FJH Jazz Ensemble Sheet Music

Teachers keep coming back to Chris Sharp's warm-up series, particularly Warm-Ups for Developing Jazz Ensemble and Warm-ups for Beginning Jazz Ensemble, which cover essential material for young ensembles. Nutville by Horace Silver and Jericho by Chris Sharp are popular choices for groups ready to tackle Grade 2 to 3 material with genuine jazz vocabulary.

Three new titles arrived recently: Salsa on the Side by Mike Pendowski, Can't Go Wrong by Ken Mattis, and Just Playin' Around by Erik Morales. All three work well for groups looking for current material with accessible instrumentation.

Chris Sharp holds a Ph.D. from the University of Miami and worked as a full-time trombonist at Walt Disney World for eleven years before becoming a composer and arranger. His orchestration experience shows in the clarity of his ensemble writing, which is why his warm-up series remains standard in school jazz programs.

Erik Morales has published over 150 works across classical, jazz, and commercial styles, with pieces performed globally. His melodic and harmonic vocabulary gives his jazz ensemble writing immediate appeal, whether students are playing a feature like In the Doghouse or learning within a larger ensemble context.

Ryan Fraley and Ken Mattis both bring strong credentials to blues and swing material. Fraley's Zifflemeyer Blues and Mattis's A Jazzy Ol' Christmas are teacher favorites, offering solid arrangements that work for both classroom and performance settings.