It Had Better Be Tonight: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Michael Brown's arrangement captures the cool sophistication of Mancini's original while injecting the kind of rhythmic drive that makes audiences lean forward in their seats. The Latin groove gives your band genuine stylistic territory to explore beyond standard concert repertoire, and the brass writing is both exciting and playable at Grade 3.

Smooth, sophisticated, and swinging. The driving Latin pulse underneath gives the tune a contemporary edge while the familiar melody ensures instant audience connection. You're somewhere between a film score and a jazz club; elegant but never stuffy.

Bands ready to branch into jazz and popular standards without sacrificing musicality or conductor control. The Grade 3 level welcomes ensembles that have solid fundamentals but may lack experience with syncopated Latin feels.

• Lock the Latin rhythm section (rhythm guitar feel in the pit, steady kick drum on the backbeat) before layering in the melody; this foundation makes everything else click into place.
• Shape the brass riffs with dynamic intention rather than playing them as mere accompaniment; they're as much the story as the melody is.
• Let the 2:45 duration work for you as a pacing tool in your concert. This piece moves with enough energy to shift momentum between heavier works.

Pair this with other Mancini arrangements or standards to build a focused set, or use it as the high-energy bridge between classical and contemporary selections. It works especially well in spring pops concerts where you want to establish jazz credibility without technical overreach.

• Reading and executing Latin rhythmic patterns (clave, syncopation)
• Balancing melodic lines against rhythmic brass ostinatos
• Controlling dynamic intensity in riff-based writing
• Interpreting jazz articulation and phrasing conventions