charging swinger cooks from the opening note to the final bar. Solid ensemble writing, an infectious groove, and open solo spots make this chart a perfect

Commissioned by the jazz division of the Illinois Music Education Association for the 2021 Illinois All-State Honors Jazz Band, this chart will be an exciting addition to any library. With grooves that

This Jeff Coffin chart features a traditional blues form with a couple of odd time bars thrown in for good measure. It has a New Orleans second-line groove and can feature tenor saxophone or any number of

Here's a feel-good New Orleans second-line chart that can be opened up to feature any member of the jazz ensemble or an alto sax soloist. The band will love playing this chart, and the audience will leave

Dewey was written in homage to the late, great saxophonist Dewey Redman, although it is not a tenor solo feature. A fantastic arrangement by New Orleans saxophonist and educator Michael Jenner, it

Simple and a touch complex at the same time, this trombone solo feature swings hard with a touch of the blues included. Composed for Wycliffe Gordon and the Nashville Jazz Composers Collective.

Composed in a relaxed swing style, this catchy tune is built up in layers starting with the trombones. Saxes are added followed by the trumpets, and finally the full ensemble gets in on the fun. There are

Here is Chopin's familiar nocturne reimagined as a creative jazz waltz. After the statement of the melody, a brief unaccompanied horns-only section in harmony leads to the solo section. The sax section also

Featuring a tenor saxophone soloist, Curveball is in the style of the Ray Charles big band. It opens with huge ensemble brass and bluesy sax lines that switch in and out of a double-time swing

Here's an ebullient and flashy solo feature for clarinet and big band. The ensemble swings brightly with intricate but accessible orchestrations while the bouncy solo shines with riffs and glissandi. A

This jazz classic from Sonny Rollins in the Little Big Band setting features an up-tempo Latin groove with alternating sections in swing. In this challenging, yet great-sounding arrangement, the head

A tour-de-force chart in the tradition of Buddy Rich's Channel One Suite and West Side Story. Comprising three sections, it opens with an extended fanfare by horns only later joined by the

Composed in an up-tempo swing style, but with attitude, here's a tour-de-force chart for the entire ensemble. Small ensemble scoring is beautifully contrasted with full band passages, and provides solo

Commisioned by the band director son of a Top Gun Flight School Insructor in memory of his father, this high-powered swing chart starts with a vertical take off and settles into a hard-swinging tune. The

Here's a very inventive chart which borrows liberally from Romantic era music, though set in a jazz ensemble context. There are substantial parts for all players and it's a great showcase for a pianist

Better big bands will have a great time with this chart that features a catchy, upbeat swing groove with a hip-hop vibe. There are idiomatic melodic and rhythmic themes in all the horn sections which keep

Normally performed in a Latin style, Mark Taylor has created a very hip setting of this popular standard as a medium-swing shuffle! There's nothing laid-back about this as the full ensemble opens up in a

Wes Montgomery's jazz standard is arranged here featuring both the straight-ahead swing style of the original as well as an updated samba version inspired by John Scofield and John Abercrombie. The solo

Mark Taylor uses a mix of small group playing contrasted with full ensemble passages in this early composition from jazz master Wayne Shorter. After a solo section featuring alto sax then trombone, a

Based on the chord changes to Bluesette, this original composition offers an opportunity to feature first and second trombones. There are opportunities for the other sections as well, as they back up the

Here's a dramatic and modern Thad Jones-style take on an extended blues form making for an exciting chart for everyone! Beginning with an opening glissando and punch, this chart announces itself in

Commissioned by the Jazz Division of the Illinois Music Educators Association for the 2018 Illinois All-State Jazz Ensemble, A Question of Hope is an ECM straight-eighth chart that will prove to be