Best of Belwin Jazz: Jazz Band Collection for Jazz Ensemble: 3rd Trumpet Book

Moving from the bluesy swagger of "Lester Leaps In" to the silky ballad phrasing of "On Green Dolphin Street" to the driving energy of "Jumpin' at the Woodside" keeps your playing fresh and adaptive. Each chart respects your voice in the brass section, whether you're anchoring the harmony or adding color to the sound.

Third trumpet players in medium-level jazz ensembles who need substantial, well-written parts that develop their voice leading and section playing. This book works for high school jazz bands, college non-majors programs, and community ensembles where the third trumpet deserves more than filler.

• Balance your tone with the second trumpet line; the third part often sits below the lead and needs clarity without overpowering the harmonic foundation.
• Listen carefully to the rhythm section during ballads like "My Foolish Heart" and "On Green Dolphin Street" to lock the laid-back feel before focusing on articulation.
• Mark your breathing points in the swing charts before first rehearsal, especially in up-tempo pieces where the section moves through longer phrases together.
• Use the conductor's recordings to internalize how your part sits within the full ensemble voicing, then practice identifying your entrance cues in context.

Build a concert around four or five selections from this book to give your section a cohesive showcase, or scatter individual charts throughout a jazz festival set to vary the mood and energy. These arrangements also work well as reading material for weekly sectionals, allowing third trumpet players to deepen their jazz fundamentals without needing to transpose or adapt material.

• Voice leading in the third trumpet register within jazz voicings
• Articulation control across swing, ballad, and jazz-rock styles
• Section ensemble listening and blend at the medium jazz level
• Reading jazz notation including chord symbols and rhythmic figures
• Phrasing and dynamics in relation to the full ensemble texture
• Breathing management in sustained harmonic passages