Who Wants Gum?: Woodwind Quintet Score & Parts

Gassi's gift for accessible melodic writing shines here, but what makes this piece stand out is how he treats the accompaniment. The cool chord changes create sophistication without complexity, giving your quintet genuine jazz vocabulary to absorb while staying well within medium-level technique. The carefree character makes it engaging to rehearse and genuinely fun to perform.

A breezy stroll through jazz waltz territory with an unpretentious charm. The melody is lilting and memorable while the harmonic palette underneath suggests sophistication, creating a piece that sounds more complex than it plays.

Medium-level woodwind quintets ready to explore jazz idioms and swing feel. This works equally well for festival performance, concert programming, or contest entry.

• Shape the melody with intention even though the tune feels breezy. The waltz lilt can drift into rhythmic sloppiness if the lead voices aren't anchoring the phrasing.
• Balance the accompaniment figures so the cool chord changes read clearly without overwhelming the flute line. The rhythm section needs definition without crowding.
• If you include the optional drum part, rehearse the kit player separately first so the groove locks in before integrating it with the full quintet.

Pair this with a more serious or contemporary ensemble piece to showcase your woodwinds' range of expression. The medium difficulty and contest eligibility make it a smart choice for a festival rotation where you want repertoire that impresses without exhausting your rehearsal schedule.

• Playing swing feel and jazz phrasing within a waltz meter
• Interpreting cool jazz harmony and understanding chord-melody relationships
• Ensemble balance between melody and accompaniment in jazz contexts
• Reading and performing with the optional percussion part