Style: Swing Era

INSTRUMENTATION
DIFFICULTY
VOCALS
PERFORMER
SOLOS
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone

    Savoy Strut

    as performed by Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra
    $60
    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 quarter note = 160
    Trumpet
    Range
    E5
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Trumpet

    Skunk Hollow Blues

    as performed by Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra
    $60
    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 quarter note = 125
    Trumpet
    Range
    Eb5
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Bari
    • Piano

    Goin’ Out the Back Way

    as performed by Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra
    $60
    A well-rounded starter chart (especially for younger bands), Goin' Out the Back Way features a nice melody with every instrument in the comfortable zones of their ranges, simple backgrounds, cool chord changes, and a medium tempo. A couple of instruments that don't get too many solos have their space here as well. Slightly tricky for a level 1, but nothing crazy!
    Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece
    Style Swing Era
    Level 1
    TEMPO quarter note = 155
    Trumpet
    Range
    F5
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Bari
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone
    • Bass
    • Piano

    Who Struck John?

    as performed by Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra
    $60
    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 quarter note = 160
    Trumpet
    Range
    Gb5
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Trombone

    The Intimacy of the Blues

    as performed by Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra
    $60
    The Intimacy of the Blues is notable not just for it's striking melody--this was one of the very last compositions ever written by longtime Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn. This medium tempo Eb blues is good for a band of any skill level, and a great historical addition to your book.
    Instrumentation Ellington 7-Piece
    Style Swing Era
    Level 1
    TEMPO quarter note = 110
    Trumpet
    Range
    Eb5
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone

    Good Queen Bess

    as performed by Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra
    $60
    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 quarter note = 150
    Trumpet
    Range
    D5
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Bari
    • Trumpet
    • Trombone

    The Back Room Romp (A Contrapuntal Stomp)

    as performed by Rex Stewart and His 52nd Street Stompers
    $60
    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 quarter note = 154
    Trumpet
    Range
    Bb5
    • Solos
    • Tenor
    • Piano

    Flip Lid

    as performed by Les Brown and His Band of Renown
    $80
    Flip Lid comes at the peak of Les Brown's band, coming out of the swing era with Lunceford and Basie sensibilities, but tapping into the bebop vocabulary of Dizzy Gillespie's and Woody Herman's bands. Featuring the trumpet section throughout the head and a well balanced shout chorus, this swingin' chart sits right in between two eras of jazz. This is a very soft level 4, just a tad too difficult for level 3.
    Instrumentation Big Band
    Style Bebop, Swing Era
    Level 4
    TEMPO quarter note = 188
    Trumpet
    Range
    C6
    • Solos
    • Alto
    • Tenor
    • Trumpet
    • Piano

    The Right Idea

    as performed by Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra
    $80
    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 quarter note = 185
    Trumpet
    Range
    C6
  • Christmas Memories

    as performed by the Beantown Swing Orchestra
    $95
    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 quarter note = 70
    Trumpet
    Range
    Bb5

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