It Had Better Be Tonight: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Mark Taylor's arrangement captures the infectious energy of Bublé's samba interpretation while maintaining the sophistication that makes this standard endure. The scoring variety keeps both audience and ensemble engaged; this is a tune that sounds fresh every time you perform it, never settling into predictability.

Suave and propulsive. This arrangement pulls the listener forward with rhythmic momentum and clever voicings that feel both modern and rooted in swing tradition. It's the kind of tune that makes an ensemble sound more accomplished than they might expect.

Jazz ensemble directors who need a crowd pleaser with substance. The Grade 4 level allows both college and upper-level high school groups to perform it successfully without oversimplifying the compositional content.

• Balance the melody line against the ensemble figures. The tune's familiarity tempts players to rush; steady time from your rhythm section anchors everything.
• Lean into the samba feel with forward motion in the section work. Stiff rhythmic articulation will flatten the groove.
• Shape the dynamic arc across the full arrangement. Let the scoring variety breathe rather than playing everything at one volume level.
• Pay attention to the brass section blend in the tuttis. Clean attacks and unified phrasing make the ensemble punch land harder.

Open a concert or pops show with this one. The immediate recognition factor engages audiences while the arrangement's sophistication signals that your ensemble knows how to handle real jazz vocabulary.

• Samba rhythm articulation and forward-motion phrasing
• Balancing melody transparency against ensemble counterpoint
• Swing feel execution in a Latin context
• Dynamic shaping within sectional arrangements
• Section independence and blend in small group voicings