Strut

Written for a standard jazz big band (5, 4, 4, 4) in a medium swing style. The melody is written in the first tenor sax and 4th trumpet parts only in the exposition of the piece while the recapitulation orchestrates the melody throughout the entire sax section (with guitar doubling on the melody with the lead alto sax) as well as the trumpet and trombone sections. Harmonically this chart cycles through several minor ii-V-i chord progressions lending a minor blues sound to the overall texture of the tune. Within the score are numerous developmental sections, shout choruses, sax solis, all of which utilizes motives derived from the melody, sometimes reworked, with sequences and several key changes.