| Instrumentation |
Piano, Trombone, Trumpet, Bass guitar, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Drum set |
| Description |
A piece I wrote for the show "Evo-blue-tion" at the Adelphi Theatre, London, in November 2016. It's a typical fun bluesy big band piece. It's written to be playable by an amateur big band, from High School level upwards.
Performance-wise, the crucial thing for this piece is that every player in the big band understands the essence of swing. Some dodgy notes here and there will not ruin the piece, provided it's played with the right groove! The half-time triplet ending is optional. If your band would rather not do it, you can easily end before that with a chord (or a "Basie"-style ending, which would also work well).
The name was chosen by a semi-public vote... and this is what they chose, following the infamous Boaty McBoatface incident.* Unlike the Natural Environment Research Council, I didn't have the power to overrule the vote.
* See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RRS_Sir_David_Attenborough#Boaty_McBoatface_name
Anyway, I do hope you enjoy the piece! Please get in touch for any feedback or requests (there are also flute and clarinet parts available if desired) - michael.roberts@ucl.ac.uk |