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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
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
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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
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
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
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
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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- 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
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 = 145Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 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
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 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 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
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
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 = 150Trumpet
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
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
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 = 125Trumpet
Range
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- Solos
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 = 140Trumpet
Range
Style: Swing Era
INSTRUMENTATION
DIFFICULTY
VOCALS
PERFORMER
SOLOS
