A Night in Tunisia (arr. Paris Rutherford): Choral Instrumental Pak
As performed by Dizzy Gillespie / Arranged by Paris Rutherford
Item: 35-PK00422488
$20.00
Pickup currently not available
Buy Extra Parts (Digital PDF Download)
Parts Added to Cart!
Description
This jazz standard by the great Dizzy Gillespie is here arranged using an alternating Latin Swing and a straight swing style. There is lots of room to feature soloists along with an ensemble scat section. This is an important song from the Bebop era of jazz and a great arrangement by one of the great jazz educators.
A Night in Tunisia (arr. Paris Rutherford): Choral Instrumental Pak isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.
Request This Title
Tell us you want it.
Start Your Free Trial
Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00422488
More about this title
About the Artist: Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie revolutionized jazz trumpet playing and composition during the bebop era of the 1940s. His harmonic innovations, lightning-fast improvisation, and bent trumpet sound became the blueprint for modern jazz, influencing generations of players across all instruments. Beyond his legendary performance career, Gillespie was deeply committed to music education and mentoring younger musicians, understanding that jazz thrives through direct transmission of knowledge and style.
A Night in Tunisia stands as one of his most enduring compositions, blending Latin rhythmic sophistication with bebop's harmonic complexity. The piece has become a standard in jazz education precisely because it demands serious musicianship while remaining engaging and fun to perform.
Why we love this
Paris Rutherford's arrangement captures the infectious energy of the original while building in pedagogical flexibility that your ensemble will actually want to rehearse. The interplay between Latin and straight swing feels natural rather than forced, and the explicit space for soloists means every rehearsal becomes a chance to develop improvisers rather than just ensemble readers.
What to expect
Propulsive and sophisticated. You move between the lithe Latin groove and the driving straight swing feel, both of which demand rhythmic precision and harmonic awareness. There's a sense of collaborative play throughout, especially in the scat sections where the ensemble becomes almost percussive, while soloists get moments to shine with the kind of quick, clever phrasing that defines bebop.
Who it's for
Jazz ensembles, show choirs with jazz experience, and mixed groups ready to tackle authentic bebop style. This arrangement works for intermediate to advanced ensembles that have basic swing fundamentals in place and at least one or two capable soloists.
How to get the most out of it
- Study the rhythmic relationship between the Latin sections and the swing sections before rehearsing with the group. Understanding where the feel shifts will help you conduct and shape those transitions cleanly.
- Feature your strongest soloists first, then rotate younger players through the ensemble scat section so they can build confidence improvising in a supported context.
- Lock the ensemble figures on the straight swing sections; precision there makes the Latin grooves sound even groovier by contrast.
- Record rehearsals and play them back during a listening session. Jazz musicians learn from hearing what they just created, not just from written feedback.
How to use it
Build a concert around the bebop era by pairing this with another Rutherford arrangement or a piece that highlights the harmonic language of 1940s jazz. It works especially well as the anchor of a jazz history concert or as a statement piece in a mixed concert format where you want to show your ensemble's sophistication.
Skills your students will build
- Swing vs. Latin feel differentiation and stylistic code-switching
- Sight-reading jazz chord changes and comping
- Improvisation in bebop harmonic language
- Rhythmic precision in ensemble unison passages
- Scat singing and phrasing
- Listening and responding to soloists in real time