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Burgundy, Pine, and Goldenrod is a fanfare-ish chorale with 19th and 20th century functional harmony that features each of the four players in the quartet. With each melody switch-off comes a new key and a new accompanying orchestration, providing a range of colors across its short run.
Instrumentation Brass Quartet Style Classical Level 4 TEMPO = 120 Trumpet
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The Holly and the Ivy is presented here in a contemporary arrangement that puts a new spin on an old classic. The first half is in an aggressive fanfare style with rapid fire harmonized lines and quick tonal shifts. The second half goes to a half time feel with three part harmony over a fusion jazz style tuba line. All of this ends with a punchy coda and a bold final chord. Basically, this one is super fun to play!
Instrumentation Brass Quartet Style Classical, Modern Jazz Level 4 TEMPO = 120 Trumpet
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Ruined is a funky chamber jazz tune with feature space for guitar and trumpet. It starts with saxes only with no rhythm section, adding in trombones, then trumpets, before building into a guitar solo. The trumpet solo gets some space over trombone chorale before the rhythm section jumps back in, and it ends with a dismantling of each section until nothing is left but the five saxes. Each horn player keeping good time is critical for this composition, but the reward is a lush and exciting groove-based piece.
Instrumentation Big Band Style Modern Jazz Level 4 TEMPO = 90 Trumpet
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Jingle Bells is one of the most recognizable holiday classics of all time, so I felt an obligation to do something different with this arrangement. The first two bars are traditional and "classical" before unexpectedly launching into a double time swing feel featuring the 2nd trumpet and 4-feel bass lines. It then abruptly settles into a normal time straight feel, almost in a rock style, with the melody exactly where you expect it but underlying functional harmony built on top of a 12-tone chord progression. In other words, this one sounds cool.
Instrumentation Brass Quartet Style Classical, Modern Jazz Level 4 TEMPO = 90 Trumpet
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From the Beantown Swing Orchestra 2011 holiday album A Beantown Christmas, what starts as a traditional-sounding orchestral jazz arrangement of the Christmas classic warps into a Duke Ellington style R&B swinger. Reflective and introspective moments balance against soulful bluesy cries in this powerhouse arrangement that has a little something for everyone.
Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 4 Vocals Male TEMPO = 65 Trumpet
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