Ed’s catalog includes pieces for many different sizes and styles. Ed would love to compose a piece for your professional or school ensemble. To make it more affordable, Ed can help arrange a consortium of ensembles to commission one piece.
Chamber Music
Suite for Piano Quartet and Improvising Soloist
2007 – Commissioned by the RTE Living Music Festival in Dublin Ireland. In Four Parts.
Soliloquy for Bass Clarinet
Premiered by Andrew Leonard, November 2012, Los Angeles
Olympic Quintet for Winds
Premiered by Midnight Winds, Los Angeles, 2012
Inspired by the Winter Olympics 2012
Brass Quintet
The Slave Trade
1993 – Five movements for Brass Quintet, percussion and jazz soloist. Commissioned by Brass Hallandia in Halmstad, Sweden. (45 min)
Ski-ing for Brass Quintet
2009 – Tango with improvisation. Commissioned by Ed Partyka.
Big Band Compositions & Arrangements
Reflection
Recorded on Wake Up Call by the NeuHat Ensemble conducted by Ed Neumeister. Buy Score and Parts.
Processize
2005 – Composed by Ed Neumeister. Commissioned by NDR Radio Big Band in Hamburg germany. Fast Swing. Includes open Piano Solo.
Recorded on Wake Up Call by the NeuHat Ensemble conducted by Ed Neumeister. Buy Score and Parts.
Osmotic
2009 – Medium swing long form, solos by trombone, piano and bass. Woodwind doubles.
Recorded 2009 Live by ENJO at the Jazz Bakery Culver City CA
New Groove
2005 – Composed by Ed Neumeister. Commissioned by NDR Radio Big Band in Hamburg germany. Nice groove solo for tenor sax.
Recorded on Wake Up Call by the NeuHat Ensemble conducted by Ed Neumeister. Buy Score and Parts.
My Shining Hour
1999 – Commission by Rias Big Band and Till Brönner. A twisted version of this standard by Harold Arlen. Intro and interlude in an afro 12/8. Melody is in 5/4, 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 3/4, 4/4, 12/8. It flows easier than it looks! Features trumpet blowing in 4/4 and 12/8, also has bass solo. Recorded on the Jazz Bigband Graz CD Here & There.
Longing
2000 – Composed by Ed Neumeister. Recorded on the Jazz Bigband Graz CD Here & There. This ballad is dedicated to Billy Strayhorn. Features a soloist with the Big Band.
Locomotion
1999 – Inspired by John Coltrane's Dear Lord. A groovin’ ostinato singing style bass part with Latin/Brazilian rhythms. Features the tenor sax. Recorded on the Jazz Bigband Graz CD Here & There. Medium Tempo Latin.
Recorded on Wake Up Call by the NeuHat Ensemble conducted by Ed Neumeister. Buy Score and Parts.
Leutnant
2001 – An arrangement of a tune by Austrian (1920s) composer Robert Stolz. Med up tempo, swinging, exciting.
Jari
2000 – A slow lament charged with emotion. Was written when a friends baby was in the hospital for a very serious operation. Features some group improvisation with trombone (with plunger) and tenor sax. Has also been described as beautifully melancholy. Composed by Ed Neumeister. Emotional Ballad.
Recorded 2009 Live by ENJO at the Jazz Bakery Culver City CA
Here & There
1998 – Composed by Ed Neumeister. Even 8s with Afro 12/8. Solo for soprano sax. Brings together influences of Bela Bartok and music from central African pygmies. Medium Tempo. Recorded on the Jazz Bigband Graz CD Here & There.
Fantasy for Cello and Big Band
2002 – Concerto in three continuous Movements (40 minutes). Commissioned for the Styriarte Festival 2000.
E.S.P.
1999 – Wayne Shorter's classic with solos by trumpet, alto and piano. Ensemble development of melodic fragments. Recorded on the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra CD Can I persuade you? and the Jazz Bigband Graz CD Here & There. Medium Fast Swing.
Dog Play
2008 – Medium st8s Brazilian-ish Groove with moving harmonies, in Sonata Form with solos by tenor sax and group ad lib for trumpet and trombone.
Recorded on Wake Up Call by the NeuHat Ensemble conducted by Ed Neumeister. Buy Score and Parts.
Deliberation
2002 – Composed by Ed Neumeister. Medium Swing. À la Herbie Hancock’s Speak Like a Child. Features trombone & alto.
Recorded on Wake Up Call by the NeuHat Ensemble conducted by Ed Neumeister. Buy Score and Parts.
Daydream (Big Band)
1997 – Billy Strayhorn’s ballad has thick, rich harmonies. Played by the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Features lead alto and trombone with plunger.
A Night in Tunisia
1999 – Commissioned by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra for a tour to Tunisia in 1998, in funky 5/4.
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
1991 – The old standard from World War I era, composed by Manning Sherwin. This arrangement was nominated for a Grammy Award. Recorded on the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra CD To You. Medium Swing with piano and soprano solos. Modern harmonies and syncopations.
Alice in Wonderland
1999 – This re-harmonized standard by Sammy Fain and Bob Hilliard features piano and trombone. Medium JazzWaltz. Recorded on the Jazz Bigband Graz
A Cute Finale
2002 – Composed by Ed Neumeister. Modeled after famed Count Basie hit Cute. Medium Slow Swing Tempo.
jazz Octet
Trombone Ensemble
1 1 11 Suite
2011 – Tranquility, Passacaglia Vivace, Trophy Song. 3 Movements for trombone octet: No improvisation, good for jazz and classical players. Fun!!
Naima
by John Coltrane arranged by Ed Neumeister. Funky arrangement for 8 trombones and rhythm section.
Collage
1999 – from the Collage CD with the New York Trombone Quartet. Contains arrangements for quartet with and without rhythm section and for trombone soloist with trombone quartet, piano, bass, drums.
BRass Ensemble
1 1 11 Suite
2011 – Tranquility, Passacaglia Vivace, Trophy Song. 3 Movements for trombone octet: No improvisation, good for jazz and classical players. Fun!!
Jazz Quintet
Suite Ellington project
Ed’s arrangements of many of Ellington & Strayhorns´ more obscure pieces, many from their extended suites, such as: Far East Suite, Afro Eurasian Suite, Black Brown and Beigeand the Queens Suite. Arranged for six and seven pieces (Violin, trumpet, clarinet, trombone, piano, bass, drums)
Bird Dance for Jazz Quintet
2009 – Twisted canon, in between free improv.
Night Eyes
2009 – For jazz quintet, 2 or more horns, playing counterpoint. Medium st8’s. Challenging form for solos. Loosely based on the harmonies of Night has a Thousand Eyes. Medium swing with 2 part counterpoint in the horns.
2 14 11
2011 – Spacey intro into 9/4 st 8s groove with 3 part counterpoint.
Saxophone Quintet with Rhythm Section
Lumuria
Composed by Ed Neumeister. Jazz waltz with a limp. Long solo form. commissioned by Milky Sax quintet in Paris, France. A quartet version of this song is recorded on the new Ed Neumeister CD Reflection. Medium Jazz waltz.
Other Ensembles
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Trombone
1994 – Combining aspects of modern classical composition techniques with improvisation.
Night Eyes
2001 – Sextet: Flute, English Horn, Bb Clarinet, Violin, Viola & Cello. Rhymically Lyrical. South American rhythms with jazz harmonies.
Night Eyes
2009 – for Sextet: (vi, vla, cello, fl, eh, cl), trombone quintet & jazz quintet
Therapy
1996 – A sixteen bar blues written for solo instrument and jazz orchestra. Written for Metropole Radio Orchestra, same instrumentation as Blood Count.
Blood Count
1996 – Billy Strayhorn's beautiful ballad, scored for studio orchestra, big band plus strings, percussion, woodwinds and horn with solo instrument (trombone). Written for the Metropole Radio Orchestra in the Netherlands.
Medusa Symphonic
2003 – A shorter version of Medusa for symphony orchestra without soloist. Includes solo like improvisation for piano.
Medusa
1999 – Concerto for trombone and Jazz Orchestra. Commissioned by the Metropole Radio Orchestra.
The Metropole Suite
1996 – in Five Movements. 1&2: Indication & Acquiescence, 3: Lucky Sevens, 4: Negrin, 5: Coincidence. Commissioned by the Metropole Radio Orchestra in Hilversum, The Netherlands.
Film Music
Judith
Experimental black & white short film directed by Takahisa Shiraishi, original music composed & conducted by Ed Neumeister. Cannes Film Festival 2013.
– Special Festival Mention (Best Score) of Delhi ShortsInternational Film Festival (Delhi, INDIA)
Nominated for best music award at the London Film Festival
Commissions
Commissions include:
Assembláge JazzOrchestra (2020) New York
SWIWTrombone Quartet (2020) New York
Definiens Chamber Ensemble, Idyllwild CA (2018)
Tranzient Ensemble, Zurich, Switzerland (2018)
Improvisatory Minds Composers Collective, Los Angeles, CA (2011–2019)
Radio TV Big Band, Zagreb Croatia (2016)
RTÉ Living Music Festival, Dublin Ireland. (2007)
ASCAP/IAJE Commission in Honor of OrnetteColeman (2006)
the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, New York City (on going)
the Metropole Radio Orchestra, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1992–2016)
NDR Radio Big Band Hamburg, Germany (2004)
Fantasy for Cello and Big Band, Styriarte, Graz, Austria (2002)
Loyola University, New Orleans, LA (2011)
WAJO (West Australian Jazz Orchestra, PerthAustralia) (2014)
the Berlin Radio Big Band (1999)
the Belgium Radio Big Band, Brussels (1992)
the Hessischer Rundfunk Jazz Ensemble, Frankfurt, Germany. (1992 & 1994)
the Sophisticated Ellington Project, Tokyo, Japan (1993)
Jazz Big Band Graz, Austria (SeveralProjects (2001 – 2005)
Maribor Philharmonic Orchestra, Slovenia(2002)
Ensemble New, Fredericia, Denmark (1993)
Advance Music Publishing, Germany (1997)
Klüvers Big Band, Århus, Denmark (1992–1997)
the Milky Saxophone Quintet, Paris, France (1992)
Therapeutic Mineral Ice, radioadvertisement, New York City (1987)
Brass Hallandia, Halmstad, Sweden (1994)