Best of Belwin Jazz: Jazz Band Collection for Jazz Ensemble: 1st Baritone Horn Book

These tunes swing with the comfort of well-known melodies filtered through educational big band writing. You get the warmth of ballads, the drive of swing grooves, and the contemporary energy of jazz-rock all in one collection.

Jazz ensemble directors working with intermediate players who need a manageable but legitimate repertoire book. First baritone players in grades 8 through early high school benefit from these accessible arrangements of familiar standards.

• Lock into the rhythm section's pocket early in rehearsal; mark subdivision clearly in ballads like 'My Foolish Heart' and 'On Green Dolphin Street' to maintain swing feel without rushing.
• Listen to the conductor book recordings to internalize the intended groove and voicing style before drilling individual parts.
• Balance your harmonic role with the trombone section in ensemble passages; these arrangements depend on locked baritone-trombone foundation in the lower brass.

Build a full jazz ensemble concert around these ten pieces, mixing uptempo and slow charts to vary energy and showcase different ensemble colors. Use individual titles as standalone performance pieces in shorter jazz sets or pep band contexts throughout the year.

• Reading jazz notation and chord symbols in context
• Playing with swing articulation and feel
• Balancing lower brass voicings in big band texture
• Listening and responding to section leadership
• Phrasing across ballad and uptempo styles