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- Solos
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
-
- Solos
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 = 200Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 200Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 125Trumpet
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
Aside from a little chromaticism on the bridge, You Talk a Little Trash is a solid level 1 swinger. Most of the melody is unison, the changes are simple, the tempo is an easy-going 160bpm, and the lines are timeless. Cootie Williams shows that you can do a lot with a little on this catchy chart.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 1 TEMPO = 160Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 160Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
This obscure tune swings along with great riffs and colorful ensemble moments. I Know What You Do is a bit more chromatic than other level 2 Ellington pieces, but it all fits nicely together.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 2 TEMPO = 180Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Also known as "Non-Violent Integration", Who Struck John? is a very simple but very cool head tune. This arrangement is unusual in its use of rock/metal style parallel fifths in the rhythm section, otherwise known in modern times as barre chords. This is a chart for jamming on a straight-ahead D Major blues, with solo space for nearly everyone.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 1 TEMPO = 160Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Woodchopper's Ball was Woody Herman's first big hit and would continue to be rewritten and rearranged for decades as a major anthem for him and his various Herds. Plenty of solo space and easy riffing can be found here over a medium tempo Db blues. This is a great, authentic introduction to the swing era and the blues form makes it playable for a band of any level!Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 1 TEMPO = 175Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
This Cootie Williams number is a great easy piece that still authentically swings hard. The original recording of Do Some War Work, Baby has a vocal chorus in the middle, but this transcription replaces it with a solo chorus for bari sax and alters the ending to make it fully instrumental. The vocal version can be found here.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 1 TEMPO = 140Trumpet
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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- Solos
This Cootie Williams number is a great easy piece that still authentically swings hard. Do Some War Work, Baby has a vocal chorus in the middle, but an instrumental adaptation is available here, replacing the vocals with a solo chorus for bari sax and altering the ending.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 1 Vocals Male TEMPO = 140Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 148Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 190Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 195Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 195Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 195Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Empty Ballroom Blues (which is not a blues!) is an Hodges/Ellington piece with great big riffs and big solo sections, and it makes for a great finale number!Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 190Trumpet
Range
-
- Solos
Rendezvous with Rhythm is a unique tune that bridges the gap between hot jazz and swing with plenty of space for solos. Simple riffs and a tidy shout chorus drive this deceptively swinging Ellington/Hodges chart to a quiet and abrupt ending.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 194Trumpet
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
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 = 175Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
The Wilhelm Scream is a flag waving jam session tune in the spirit of a Basie-style Lester Leaps In or a Shaw-style Diga Diga Doo that is open for solos for any/all instruments in the band. Built modularly, there are unique horn backgrounds that can be played depending on which instrument is soloing, with a final cued shout chorus that brings the house down!Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 230Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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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- Solos
Anchors Aweigh is a classic Glenn Miller flag waver and it is a beast of chart. Lightning fast mute changes, rapid fire horn lines, swinging fanfare sections, and a rager of a back half make this is a difficult but exciting chart despite the unassuming source material it's based off of.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 4 TEMPO = 270Trumpet
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
This wild piece starts out with Fletcher Henderson quoting of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March," but after two bars it's off to the races with tons of intricate riffs, solos, and a rowdy shout chorus at the end. Watch out for the lightening quick mute changing, which was standard practice in the 1930s. This piece makes a great wedding reception opener and many working bands using it now will open up the first solo section as a vamp to introduce a wedding party.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 4 TEMPO = 185Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Bugle Call Rag is an all out flag waver that was a major hit for Benny Goodman. With simple chords and riffs and lots of solo space, this burning boogie-woogie/swing hybrid swings hard and is a quintessential swing era anthem.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 235Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
This wild piece starts out with Fletcher Henderson quoting of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March," but after two bars it's off to the races with tons of intricate riffs, solos, and a rowdy shout chorus at the end. Watch out for the lightening quick mute changing, which was standard practice in the 1930s. This piece makes a great wedding reception opener and many working bands using it now will open up the first solo section as a vamp to introduce a wedding party.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 4 TEMPO = 185Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Swing Psychometry is a trumpet feature that pushes the limits of swing era vocabulary. Full of 10 bar phrases and Ellington and Coltrane-inspired harmony, this interesting piece pops out in your book as something unusual yet familiar.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 4 TEMPO = 175Trumpet
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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- Solos
Bugle Call Rag is an all out flag waver that was a major hit for Benny Goodman. With simple chords and riffs and lots of solo space, this burning boogie-woogie/swing hybrid swings hard and is a quintessential swing era anthem.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 235Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Charlie Barnet wrote a trio of "Idea" pieces: one that paid tribute to Duke Ellington, one that parodied the unhip bands of the day, and this one, The Right Idea, a piece that Barnet felt represented a truly quintessential swing chart. With solo space for several instruments and some great riffs and lines, you can tell right away that Barnet was spot on!Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 185Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Charlie Barnet wrote a trio of "Idea" pieces: one that paid tribute to Duke Ellington, one that parodied the unhip bands of the day, and this one, The Right Idea, a piece that Barnet felt represented a quintessential swing chart. With solo space for several instruments and some great riffs and lines, you can tell right away that Barnet was spot on!Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 185Trumpet
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 Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 184Trumpet
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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- 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 is a killer arrangement of an old Scottish song that is full of meat and potato ensemble work. Beware the aggressive brass solos though: Solo trumpet plays up to a high F at the end, and they'll need to pull off the Paul Webster fireworks before then (the exact solo is written out but optional). You'll also need a lead trombonist to blast his way up to a HIGH F.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 4 TEMPO = 160Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Man From Mars is an uptempo puncher with some slick solo spots and cool riffs for each section. A little intricate for a level 3, but not quite as demanding as a level 4, this piece swings hard and ends with a bang.Instrumentation Big Band Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 230Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
Man From Mars is an uptempo puncher with some slick solo spots and cool riffs for each section. A little intricate for a level 3, but not quite as demanding as a level 4, this piece swings hard and ends with a bang.Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece Style Swing Era Level 3 TEMPO = 230Trumpet
Range
Solo Instrument: Trumpet
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