Cute: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts
By Neal Hefti / arr. Calvin Custer
Grade: 3 (Medium)
Item: 00-PK-0002437
$52.00
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Description
We welcome Calvin Custer to the Warner Bros. Jazz writing team. Here is Calvin's great arrangement of the Neil Hefti classic, designed to feature your drummer. The center section of this chart really swings! The playing demands are moderate, but the jazz opportunities are great. Give your students the opportunity to experience this fantastic standard in a fresh new arrangement. (duration 3:49)
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Cute: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
Jazz Band Series
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
106
SKU:
00-PK-0002437
More about this title
About the Composer: Neal Hefti
Neal Hefti (1922-2007) composed and arranged for some of the most celebrated big bands and vocalists of the mid-20th century. His work with Count Basie, Harry James, and Frank Sinatra established him as a master of swinging, accessible orchestration that never sacrificed sophistication for popularity. Hefti's gift was writing melodies and charts that sounded effortless and felt great to play, qualities that have made his standards enduring fixtures in jazz education.
Why we love this
Calvin Custer's arrangement strips away nothing essential from Hefti's original while building the piece around your drummer, turning what could be a standard head-and-solos vehicle into a showcase for rhythm section interplay. The moderate difficulty paired with genuine jazz vocabulary means your ensemble gets real swing experience without drowning in technical demands. It's the kind of chart that sounds sophisticated without sounding pretentious.
What to expect
Effortlessly cool, with a melodic hook that sticks in your head long after rehearsal ends. The center section swings with the kind of relaxed pocket that makes musicians smile, while the arrangement respects Hefti's original elegance without getting bogged down in complexity.
Who it's for
Jazz ensemble directors programming Grade 3 literature that offers both musical substance and student engagement. This works equally well for high school ensembles ready to experience a genuine standard and college recreational jazz groups seeking accessible, swinging material.
How to get the most out of it
- Let the center section breathe. The swing really lands when the ensemble settles into the groove rather than rushing to show off technique.
- Balance your drummer up in the mix during solos. This arrangement wants the drum part heard clearly, so the comping and shout choruses land with impact.
- Use the rhythm section as your tuning reference. Lock the bass and piano together first, then balance the horns around that foundation.
- Shape the phrases with dynamics rather than tempo shifts. Hefti's melodies want air and direction, not mechanical precision.
How to use it
Pair this with your other Hefti charts or other mid-century standards to build a themed concert around authentic swing-era writing. It also works beautifully as a crowd-pleasing closer that demonstrates your ensemble's jazz chops without exhausting them near the end of a concert.
Skills your students will build
- Swing feel and jazz articulation in ensemble settings
- Comping and rhythm section communication
- Soloing over jazz changes with a simple but swinging melody as reference
- Listening to and supporting featured soloists (especially the drummer)
- Phrasing and dynamic shaping in a jazz context