Lester Leaps In: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Rich Sigler's arrangement captures what makes Young's composition so valuable for ensemble learning: a melody strong enough to anchor the piece while remaining open to student interpretation and quotation. The Grade 2 difficulty level never condescends; instead, it lets players focus on swing feel and phrasing rather than fighting the chart. The written tenor solo and trumpet range capped at G make this accessible without sacrificing the sophisticated harmonic language Young's tune deserves.

Walking contentedly through a familiar tune that keeps surprising you. The melody is warm and easy to remember, but Sigler's arrangement reveals new details each time through: clever harmonic turns, well-placed shout sections, and space for players to stretch their improvisational legs. It swings with the relaxed confidence of Young's own playing.

Student jazz ensembles ready to move beyond simple head-and-solo charts into arrangements with personality and harmonic depth. This works equally well for chamber jazz groups and full 17-piece ensembles, since the scoring adapts to different section sizes.

• Let the rhythm section establish the swing feel before the melody enters. A laid-back quarter-note pulse underneath will ground the entire ensemble.
• Encourage soloists to study the written tenor solo as a model for phrasing and space, then build their own ideas from it rather than simply playing the changes.
• Balance the trumpet lead carefully so the melody cuts through without forcing. At this level, students often push too hard; remind them that groove carries the line.
• Treat the jazz quotes and licks Sigler wove into the chart as conversational moments. They should breathe and connect to the solo sections around them.

Open a concert with this; its accessibility and audience familiarity make it an excellent warm-up to more challenging repertoire. It also serves perfectly as a teaching piece early in the jazz ensemble calendar, building confidence and swing vocabulary before tackling grittier standards.

• Reading and executing swing eighth-note feel
• Phrasing and articulation in a jazz context
• Improvisation from a written solo as model
• Balancing written melody with background figures
• Section communication within the rhythm section
• Recognizing and executing jazz idioms (quotes and figures) within ensemble context