Swinging Christmas Songs for Big Band

Originally entitled 'That's Where I Came In' and first recorded on 8th December 1941, 'Keep 'Em Flying' became a regularly played chart of the USAAF Band under Miller's direction. Taken at such a rapi...

Here is a transcription of the original (and best) Cute, as written by Neal Hefti for the Basie Band. It is not the 'standard' Hefti stock chart. The only change we have made is to score the chart for...

Adapted from the original Billy May arrangement of Sinatra's Reprise recording, Luck Be A Lady kicks off with the slow, almost Colla Voce intro, which picks up into a thumping swing chart. Jon Harpin...

Pick Yourself Up has been lovingly transcribed by Jon Harpin from the wonderful album 'Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson', and the chart shows off the best of both vocalist and arranger. The structure...

Here is our transcription of this great standard as performed by Frank Sinatra on his 1962 Reprise album 'Sinatra and Swingin' Brass'. Neal Hefti wrote the original arrangement and conducted the studi...

Somebody Loves Me has been transcribed by Jon Harpin from the origian Nelson Riddle chart as sung by Ella Fitzgerald on the Gershwin Songbook album. This is a medium tempo swing chart which, aside fro...

This vocal chart is based around Nina Simone's great version. This chart works well even if played by Vocal and Rhythm section only. The Piano part is mostly written out.

The Goodman orchestra performed a similar vocal version of this chart at the Carnegie Hall concert, with Martha Tilton the featured vocalist. This is an instrumental version of the chart offered in ou...

Another classic from the pen of Sy Oliver, and a famous tune for the Tommy Dorsey band, though much copied and adapted by other bands. Anita O'Day recorded a vocal version with Gene Krupa, and Ted Hea...

Possibly the most famous number from the Benny Goodman Orchestra, our recreation is true to the original, in the original key and with all of the original licks. The only concession that we have made...

Arguably the most famous number of the Charle Barnet Orchestra, Skyliner is a really punchy, up-tempo swinger, featuring a Piano intro, unison brass carrying the melodic line, with clarinet-led saxes...

A great swing chart from the pen of Louis Bellson, Skin Deep opens with a big half-time fanfare and them breaks into up-tempo swing. The Saxes lead the first chorus and the brass are loud and punchy b...

This version of Two O'Clock Jump is from the Harry James band of the 1950's, and has a much more relaxed and laid back feel then the original version. This number is great for swing dancing and groove...

A classic tune from the brothers Gershwin, we have arranged Strike Up the Band as a swing quickstep which makes an excellent set opener and is very suitable for dancing. At two minutes twenty it is no...

One of the more famous tunes from the Les Brown Orchestra, Leap Frog is one of those charts that gets feet tapping and dancers dancing. It simply bounces from start to finish. Technically, this is a s...

This version of April in Paris has been lovingly assembled from a number of recordings done by the Basie band of this fabulous Wild Bill Davis chart, and has a richer, lusher, more authentic feel than...

One of Artie Shaw's most endearing charts, Softly as a Morning Sunrise was scored as a mid-tempo swing chart for the Shaw band by Jerry Gray, later of Miller fame. We have transcibed the chart and sco...

Artie Shaw had many great swing charts to his name, but few were as punchy and as powerful as Traffic Jam. It fairly rips along at a quick 240 beats a minute, yet it never sounds forced or rushed. We...

Here is Benny Goodman's 1947 hard swinging version of Fred Fisher's enduring classic. (Please don't confuse it with the earlier, and more predictable, 1934 Henderson chart). This later version, whilst...

In a Mellow Tone was written by Duke Ellington and was a hit for his and Count Basie's band. The Basie chart was scored by Frank Foster, and our version is closely modelled on this. It has the same le...

Here is the Perez Prado version of Patricia, scored as a swing Cha Cha. As the song was written by Prado, this version is as the composer intended it to sound. The Piano part is played on Organ, but a...

Ultra, written by Harry James is not your ususal 'just another swing chart'. After a punchy opening the Baritone takes the first chorus as a solo, backed by alternating Trombones & Trumpets. The chart...

Originally written in 1915 for solo Piano, Hors D'Oeuvre became a huge hit for both Sid Phillips and Bert Ambrose. The chart was also revived by Billy May in his Time Life Swing Era recordings. This c...

Here is our faithful transcription of Skippy Martin's inspirational chart written for the Les Brown band. It is not a rework of the stock chart that was published decades ago which contained many erro...

Whilst almost everyone knows the Miller version of this Jerry Gray tune, not so many are familiar with the Benny Goodman chart arranged by Mel Powell for Goodman in 1942. It is taken more up-tempo and...