Niobe: Drums
Niobe: Drums Sheet Music Preview

Niobe: Drums

By Vince Gassi

Grade: 1 (Easy)

Item: 00-PC-0017116_D
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Description
Niobe is a fun bossa nova-style chart with a straight-eighth note feel for the young player. Vince Gassi scored Niobe with a catchy yet easy melody with written solos for 1st tenor sax and 1st trombone. 1st trumpet range is to fourth space E (written). An excellent chart! This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Niobe: Drums 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: 54
SKU: 00-PC-0017116_D

More about this title

About the Composer: Vince Gassi

Vince Gassi

Vince Gassi has been publishing music through Alfred Music since 2006, building a catalog of over 100 compositions that consistently appear on concert and contest programs worldwide. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Western Ontario and has studied composition and arranging at the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. He earned his Ph.D. in composition from York University in Toronto.

With a quarter-century of experience teaching instrumental music in schools, Gassi brings direct knowledge of what works in the rehearsal room and what engages young musicians. He serves as a frequent guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician across North America, leading workshops on creative engagement, arranging concepts, and digital workflows for music directors. His compositions have been recorded and performed throughout North America, Europe, and Japan, with regular performances at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.

Why we love this

Gassi writes with purpose for developing jazz ensembles. The straight-eighth bossa nova groove is infectious without being cumbersome, the melody sits comfortably in young ranges, and the two written solos give your section leaders concrete material to work with rather than leaving them to improvise over chord changes. Grade 1 charts often feel like exercises; this one actually sounds like a real jazz tune.

What to expect

Warm and groovy without pretension. The bossa nova lilt gives the chart a relaxed sophistication that feels grown-up, yet the straightforward melody and range keep it genuinely playable. Players come away feeling like they've performed a real jazz standard, not a study piece.

Who it's for

Young jazz ensembles in their first year of jazz repertoire, where accessibility and confidence-building matter as much as musicality. This is ideal for groups learning swing feel and section balance for the first time, and for bands preparing their first jazz concert or festival appearance.

How to get the most out of it

  • Establish the bossa nova pocket early by having the rhythm section (piano, bass, drums) lock the groove before adding horns. The straight-eighth feel should swing gently without rushing.
  • Let the written solos breathe. The 1st tenor sax and 1st trombone parts are composed, not improvised, so they're part of the tune's architecture. Rehearse them as you would any melody section.
  • Watch the 1st trumpet's high passages (through fourth space E). Young players often tense up approaching that range; remind them to maintain the same air support they use lower down.

How to use it

Pair it with another uptempo chart or a ballad to create a short jazz set for a winter or spring concert. At Grade 1, it's strong enough to close an opening set and give the audience a taste of your ensemble's jazz identity without overwhelming newer players.

Skills your students will build

  • Straight-eighth swing feel (bossa nova rhythm)
  • Section balance in a jazz texture (horn lines, rhythm section voicing)
  • Range extension for trumpet (up to fourth space E)
  • Jazz articulation and phrasing in written melody passages
  • Following section-specific solos within an ensemble arrangement

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