Bewitched: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Mark Taylor's arrangement captures the standard's sophisticated harmonic language while giving the ensemble clear voice leading and a memorable tenor sax feature that becomes a showcase moment. The shift into double-time swing midway through keeps both players and listeners engaged, making this feel fresh rather than routine.

Romantic and slightly sophisticated, with a dreamy quality in the opening harmony that grounds the piece before the double-time section adds lightness and energy. There's an emotional honesty to Hart's lyric that Taylor's arrangement honors without sentimentality.

Jazz ensembles at the intermediate level that want a standard with genuine depth and enough scoring sophistication to keep all voices engaged. This works equally well for groups seeking an accessible feature vehicle for a strong tenor saxophonist or for ensembles building their repertoire with timeless material that audiences recognize and musicians enjoy playing.

• Balance the ensemble texture so Hart's lyrical melodic content remains audible even when multiple voices are moving. This standard lives and dies by its melodic clarity.
• Give the tenor sax feature room to breathe during the solo section. The contrast between lush harmony and a single soloist makes the feature more impactful.
• Approach the double-time swing section as a departure, not an acceleration. The rhythmic feel should shift rather than simply speed up, inviting the ensemble to lean into a lighter, more articulate attack.
• Let the rhythm section establish swing feel with confidence at the top. A relaxed, settled groove early on gives soloists and the ensemble permission to stretch during the feature.

Position this alongside other jazz standards in a concert devoted to the American songbook, or use it as a solo spot that stands on its own. Its accessibility and recognizability make it effective as a closer or as the anchor to a jazz ensemble set within a larger concert program.

• Reading and maintaining swing feel across sectional transitions
• Listening to and balancing multiple melodic lines in close harmony
• Supporting a featured soloist through comping and rhythmic awareness
• Executing tempo and feel changes (standard swing to double-time swing)
• Understanding the relationship between standard chord changes and jazz voicing