My Cherie Amour (arr. Mark Taylor): Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Mark Taylor recognizes what many arrangers miss: this melody has the bones of a great jazz standard. By setting it in a waltz feel with a full alto sax feature and crafted ensemble voicings, he gives your students a chance to swing a pop song they actually know while building their small-group improvisation and section independence. It's the kind of clever recontextualization that reminds ensembles why jazz arrangement matters.

Warmth and swing in equal measure. The waltz framework gives the arrangement a gentle, floating quality while the ensemble lines and rhythm section keep it grounded in jazz language. Listeners hear the Stevie Wonder song they know, but through a lens that's sophisticated and playful at once.

Jazz ensembles at the intermediate level who want to program something recognizable and engaging without sacrificing musical substance. Directors looking to broaden their repertoire beyond standard blues heads and bebop transcriptions will find this a natural addition to a mixed setlist.

• Establish the waltz lilt early in sectionals. Three beats per measure in a swing context feels different from classical triple meter, and your rhythm section needs to lock the pocket before soloist and ensemble join in.
• Balance the alto sax feature against ensemble harmonies carefully. The soloist should float above the section lines rather than blend into them.
• Work the ensemble unison and harmony passages separately at first. Once independent lines are secure, blend them for that polished sound Taylor's voicings reward.
• Let the familiar melody breathe. Stevie Wonder's original has space built into it; resist rushing through passages even when they're playable at faster tempos.

Pair this with other pop and R&B standards in a set that shows how strong melodies can live across genres. It works particularly well in concerts that mix original jazz compositions with arranged pop hits, giving your ensemble a chance to demonstrate versatility and taste. The alto sax feature also makes it an excellent vehicle for spotlighting a developing soloist.

• Swinging triplet subdivisions within waltz meter (3/4 with jazz articulation)
• Accompanying an improvising soloist while maintaining section cohesion
• Reading and executing Mark Taylor's interior harmonic lines (not just melody and bass)
• Balancing homophonic and polyphonic textures in ensemble writing