(8 Brass) (Level 5) 12-tone big band music? What else would you expect with this title? A twisting intro with saxes and drums introduces an equally convoluted head. The brass gets their shot at the tune before trombone I solos. A hard-boppish line for trumpet and tenor is next, introducing a trumpet solo. The sax soli that follows is one of the more unusual around; starting out with solo soprano and gradually adding the rest of the section. Some call-and-response for the band and drums, a reprise of the head and a final held chord complete a challenging but fun chart. Featured on the CD, Fragments.

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JIM OLSEN is a graduate of the University of Oregon, where he directed the jazz ensembles and received his Master of Music in Composition. He composes in a variety of idioms. His jazz compositions and arrangements have been performed and recorded by the Eastman School of Music, the University of Kansas, the University of Oregon and the Indiana University jazz ensembles as well as noted jazz artists such as Bobby Shew, Julian Priester and Louie Bellson. Olsen currently lives in Eugene, Oregon, where he composes, teaches privately and is the musical director of the big band, Swing Shift. His first CD, Fragments, was released in 1997.