Recommended JAZZ ENSEMBLE COLLECTIONS for 2025 Tuesday, September 09, 2025
recommended by Ken Tilger and Austin Swack, Band Education Specialists
Discovery Jazz Collection
Titles include: “Basic Basie,” “Basin Street Blues,” “Blues for Mr. B,” “Down for the Count,” “Fast Break,” “Hangin’ In,” “Here’s That Rainy Day,” “How High the Moon,” “Louie, Louie,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Satin Doll,” “Stand by Me,” “Tuxedo Junction,” and “Woodchopper’s Ball.”
Easy Jazz Classics
Enjoy great flexibility with the Easy Jazz Ensemble series! Playable with 4 saxes, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones and rhythm. Titles include: “Birdland,” “Born to Be Wild,” “Eli’s Comin’,” “Here, There and Everywhere,” “How High The Moon,” “Malaguena,” “A Night in Tunisia,” “Peanut Vendor,” “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” “A String of Pearls,” “Summertime,” “Take The A Train,” “Watch What Happens,” and “Yardbird Suite.”
Easy Jazz Favorites
Enjoy great flexibility with the Easy Jazz Ensemble series! Playable with 4 saxes, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones and rhythm. Titles include: “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “All the Things You Are,” “Blue Train (Blue Trane),” “Caravan,” “Chameleon,” “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words),” “The Girl from Ipanema (Garota De Ipanema),” “In the Mood,” “Inside Out,” “Milestones,” “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” “One Note Samba (Samba De Uma Nota So),” “Route 66,” “St. Louis Blues,” and “When I Fall in Love.”
The Best of Sammy Nestico
Sammy has done a masterful job with this early jazz classic. Written specifically with younger players in mind, this one is guaranteed to boost your band’s confidence level and help them sound terrific. Titles include: “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear from Me,” “First Wish,” “Good News,” “Just in Time,” “A Little Blues, Please,” “Martinique,” “Odyssey,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” “Satin Doll,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Sugar Valley,” and “88 Basie Street.”
Swing Classics for Jazz Ensemble
Titles include: “American Patrol,” “April in Paris,” “Blue Skies,” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” “In the Mood,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “Ja-Da,” “Just a Gigolo,” “Leap Frog,” “Little Brown Jug,” “Night Train,” “Satin Doll,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” and “Woodchopper’s Ball.”
Authentic Sounds of the Big Band Era
Titles include: “Artistry in Rhythm,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “The Elk’s Parade,” “Hawaiian War Chant (Ta-Hu-Wa-Hu-Wai),” “I’m Coming Virginia,” “Little Brown Jug,” “Moonlight Serenade,” “My Reverie,” “One O’Clock Jump,” “Quaker City Jazz,” “720 in the Books,” “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing),” “So Rare,” “Song of India,” “South Rampart Street Parade,” and “Stompin’ at the Savoy.”
Exciting Sounds of the Big Band Era
Titles include: “At Last,” “Back Bay Shuffle,” “Blues on Parade,” “Cherokee,” “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear from Me,” “Don’t Be That Way,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “E ager Beaver,” “In a Minor Mood,” “In a Mist,” “In the Mood,” “Johnson Rag,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” “Taking a Chance on Love,” and “Two O’Clock Jump.”
Original Big Band Sounds arr. Jeff Hest
This collection is made up of direct transcriptions of big band recordings by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. Arranger Jeff Hest has meticulously transcribed these jazz standards with the original instrumentation and has included transcriptions of the improvised solos – “Don’t Be That Way,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Little Brown Jug,” “Moonlight Serenade,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” “Sing, Sing, Sing Pt. I ,” “Sing, Sing, Sing Pt. II,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” and “Song of India.”
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About the Authors:
A former band director, Ken taught grades 5-12 band and music appreciation in both public and parochial schools in Central Ohio, and has been at Stanton’s since 2004. His iPod ranges from jazz and funk to classic and alternative rock, and symphonies. His interests include reading, history, traditional amusement parks, outdoor activities (especially hiking), and watching hockey.
Austin Swack joined the Stanton’s team after a decade of teaching band in Texas public schools, where his ensembles were consistently recognized for superior performance. He is equally at home with beginner and advanced students and has extensive experience programming for ensembles at all ability levels. Additionally, he is a versatile arranger as well as an experienced clinician and adjudicator. In his free time, Austin enjoys running, cycling, and cheering on the Blue Jackets!