America the Beautiful

Patriotic music for jazz bands is always welcome! This setting begins appropriately at a reverently slow tempo around 60 bpm, with the trumpets carrying the melody followed by a piano interlude. The saxophones take over with a beautiful soli version of the melody before the feel and tempo change to a relaxed bossa nova at about 120 bpm. Extensive improvisation space is available for any player and is scattered among sectional and ensemble highlights. Optional parts are included for flute, clarinet, French horn and tuba.