Behind the Beat

Inspired by the early swing language of the Count Basie Orchestra, ‘Don’t Rush’ is a twelve-bar blues with a bridge, built around a strong, relaxed groove and economical ensemble writing. The chart explores the idea that swing is as much about feel, space, and time as it is about the notes on the page.

Tutti ensemble passages are contrasted with short solo features, allowing students to experience the relationship between the individual improviser and the full band. Solo material can be performed by an individual trumpet or saxophone player, or expanded into a saxophone soli, making the chart adaptable to different levels and ensemble strengths.

With its accessible harmonic language, repeated rhythmic ideas, and emphasis on articulation and time feel, ‘Don’t Rush’ provides an ideal introduction to authentic big band swing. It is particularly suited to working on quarter-note feel, long-short articulation, dynamic shape, rhythmic precision, and playing with—not against—the rhythm section.

Inspired by the Blanton–Webster era of Duke Ellington’s orchestra, ‘Wellington Uptown’ is a brisk, energetic big band chart drawing on the sophisticated swing language, sectional writing, and rhythmic drive of the early 1940s Ellington orchestra.

The chart explores the contrast between tightly voiced ensemble passages and more open, conversational sections, giving students an opportunity to experience the different colours and personalities available within a big band. The writing places particular emphasis on section blend, articulation, dynamic contrast, and rhythmic character.

The title nods to Wellington’s own vibrant musical identity—a city with a long-standing relationship with jazz, live performance, and creative music. The piece is intended to feel like a musical journey through the city: fast-moving, busy, colourful, and full of character.

Named after the much-loved Wellington cat who became a local celebrity by regularly parading through the streets of the capital, ‘Mittens’ takes a playful approach to one of the most important harmonic frameworks in jazz: Rhythm Changes.

Based on the chord changes associated with George Gershwin’s ‘I Got Rhythm’, the chart uses this familiar harmonic structure as a foundation for a collection of unconventional, angular, and rhythmically playful melodic ideas.

‘Mittens’ can also be used as an introduction to the structure of Rhythm Changes and the development of jazz vocabulary over repeated harmonic forms. Solo sections provide a practical setting in which students can experiment with melodic ideas, blues vocabulary, chromatic approaches, rhythmic displacement, and motivic development.

The character of the piece is deliberately playful—much like its namesake—while still providing substantial material for developing improvisers.

‘Endangered Species’ explores the relationship between modal harmony and functional harmony, giving students the opportunity to improvise across contrasting harmonic environments within a single chart.

Some sections are built around modal harmonic areas, where a soloist can sustain a particular scale or tonal colour over an extended period. Other sections use functional chord progressions, requiring the player to respond more specifically to the movement and quality of individual chords.

The solo sections include suggested scale choices and harmonic options, allowing students to begin with a clear framework before gradually developing their own vocabulary. More advanced players can move beyond the suggested material and experiment with substitutions, chromaticism, altered tensions, and other approaches.

‘Waewae Express’ is designed as a practical introduction to standard jazz chord movements and progressions, using a reharmonised contrafact of Billy Strayhorn’s ‘Take the A Train’ as its harmonic foundation.

The familiar underlying progression provides students with a recognisable entry point into the language of jazz harmony, while the new melody and reharmonisation encourage them to hear how a familiar harmonic structure can be transformed into something fresh.

The chart provides opportunities to work on recognising common chord movements by ear, following harmonic form, identifying ii–V–I progressions, and developing melodic ideas that respond to changing harmony. Solo sections can be supported by chord symbols and scale suggestions, giving students a practical framework for beginning to navigate the form independently.