Unexcused Absences: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score

The energy is infectious and grounded. A 120 BPM funk pocket that refuses to overstay its welcome, propelled by a rhythm section that's meant to lock and groove. When the solos kick in, the band has real permission to hang back and support, creating space that feels musical rather than bare.

Directors building a first-year jazz ensemble or introducing young improvisers to funk and rock languages. This chart respects that students are still developing foundational jazz skills while offering immediate gratification through a groove that works from the first full run-through.

• Lock the rhythm section tight on that 120 BPM groove. The pocket is everything here; work the kick drum and bass line as a unit before the full ensemble enters.
• Prepare your tenor sax and trumpet soloists separately from full section rehearsals. Each needs space to develop phrasing and articulation choices within the structure Smith provides.
• Keep the trumpet section clean on those high moments. Trumpet 1 sits at written D on the fourth line, so balance matters; let the soloists breathe without overplaying from the section.
• Front-load rhythm and blues inflections in sectional work. The rock groove needs swagger, not precision marching band articulation.

Slot this into a jazz concert as an opener or closer; the high-energy groove and approachable length make it ideal for setting tone. It works equally well as a semester project or as the centerpiece of a "Introducing Jazz" assembly program where students need something that connects immediately with non-specialist audiences.

• Jazz ensemble swing feel and funk articulation at tempo
• Accompanying soloists while maintaining section cohesion
• Reading and executing rock and blues inflections in ensemble context
• Listening and responding to solo improvisation as a rhythm section