The Beat Trader

Description

This Gospel-tinged excursion will really get your students playing! This lively chart is full of fun licks and catchy shout sections.

Program Notes

This piece was originally commissioned by Jim Hahn at Tuffree Middle School, and is actually among the first commissions I ever wrote. Thank you Jim! This was in a time in my life when I was playing regularly at Black churches in Texas as well as White churches trying to implement more Black American gospel music. This chart is a reverent take of a “shout”, implemented into a 16 bar tune as a contrafact of Jerome Richardson’s “Groove Merchant” (also modeled after a classic Black Church 16 bar tune), hence the title.