Major Butts

One of Frank Foster's more ambitious charts in the context of the so-called 'Basie Tradition,' Major Butts is really just another medium up-tempo 12 bar blues, but with the added twist of an 'I Got Rhythm' bridge in long meter played in a jazz samba groove. One full chorus consists of two 12-bar blues segments followed by the Latinesque 16-measure bridge and then lasts 12-bar blues segment, giving the song an elongated A-A-B-A form. The chord changes aren't difficult, and your tenor sax and trumpet soloists should handle them pretty well. If the band director elects to insert additional solos it is suggested that all soloists be limited to one full chorus apiece. The bassist has a written solo-obligato on the ending which may be ignored in favor of an ad-libbed passage. Who knows, Basie might even have changed this chart a few times himself, because the element of swing never gets too far away.