Play at the Plate – Full Score

Description

Your band will love the minor vibe of this chart, and you will love it because it is a textbook on dynamics, jazz phrasing, and articulation. Composer Kris Berg has hit one out of the park with this exciting swing chart. There are unique opportunities to feature multiple soloists trading fours in the improvisation section.

Program Notes

“Play at the Plate” is a straight-ahead swing chart written in the style of the great Count Basie band and iconic jazz composer, Sammy Nestico. It is a perfect chart to get your young band swinging in a traditional style and will be a great addition to your concert or festival repertoire.

The very first note should make a big impression – plenty of accent, but well balanced and not too short. It should startle the listener! From there your bassist lays down the basis for the whole chart (see what I did there!). When the Piano and Bari Sax come in at 5, it is important for them to match the sustain and attack the Bass gets, as best as they can. The melody at 9 should be relaxed and exaggerated. Make the falloffs and the accents prominent and really follow the dynamic markings. Same style at 21 for the Saxes and have the brass play in a similar style on their lines here. Measures 29 – 30 should “pop” out and then drop the dynamic way down, building into 33.

There are lots of dynamic contrasts written into section 33. It will add to the musicality of the section to really make those dynamic changes convincing. Everyone, including the rhythm section, must be involved to make this happen.

There are many, many options for solos at 45. The way it is written, a Trombone, a Trumpet and a Saxophone are trading 4’s. It’s written as a musical way to have 6 soloists without stretching the chart too much. Play as written or make things your own here. You could also have each of the soloists play a full chorus. It’s a simple F blues at this point and could be opened up to anyone in the band. As written, the first chorus has no background figures and then the second chorus does. Rinse and repeat as needed!

After the solos at measure 69, the shout chorus begins. This is a double shout chorus with the Saxes joining the brass the second time through. Make sure your rhythm section keeps the energy high both times. There are plenty of crashes marked and a steady back beat in the Drum part here. This should really drive us home. Measure 86 is the culmination of the shout section and should be the biggest measure of the chart. The contrast in dynamics between 86 and 87 should be sharp. This will take some practice for your rhythm section – it can be hard to drop the dynamics suddenly after all that excitement. The pyramid entrances starting at 90 should match in volume so each new entrance is well heard. A clear cut-off in measure 92 on beat 3 will clearly set the ending 3 chords.

Please enjoy “Play at the Plate”. It’s a fun, accessible chart that I had a blast writing. If you have any further questions, please contact me at www.krisbergjazz.com.