THAT Escalated Quickly…

Description

Here is a vibrant big band Bebop chart that showcases a number of soloists as well as the full ensemble. Composer Craig Skeffington has brought new light to ‘rhythm changes’ with this piece, making it an ideal choice to open or close a festival performance.

Program Notes

“THAT Escalated Quickly” is an original up tempo swing piece, loosely based on the chord changes of the classic “I Got Rhythm” pieces in the Great American Songbook –

• Cottontail – Duke Ellington
• Oleo – Miles Davis
• Moose the Mooche – Charlie Parker

The title refers to the start of COVID. Our school was slated to host the Maine State Jazz Festival in March of 2020. 2 days before the event, we were sent home for what was described as a “short break”….we’d be back soon. Of course we weren’t, and everyone knows the story. The re-harmonized bridge changes are a nod to that old saying “nothing is as it seems” – a direct reflection on the immediate changes COVID had!

The piece goes through several sections – a light combo bebop statement of the head, a full ensemble shout, a half time feel (again, “nothing is what it seems”) and an a cappella horns alone section. With all of this, the focus should be time and tempo. No matter the section, work towards a sense of keeping it moving – have the players lean into the anticipations. Like all pieces with a technical or tempo challenge, work on this slowly at first!

The solo section utilizes the “A” section of a standard rhythm change tune. The bridge uses chromatically descending sus7 harmony. Patterns involving the minor pentatonic scale work well here. Although the changes appear in only a few parts, please feel free to open it up for other soloists.

I have had the pleasure of programming this piece with several district honors and all state ensembles. It has proven to be a challenging but worthwhile piece that the students enjoy.

I appreciate your interest in this piece and hope it works well for your program. Please feel free to reach out with comments and good luck!

Best

Craig Skeffington