Ulla in Africa: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score, Parts & Online Audio

Peter Herbolzheimer's arrangement captures the infectious energy of Afro-Funk while building in multiple solo opportunities that let your ensemble showcase individual voices. The optional woodwind and percussion parts expand your instrumentation options without requiring a full complement, making this genuinely flexible for different band sizes. It's the kind of crowd favorite that reminds audiences why they love big band in the first place.

Propulsive and soulful, with an unmistakable Afro-Funk groove that pulls the listener in immediately. The arrangement breathes with blues-inflected harmonies and call-and-response moments that give it personality well beyond typical funk writing.

Intermediate to advanced jazz ensembles looking for a vehicle that energizes concert audiences while providing meaningful solo opportunities for multiple players. Your ensemble should be comfortable with straight-ahead jazz feel and prepared to lock in rhythmically as a unit.

• Lock the rhythm section (bass, drums, piano) into a tight pocket before rehearsing the horn sections; the Afro-Funk groove depends on absolute rhythmic confidence from underneath.
• Balance the lead alto and piano solos so both cut through clearly. These features are essential to the arrangement's character, so avoid burying them under the section.
• Integrate your optional percussion and marimba parts early in rehearsals to establish how the layered rhythmic texture will work. Their color matters significantly to the final sound.
• Treat the 5/4 sections with the same confidence you'd bring to straight time. The meter should feel natural to the ensemble, not labored.

Slot this into the second half of a concert where it can build momentum and energy. It works particularly well as a bridge between more traditional big band standards and contemporary jazz repertoire, or as an encore that leaves audiences on their feet.

• Grooving in mixed meters (5/4 and straight time)
• Maintaining ensemble cohesion across a complex rhythmic foundation
• Featured solo performance within a section context
• Reading and executing Afro-Funk vocabulary (syncopation, accents, percussion layering)
• Balancing lead voices with harmonic accompaniment