Small Ensemble Sheet Music

Funk92 for SaxBand

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Composer:
Lucas Blevins (b. 2001)
Difficulty:
Advanced
Performance Time:
Approximately 5.5 minutes
Instrumentation:
Alto Saxophone 1, Alto Saxophone 2, Tenor Saxophone 1, Tenor Saxophone 2, Baritone Saxophone
Description:
Inspired by the head-banging tunes of New York Subway band, the Lucky Chops, Funk92 was originally composed for the 6:30am Brass Band while Lucas Blevins was leading the group. At the time, he had been surrounded by that contemporary New Orleans brass band sound and Funk92’s composition was a byproduct of that. At its namesake, 92 beats per minute, its just fast enough to get you moving with grooving 16th note syncopations but still slow enough to keep the feel laid back and funky. This version arranged for SaxBand was further inspired by Lucas’ time playing with the Washington State University Big Band I under the direction of Dr. Greg Yasinitsky who is fond of calling tunes (many of which he composed or arranged himself) that feature the saxophone section with many soli passages. The soli section in Funk92 reflects that traditional big band sax soli sound Lucas has become accustomed to playing combined with the rhythmic drive of contemporary New Orleans brass band melodies that originally inspired the composition.