Early Afternoon Blues: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts
By Chick Corea / Arranged by Mark Taylor
Grade: 3
Item: 35-PK00159591
$45.00
Pickup currently not available
Buy Extra Parts (Digital PDF Download)
Parts Added to Cart!
Description
Recorded by Chick Corea and Origin on the album "Change," Chick pays tribute to the hard bop era (and Miles Davis in particular) with this modal medium tempo blues. Mark Taylor's version for young players starts with a small group playing the head before the saxes take over on the second chorus. Including solo space for piano and also a flexible solo section with written samples for all players, this well-written chart will make any band sound polished.
Early Afternoon Blues: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.
Request This Title
Tell us you want it.
Start Your Free Trial
Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00159591
More about this title
About the Composer: Chick Corea
Chick Corea revolutionized jazz piano by synthesizing hard bop language with modal harmony and Latin rhythms. His work spanning the 1960s onward established him as both a fearless improviser and a composer of enduring melodic clarity, influencing generations of musicians across every jazz idiom.
Corea's recorded output documents his relentless musical curiosity. Whether collaborating with Miles Davis, leading his own groups, or exploring fusion contexts, he consistently wrote material that rewards serious study while remaining accessible to developing musicians. His compositions balance structural sophistication with playable, singable melodies.
Why we love this
Mark Taylor's orchestration respects Corea's harmonic language while building in the kind of transparency young ensembles need. The staged entrance of the saxes on chorus two gives the piece architectural logic, and the written solo samples provide a pedagogical roadmap without locking players into one approach. This is arranging that teaches.
What to expect
Warm and conversational. The piece has the patient, deliberate quality of hard bop, with enough space for individual voices to cut through without strain. There is no rush here; everything unfolds with the kind of ease that only comes from deep familiarity with the blues tradition.
Who it's for
Jazz ensembles working at a secure Grade 3 level who are ready to tackle modal blues vocabulary and solo construction. Sections with developing soloists benefit from the written examples, while stronger players can use them as springboards for improvisation.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the initial small group exposition carefully; the head needs clarity before the ensemble swells on the second chorus. These opening bars set the groove foundation.
- Work the modal harmony in the rhythm section first, isolating bass and piano to lock the blues tonality before horns enter. The feel lives in that foundation.
- Use the written solo samples as teaching tools rather than ceiling. Once students absorb the vocabulary, encourage them to build variations that maintain the harmonic integrity.
- Keep the medium tempo grounded and walking rather than pushing. A settled pulse lets the blues inflections and articulations speak.
How to use it
Pair this with standard blues heads in the same program to build a meaningful unit on hard bop language and style. It also works well mid-season when students have the technical chops to handle the demands without sacrificing musicality.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and playing modal blues changes (Dorian and Mixolydian tonalities)
- Interpreting jazz articulation and phrasing within ensemble texture
- Building improvised solos from written models
- Listening and responding to ensemble balance across changing instrumentation
- Internalizing swing feel and groove in a medium tempo blues context
- Trading sections and maintaining time feel during solo exchanges