Get Happy: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

$44.00 USD

Get Happy: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Get Happy: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-JEM00058
Price: 44.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Arr. Ralph Ford

Grade: 2 (Medium Easy)

Item: 00-JEM00058

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Here's a swinger with a New Orleans twist. GET HAPPY will help your band and audience do just that with arranger Ralph Ford's super chart. A clever use of a street beat contrasting with a swing feel makes this chart really take off. Add some solo space for trumpet and tenor (solos provided), keep the ranges easy, mix in the Ralph Ford touch, and you have everything you need for a successful performance. Great chart for the young band!

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Get Happy: 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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Series: Young Jazz Ensemble

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 110

UPC: 654979190066

SKU: 00-JEM00058

More about this title

About the Arranger: Ralph Ford

Ralph Ford (b. 1963) has spent nearly three decades teaching music at the university level while maintaining an equally prolific career as a composer and arranger. His work spans orchestras, concert bands, jazz ensembles, and marching ensembles, with over 250 titles published through Alfred Music's Belwin division and performed worldwide by school, university, military, and professional groups.

Beyond the concert hall, Ford has built a substantial portfolio in media production, including radio broadcasts, television scoring, commercial jingles, and news packages for national networks. He began his arranging career at fifteen in Panama City, Florida, and served as Director of Jazz Ensemble I during his undergraduate years at Troy State University, where he later earned his Master of Science degree and taught arranging, orchestration, and jazz studies.

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Why we love this

Ralph Ford's arrangement captures the infectious energy of New Orleans jazz while keeping the instrumentation and ranges accessible for young ensembles. The interplay between a street beat and swing feel creates genuine rhythmic sophistication without overwhelming players, and the included trumpet and tenor solos give students real solo voices to develop alongside the section writing.

What to expect

Get Happy moves with the infectious bounce of a street parade infused with jazz swing. The arrangement swells with joy and movement, giving young musicians the immediate satisfaction of playing something that sounds genuinely fun and alive.

Who it's for

Jazz ensembles at the Grade 2 level will find this chart both achievable and rewarding. Directors looking to introduce young players to the contrast between straight rhythms and swing in a single piece will appreciate how Ford structures the arrangement to build understanding naturally.

How to get the most out of it

Establish the street beat groove early in rehearsals before layering the swing feel on top of it; the contrast is what makes the chart work, and players need both feels solid in their hands before they combine.
Let the featured trumpet and tenor soloists know they can shape their phrasing naturally rather than rigidly adhering to the comping underneath; this is jazz, and their confidence will set the tone for the whole performance.
Balance the dynamics of the front line against the rhythm section so the solos cut through without drowning out the supporting voices.

How to use it

This works beautifully as a spring concert opener or closer, where its upbeat character can energize both audience and ensemble. Program it alongside more traditional jazz standards to show students how New Orleans traditions continue to shape contemporary jazz writing.