"We Got It" - Big Sam's Funky Nation

"We Got It'" (PDF) from the Big Sam's Funky Nation album, Peace, Love & Understanding.

Alright, we got it.  We got it!  You can play the trombone, and you can play really high, too.  You don't have to hit us over the head with all those high-C's.  We got it.  Sheesh.

If we break down Big Sam's phrasing, it appears to be formulaic.  Starting with a pickup measure to a new phrase, he creates anticipation that leads up to "the 1" of bar 1.  This is "The Pop," as discussed last week, the hype that creates a booming entrance.  In bar 2, there is a reaction to "The Pop," either as a completion of the idea, or even a call-and-response idea that resolves the situation.  However, it is in bar 3 of the four-bar phrase, where Big Sam drives it home and sticks it to ya.  This is the punctuation of the phrase idea, the exclamation point that brings the attitude.  The four-bar phrase ends in third bar.  Bar 4 completes the cycle and sets up the next phrase.  Rinse and repeat.  

In boxing, there is the basic four-punch combination that consists of the Jab, the Cross, the Hook, and the Uppercut.  The Jab acts as the initial setup to the Cross, it should catch your opponent by surprise so that he must defend the incoming Cross, or "The Pop."  Your opponent can not attack if he is on the defensive.  The purpose of the Hook is to force him to cover all the possible angles of the attack as a reaction.  By doing so, he will crate a vulnerability in his defense, leaving him open for the Uppercut, or the knock-out punch.  Rinse and repeat.

Here's a YouTube video of Big Sam's Funky Nation playing this tune with a lot of dancing:

Recommended Reading: Arban's Famous Method for Trombone, edited by Charles L. Randall and Simone Mantia.  Published by Carl Fischer.