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The unassumingly-titled "That's Rhythm" is a colorful tune that straddles the line between the swing era and the bebop era. Written by Ellington sideman Rex Stewart for his own shorter-lived 4-horn band, "Rhythm" features a punchy and memorable head and lots of solo space.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 148 Trumpet
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This upbeat Hodges/Ellington piece is a variation on the old nursery rhyme The Farmer in the Dell. After a statement of the melody, it's all solos with background riffs until the melody comes back at the end. Swinging in the Dell is a very simple solo vehicle that's great for getting dancers on the floor!
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 190 Trumpet
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Swingin' on the Campus is an aggressive hard swinging tune jam packed with killer riffs and solo space. This simply-constructed piece is built on a variation of rhythm changes and is a difficult level 2 because of the relatively high tempo and brass endurance.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 195 Trumpet
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Skunk Hollow Blues is a very laid back colorful blues and a fantastic rare gem of the swing era. The intro and head features plunger trumpet on one line, bari and trombone on another, and the alto on a third melody, a rare true 3-part counterpoint! Riffs and triadic voicings back up a couple of solos, leading to an ending chorus that is half based on the head and half new material full of creeping chromatic motion full of dynamics.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 125 Trumpet
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Pletchtastic is a tongue-in-cheek titled song commissioned for Club Drosselmeyer. A simple Bb blues riff melody, solos for every instrument, no backgrounds, and a big intro and ending makes this a great opener, closer, or mid-set rest piece for your horns.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 175 Trumpet
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This alto feature is a perfect tempo for new dancers and has some very cool background lines from the trio of trumpet, trombone, and bari sax. Let your alto play out a la Johnny Hodges and have your trio dig in with some conviction and this chart will swing hard.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 125 Trumpet
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As standard dance repertoire, Lindyhopper's Delight is a catchy riff tune with a startlingly modern middle chorus that features some relatively harsh sax harmonies flanked by thickly-voiced plunger-supported brass hits. The final chorus is a raucous one, even though the brass are in full octave unison on a concert Bb! This is a great tune for any library though, and a good, albeit sometimes tricky, introduction to plungers for younger brass players.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 195 Trumpet
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As standard dance repertoire, Lindyhopper's Delight is a catchy riff tune with a startlingly modern middle chorus that features some relatively harsh sax harmonies flanked by thickly-voiced plunger-supported brass hits. The final chorus is a raucous one, even though the brass are in full octave unison on a concert Bb! This is a great tune for any library though, and a good, albeit sometimes tricky, introduction to plungers for younger brass players.
Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 195 Trumpet
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The lead trumpet part here is tough for a 2 but overall this is an easy grooving arrangement that is one of the few swing era vocal charts to feature the singer fully throughout the form. Peggy Lee's cool performance on this recording brought the tune to a new height, with a swinging even-tempered arrangement to contrast and support her. The lead trumpet part here is almost a 3, but otherwise this is a solid 2. Vocal range is Bb3 to A4/C5.
Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 2 Vocals Female TEMPO = 121 Trumpet
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Also known as "The Big Apple Contest," Keep Punchin' is a swing dancer staple and a must-have for any band that will ever play for swing dancers! After the famous simple intro a brass trio work plays off of a sax riff, and from there on it's simple burnin' riffs all the way home, with lots of great brass plunger work.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 200 Trumpet
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Also known as "The Big Apple Contest," this is a swing dancer staple and a must-have for any band that will ever play for swing dancers! After the famous simple intro a brass trio work plays off of a sax riff, and from there on it's simple burnin' riffs all the way home, with lots of great brass plunger work.
Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 200 Trumpet
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Junior Hop is a nice walkin' alto feature with some simple but melodic three-part backgrounds. The trio takes over for a bit on a catchy new melody built on strong triads. The trombone part is a little on the high side for a Level 2 (up to high A).
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 140 Trumpet
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Johnson Rag is an old, relatively obscure tune, seen here fleshed out into a fat swinging arrangement influenced by the writing style of Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson. The chart includes a bass/piano/bari riff, the trombone on the melody, a trumpet/alto pep section, and an original bridge, all with a middle section featuring a brass battle.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 160 Trumpet
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Hobbledehoy is a long outdated word meaning a clumsy or awkward youth. This tune captures that spirit while still swinging and providing a perfect foundation for dancers. The melody is mostly in unison with some riffs and 3-part background lines behind the solos. This one is a hit that your band will love!
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 140 Trumpet
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Emerald is a Rocco and the Stompers original that primarily features the alto sax with triad counterpoint a la Johnny Hodges and Duke Ellington. This is a fun an interesting chart considering how relatively easy it is, and it's always a hit with dancers!
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 150 Trumpet
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Dysthymia, Maybe is an easy walkin' tune featuring a simplified bluesy unison riff for the melody and easy solo changes in F. This is an easy head tune that gives your horns a nice break while keeping dancers on the floor.
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 125 Trumpet
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An original song off the 2011 Beantown Swing Orchestra album A Beantown Christmas, Christmas Memories is designed to sound as if Glenn Miller had performed this in 1938, complete with the classic clarinet-led reed section. To add to this effect, the song lyrics are about holiday nostalgia, connecting the past with the present.
Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 2 Vocals Female TEMPO = 70 Trumpet
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Gene Ammons preaches on in Brother Jug's Sermon, a soulfully grooving dance tune that now fully features bari sax. The horn backgrounds are simple enough--a couple of horn turns and a few suggested high notes in the bari make this an easy level 2. Swing music has never been so hip!
Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Bebop, Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 145 Trumpet
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