Jazzy Merry Christmas: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts
Arr. Paul Cook
Grade: 1 (Easy)
Item: 00-PK-0005872
$42.00
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Description
Jazz up your holiday concerts with this swingin' medley for your younger ensemble. Includes "Up on the Housetop," "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and "Jingle Bells." Very Easy (2:12)
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Jazzy Merry Christmas: 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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Additional Details
Series:
First Year Charts for Jazz Ensemble
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
90
SKU:
00-PK-0005872
More about this title
Why we love this
Paul Cook understands what makes a jazz arrangement sing for younger players: accessible voicings that sound sophisticated without demanding virtuosity, clear sectional writing that lets rhythm sections lock in quickly, and enough space for soloists to stretch without feeling exposed. This medley wraps three instantly recognizable melodies in genuine swing language, so your students aren't just learning jazz vocabulary in theory, they're living it while playing music they already know.
What to expect
Bright and unpretentious. The arrangements take three melodies your students already know and dress them in proper swing clothes. There's no pretense here; just clean, bouncy jazz that lets younger players experience the real satisfaction of playing with pocket and groove.
Who it's for
Jazz ensembles in their first or second year of swing repertoire, and holiday concerts that need something genuinely jazzy rather than traditional or pop-inflected. Directors looking to introduce younger players to arranging conventions, how standards are reharmonized, how sections trade solos, how rhythm sections comp, will find this particularly useful.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the swing eighth-note feel during your first run-through by conducting in 2 and having everyone tap the backbeat. Once that pocket is locked, the medley's transitions flow naturally.
- Balance the melody across sections rather than letting lead trumpet or alto run away with it. These holiday tunes are recognizable enough that clarity matters more than soloistic showcasing.
- Treat each tune as its own brief statement rather than rushing through them. Three separate moments give you three separate opportunities to nail the groove.
- Pay attention to dynamics on the softer sections. Young players tend to push volume when they're comfortable; remind them that a controlled mezzo-forte can sound more sophisticated than a blaring forte.
How to use it
This works beautifully as a concert opener or a fun contrast piece sandwiched between more formal holiday selections. At just over two minutes, it's the perfect length for a quick energy shift without eating up valuable rehearsal time during the December push.
Skills your students will build
- Swung eighth-note articulation and phrasing
- Reading jazz chord symbols and rhythmic notation
- Ensemble balance and blend within jazz voicings
- Managing section entrances and exits in a medley format
- Differentiating articulation between jazz and concert repertoire