High school Jazz band

The Count Basie Orchestra is THE essential big band. They play the most commonly associated big band music, they have tons of famous songs, they were highly influential in the development of R&B and rock.

And, they SWING HARD.

"Switch in Time" by the Count Basie Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSe0vKkRCrs

"Hayburner" by the Count Basie Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jl9IOqZb7U

The arranger for these is Sammy Nestico, a longtime arranger for the Count Basie Orchestra. You'll notice his name pop up a number of times in Tuesday Jazz; he's written quite a few other arrangements as well, including "Shiny Stockings" and "Front Burner," and he also composed a number of his own tunes, including "Orange Sherbert."

"Tippin on the QT" by the Count Basie Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3mGTxzzhgw

The arranger of this song is Buck Clayton, a longtime member of the trumpet section in the Basie band. This song typifies their "Kansas City riff" style of repeated phrases with subtle variations. 

"Orange Sherbert" by the Kendor Publishing Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCspMQRFOKg

"Orange Sherbert" by Mr. Dorner

This is the shout chorus

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7ZaW83kyUF4

https://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10053074

Other Count Basie classics...

"Blues in Hoss' Flat" by the Count Basie Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjlfL1ZJoB8

"Flight of the Foo Bird" by the Count Basie Orchestra (1958)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN8HHmSXjkI

"Vine St. Rumble" by the Count Basie Orchestra (1961)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCBKmACmOJE

"Sophisticated Lady" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1957)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-x3b0URm4

This is a feature for Harry Carney, the longtime baritone saxophone player in Duke Ellington's band. Carney joined the band when he was just 16 and stayed for close to fifty years, passing away just months after the Duke himself.

Harry Carney was the first notable baritone saxophone player in jazz history, and he made the instrument an essential part of the big band.

"Pyramid" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1957)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-x3b0URm4

"Swingin' the Blues" by Count Basie and Eddie Durham 

"Star-Crossed Lovers" by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn

"Night Flower" by Sammy Nestico

"Nice N' Easy" by Sammy Nestico

"Shiny Stockings" by Sammy Nestico

"Blue Cellophane" by Duke Ellington

"Riding On A Blue Note" by Duke Ellington 

"Cottontail" by Duke Ellington 

"After All" by Billy Strayhorn (1900)

"The Mooche" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1930)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXhJooGtHZ0

This is our version!

"The Mooche" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1951)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAj_dgd6x6k

"The Mooche" by the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8N6inE_6BA

The Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded lots of pieces lots of times; there are probably 20 recordings of "The Mooche" done by the Ellington band. The essential stuff is the same, but the solos are always very different. 

"Limbo Jazz" by Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN6UlJEXySY

"Limbo Jazz" arr. David Berger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvHYvC6YhXA

Coleman Hawkins just about invented the tenor saxophone; anything you ever hear on a saxophone can literally be traced back to the innovations of Coleman Hawkins! He got his first big break with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, which featured the most radical musician of the time, Louis Armstrong, who was literally inventing modern swing music night after night from the trumpet section. 

"Never No Lament" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1940)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNCCGQtOoAM

Not too long after this version was made, lyrics were added and it became one of Ellington's most popular songs, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore."

This version follows a standard big band song form but with some unconventional twists:

• Melody statement (but Duke mixes it up and has brass play melody and saxophones backgrounds)

• Melody statement (again, Duke mixes it up and has a brass solo with saxophone backgrounds)

• Melody statement (essentially, the band now backs up the alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges as he dances around the melody)

• Shout chorus! This is the "all band" groove section.

• Melody statement (piano melody and saxophone backgrounds)

"I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1938)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGkHDbazJMo

This is our version. It's happy and sad at the same time, and it just lopes along. Johnny Hodges alto saxophone solo, Harry Carney baritone saxophone solo, Lawrence Brown trombone solo, Barney Bigard clarinet solo

"Half the Fun" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1957)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcikvvpRL18

"Old King Dooji" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1938)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx6R_hq0z60

"Rockabye River" by the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1946)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BujOk9VkHXw

"Rockabye River" by the Foxboro High School Jazz Band (2017)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY44Dl_93Qc

"Rockabye River" by the Beloit Memorial High School (2016)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdJ5qPB-Sq0

Luciano Pozo González (January 7, 1915 – December 3, 1948), known professionally as Chano Pozo, was a Cuban jazz percussionist, singer, dancer, and composer. Despite only living to age 33, he played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz. He co-wrote some of Dizzy Gillespie's Latin-flavored compositions, such as "Manteca" and "Tin Tin Deo", and was the first Latin percussionist in Gillespie's band. 

"Oop Bop Sh'Bam" by the Billy Eckstine Orchestra (1946)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeLvH4OMaf4

"Manteca" by Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra featuring Chano Pozo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Tt6W-TxXs

"Oop Bop Sh'Bam" by the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra (1946)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSC0zze3dz0

"Oop Bop Sh'Bam" by the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra (2022)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcE0qH4_VvU

This is a classic New Orleans parade song, easy in the melodic structure (it's all arpeggios and scales) and very joyous, very fun to play. Our arrangement was written by Victor Goines, a New Orleans native and saxophonist with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (aka J@LC).

J@LC Version featuring Trombone Shorty

This version features young jazz musiciians including a 13 year old Trombone Shorty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9YUi3UhEPQ

Tommy Igoe tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5kk2pys_SY&t=7s

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khsy0eECpRI

Stanton Moore drum tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljMaPYw2zN4

This is the song that made Stan Getz famous! Stan was a New York kid who played in a few bands prior to this, but this recording helped make both him and the Woody Herman band famous. He was an absolute giant of jazz and was one of the primary forces behind the bossa nova craze that came to the U.S. in the 1960's. This is my personal favorite recording of his...

"Pennies From Heaven" by Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_lIEU7mz8s

This is the song that made him a wealthy man and a famous name...

"The Girl From Ipanema" by Antonio Carlos Jobim 

Stan Getz on tenor saxophone and Astrud Gilberto on vocals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5QfXjsoNe4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVdaFQhS86E

Woody Herman is the band leader and plays alto saxophone on this recording, but his primary instrument was clarinet. He was from Milwaukee! His band was a training ground for nearly a half-century of jazz musicians; he led bands until his death in 1987. He managed to continue his band despite changing musical tastes.

"Early Autumn" by Woody Herman Orchestra featuring Stan Getz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EfhG5CDu7Y

"Out of This World" by John Coltrane (Elvin Jones, drummer)

Easily in the top 5 drummers of all time, Jones mastered the art of polyrhytmic playing (multiple layers of groove, each layer played by one piece of the drumset). Seriously, listen to this track and focus only on the ride cymbal for a bit, then the hi-hat, then the snare, etc. and you'll be blown away. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ9Y0oS0lyo

"My Favorite Things" by John Coltrane (Elvin Jones, drummer)

A much more subdued Jones on this track, but still more hip than most other drummers playing in 3/4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqpriUFsMQQ

"Breaking the Girl" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Chad Smith, drummer)

This is almost an easier version of the Elvin Jones groove, but it's certainly not easy! Anything played by Chad Smith is soulful and funky, check out all other RHCP tunes and get prepared to have a new favorite band!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2hZ97x6Q4k

"Alice in Wonderland" by Bill Evans Trio (Paul Motian, drummer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSXRvgFea-0

"Teo" by the Miles Davis Quintet (Jimmy Cobb, drummer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEcJ3dauh5g