Jazz Ensemble Ballads

One of the masterpieces of jazz, this beautifully crafted feature for alto sax uses a variety of styles and settings. Mostly scored as a ballad, there is a jazz waltz section in the middle followed by a

Smooth and flowing melodies blend wonderfully together to create a lush ballad that will show the more sensitive side of your ensemble. Featuring a singular tenor sax solo that shines above the brass

Here is a mysterious, richly scored ballad composed in the Cuban bolero style and featuring a solo flugelhorn. This piece is great to slow things down and show the more expressive side of your ensemble at

This Benny Golson ballad has become a standard trumpet or flugelhorn solo feature over the years. This chart is a gorgeous straight-eighth ballad at around 70 bpm that features a flugel soloist while the

One of the most famous of all Dave Brubeck works, this ballad has been recorded by such luminaries as Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Wes Montgomery. Set here in an easy flowing swing style,

Alan Baylock sets this wonderful tune in a sultry 12/8 groove played at about 72 bpm, making it feel lazy and relaxed. There are no solos, just sweet ensemble writing all the way. The lead trumpet

Here is a beautiful trombone solo feature where you can combine forces with a string orchestra in this lush work for jazz ensemble, or jazz ensemble alone. The string orchestra can easily be replaced or

Alan Baylock has created a sonic landscape for the full ensemble and a tenor saxophone soloist from one of Charles Mingus' most lovely and soulful ballads. The tenor gets the spotlight with an elongated

Based on the version recorded by Clifford Brown accompanied by strings, this marvelous ballad from 1930 provides trumpet or flugel soloists the perfect opportunity to showcase their lyrical chops.

Written for advancing groups to feature any solo instrument, this beautiful ballad with trumpets on flugelhorns changes to a double-time Latin feel for the middle improvisation section. Other than the

Lush Life  is one of the finest ballads ever by a brilliant composer and gifted arranger. As played at around 88 bpm and moving into a double-time bossa section leading into the

One of Carlos Santana's more memorable compositions is this instrumental hit from 1976. Along with Santana's own recording, the version by saxophonist Gato Barbieri also became a hit that same year. This

Here's one of those outstanding charts where the title vividly describes the contents. Paying homage to the great Neal Hefti and the iconic Count Basie Orchestra, Patrick Williams has composed a chart

A lush jazz ballad solo feature for alto sax, tenor sax or trumpet/flugelhorn, Radiant Morning features a full-ensemble introduction leading into the beautiful and melodic solo. The sax

Here is a wonderfully sensitive jazz ballad that features a tenor sax soloist throughout. This stunningly beautiful work features optional woodwind doubles and lush harmonies with muted brass textures.

Recorded in 1972, Chick Corea's Return to Forever album is recognized as one of the landmark albums of jazz fusion. Along with the jazz standard La Fiesta, the mesmerizing ballad introduced on this