Grade 5+ Jazz Ensemble Sheet Music

Teachers keep coming back to Whiplash by Hank Levy and The Jazz Police by Gordon Goodwin, both Grade 5 material that sit at the core of what advanced ensembles want to play. Beauty and the Beast by Alan Menken brings Broadway sophistication at Grade 5, while The Nutcracker Suite at Grade 6 gives your strongest bands a professional-level challenge. Freedom Jazz Dance by Eddie Harris rounds out the essential rotation for groups working at this level.

Jim Snidero has contributed four new titles in the past year: River Suite, Slipping Away, Forever Gone, and Ventura. Recent additions also include It's the Talk of the Town by Jerry Livingston and Theme For Ernie by Fred Lacey, expanding options for groups looking for fresh material at the Grade 5+ level.

Gordon Goodwin began composing full arrangements at thirteen and has earned three Emmy awards for work in film and television. His pieces The Jazz Police and Hunting Wabbits rank among the most popular Grade 5.5 selections in this collection, known for their rhythmic drive and accessibility to strong high school bands.

Jim Snidero has spent thirty-five years as a saxophonist, composer, and educator, earning recognition from DownBeat Magazine as both a master musician and alto saxophone virtuoso. His recent output for jazz ensemble, including River Suite and Ventura, reflects his working knowledge of what engaged players need to develop serious musicianship.

Billy Strayhorn's jazz legacy extends back to his 1939 collaboration with Duke Ellington. While best known for Take the 'A' Train, his arrangements remain among the most recorded jazz compositions of the twentieth century, and his work here appears alongside Ellington's in premium Grade 6 material.