SOLOS
Tribute to Doc (originally titled Bellflight ): I wrote this for Jose Cordero, a trumpet soloist in the Coast Guard Band, for a 1980’s tour that began in his hometown of El Paso. He is the soloist on this very old recording (please forgive the cassette hiss!) I’ve renamed it, because it was Doc’s great playing that inspired my younger years and the style of this piece.
I based this arrangement of Carnival of Venice on the Arban version, with some changes that trumpet players will immediately recognize (most notably the opening cadenza.) This is a 2005 live recording in which I played the solo with the Manchester (CT) Symphony Orchestra, of which I was the conductor at the time. Please forgive the distant recording quality.
An American Portrait was commissioned by Texas heart surgeon and euphonium soloist Grady Hallman. This performance features Dan Vinson, the long-time euphonium soloist of the Coast Guard Band.
The Yellow Rose of Texas Variations: Speaking of Dan Vinson, who’s a very proud Texan, I wrote Yellow Rose for him to play on a Coast Guard Band tour through Texas. The recording is Dan playing it with the USCG Band live on National Public Radio, with a short cut for timing purposes. And here’s a YouTube link to a remarkable live performance by Toby Furr, a Texas high school student.
Haydn Concerto for Trumpet (Mvts One, Two, Three: I always thought that a chamber wind accompaniment to classic era solo works could sound quite good. Accordingly, I arranged the accompaniment to Haydn’s Concerto for two each flutes, oboes, clarinets, horns, and bassoons, plus double bass. In this live recording, I am playing the trumpet solo with musicians from the Coast Guard Band in a chamber recital.
I wrote Fantasy for Two Clarinets for Tom Labadorf and Jonathan Towne, two superb clarinet soloists in the U. S. Coast Guard Band. We were going on tour through Florida, where both of them had roots, and I wanted to have them both solo on the program. Rather than have two separate soloists, we presented them in duet. The recording linked above is a live performance with Tom and Jonathan and the Coast Guard Band. This is the one piece on this page not published by Cimarron Music; it is published by Ludwig Masters and can be found here.
In 2010, the Metropolitan Wind Symphony (MetWinds), which I conducted from 2007-19, commissioned me to write Capriccio for Trumpet and Tuba with concert band. The project was to recognize two former MetWinds Assistant Directors, Rob Franzblau and Jim O'Dell, for their service to MetWinds. This recording is from a live concert a year later by the US Coast Guard Band, Tom Brown and Adam Crowe, trumpet and tuba soloists respectively.
All of these solos are published by Cimarron Music Press unless otherwise noted.