Music

During the last forty years, I’ve arranged and composed over 250 pieces for a variety of ensembles—big band jazz ensembles, small jazz and pop groups, brass quintets, string orchestras, concert band, children’s choirs, and so on.

Also, I’ve taught arranging and composition in jazz and music education courses at several universities during the last 30 years. For example, since 2002, I’ve taught a course at NYU for graduate music education majors called, “Teaching Composition and Improvisation in Secondary and Junior High Schools.”

Two examples of my published instrumental works (available through Hal Leonard and Boosey & Hawkes) are: No More Moon (Kendor, 1976) for big band jazz ensemble, which won 1st Prize in the jazz composition competition of the NAJE, and a12-Volume Set of Wind Solos with piano accompaniments (for flute, clarinet, trumpet, and so on). This 12-volume set is called The Leonard Bernstein Collection; it contains arrangements of famous and lesser known pieces by Leonard Bernstein. This collection was commissioned by Boosey & Hawkes and the Leonard Bernstein Trust. See: The Leonard Bernstein Collection

In the choral category, see below for a selected list of jazz choral arrangements for children’s choirs that I’ve done over the years, all of which are published (by Boosey & Hawkes and Hal Leonard) in Doreen Rao’s choral series, Choral Music Experience. See: http://www.halleonard.com/search/search.do?subsiteid=1&keywords=david+elliott

Following are recordings of three pieces (dedicated to and performed by the “Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus”) that are available in Swing Around Suite (2010), which is dedicated to Ella Fitzgerald. I view these pieces as pedagogical: they attempt to introduce children to key concepts about and pieces in various jazz styles.

The order of the songs is:

How High the Moon (which begins with O Music, Sweet Music)
A-Tisket, A-Tasket
God Bless the Child
Jingle Bell Swing
Smooth Sailing

Music Gallery