Superbrass, page 5 |

£30.00

O Tannenbaum - Traditional German Carol

O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional 15th century folk song it became associated with the fir tree, traditionally used as a Christmas tree in German tradition. By the early 20th century it was being sung as a Christmas carol. The modern lyrics were written in 1824 by Ernst Anschutz, sourcing his material from an old 16th century Silesian folk song by Melchior Frank. My arrangement presents the traditional material in a full-on, big band swing style.
£30.00

O.B.1. Fanfare - Tom Watson

Tom Watson was born into a musical family in Hertfordshire, England and showed a flare for playing the trumpet from the age of just 4. Taught by his father James Watson, the prolific international soloist, conductor, educator and session trumpeter, Tom studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where he gained a first class honours degree. Whilst still at college, Tom embarked on a varied professional freelance-playing career and was guest principal trumpet with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra performing under Claudio Abbado, Daniel Harding, and Sir Neville Marriner. Tom can be regularly found performing and recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and many of the UK's finest orchestras. Commercially, Tom has played in sessions or concerts for artists such as Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones, Dame Shirley Bassey, Ozzy Osbourne, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Jarvis Cocker, Pete Doherty, Nick Cave, Karl Jenkins and Victoria Wood. Some of his film session work has included recording the scores for Brave, Eragon and Stormbreaker. Tom also works as a musical director, arranging and conducting various projects such as Tony Christie's album Made in Sheffield and for renowned harpist Catrin Finch. Tom also runs his own independent recording and production company Pro Audio, part of Prozone Music, which Tom owns and runs alongside his brother William. The O.B.1. Fanfare was written for the Harper Ensemble, a brass ensemble comprising of Tom's contemporaries from his time at the Royal Academy of Music. It was written for the Leicester Square UK premiere of the film "Ali" starring Will Smith. Composed as a salute to Hollywood and the big screen, this fine pastiche of film scoring is an ideal fanfare and concert opener.
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Red Hot Pepper Stomp - Jelly Roll Morton

Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, professionally known asJelly Roll Morton, was an Americanragtimeandearly jazzpianist, band leader andcomposer who started his career inNew Orleans,Louisiana. Widely recognised as a pivotal figure in earlyjazz, Morton is perhaps most notable as jazz's first arranger, proving that a genre rooted in improvisation could retain its essential spiritand characteristics when notated. His composition "Jelly Roll Blues" was the first published jazz composition in 1915. Morton is also notable for writing suchstandardsas "KingPorter Stomp", "Wolverine Blues", "Black Bottom Stomp", and "I Thought I HeardBuddy BoldenSay". Notorious for his arrogance and self-promotion, Morton claimed to have invented jazz outright in 1902, much to the derisionof fellow musicians and the critics. At the age of fourteen, Morton began working as a piano player in a brothel (or, as it was referred to back then, a sporting house). In that atmosphere,he often sang smutty lyrics and took the nickname "Jelly Roll". While working there,he was living with his religious, church-going great-grandmother; who he convinced that he worked as a night watchman in a barrel factory. After Morton's grandmother found out that he was playing jazz in a local brothel, she kicked him out of her house and told him that "devil music" would surely bring about his downfall. Born in downtown New Orleans,Louisiana, his exact birth date differs depending to whichever source you want to believe; his half-sisters claimed he was born in September 1885 but his World War 1 draft card showed September 1884 and his California death certificate listed his birth as September 1889. He died in 1941 in Los Angeles.
£30.00

See Ya Later - Jock McKenzie

This is my attempt to write an encore type piece in a South African 'township' style - inspired by some of the great South African musicians such as Abdulla Ibrahim, Hugh Masekela and Dudu Pukwana. So much of their music really wore a smile - J.M.
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Showboating - Jock McKenzie

Showboating makes use of many cliche Balkan musical traits, not least it's shifting use of the 7/8 time signature. Due to all things Covid-19 related this piece was written to challenge students to record their part remotely to a 7/8 click track. Hence, no rall's or accel's just the proverbial '**** off a shovel constant driving pulse.
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Silent Night - Franz Gruber

This carol (one the most popular in the world) was composed in 1818 by Franz Gruber to words by Joseph Mohr. It was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818. This took place in St Nicholas parish church in the village of Oberndorf near Salzburg, Austria. A popular (but spurious) tale tells how the priest Joseph Mohr, whilst making preparations for the Christmas Eve mass, found the church organ to be not working. This supposedly was caused by rats having chewed through the leather bellows of the organ. Joseph Mohr, having previously written the words presented them to Franz Gruber (a local schoolmaster and organist) in the hope that he could set them to music ready for use that same day, but on guitar rather than the broken organ. It is Gruber's distinctive melody and simple harmonic accompaniment that has allowed this carol to become so enduring.
£30.00

Strigoi - Jock McKenzie

Inside the house, family and friends gather for eating, drinking, singing and dancing to 'put a brave face on the situation'. It is of course this very same custom that once gave birth the idea for the novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker.
£30.00

Sussex Carol - Traditional

This carol is also known by its first line "On Christmas Night all Christians Sing". It was discovered by Cecil Sharp in Gloucestershire and notably by Ralph Vaughan Williams in Sussex. Vaughan Williams heard it sung by Harriet Verrall of Monk's Gate, near Horsham, Sussex (hence "Sussex Carol"). It is the melody that Harriet Verrall sang that Vaughan Williams transcribed and published in 1919. It is this same version that is still very popular today.
£30.00

Tango de Buenos Aires - Keiron Anderson

Tango de Buenos Aires was written to celebrate the harmonic and rhythmic idioms used by the great Astor Piazzola, composer of dramatic Argentinian Tango music. This work attempts to capture the atmosphere with a modern adaptation of the dynamic rhythms and descending chromatic harmonies. It is a colourful addition to any programme and good for a quite serious or light concert.
£30.00

The First Nowell - Traditional

This Carol is of Cornish origin. It was first published in 'Carols Ancient and Modern' (1823) and 'Gilbert and Sandy's Carols (1833). Today the carol is usually presented in the version by John Stainer. My arrangement seeks to mimic that of an early west country folk band, perhaps enjoying an appearance in a Thomas Hardy novel or two!