Chase the Clouds Away: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score

Mike Lewis's arrangement strips away complexity without compromising Mangione's gift for memorable melody. You get a piece that sounds sophisticated and complete with young players, no exposed soloists to cast or coach through difficult passages, and a manageable trumpet range that keeps your section confident and balanced.

Haunting yet accessible, with a gentle forward momentum that never demands urgency. The writing creates space for players to breathe and listen to each other, building ensemble awareness through transparent voicing and unison moments that knit the group together.

Young jazz ensembles with players still building confidence in their sections. This arrangement works equally well for first-year jazz students and established groups looking for a reliable ballad that sounds polished without requiring extensive rehearsal time.

• Shape the unison passages with attention to phrase breathing rather than mechanical articulation; these moments need to sing as one voice.
• Let the harmony in thirds unfold naturally without rushing the tempo; the lyrical quality lives in the space between notes, not the notes themselves.
• Balance upper and lower voices carefully during harmonic sections so the inner lines don't disappear beneath the melody.

Program this as a contrasting piece between uptempo selections to showcase your ensemble's ability to balance energy with restraint. It works beautifully in jazz concerts, evening performances, or assessment contexts where you want to highlight musicality and cohesion rather than technical display.

• Reading and executing unison passages with ensemble blend and phrase continuity
• Balancing harmonic voices, particularly thirds, where inner parts must remain audible
• Sustaining tone quality and intonation over longer lyrical phrases
• Jazz phrasing and articulation appropriate to ballad tempos