Best of Belwin Jazz: Young Jazz Collection for Jazz Ensemble: 2nd B-flat Trumpet Book

Twelve different moods across one collection: you'll navigate the festive snap of Big Band Holiday, the smooth introspection of a ballad treatment, the propulsive energy of Moondance, and the straight-ahead swing of Count Bubba's Revenge. Each arrangement respects the idiom it inhabits.

Young jazz ensemble programs looking for accessible, musically substantial repertoire in one book. Second trumpet players at the high school or middle school level who are still building independence in jazz contexts.

• Establish the swing feel early in rehearsals by locking in with the rhythm section on the written figures; even eighth-note interpretation varies dramatically between a swing tune and a rock piece, so nail the style from day one.
• Work the written-out solos alongside the full ensemble; these aren't improvisation studies, so treat them as composed lines that need phrasing and articulation to match the soloist's intent.
• Balance your sound against the saxophone section during hits and background figures; second trumpet often carries inner harmony that gets lost if volume isn't matched to theirs.
• Use the rhythm suggestions in the conductor's book to guide your own rhythmic interpretation, especially in Latin and rock charts where the trumpet voice locks to specific groove patterns.

Program individual charts across the year rather than performing the entire collection at once; the stylistic variety means you can pull a Latin number for one concert, a holiday piece for December, and a ballad for a smaller ensemble showcase. The reduced instrumentation option makes this flexible for programs without a full jazz band.

• Reading and executing swing articulation and rhythmic interpretation
• Playing written jazz solos with appropriate phrasing and dynamics
• Balancing harmonic voices within a big band texture
• Adapting to multiple jazz styles (swing, ballad, Latin, rock) in a single book
• Responding to rhythm section grooves and adjusting ensemble timing