Topsy: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts
By Eddie Durham / By Edgar Battle / Arranged by John Berry
Grade: 2
Item: 35-PK00118712
$45.00
Pickup currently not available
Buy Extra Parts (Digital PDF Download)
| Product | Price | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Topsy - Full Score | $7.50 | |
| Topsy - Alto Sax 1 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Alto Sax 2 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Tenor Sax 1 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Tenor Sax 2 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Baritone Sax | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Trumpet 1 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Trumpet 2 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Trumpet 3 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Trumpet 4 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Trombone 1 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Trombone 2 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Trombone 3 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Trombone 4 | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Guitar | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Piano | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Bass | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Drums | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Aux Percussion | $6.00 | |
| Topsy - Solo Sheet | $6.00 |
Parts Added to Cart!
Description
Written in a medium swing style, this appealing chart opens in a half-time feel featuring the saxes. Later a heavier swing style sets in with the full ensemble, a sax soli, solo for trumpet and a driving finish.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00118712
More about this title
About the Composer: Eddie Durham
Eddie Durham was a pioneering jazz trombonist, guitarist, and arranger who helped shape the sound of big band swing in the 1930s and 1940s. He worked with major orchestras including the Bennie Moten band and Count Basie's ensemble, earning recognition for his innovative arranging that blended blues sensibility with sophisticated harmonic thinking. Durham's contributions to jazz history extend beyond performance; his arrangements established foundational approaches to ensemble writing that still inform jazz education today.
Why we love this
John Berry's arrangement captures the essential swagger of this classic without overwhelming a developing ensemble. The half-time opening gives saxes a chance to establish groove and confidence before the full band enters, and that structural clarity makes the piece teach itself. You get authentic swing vocabulary, a sax soli that spotlights section work, and enough solo space for individual voices to shine without derailing the momentum.
What to expect
The piece unfolds like a jazz conversation starting intimate and gradually warming to the room. That half-time sax opening has a cool, collected quality before the band kicks in with a propulsive, dancing energy that carries through to its finish.
Who it's for
Grade 2 jazz ensembles ready to explore swing style and section writing with scaffolded complexity. Bands with at least one strong trumpet soloist and reliable saxes will get the most from the material, though the arrangement accommodates varying proficiency levels within each section.
How to get the most out of it
- Lock the half-time feel in the sax section by having them think in half notes rather than quarter-note pulse; this prevents rushing and lets the groove settle naturally.
- Shape the transition into the heavier swing style as a genuine energy lift rather than a tempo change. Rehearse the moment the full ensemble enters as an arrival, not a restart.
- Balance the sax soli so the section sound speaks clearly without drowning out ensemble texture underneath. Make this a feature, not a solo front-and-center.
- Keep the trumpet solo's phrasing behind the beat slightly; this keeps it grounded in the swing feel and prevents it from sounding disconnected from the band's pulse.
How to use it
Program this early in a jazz concert to establish swing vocabulary and set a relaxed, swinging tone for the evening. It pairs well alongside other Grade 2 swing standards as a bookend to more challenging material, and its moderate length makes it ideal for demonstrating how younger ensembles can deliver authentic jazz performance.
Skills your students will build
- Half-time feel and swing groove coordination
- Section balance in a soli passage
- Maintaining pulse during stylistic transitions
- Blues-inflected phrasing and articulation
- Call-and-response phrasing between sections