Ode To Jazzers

This isn't the first time we've borrowed this gem from good old Ludwig! This time though, we've crafted an uptempo, double-time jazz arrangement that is just a delight to listen to and sing. Odds are, your students are already familiar with the melody to this, and again it is all in unison. So that part will hopefully be easy enough to teach and learn.

The challenge will be learning all the names. We had a pretty tough time deciding who to include, as there are so many wonderful jazz musicians to choose from. And as usual, you can alter any of these to include your own or your students' favorite jazzers. To help learn the names we used, and their pronunciations, we have actually isolated the verses and put them on our website as a free download for rehearsal purposes. (See details on page 75.)

As you might expect, the arrangement of this piece is pretty smokin'. We daresay we gave our recording instrumentalists a good workout with it! You can and should share the instrumental tracks with your students so they can hear how exciting the ensemble performance is. But in case you're interested in delving deeper, or just enjoying it on your own, we have also isolated the bop wind line that floats throughout at breakneck pace. (See also page 75.) It cooks. Can you dig it?