A Jazz Trio: SAB Choral Octavo
Featuring: Swingin' the Night Away / Nightingale / I-95
Music by Jay Althouse
Item: 00-PO-0004279
$2.95
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Jay Althouse has put together a trio of jazz tunes for young choirs. It opens with a light swing number, followed by a traditional vocal jazz ballad, and closes with a tight, up tempo chart reminiscent of Route 66. Written specifically as teaching songs, these pieces are perfect for training your group in classic jazz styles. Nostalgically authentic; it's as if each of the short standards were written by Count Basie himself. Three great teaching tools for the price of one! SoundTrax features a professionally recorded jazz combo.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Archive Edition: Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
16
SKU:
00-PO-0004279
More about this title
About the Composer: Jay Althouse
Jay Althouse earned degrees in Music Education and Music from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was later honored as a Distinguished Alumnus. Early in his career, he worked for eight years in rights and licensing at a major educational music publisher and served on the Executive Board of the Music Publishers Association of America.
As a composer, Althouse has over 800 choral works in circulation across all skill levels, performed regularly in English-speaking countries. A writer member of ASCAP, he is a frequent recipient of the ASCAP Special Award. Beyond composition, he has co-created children's musicals with Sally K. Albrecht, compiled vocal solo anthologies, and authored classroom resources including Ready to Read Music and Accent on Composers. His collaborative work I Hear America Singing was performed by the San Francisco Girls and Boys Choirs at President Obama's 2009 Inauguration. He resides in North Carolina and serves on the National Advisory Board of the Folk Art Society of America.
Why we love this
Althouse's ear for authentic jazz voicing shines through these three distinct charts. Each piece teaches a different jazz vocabulary (swing, ballad, uptempo swing), giving your ensemble exposure to genuine styles without oversimplifying the harmony or rhythm. The included recorded accompaniment lets singers hear the swing feel they're after, which is invaluable when teaching jazz phrasing to choirs unfamiliar with the genre.
What to expect
These pieces evoke the golden age of vocal jazz, with the first tune bouncing lightly on the swing beat, the second offering a warm, introspective ballad moment, and the final track delivering that classic Route 66 energy. The orchestration and harmonic language feel effortlessly period-appropriate, as if pulled straight from a 1940s jazz standard catalog.
Who it's for
Young choirs and school groups building confidence with jazz repertoire and style. Directors seeking accessible yet stylistically authentic teaching pieces will find these three short standards ideal for introducing their singers to swing phrasing, jazz harmony, and ensemble flexibility.
How to get the most out of it
- Listen to the recorded accompaniment several times before rehearsal to internalize the swing feel and vocabulary you'll need to teach.
- Emphasize the backbeat and tail-note releases in the uptempo sections; jazz voicing depends on rhythmic precision and release clarity.
- Shape dynamic contrast between the ballad and the swing pieces to showcase the different moods within your three-song set.
- Have your SAB singers mark where their part interacts with the bass line and comping chords to reinforce jazz ensemble awareness.
How to use it
Use all three pieces as a standalone jazz set within a larger concert, or distribute them across the year as stepping stones into the jazz idiom. The variety in tempo and mood makes them ideal for mixed-style concerts where you want to showcase your choir's versatility without asking for extensive arrangement diversity.
Skills your students will build
- Swing rhythm and jazz phrasing conventions
- Reading jazz harmony and voice leading in SAB texture
- Stylistic contrast between ballad and uptempo swing feels
- Responding to a jazz rhythm section and ensemble timing