Only Trust Your Heart: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Terry White's arrangement captures the relaxed sophistication of a bossa groove while keeping the ensemble scoring accessible for Grade 2 players. The inclusion of alto sax and trumpet solos gives your improvisers a genuine spotlight without making the piece hinge entirely on their performance, and the flowing accompaniment underneath provides a stable foundation for students learning to comp and respond to soloists.

The bossa style brings a warm, unrushed quality to a classic standard. There's sophistication here without pretense; the piece swings gently and invites listeners into a conversation rather than commanding their attention with volume or speed.

This works beautifully for beginning jazz ensembles ready to move beyond simple heads into arrangements with real harmonic movement and solo space. If your program includes developing improvisers and you want a tune that doesn't demand bebop chops, this fills that need perfectly.

• Balance the written bass line and comping figures so the soloists sit naturally on top; this arrangement asks rhythm section players to listen as much as play.
• Work the bossa rhythm as a section before full ensemble rehearsal; the lilting, syncopated feel falls apart if the pulse gets stiff.
• Encourage your alto and trumpet soloists to reference recordings of the standard before working on their improvised passages, which helps them understand the tune's melodic and harmonic DNA.
• Keep the ensemble sectionless and light in texture; this is not a swing chart, and overblowing will bury what makes the bossa arrangement breathe.

Pair this with another accessible standard or pop tune in a winter concert that celebrates the American songbook through a jazz lens. It also works as a strong opener for a jazz ensemble showcase, since the arrangement has enough space and clarity to warm up both players and audience.

• Bossa rhythm articulation and phrasing
• Listening to and supporting a featured soloist
• Basic jazz comping and accompaniment figures
• Reading lead sheet notation and chord symbols
• Performing with a laid-back, non-aggressive tone quality
• Phrase shaping across ensemble sections