Impact Music Inc

24/06/2024

4NEWK - As recorded by Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets +2 on the Owl Studios release “Echoes of Ethnicity” (OWL00129), this is a hard bop tribute to tenor saxophone legend Sonny Rollins that has been twice recycled from the original tune “Four” and then from Lee Morgan’s “Haina.” The solo sections for the Tenor Sax and Trumpet are complete with background figures. The Piano solo is unaccompanied and leads into an ensemble shout that features melodic references to “Four.”
https://impactmusicinc.com/product/4newk/

10/06/2024

"Still I Rise" Composed and arranged by Derrick Gardner, is the title track for the 2020 Impact Jazz release by Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band and is dedicated to the great African-American poet, singer, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.

Composed and arranged by Derrick Gardner for the 2020 Impact Jazz release "Still I Rise" by Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band. “Still I Rise” is the title ...

05/06/2024

I am so grateful for the incredibly outpouring of support and well wishes on my birthday. You all truly made it a wonderful day.

30/04/2024

Jazz trumpeter Derrick Gardner has been appointed Director of Jazz Studies at the Bienen School of Music. He has served as Interim Director of Jazz Studies since September 2022.

Jazz trumpeter Derrick Gardner has been appointed Director of Jazz Studies at the Bienen School of Music. He has served as Interim Director of Jazz Studies since September 2022.

24/04/2024

Still I Rise: Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band
“Derrick Gardner’s Big dig! Band is a classic jazz orchestra: spectacular sax, trombone, and trumpet sections studded with world-class musicians, and a rock-solid rhythm section to anchor all those flights of fancy. This band has weight, polish, sparkle, and drive. It swings without an ounce of apology, and at the same time feels current and fresh.”

9 track album

22/04/2024

Hello FB family, please join us tomorrow, Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 7:30pm CST as the Northwestern University Jazz Orchestra presents the music of Frank Foster. Come hear a side of Frank Foster that many Basie fans may not be familiar with outside of his association with the Count Basie Orchestra.

We will focus on music he arranged and composed for his Loud Minority Big Band. This ensemble came into existence soon after he left Basie in the mid 1960’s and maintained its relevance until Foster’s death in 2011. The concert will be live-streamed at the link below.

https://www.music.northwestern.edu/live/galvin

Here is the link to the concert information.

https://www.music.northwestern.edu/events/northwestern-university-jazz-orchestra-16

We are looking forward to sharing the music of Frank Foster with all who are able to join us.

Derrick Gardner, conductor Frank Benjamin Foster III was a skilled tenor and soprano saxophonist, a composer and arranger of the highest caliber, and, later in his career, a successful bandleader. Principally known for his 11-year involvement with the Count Basie Orchestra, Foster contributed arrang...

17/04/2024

Another ancestor receives a musical tribute from Derrick Gardner—Kwame Nkrumah in NKRUMAH ’da RULAH. After serving as Ghana’s prime minister in 1952, Kwame Nkrumah became the first president of Ghana after successfully liberating the country from British rule in 1957.

Provided to YouTube by DistroKidNkrumah 'da Rulah · Derrick Gardner & The Jazz ProphetsPan Africa℗ Impact JazzReleased on: 2023-01-13Auto-generated by YouTube.

11/04/2024

Natural Woman: As recorded by Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets +2 on the Owl Studios release “Echoes of Ethnicity” (OWL00129), this is an arrangement of the Aretha Franklin hit from 1967. The chord progressions have been reharmonized and the feel of the tune departs from it’s original 12/8 gospel feel into a slow 4/4 durge-like feel. The soloists are Piano and Trumpet.
https://impactmusicinc.com/product/natural-woman/

08/04/2024

Still I Rise is an original composition dedicated to the African American poet, singer memoirist and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. This original arrangement was recorded by Derrick Gardner & The BIG dig! BAND as the title track on the 2020 Impact Jazz release “Still I Rise.” The composition is organized as an AABAC form counting 40 measures in length. The opening measures of this medium-up tempo arrangement features a Saxophone Soli in duet with drums and a call & answer concept with the Brass. There are solo sections with background figures for Trumpet and Trombone, leading to a trading section between the Drums and ensemble orchestration. The development section of the arrangement features an Ensemble Soli on the two A sections and a Saxophone Soli on the B section of the form. This chart can be used very effectively as an opener or a closer to any concert program.
http://impactmusicinc.com/product/still-i-rise/

26/03/2024

Pan Africa, by Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets is available now!
Order today on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/album/pan-africa/1659800108

Album · 2023 · 9 Songs

23/02/2024

Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band - Heavens to Murgatroyd!
The whole tune is a hodgepodge bouquet of chaos— it’s crazy!
Soloists: Derrick Gardner (trumpet), Vincent Gardner (trombone), Rob Dixon (tenor), Curtis Nowosad (drums), DJ Stop (DJ)

Composed and arranged by Derrick Gardner for the 2020 Impact Jazz release "Still I Rise" by Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band. “Heavens to Murgatroyd!” is ...

22/02/2024

This is a fundraising event for the Ghana Pan-African Jazz Festival. For more information, please visit

www.ghpajazzfest.org

30/01/2024

Greetings FB family,

I’ll be conducting the Northwestern University Jazz Orchestra (NUJO) for our Black History Month concert this evening. We’re performing the music of Oliver Nelson from his 1970 album Black, Brown and Beautiful and also from his 1961 album Afro/American Sketches. Our special guest artist is his son, jazz flautist, composer/arranger Oliver Nelson, Jr.

The posted pictures are of Oliver Nelson’s original score, written in his hand, of his composition “Martin Was A Man, A Real Man” from the album “Black, Brown and Beautiful.” I’ll be conducting this beautiful string arrangement from his original score and incidentally, this music hasn’t been performed since the recording session in 1970.

Our instrumentation will be greatly enhanced with a 12-piece string section, French Horns, Tuba and additional percussion. We will also perform his groundbreaking 3-movement suite “Sound Piece for Jazz Orchestra” and also his iconic piece “Stolen Moments.”

Showtime 8:30pm EST. I hope you all will be able to join in and celebrate this incredible music of Oliver Nelson. Please see the links below for more info and streaming link of the performance.

Info:
https://www.music.northwestern.edu/events/northwestern-university-jazz-orchestra-14

Live Stream:
https://www.music.northwestern.edu/live/galvin

22/12/2023

View the Impact Music Inc Christmas catalog! https://impactmusicinc.com/product-tag/christmas-music/

19/12/2023

Let It Snow:
As recorded by Nnenna Freelon and the John Brown Big Band on the Brown Boulevard release “Christmas,” this arrangement is a straight-ahead sw***er of the Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne composition. Ironically, this tune was written the two song writers during a 1945 summer heatwave in Hollywood as they were imagining “cooler” weather conditions. The arrangement is in Db major and can be sung by soprano/alto female voice or baritone male voice. This is another great chart that can be performed during the Christmas/Winter concert season.
https://impactmusicinc.com/product/let-it-snow/

07/12/2023

Baby, It’s Cold Outside: As recorded by Nnenna Freelon and the John Brown Big Band on the 2012 Brown Boulevard release “Christmas,” this is a straight ahead arrangement of Frank Loesser’s composition introduced in the 1949 film “Neptune’s Daughter.” Highly regarded as a Christmas song owing to it’s winter theme, the lyrics actually make no mention of the actual holiday. The arrangement features a vocal duet between Male and Female voice, written in Db major and modulating to D major. This arrangement is a delight for audiences as a part of any concert program. https://impactmusicinc.com/product/baby-its-cold-outside/

01/12/2023

Little Drummer Boy: As recorded by Nnenna Freelon and the John Brown Big Band on the 2012 Brown Boulevard release “Christmas,” this is a reharmonized arrangement on this classic Christmas tune that features a March-like/New Orleans street beat feel, masterfully executed by New Orleans drummer Adonnis Rose on the recording session. Unless you’re from NOLA, it is recommended that the drummer listen to Adonnis’ interpretation of this groove and only refer to the written drum groove a “suggestion.” The tempo is å = 90 in the key of C Major and modulating to Db Major. As the arrangement progresses it goes into Swing with a double-time feel while modulating again to D Major. Throughout this metric modulation of tempos, the lyric is sung with the same å = 90 tempo feel. At the end of the arrangement there is a recap back to the original New Orleans street beat feel as displayed in the beginning of the chart. This is a great chart to be performed during the Christmas season and to add variety to any concert program.
https://impactmusicinc.com/product/little-drummer-boy/

29/11/2023

Still I Rise: Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band
“Derrick Gardner’s Big dig! Band is a classic jazz orchestra: spectacular sax, trombone, and trumpet sections studded with world-class musicians, and a rock-solid rhythm section to anchor all those flights of fancy. This band has weight, polish, sparkle, and drive. It swings without an ounce of apology, and at the same time feels current and fresh.”
https://derrickgardner.bandcamp.com/releases

30/10/2023

Let It Snow:
As recorded by Nnenna Freelon and the John Brown Big Band on the Brown Boulevard release “Christmas,” this arrangement is a straight-ahead sw***er of the Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne composition. Ironically, this tune was written the two song writers during a 1945 summer heatwave in Hollywood as they were imagining “cooler” weather conditions. The arrangement is in Db major and can be sung by soprano/alto female voice or baritone male voice. This is another great chart that can be performed during the Christmas/Winter concert season.
https://impactmusicinc.com/product/let-it-snow/

17/10/2023

Lets Call The Whole Thing Off: This arrangement is a medium tempo straight-ahead sw***er of the George & Ira Gershwin classic from the 1937 film “Shall We Dance.” Written in F Major, this tune has been arranged to be either a vocal feature or a trumpet feature with parts for both instruments included. The intro of the arrangement begins with solo bass walking a 2-beat feel on the last eight measures of the form, followed by the voice/trumpet in duet with the bass for the first 8 measures of the form. From there the feature instrument is accompanied by ensemble orchestration for the remainder of that first chorus of the form. The next chorus of the arrangement is a solo section for either of the featured instruments or for the 4th trumpet, guitar, piano or bass if the vocalist chooses not to sing an improvised solo. There is a ½ chorus Ensemble Shout section that sets up the featured instrument for the bridge of the final chorus, leading to a 4 measure repeated tag and a composed ending. This is a very versatile arrangement that can be sung by a male and female vocalist separately, together or by a featured trumpet soloist. https://impactmusicinc.com/product/lets-call-the-whole-thing-off/

09/10/2023

Jazz at Northwestern kicks into high gear!!

Starting this fall, jazz music fans will have more than twice the number of opportunities to enjoy performances on Northwestern University’s Evanston campus as the Bienen School of Music increases its jazz concert offerings from three per academic quarter to seven.

09/10/2023

Now Playing: Appointment in Ghana by Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets from Pan Africa!

Provided to YouTube by DistroKidAppointment in Ghana · Derrick Gardner & The Jazz ProphetsPan Africa℗ Impact JazzReleased on: 2023-01-13Auto-generated by You...

03/10/2023

Pan Africa, by Derrick Gardner & The Jazz Prophets is available now!
Order today on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/album/pan-africa/1659800108

Album · 2023 · 9 Songs

27/09/2023

White Christmas: This is a big band arrangement of The Drifters 1954 version of George & Ira Gershwin’s Christmas season classic composition. It features the Baritone Saxophone mimicking the melodic phrasing of Baritone/Bass vocalist of this classic 1950’s R&B/Doo-Wop group. The high tenor voice singing the melody in The Drifters’ version is mimicked by the melody voiced in the trombone section. After the melodic statement, which is in a 2-beat feel (å = 125 – 130), there is a straight-ahead swing solo section with background figures for the Baritone Saxophone. After the solo section, the arrangement returns to the tenor-voiced melody in the Trombones leading back to the Baritone Saxophone taking over the melody to bring the arrangement to the end. This is a very entertaining arrangement to perform during the Christmas season, which will definitely bring back memories to those who grew up in the 1950’s.
https://impactmusicinc.com/product/white-christmas/

14/09/2023

Lil’ Fawdy is a medium-up tempo Terence Blanchard original, recorded by his quintet on the 1992 Columbia Records release “Simply Stated.” This arrangement follows the basic framework and form of Terence’ composition with Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone and Piano solos. There are background figures for the Trumpet and Tenor Saxophone solos. Further to this, the arrangement has a saxophone section soli and an ensemble soli section that uses part of Blanchard’s original trumpet solo.
https://impactmusicinc.com/product/lil-fawdy/

11/09/2023

Little Drummer Boy - Vocal Feature
As recorded by Nnenna Freelon and the John Brown Big Band on the Brown Boulevard release “Christmas,” this is a reharmonized arrangement on this classic Christmas tune that features a March-like/New Orleans street beat feel, masterfully executed by New Orleans drummer Adonnis Rose on the recording session. This is a great chart to be performed during the Christmas season and to add variety to any concert program. https://impactmusicinc.com/product/little-drummer-boy/

06/09/2023

Listen to sample tracks from Derrick E. Gardner & The Big dig Band's new album, Still I Rise, before buying from our official album website: http://stillirisealbum.com

Derrick Gardner’s Big dig! Band is a classic jazz orchestra: spectacular sax, trombone, and trumpet sections studded with world-class musicians, and a rock-solid rhythm section to anchor all those flights of fancy. This band has weight, polish, sparkle, and drive. It swings without an ounce of apo...