Review

Thad Jones
Three and One:

Arranged by David Fletcher

Five trombones and rhythm section

Vancouver, BC, , Canada
Publisher:
Date of Publication: 1966 / 2017
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 5 trombones
Secondary Genre: Jazz Material - ensemble

Originally performed by Thad Jones in collaboration with his two brothers Hank and Elvin for a jazz combo session, Three and One rose to prominence as a well known jazz standard ever since its release on the debut album of the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. The title, Three and One, literally refers to the three Jones brothers and the bass player Eddie Jones, of no relation.


David Fletcher’s arrangement mostly follows the original big band version while also creating opportunities for the bass trombonist, second trombonist, and bass player to improvise solos. The first trombone part hangs well above the staff and plays up to d-flat2. While the bass trombone part plays all the way down to GG, with the exception of two short excerpts most of the part could be performed on a tenor trombone with an F-attachment if necessary. For those unfamiliar with the tune, the texture is intensely contrapuntal at times with lots of angular chromaticism. While the trombone parts are probably best suited to advanced players, the rhythm section parts are not particularly difficult or in any way unusual for this genre.

As we have come to expect from Cherry Classics Music, the parts are well edited for clarity and legibility. My only complaint would be with formatting the score in portrait mode rather than landscape. This seems to necessitate an unusually high number of page turns in the score. Notwithstanding, David Fletcher’s arrangement of Three and One will most certainly find itself onto many trombone ensemble programs for years to come.