No Time Like the Present: B-flat Tenor Saxophone

This chart delivers the full Nestico experience in a Grade 4½ package: strong sax section writing that teaches voicing, a trombone solo feature that rewards your best player, and that signature shout chorus that makes an audience sit up and listen. The optional trumpet and alto parts give you flexibility when your section strength varies, and the scoring itself is so clean that even when the tempo swings, every player can hear their line.

From the first phrase, this swings with understated confidence. The sax section floats over steady time, the trombone solo invites genuine melodic conversation, and when the shout chorus hits, the whole band locks into a grooved, driving unison that feels both tight and swinging. There's joy in the execution here, not strain.

Experienced jazz ensemble directors working with strong intermediate to advanced players who can handle Section independence, consistent swing feel, and the rhythmic precision that Nestico's voicings demand. This is a performance chart, not a teaching chart; use it when your ensemble is ready to sound professional.

• Lock the rhythm section first. The walking bass and comping piano establish the swing pocket that everything else sits into; spend rehearsal time isolating these voices before adding horns.
• Find the sax section's blend before worrying about volume. Nestico voiced these harmonies to sit together; uneven voicing or too-wide vibrato spreads them apart. Work for a unified tone across the four saxes.
• Let the lead trombone soloist breathe. The solo section provides space for genuine improvisation or interpretation; avoid over-conducting this moment and let your soloist own the time.
• Build the shout chorus deliberately. Don't let excitement push the tempo up; keep the tempo steady and let the stacked dynamics and rhythmic unison create the energy.

Place this on a jazz concert alongside another Nestico chart or a piece that complements its Basie-rooted aesthetic; it pairs well with blues-based material or other swing standards. The 1:08 timing fits comfortably in a festival set or concert first half, and the sax feature gives your reeds a moment to shine.

• Reading and executing jazz articulation and swing feel across all parts
• Blending unison sax voicings and matching tone across the section
• Accompanying a featured soloist while maintaining ensemble groove and time
• Building ensemble energy and dynamics in a shout chorus without rushing the tempo
• Understanding how Nestico-style harmony sits in the horns and moves through chord changes