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Chorale #2 is a short original piece written for brass quartet in the spirit of the holiday season. At once a gentle fanfare, a lament on the darkness of society, and a celebration of the best humankind has to offer, Chorale #2 churns and crawls its way to a triumphant final chord.Instrumentation Brass Quartet Style Classical Level 3 TEMPO 
= 80Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Coming out the same year as Prohibition, Avalon is one of the earliest jazz standards of the 20th century. Here, it's slowed down to a super slick beginner's dancing tempo featuring trombone on a staccato melody with a sassy background trio of cup mute trumpet, alto and bari sax almost taking over as a new melody over the bone.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 120Trumpet
Range
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O Tannenbaum, also known as O Christmas Tree, is typically played in a slower 3/4 time. Here, it's in a swinging 4/4 groove with textures that jump in and out of solo, concerted and counterpoint with harmony ranging from traditional to a more aggressive Duke Ellington style.Instrumentation Brass Quartet Style Bebop Level 3 TEMPO = 130Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
This swingin' Bill Finegan arrangement of a traditional Russian folk shanty has some great ensemble work, several peaks, and a rare jazz canon for the brass! Some simple plunger work helps ground it in the swing era, and a huge finale with harmony way ahead of it's time makes Song of the Volga Boatman a killer addition to any big band book.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 135Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
This Edwin Finckel rarity swings hard and doesn't shy away from its bebop influences. Straddling the line between the two eras of jazz, Calling Doctor Gillespie features some infectious melodies and singable shout choruses. High Gs for lead trumpet are all optional - without them the highest note is a Bb above the staff. A couple of solos in the middle round this out.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 136Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
This Edwin Finckel rarity swings hard and doesn't shy away from its bebop influences. Straddling the line between the two eras of jazz, Calling Doctor Gillespie features some infectious melodies and singable shout choruses. A couple of solos in the middle round this out.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 136Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Hot Springs is a catchy mid-tempo Gene Ammons tune that shows jazz in 1949 in flux, transitioning from swing to bebop. The solo order and instrumentation has been slightly altered to fit with the Hodges horn lineup.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Bebop Level 3 TEMPO = 144Trumpet
Range
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From the 2011 Beantown Swing Orchestra album A Beantown Christmas, "Dancing in the Snow" is a cool-swinging original tune that features any combination of male or female singers. Ensemble work ranges from a tight horn quartet to a full-band roaring shout chorus and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!Instrumentation Big Band Style Pop Jazz Level 3 Vocals Male & Female TEMPO = 150Trumpet
Range
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Good Queen Bess is a standout riff tune from the Hodges/Ellington book, complete with a lighthearted, catchy melody, and player-unique background voicings. The solo changes are fairly standard but colorful and make for a great jam vehicle for your band.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 150Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Melanchology is a moody medium tempo piece that is designed to be sophisticated but accessible. The opening march-like texture is supported by colorful nonfunctional harmony, leading all the way to a diminishing spacey ending. It's an easy level 3 with solo space for your best trumpet soloist and a little space for guitar and piano.Instrumentation Big Band Style Modern Jazz Level 3 TEMPO = 150Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Back Room Romp is basically a simple blues in Ab, but there is a twist: the head is a series of building independent lines, thus a "Contrapuntal Stomp." Every horn player gets a solo chorus. The lead trumpet part is a bit of a blow, but this was written for longtime Ellington sideman, trumpeter Rex Stewart, who had the chops to play all day.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 154Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Stan Kenton's early band came out of the swing era with dance charts like Eager Beaver, his first hit, but even here you can see the band trying to push the limits of swing and jazz. This piece has a lot of components that all work together, including lots of meaty low trombone notes, fanfare-ish trumpet lines, smooth swinging saxes, and even moments that feature the rhythm section. This is a little tricky for a 3 but not quite as intense as a 4.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 155Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Savoy Strut is a major hidden gem from the swing era! Duke Ellington starts the tune up with an unusually angular intro, which takes us to a winding but singable head. The soloists play over a beautiful and remarkable chord progression which also features some player-specific orchestration choices that take advantage of the unique sounds of his players. A must-have for any Ellington 7-piece ensemble!Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 160Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Lumbersexual is a grooving blues at the perfect medium dance tempo that features a catchy melody, built-in call and responses with soloists, and a huge final chorus. This original Rocco and the Stompers tune works well as a set opener, closer, or mid-set energy booster and never fails to get dancers engaged!Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 160Trumpet
Range
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One of the older Christmas standards, Deck the Halls is a classic that belongs in every holiday brass quartet book. This is a very easy level 3, save for an abrupt fanfare in the final few bars that brings the arrangement to a triumphal end. The harmony ranges from traditional to modern nonfunctional, but it is always well-balanced.Instrumentation Brass Quartet Style Classical Level 3 TEMPO = 160Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
This hip Artie Shaw original features a little of everyone at the perfect dance tempo. Anecdotally, When the Quail Come Back to San Quentin was written in response to a music business insider's request for Shaw to play a sappy hit of the day. Shaw instead went live to air with this antithetical parody that seriously swings.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 170Trumpet
Range
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A Stompers Recrudescence is a killer finale piece. It starts with a windup intro, like a train leaving the station, before hitting a pre-head fanfare, then goes on to features all four horn players, an infectious blues head, and a huge final two choruses.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 175Trumpet
Range
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This 19th century classic sees a jazz update here, with swinging rhythms and tight 20th century jazz harmony driving it forward. The ending is a bit chaotic and helps put this on the difficult side of a level 3 arrangement, but overall this is a fun version of the tune that has more pop to it than usual.Instrumentation Brass Quartet Style Bebop, Modern Jazz Level 3 TEMPO = 180Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Written for Cab Calloway's band, Pickin' the Cabbage is Dizzy Gillespie's first ever big band composition. The slick tune features a great melody for a trio and many hints of modern bebop and afro-cuban music that would later be Gillespie's trademark.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 184Trumpet
Range
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American Patrol hit #15 on the Billboard charts in 1942 and was one of Glenn Miller's last hits before joining the military and powered by a creative Jerry Gray arrangement it still holds up today. Mostly full of tight ensemble playing and only a single 16-bar solo, American Patrol is a staple of every big band book.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 184Trumpet
Range
Difficulty Level: 3
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