Jazz Ensemble Jazz Ensemble - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1504966

By Carla Thomas. By Carla Thomas, Steve Cropper, and Vincent Trauth. Arranged by Phil Thrift. Christmas,Pop,Soul. 53 pages. Phil Thrift #1080370. Published by Phil Thrift (A0.1504966).

If, like me, you’re always looking for a new sound for your festive season concert, want to move away from the usual catalog of songs we hear every year, then Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas could be a good choice. The simplicity of this song sung by Carla Thomas in the early 1960s has been reproduced here in this easy big band arrangement in the original key.

The lines played by strings in the original song work well here on the saxes. Trumpets and trombones reinforce the rhythmic patterns. A new melodic phrase derived from the song itself and played by the saxes replaces the introductory two-measure vamp of the original. This complementary melodic line is heard again during the piece and is repeated an octave higher by the trumpets in a brief interlude between the bridge and the third verse. The fade-out ending of the original has been replaced here by an open section with solos cued in alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet (or flugel horn), trombone, guitar and piano. Alternatively, your vocalist can improvise over these four measures or maybe alternate with a soloist. However, this four-measure section is optional; you could just skip to the last two measures.