I'm a trumpet player and I remember seeing/hearing the Phil Driscoll Christmas record called "Heave and Nature Swing." Man...that fits so well. Christmastime is the PERFECT TIME FOR A BIG BAND to swing it out! Do you have a big band? Do you have a small combo? Do you have a church orchestra with rhythm section? Do you just really want to have a big band play but aren't sure where to [...]
I’ve got a free brass quintet for you (link down below to download it) but I would love to tell you about how and why I created it. I’ve played trumpet now for 40 years (started in 7th grade). I have played in all sorts of brass ensembles. I have played in wind ensembles, concert bands, marching bands, symphonies, pit orchestras, big bands, horn sections, church orchestras and, of course…brass ensembles. Over [...]
I am a sucker for strings. Always have been. I married a violin player for goodness sake. Quite a number of years ago now at The People's Church (now Church of the City), I created what I simply called 'String Sunday'. This was a Sunday at Christmas where we brought in a string ensemble and featured them for the whole service. Christmastime is often so busy and rushed so I like to [...]
I wrote a horn arrangement for one of Jeff Slaughter's songs from a VBS collection he did with Brentwood-Benson Publishing. The next Christmas, he had this idea for a children's Christmas musical based around a penguin polar pet park. My friend, Jonathan Crumpton, VP of Brentwood-Benson, called and said, "We're doing this new musical with Jeff Slaughter and it needs to be big band and recorded live. You want to do it?" [...]
