Caveat Emptor

Description

Commissioned by the Florida Bandmasters Association, this chart from Ellen Rowe is a celebration that combines hip-hop and straight-ahead jazz. The band will need to play with some swagger on this piece—it has serious attitude, and the whole band will need to be in the groove!

Program Notes

Thank you for purchasing and working on my music! This piece was written after an Eco-Tour opportunity to swim with dolphins took a bit of a left turn. Let’s just say that getting body slammed by huge pink Amazon River dolphins as they race towards buckets of dead fish that have been thrown out on the water around you is not the most pleasant sensation.

I have an interest in laying different kinds of music over hip-hop beats, so make sure that your students treat the opening fanfare at measure 5 with beautiful sounds and the best blend possible. That is the mood that my band and I had as we embarked on this tour in Brazil, eagerly anticipating our dolphin interaction. Bass and Drums need to lock at measure 18 and Trombones need to be precise with their rhythms and articulations at 20. I marked “w/Swagger” at 22 for the Saxes – make sure they play with lots of attitude there! (All 16ths in that section should be swung) I think of them as the dolphins heading in, knocking unsuspecting tourists out of the way. Letter Measure 28 is an actual doubletime swing, not doubletime feel, so make sure everyone turns the quarter note into a half note.

There are different options for soloists, so spread things around as you would like. Measure 59 needs to be Trombone 1 or 2 or Guitar but 91 can be any sax. See if anyone catches the “Milestones” quote at 107…Watch to make sure the Trombone line at 136 is not over articulated. 144 should get back to the celebratory feel in the horns with the return of the hip-hop groove in the rhythm section. Make sure that your band carefully observes the subito p at 162 (and at 36) and that the Saxes go back to swung 16ths at 147 and 176. But most importantly have fun with the chart! I hope that your band enjoys playing it as much as I enjoyed writing it.