Lucky Sneakers

What better way to let your recorder players join the big band than with this homage to Henry Mancini and the tight, jazzy chords he used in his t.v. writing? Yes, it is very reminiscent of a certain oft-quoted theme, but if you listen carefully, you'll see that this is modal/minor, not major, has a different bass line, and has a completely different melody - one that is playable by your young players. Still, it has the same drive and it will be a lot of fun to play along.

As we have on a few tunes before, we have included a special solo section where your players can trade improvised solos with first a blues guitar and then with a trumpet in plunger mute. In each case, the recorded soloist plays two bars, then two bars are left open for your soloists. This is called "trading twos." You can let just a few players try it, or alternate the solos each time you play the song. If you prefer to avoid improvisation altogether, use these two-bar breaks to write simple exercises for the notes involved in the song.