Sittin' In with the Big Band, Volume II: E-flat Alto Saxophone Book & Online Audio

You're sitting in the section with seasoned professionals. The rhythm section locks in beneath you, the other saxophones are blending around you, and the whole band is swinging. Each chart feels current and genuinely musical rather than didactic, so you're not just practicing—you're performing something that sounds like real music.

Intermediate alto saxophonists who are ready to step beyond solo repertoire and experience what it's like to play in a real ensemble context. This works especially well for students in jazz programs or those preparing for jazz ensemble auditions, as well as for band students who want to develop their jazz language and improve their ability to lock into a groove.

• Listen to each tune multiple times before playing through it. Notice how the recorded saxophonist voices the melody, where the silence sits, and how the tone color changes across the range. Jazz phrasing is visual in the sheet music but alive in the ear.
• Lock into the rhythm section early by focusing on the bass and drums in the mix. Your internal time will stabilize faster when you hear the pocket clearly rather than fighting to find it on your own.
• Pay attention to the dynamic and articulation markings as written; they're not suggestions but essential parts of the big band style. A bright, punchy attack on the downbeat sounds radically different from a ghosted entrance, and both appear in these charts.
• Record yourself playing against the accompaniment and listen back without the music in front of you. You'll hear intonation issues, rhythmic drift, and blend problems that disappear when you're looking at the page.

Assign one chart per week as a supplemental practice project for your jazz ensemble or intermediate jazz students. The ten tunes span enough stylistic ground to work throughout the semester. You might also extract individual charts for special performances or use them as listening and analysis assignments alongside score study.

• Jazz articulation and phrasing conventions
• Ensemble blend and listening within a section
• Reading and responding to big band voicings
• Playing in tune within a jazz context
• Time feel and rhythmic placement in a swing groove
• Dynamic control across a range of styles
• Interpreting style markings and director cues from recorded models