Play That Funky Music: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Gordon Goodwin's arrangement captures everything that makes the original irresistible while giving your ensemble genuine ownership of the groove. The alto sax spotlight is a gift for a player with attitude and technical command, and the rhythm section responsibility means everyone from drums through bass must stay locked and funky throughout. This chart swings with personality while remaining playable at the advanced level.

Immediate, infectious, and unapologetically funky. The chart maintains the original's swagger and groove sensibility while expanding the arrangement to showcase ensemble colors and harmonic sophistication. From the first notes through the extended alto showcase, the music invites listeners into a confident, contemporary sound that feels both grounded in funk tradition and energized by jazz voices.

Directors with a solid jazz ensemble and an alto saxophonist who has both contemporary chops and the stylistic maturity to carry a feature solo. This chart rewards tight rhythm sections that understand funk pocket and ensemble members who can lock into a groove while supporting a strong soloist. Advanced high school and college ensembles will find genuine musicianship challenges here.

• Build the rhythm section's confidence in the pocket before rehearsing with the full ensemble. Have drums, bass, and piano establish the groove independently so their collective lock feels inevitable rather than fought.
• Balance the alto sax feature carefully. This soloist needs to soar above the ensemble without losing the groove; the band's job is to push the rhythm harder when the sax pushes the melody.
• The altissimo passages demand pure air support and confident voicing from your alto player. Encourage exploration of those high register colors in sectional rehearsals so they arrive at the full ensemble performance with ownership.
• Let the funk breathe. Temper the urge to clean up every rhythmic edge. The chart thrives on a slightly behind-the-beat feel and relaxed phrasing that reads as cool, not sloppy.

Program this as a showstopper in a jazz concert where you want to highlight a standout alto saxophonist while giving the full ensemble a showcase number. The contemporary funk-rock foundation makes it an excellent partner for other Goodwin charts or as a bridge between straight-ahead jazz standards and modern ensemble writing. Save it for the second half when the energy is right.

• Maintaining rhythmic pocket in funk grooves with syncopated ensemble figures
• Solo development and altissimo saxophone technique
• Ensemble cohesion during sustained rhythmic patterns and groove-based playing
• Jazz phrasing and behind-the-beat articulation across all sections
• Rhythm section interplay and lock (drums, bass, piano coordination in funk context)