Flip, Flop and Fly: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Paul Cook's arrangement strips away nothing essential from the original R&B feel while making every section playable for young ensembles. The built-in improvisation section with starter licks for all three main clefs transforms students from note-readers into jazz players, and the full ensemble sections sound genuinely satisfying even at this accessible level.

Infectious and swinging, with that unmistakable 1950s R&B swagger. The blues harmonies feel familiar and warm, while the ensemble backgrounds give every player something substantial to contribute. It's a piece that makes students smile the moment they understand the groove.

First-year jazz ensemble students who've mastered the basics of their instruments and are ready to move beyond strict note-reading into style, groove, and improvisation. Band directors seeking a legitimate blues-based chart that actually teaches students how jazz soloing works rather than just assigning them solos to fake through.

• Lock the groove with the rhythm section before anything else. The swing feel and blues pocket drive everything; nail that first, then let the soloists sit comfortably on top of it.
• Use the ad lib solo starters as springboards, not scripts. Encourage soloists to hear the chord changes beneath the suggested licks and gradually develop their own vocabulary.
• Punch the ensemble hits with precision. The R&B style lives in the space between clarity and relaxation, so balance attack with the natural swing feel.
• Balance the saxophone section's blues character against the brass. Both sections have melodic lines that matter; neither should disappear into the background.

Program this early in the jazz ensemble season when students need confidence and can benefit from learning a single strong groove deeply. Pair it with a ballad and a up-tempo chart to round out a concert, or use it as an opener to energize an audience and settle your ensemble into the performance space.

• Swing feel and blues articulation
• Basic 12-bar blues form recognition
• Ad lib soloing over chord changes
• Reading and playing from lead sheets with chord symbols
• Listening to and responding to improvised solos as an ensemble