Over 20 engaging new works from returning popular, veteran composers as well as new-to-the-roster voices are part of Excelcia Music Publishing’s new Jazz Ensemble Music Catalog, released for 2023-2024. A full range of grade levels and a variety of styles are featured in the release, including Blues, Ballads, Swing, Shuffle, Samba, and Funk, alongside charts that defy classic genres. Accompanying the music, the release is packed with various resources, both for directors’ easy review and selection – like the interactive online catalog – as well as tools for use in practice and rehearsal with students – like the Solo Practice Tracks.
“I’m certain that this year’s release from Excelcia Music Publishing will help to spark creative ideas in programming for band directors. The new music is interesting, engaging, and innovative,” said Blair Bielawski, Jazz Editor. “We have an extremely talented group of composers and I’m excited for directors and ensembles to experience the charts they’ve created.”
Live professional recordings, ScoreVideos of each piece, and Composer Insights videos are available via an interactive online Jazz Ensemble music hub (https://excelciamusic.com/jazz-hub-2023).
All new Jazz Ensemble charts come with free play-along practice tracks, Jazz Solo Practice Tracks, for practice of improvisation skills, featuring rhythm section accompaniment over the solo section changes. Keeping with the publisher’s focus on accessibility, a Guitar chord frame chart for each piece is included in Grades 1 and 1.5, showing both basic and advanced options for the Guitar player. There are opportunities in the music at each grade level for multiple students to be in the spotlight with an improvised solo. At the easier levels, the solo changes are designed for less experienced improvisers, with background musical parts provided as support for the soloist. Sample written out solos are also included.
Each score, and its accompanying parts, are meticulously-edited and beautifully set for ease of reading and include unique features to increase accessibility and help facilitate efficient rehearsals. Published in Excelcia Music Publishing’s signature color-coded series, the 2022-23 Jazz Ensemble Music charts are grouped into five levels that range in difficulty: Jazz Odyssey Series (grade 1), Jazz Exploration Series (grade 1.5), Jazz Horizon Series (grade 2), Jazz Voyage Series (grade 3) and Jazz Zenith Series (grade 4 and up).
Composers and arrangers with new works published in the 2023-2024 Jazz Ensemble Music release are Anthony Susi, Carl Strommen, Colin M. Plank, David Samuel, Kris Berg, Larry Clark, Michele Fernández, Peter Blair, Peter Sciaino, Steve Parsons, Steve Wiest, Terry White.
Excelcia Music Publishing’s 2023-2024 Jazz Ensemble music is available from music retailers and from the publisher. Of particular note are the Excelcia Jazz Ensemble Select Dealers: Art’s Music Shop, J.W. Pepper & Son, Midwest Sheet Music, Music and Arts, Penders Music Co., Poppler’s Music, Quinlan and Fabish and Stanton’s Sheet Music.
