Thyroid Funk: 4 Saxophones SATBar/AATBar Conductor Score & Parts

Funk charts at this level often default to uptempo grooves, so a slow funk piece offers something different. The flexibility between SATBar and AATBar instrumentation means you can program this with the players you have without rewriting or making cuts.

Deliberate and grounded. A slow funk chart gives you room to settle into the pocket without the adrenaline of a faster tempo. The arrangement invites interplay between the saxophones while maintaining a consistent, hypnotic groove.

Saxophone quartets looking to expand into contemporary jazz and funk repertoire. This works for high school and college ensembles with solid ensemble blend and rhythmic confidence.

• Lock the rhythm section concept into your bass and baritone parts first; a tight low end drives slow funk, so spend rehearsal time anchoring that groove before layering the upper voices.
• Shape the phrasing around the spaces in the groove rather than pushing through them. Funk lives in the silence as much as the notes.
• Experiment with the tonal colors each saxophone brings to the section. The contrast between alto and tenor voices becomes more audible at slower tempos, so use that to your advantage.

Program this as a change of pace in a set heavy with classical or bebop material. The slow funk groove connects immediately with audiences and demonstrates your ensemble's range beyond traditional jazz standards.

• Pocket playing and rhythmic precision at moderate tempos
• Balancing individual voice with ensemble texture in funk settings
• Tone blending across different saxophone types (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone)
• Phrasing and space awareness in groove-based charts