Think (arr. Paul Murtha): Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Paul Murtha's arrangement captures the swagger and backbone of Franklin's original while giving your jazz ensemble real ownership of the groove. The trombone feature at the start hooks listeners immediately, and the flexible solo section lets your strongest players shine without requiring extensive reharmonization or preparation.

Soulful, groovy, and utterly confident. The arrangement channels the swagger of its source without losing the emotional weight that makes this song endure. Your ensemble will feel the pocket immediately and play with swagger.

Grade 3 jazz ensembles with solid rhythm sections and at least one confident soloist on alto sax, trumpet, or trombone. This works equally well for groups still building ensemble cohesion as it does for programs looking to program recognizable music that engages audiences and students alike.

• Lock the opening trombone section into a tight rhythmic pocket; the funky entrance sets the tone for the entire chart, so precision here matters more than volume.
• Treat the written solo samples as templates rather than gospel. Encourage your soloists to inhabit the style while personalizing their phrasing and articulation choices.
• Balance the ensemble passages carefully so the full-band sections land with weight without drowning out the harmonic movement in the background voices.

Drop this into a jazz concert as a crowd-pleasing mid-set moment that bridges generations. Pair it with other soul and pop standards for a thematic concert, or program it in the spring when your ensemble has developed enough groove control to handle this style's demands.

• Jazz articulation and phrasing in a soul-influenced idiom
• Balancing written section parts with flexible solo sections
• Maintaining groove consistency across ensemble parts while improvising
• Listening to and responding to soloists in real time
• Interpreting feel and nuance from a recorded reference