Now available in the Chart Store is a composition for vocal jazz ensemble by the gifted young singer/composer Sarah Kervin, called "Passing Through".  Sarah is a graduate of The University of North Texas (my alma mater), and was a graduate assistant for my good friend Jennifer Barnes, the director of vocal jazz at UNT.  Her chart is unique and moving, and I hope that its availability here will bring it to directors of excellent jazz choirs around the world.  It's a mature piece, and not for the faint of heart, but I find it to be a Level 4, still, due to some repetition and good voice-leading.  It also doesn't split too often beyond four parts.  It's a feature for a modern-sounding pop-style female vocalist, in case you've got one of those.  

Anyway, enough of my yakkin'...here's the demo (the full demo, sung by Barnes' UNT Jazz Singers, is included with your purchase).

At the request of the great Darmon Meader (zero sarcasm should be read there, by the way), who wanted this chart for his Arizona All-State group this year, I've written and recorded a new SATB chart on "I'm Hip", the popular starter series chart.  I'd say that adding the fourth part brings the difficulty level up to a 2.5, if there were such a thing...and, in fact...I think there will be such a thing.  This chart, in particular, in addition to a heavy discussion about chart levels on Facebook recently, makes me want to do some revising of chart levels in the catalog.  It's on my to-do list, so I'll work toward it, but the idea will be to add some .5's here and there to make a greater deliniation of the relative difficulties of charts, and I may upgrade or downgrade charts, depending on my experiences with them over the years.  

Anyway...here's the demo for the new SATB "I'm Hip" (by the way, there are 3 super quick spots of S2 divisi in this, too)

We're still working on the Treble choir stuff...the latest news is that we've finished the demos for the treble versions of "The Luckiest" and "Wide Awake", and you can here those at the Chart Store (to da left!).  

I've also just finished and added an SSAA level 5 chart on "September".  One might argue level 4 for this version, because it's now only four parts for the ensemble, but the voice leading and harmony are pretty advanced, and it's safe to say that this chart is for advanced girls groups, of which I know there are some hungry for a challenge!  That, too, is in the Chart Store.  No demo for the new voicing just yet, so the SSATBaB demo, which is in the same key, will temporarily have to suffice.  That also means no Part Tracks yet either, but both things are on the way very soon!

And more of these treble charts are on the way...it's an SSAA rennaissance over here!!

EDIT/UPDATE: Also finished an SSAA version of "Spooky", and it's now available.  Same as above...demo and Part Tracks forthcoming.

ADDITIONAL EDIT/UPDATE: And yet another...I'm on a rampage!  SSA version of the Starter Series chart "Mr. P.C." (Coltrane minor blues burning swinger with Jon Hendricks lyrics) is now available, along with a Rhythm Track.  It's in a different key than the SAB version, so the Part Tracks and new demo aren't ready at the moment, but are on the way soon.

THIRD UPDATE (This is getting silly): Still another SSAA demo added Monday evening before bedtime..."Don't Stop the Music", the Rihanna hit as performed by Jamie Cullum, has been revised for SSAA.  Same deal with the demo and Part Tracks coming soon.  The Rhythm Track works, as this version is in the same key as the mixed chart. 

I've rewritten the Ben Folds ballad "The Luckiest" for Level 2 SSA (Starter Series), the classic "Nature Boy" for Level 3 SSAA and the current Katy Perry hit "Wide Awake" for Level 3 SSAA, and they're currently in the Chart Store and ready to go!  We'll be working this week on creating an treble demos, so the mixed voicing demos (which are in the same key for both charts) will have to suffice for the moment.  Also, no Part Tracks yet, but the SSA/SSAA ones will be done this week along with the new demo.  

Before writing a set of brand new treble charts, I'm going to go through some of the favorites from the catalog and revise the voicings for gals groups.  I know that directors everywhere are in search of good charts for ladies, with varying challenge levels, and I hope to be able to help out with this in the coming weeks. 

Here's my promo video for all twenty new charts for Fall 2012...