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Bart Marantz NPR/KERA Jazz Education Interview    Click below to listen to the interview  Click below to read the article 
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 Reviews "Luck of the Irish" By: Rob Vuono Instrumentation: Big Band Publisher: The F.J.H. Music Company Inc. Grade 4 1/2 Swing Tempo = 88 $40.00 “Luck of the Irish" starts its musical journey with a rich lyrical flugelhorn and trombone chorale effect through measure 11. At this point, the listener is presented with a samba feel that prevails for the rest of the chart. The melody is presented in a three-way unison section that swaps phrases with the full ensemble right up to the solo portion of the chart. Tenor 1 and the piano are given solo honors, but the director can maneuver around the band to get the exact combination of musicians he/she wants for this challenging section. Be sure to build in volume and intensity behind each soloist with the written backgrounds provided since dynamics play a vital part in this section of the arrangement. Measure 21 has some challenging syncopation in the head within the soli parts. At measure 137, notice the syncopation now switches to the entire ensemble and must be played with accuracy. In the 5th measure of the coda, the unexpected triplets between the saxes and the rhythm section might warrant careful attention so that everything runs according to the composer’s plan. “Luck of the Irish" has nothing to do with luck. If your students are prepared to play this chart they will shine and will have the listeners “green” with envy! Top note for trumpet is D above high C This series comes with a CD of this piece recorded it it’s entirety. Bart Marantz
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