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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 "Jazz Combo Sextet set #3" By: Don Sickler Instrumentation: Big Band Publisher: Second Floor Music / Hal Leonard Corporation Grade 3 1/2 Swing Medium - Up/Shuffle Tempo Varied $99.00 As directors, we have all heard the saying, “Less is more.” Well, here is something that is “More for less!” Not only does this music cost less as a package, but the charts are just what every small group director needs to help lock in the rooted materials needed to produce small groups of the highest quality. Don Sickler is a wonderful arranger and transcriber and has worked out a deal with Hal Leonard to distribute packs of solid Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers charts from the “cookingest” period of the late seventies through the eighties. All charts are in some kind of swing mode, from medium tempi, to straight ahead, to shuffle and some challenging up-tempo swing feels as well. With this music coming from the Blakey bands of the same time period there is all the more reason to own this packet and others to be released in the near future. All of the charts list the recordings from which they were transcribed and also give helpful hints on how to approach these pieces. Don Sickler has carefully selected materials for each set to provide you with a very well-balanced musical program that will not only be enjoyable to perform, but will teach the roots of our music to those students who play them. These packets, including this new set #3 are easily purchased through www.musicdispatch.com. Art Blakey would be proud of these educational tools. His work remains a solid focal point for all who love small group jazz music. Now, because of Don Sickler and the Hal Leonard Corporation everyone can discover the essence of combo playing at it’s best. Top note for trumpet varies in each chart. C above the staff only in one chart. Bart Marantz
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