Browse advanced jazz ensemble scores for collegiate and professional players, with recordings and synchronized previews where available.
Featured Scores
Jazz EnsembleAfterthoughtThis laid-back swing chart pairs the drums with the warm blend of flugelhorns and trombones. Trombone and trumpet soloists explore contemporary changes across two contrasting sections before a bright shout chorus brings the full ensemble—and especially the saxophone section—to the foreground.
Jazz EnsembleTrial RunDrawing on early 20th-century classical techniques, Trial Run uses nonfunctional harmony and mixed-section groupings to challenge the ensemble’s blend and intonation. A funk- and blues-based guitar feature invites the use of distortion, while the demanding tenor saxophone solo offers room for a highly individual statement.
Jazz EnsembleLiltA lighthearted reflection on the Irish countryside, Lilt evokes the character of traditional Irish music through an expansive contemporary jazz setting. Tenor saxophone and trumpet are featured in open modal solos that suggest the landscape’s broad pastoral spaces.
Jazz EnsembleAfterthoughtThis laid-back swing chart pairs the drums with the warm blend of flugelhorns and trombones. Trombone and trumpet soloists explore contemporary changes across two contrasting sections before a bright shout chorus brings the full ensemble—and especially the saxophone section—to the foreground.
Jazz EnsembleBeneath the Veiled MoonInspired by the sight of an orange-red moon emerging through clouds far from city lights, this through-composed work captures a serene nocturnal atmosphere. A lyrical trumpet feature floats above the ensemble’s warm, richly colored textures.
Jazz EnsembleBlue PeaceInspired by Maria Schneider’s compositional language—particularly “Green Piece”—this straight-eighth chart surrounds the ensemble with a broad palette of contemporary colors. The soprano saxophonist receives extensive space for modal improvisation.
Jazz EnsembleBread, Apples, and Very Small RocksOne of the composer’s most angular, contemporary works, this chart gives the entire ensemble opportunities for free improvisation. Pointillistic writing at the opening and close tests the band’s rhythmic precision, while a persistent ostinato anchors the music in a modern groove.
Jazz EnsembleEleventh Hour BluesInspired by Neal Hefti’s “Splanky” for the Count Basie Orchestra, this blues spotlights piano, alto saxophone, and trombone. A saxophone soli and a series of full-ensemble peaks give the chart classic big-band drive.
Jazz EnsembleEventideEventide moves its featured trombonist from relaxed medium swing into an energetic hip-hop groove. The ensemble trades phrases with the soloist and steps forward in vivid tutti passages.
Jazz EnsembleFields of GreenBright in character and rich in slash-chord harmony, Fields of Green gives the pianist an extended unaccompanied solo at its center. When the ensemble returns, the melody continually transforms, carrying its momentum through the final chord.
Jazz EnsembleFigure It OutCommissioned by the New York Youth Symphony Jazz Band for its 2011 “Basie and Beyond” concert featuring Marcus Printup, Figure It Out honors the Basie arranging tradition while pushing its language forward. A rubato piano introduction offers a fresh take on the classic Basie opening before the featured trumpet enters for an extended solo, balanced by lively ensemble tuttis.
Jazz EnsembleFiresideThis concise ensemble feature explores a wide range of instrumental groupings and timbral combinations in a style influenced by Vince Mendoza. A late trumpet solo emerges before the full band takes over in a sweeping climax.
Jazz EnsembleForethoughtCommissioned in 2019 by Collin Wilson for the Columbia Basin College Jazz Ensemble, Forethought unfolds in a contemporary straight-eighth feel, moving through cinematic moods, ethereal textures, broad dynamic contrasts, and a vivid harmonic palette. Trumpet, soprano saxophone, and drum set serve as the primary improvisers, with additional solo moments for piano and bass.
Jazz EnsembleA Fool's HopeIn this dramatic chart, the “fool” is the pianist, locked in a struggle with the band for harmonic control. A lyrical opening and return frame an expressive tenor saxophone solo, while the piano–ensemble conflict drives the music’s central tension.
Jazz EnsembleFree PlayInspired by Stephen Nachmanovitch’s book Free Play, this fast contemporary swing chart is built around a commanding tenor saxophone soloist who improvises nearly throughout. After a powerful late climax, demanding woodwind doubles shift the color before muted brass bring the driving work to a quiet close.
Jazz EnsembleGliding Through DarknessWritten for trombonist Jim Pugh in 2014, this spacious ballad sets the soloist against open, modal harmony. Woodwind doubles add shifting orchestral color and give the reed section a prominent role in shaping the atmosphere.
Jazz EnsembleHeuristicsWritten for the composer’s 2013 graduate recital at the Manhattan School of Music, Heuristics juxtaposes a pointed, angular first theme with a lyrical second idea. Metric modulations and shifting odd meters create a sustained rhythmic challenge for the ensemble.
Jazz EnsembleH F LH F L — “higher, faster, louder” — examines the competitive, athletic spirit associated with jam sessions and the big bands of Buddy Rich, Don Ellis, and Maynard Ferguson. The piece embraces that aggressive energy while balancing it with the composer’s characteristic emphasis on melody, nuance, and musical shape.
Jazz EnsembleHope EternalWritten for the Meetinghouse Jazz Orchestra’s 2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Day concert, Hope Eternal pairs a clear, uplifting melody with march-like rhythms and a subtle patriotic character. Tenor saxophone, trombone, and trumpet solos ride an energetic rhythm-section groove before the full band reaches a triumphant climax and settles into a more somber close.
Jazz EnsembleIf I Only Had Seven Giant BrainsCommissioned by Glenn Wilson in 2009, this ingenious mashup transforms “If I Only Had a Brain” through the musical lenses of “Giant Steps” and “Seven Steps to Heaven.” The rowdy big-band arrangement amplifies the source material’s humor with extensive metric modulation and quotations from other songs in The Wizard of Oz.
Jazz EnsembleLament for BobCommissioned by the U.S. Air Force Airmen of Note in 2012, Lament for Bob honors Bob Brookmeyer, one of the composer’s defining influences. A trombone chorale expands with the addition of flugelhorns, gathering momentum toward an extended flugelhorn feature. The full band ultimately rises into a primal cry before slowly dissolving into silence.
Jazz EnsembleThe Last StrawOne of the composer’s most ambitious large-ensemble works, The Last Straw explores the harmonic possibilities of the augmented scale across a wide-ranging form. Soprano saxophone and flugelhorn share the spotlight in a double concerto of sorts, with featured moments for bass trombone and bass.
Jazz EnsembleLiltA lighthearted reflection on the Irish countryside, Lilt evokes the character of traditional Irish music through an expansive contemporary jazz setting. Tenor saxophone and trumpet are featured in open modal solos that suggest the landscape’s broad pastoral spaces.
Jazz EnsembleLooking BackThis dark, romantic medium-tempo waltz offers a rewarding challenge throughout the ensemble. Cross-sectional writing and varied instrumental colors create a richly textured experience for performers and listeners.
Jazz EnsembleMaelstromCommissioned and premiered by the New York Youth Symphony Jazz Band at Jazz at Lincoln Center on March 16, 2015, Maelstrom depicts a ship caught in a powerful whirlpool. Calm breaking waves escalate into a violent struggle as the vortex gathers strength; the tempest eventually subsides, leaving the ship’s fate unresolved.
Jazz EnsembleMTAMTA deconstructs Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the ‘A’ Train,” reshaping familiar elements into an original contemporary setting. Distinctive solo sections feature trumpet and baritone saxophone.
Jazz EnsembleNight SuiteCommissioned by trombonist Jim Pugh and featured at the 2014 International Trombone Festival in Rochester, New York, Night Suite is a 25-minute work for solo trombone and big band. Its three movements — “Eventide,” “Gliding Through Darkness,” and “Too Late” — trace a broad arc through contrasting nocturnal moods.
Jazz EnsemblePongThis playful chart pays tribute to Atari’s classic video game as trombone and tenor saxophone volley the melody back and forth, then improvise over rhythm changes. A bluesy saxophone soli nods to Thad Jones, while powerful brass writing keeps the energy high for performers and audiences alike.
Jazz Ensemble¿Quién Sabe?Written in 2012 for the Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra under Bobby Sanabria, ¿Quién Sabe? (“Who Knows?”) combines Brazilian baião and samba rhythms with jazz harmony and funk. Alto saxophone solos over the modal baião section, baritone saxophone takes the spotlight in the samba, and the full band drives several climactic passages.
Jazz EnsembleThe ThingBuilt on the changes of “All the Things You Are,” The Thing collides swing and funk in a harmonically adventurous contrafact. Multiple solo features are framed by a full-band opening statement and a closing chorale.
Jazz EnsembleToo LateWritten for the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop in spring 2014, Too Late pairs an open straight-eighth feel with a modern palette of diatonic color. Piano and soprano saxophone are featured before the drums begin trading phrases with the full ensemble.
Jazz EnsembleTrial RunDrawing on early 20th-century classical techniques, Trial Run uses nonfunctional harmony and mixed-section groupings to challenge the ensemble’s blend and intonation. A funk- and blues-based guitar feature invites the use of distortion, while the demanding tenor saxophone solo offers room for a highly individual statement.
Jazz EnsembleWindsor BlueNamed for “Windsor Blue Number Seventeen,” a painting by fictional artist Rabo Karabekian in Kurt Vonnegut’s Bluebeard, this chart continually develops its core musical material. Trumpet and trombone solos unfold over rock and metal grooves, while demanding doubles keep the woodwind section fully engaged.
