Top Brass: Six Minutes for 12 Brass: Brass Choir Conductor Score & Parts

This three-movement work gives brass choirs genuine jazz vocabulary without sacrificing ensemble musicality. The instrumentation (four trumpets, four horns, two trombones, bass trombone, and tuba) creates rich harmonic color, and Shulman's voicings reward careful sectional balance.

Energetic and grounded in blues sensibility. The piece swings without pretense, moving through three distinct movements that balance exuberance with lyricism. Jazz inflections feel natural here, not imposed.

Brass directors seeking repertoire that explores jazz idioms with compositional substance. This work suits ensembles with solid fundamentals and at least one season of experience playing together.

• Balance the four-part trumpet section carefully in the faster passages; the writing sits high and can easily overshadow the horns if dynamic control slips.
• Treat the trombone and bass trombone parts as a rhythmic anchor throughout. Lock their articulation and phrasing to establish the groove.
• Let the horn section bloom in sustained passages. Their blend underpins the harmonic foundation and needs space to resonate.
• Maintain clarity in the ensemble's jazz rhythms. These are not march tempos; swing feel and flexibility matter more than metronomic precision.

Program this as the centerpiece of a brass choir concert, or pair it with other mid-century American works to show stylistic range. Its approachable length and joyful character also make it an effective closer for a longer concert.

• Jazz phrasing and articulation within a classical ensemble context
• Harmonic balance in four-part trumpet writing
• Reading and executing swing rhythms at varied tempos
• Sectional independence while maintaining ensemble cohesion