‘Cool’ Fugue, or, ‘One Man – Seven Instruments’

So here’s something I’ve been meaning to get around to for 3 years!

Shortly after purchasing my baritone saxomophone at the start of 2017, I thought it would be fun to pick a woodwind-heavy piece of Broadway music and do a one-man reed section video. I imagined it would be particularly interesting for people to see all the instrument switching that goes on in the depths of the orchestra pit, allowing a small group of players to morph into various different ensembles over the course of a song.

The piece I chose was Leonard Bernstein’s famous fugue from ‘Cool’ from ‘West Side Story’, which you can hear in its original form here: https://youtu.be/9qtOBEfH0O0?t=90 I dutifully set to it and recorded the audio of the various woodwind parts with the intention of one day filming an accompanying video, but that day never came. Until now!

So here I present to you the 5-piece reed section from West Side Story, performing the ‘Cool’ Fugue in a suitably cool environment. But before I do, some caveats:
 

  • Technically this should also feature a bass saxophone (on Reed 4), but unfortunately I don’t have access to one of those so instead played that part on baritone and missed out some of the low notes. I’ll happily re-record that part with a bass if anybody’s willing to buy me one? No, thought not…
  • If you listen closely you’ll hear that there are one or two quite obvious wrong notes in this. My excuse on this occasion is that the totally-legal-not-at-all-downloaded-off-the-internet parts I was reading from had a couple of typos that I didn’t recognise until it was too late. And by the time I’d recorded 5 reed parts on 7 instruments I wasn’t in the mood for re-recording.

With all that said, you may now feast your ears (and now also your eyes) on some Cool Fudge!
 

Loathsome Waltz

Sometimes you’re just not in the mood for writing pleasant music. Such was the case a few days ago, when I chose to vent my various frustrations onto a sheet of manuscript paper. The result is the following horrible piece, which I have rendered using the most vile harpsichord sound available. I hope it makes you sick. No, that’s a bit strong… I hope it makes you mildly nauseous.
 

In the unlikely event that anyone’s interested, this piece is actually a lot less harmonically complex than it may appear. You see, my dear reader, it is in fact a simple little tune in C major with a basic harmonisation – what makes it weird is that I have effectively transposed the left hand up a semitone (to Db), and the right hand harmony down a semitone (to B). So we have three clashing keys all going on at the same time. Delicious.

Fiore di Loto

Can you hear that? That distant sound, floating ethereally on the breeze… Is it:

a) Just the wind?

b) Just my imagination?

c) MICHAEL A. GRANT tootling away on his CLARIONET?

The correct answer is c), because I’ve been doing more recording work recently and the results are now available for all to listen to! The piece itself is called ‘Fiore di Loto’, by Slow Wave Sleep (a.k.a. Emilio Larocca Conte), and is an eclectic mix of Colombian, Argentinian and Neapolitan styles. The result sounds really lovely, and you won’t regret giving it a listen via this link:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3CXELc0o0uu7yORbjtv2M1

Making ‘Mongolian Death Worm’: The Puppets

They’re just waiting for me to go to sleep, I can tell…

 
What is this I see before me? A blog post? How remarkable! As someone who’s subscribed to a musician’s blog, I really hope it contains no musical content whatsoever and is actually about the life stories of a series of homemade puppets! I’ll just have to wait and see.

Hang on, what’s that in the title? Does that say ‘Mongolian Death Worm’? I have never heard of such a thing! I really hope the next section of this blog is a short summary explaining what on earth it means, which I could theoretically skip as it is identical to the one in the previous blog post. Oh, I wonder if my dreams will come true today? I wonder…
 

What the Deuce is ‘Mongolian Death Worm’?

I’m glad you asked (but please don’t call me Deuce). Several months ago my personal cheesecake supplier James Ure and I decided we wanted to write a musical. Ever democratic, we came up with 11 possible titles and surveyed a select group of friends and acquaintances to determine their favourite. The winner (beating such competition as ‘The Tale of the Dog Food Taster’ and ‘Lacksaducksical’) was ‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, with the tagline ‘You’ve got worms – and this time they’re deadly!’. And that’s what got me where I am today.

Loosely inspired by real events – O.K., very loosely – this musical tells the story of Professor Roy Chapman Andrews, who is dispatched one day to the depths of Mongolia by his university, which buys all its catering supplies from there and is suffering the effects of a series of meat thefts in the area. On arriving, Andrews discovers a village terrorised by a mysterious giant worm that has been stealing sausages, disrupting the local economy and occasionally eating people. He teams up with the Gobi Desert’s number one yodelling sheriff, and together they must devise a series of increasingly implausible schemes in order to catch the worm and bring him (her? it?) to justice.

Did I mention the word ‘loosely’?
 

The Puppets

And now, without wasting one more second of your time except by this unnecessarily long sentence, I would like to present some top secret behind-the-scenes images depicting the various characters in the show, accompanied by their eccentric creator and puppetmaster. See if you can work out which is which.
 
Professor Roy Chapman Andrews

 
Favourite meat: Bovril

Some might think that Roy is based on Indiana Jones, but we say Indiana Jones is based on him! Seriously, look it up. Our gruff rugged hero is intolerant of most things, but his greatest weakness is a particular crystalline substance that he simply can’t escape from.

Sheriff

 
Favourite meat: Tofu

Despite being Mongolia’s only law enforcement officer, Sheriff seems to know very little about solving crimes – or about anything, for that matter. He may have bottle caps and socks for a brain, but there’s something oddly soothing about staring deep into those mismatched googly eyes…

Witch Doctor

 
Favourite meat: Unethical veal

Part witch, part doctor, part butcher (but mostly witch), this character is mysterious and enigmatic, and has plenty of secrets. Mainly because noone can understand a word she says.

Professor Robert (‘Bob’) Bodkin

 
Favourite meat: Tripe lasagne

Renowned for his groundbreaking studies in unspecific natural history, Professor Bodkin is now best known for his habit of sending his subordinates off on absurd overly-complicated errands in order to satisfy his own selfish whims. Loves to be told things, and to tell things in return.

Larry Chops

 
Favourite meat: Anything but lamb chops

A complex character, Larry’s fragile emotional state is poorly represented in his fearsome demeanour. Larry has it hard enough as a small business owner trying to make a living in a competitive industry and challenging economic climate, with a wife and three finger puppets to feed. He really doesn’t need a giant worm stealing all his sausages.

Priest

 
Favourite meat: Lamb of God

With a name like ‘Priest’, this character’s career was mapped out for him from an early age. One of the pillars of Mongolian society, Priest practises his own unique blend of religions, based mainly around Christianity, tall hats and outrageous scat singing.

Olgoi Corduroy

 
Favourite meat: Chicken nuggets

A famed travel vlogger, Corduroy has a habit of turning up uninvited at inconvenient moments. Universally despised, most people just wish he would go away.

Lips

 
Favourite meat: Ostrich

Now known simply as ‘Lips’, this character’s original name has been lost to the mists of time. That incredible pucker may seem like a fashionable use of makeup, but in actual fact she suffers from persistent cold sores. She blames this ailment (like most of her problems) on the Mongolian Death Worm, and has written several strongly-worded letters to the local council demanding its removal, which remain unanswered. A tragic figure in some ways. GSOH.

Bill Der

 
Favourite meat: Pork pie

With his muscular rice-filled arms and his strong Mongolian accent (which makes him sound remarkably like he’s from East London), this is one tradesman not to be messed with. He is probably the most interesting resident of Mongolia, having had over 200 incredible adventures in his lifetime. Consequently he is a little frustrated at having been sidelined in this musical, and hopes that one day his fascinating life story will finally be recognised and told through its own spin-off series.

The Worm

 
Favourite meat: Human

The name on his birth certificate may be ‘Olgoi Khorkhoi’, but everyone refers to him as the Mongolian Death Worm – mainly because it’s easier to spell and is more descriptive. Little is known about this mysterious creature, other than that he’s very big, he has huge teeth, he can electrocute people, he can spit venom, he likes the rain, he doesn’t come from Tibet or play the clarinet, and his favourite colour is yellow. Mysterious indeed.

Making ‘Mongolian Death Worm’: The Orchestrations

“Whatever happened to that Michael A. Grant fellow?”

“He used to do stuff.”

“You never hear from him any more, do you?”

“Does he even go here?”

These are just some of the things that you may be talking about if you are one of the naysayers! Well guess what? The joke’s on you, because for many weeks now I have been hard at work on a very special and top-secret project. That project’s name is ‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, and today I thought I would offer you a little glimpse behind the scenes at some of the orchestrations I’ve been labouring over for this new artistic sensation.
 

[Artwork subject to change]

 

What the Dickens is ‘Mongolian Death Worm’?

I’m glad you asked (but please don’t call me Dickens). Several months ago my personal cheesecake supplier James Ure and I decided we wanted to write a musical. Ever democratic, we came up with 11 possible titles and surveyed a select group of friends and acquaintances to determine their favourite. The winner (beating such competition as ‘The Tale of the Dog Food Taster’ and ‘Lacksaducksical’) was ‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, with the tagline ‘You’ve got worms – and this time they’re deadly!’. And that’s what got me where I am today.

Loosely inspired by real events – O.K., very loosely – this musical tells the story of Professor Roy Chapman Andrews, who is dispatched one day to the depths of Mongolia by his university, which buys all its catering supplies from there and is suffering the effects of a series of meat thefts in the area. On arriving, Andrews discovers a village terrorised by a mysterious giant worm that has been stealing sausages, disrupting the local economy and occasionally eating people. He teams up with the Gobi Desert’s number one yodelling sheriff, and together they must devise a series of increasingly implausible schemes in order to catch the worm and bring him (her? it?) to justice.

Did I mention the word ‘loosely’?
 

What the Devil is ‘Orchestration’?

I’m glad you asked (but please don’t call me a devil – if anything that’s ruder than Dickens). In general terms, orchestration involves taking a sketch or outline of a piece of music and using that to generate a fuller version, for a larger ensemble, with a complete set of parts for multiple instruments to play. In more abstract terms, it’s akin to taking a black and white or outline image, and colouring it in (maybe moving a few things around in the process). It is very similar to the art of musical ‘arranging’ – in fact, the two terms are both fairly ambiguous and often used interchangeably. The reason I’ve opted for ‘orchestration’ in this case is because it is more explicitly musical, whereas ‘arranging’ could be referring to anything from flowers to dinner plans. Plus, ‘orchestration’ just sounds so much grander.

In the specific case of ‘Mongolian Death Worm’, my starting point was the sketches of 8 songs that James and I have written. These consisted of a set of lyrics, a chord progression, a general melody, and an overall structure. My task was to take them and expand them into versions that could be played – and more importantly, recorded – by a 5-piece band.

The reason we have opted for 5 musicians is largely one of practicality. Whilst I would love to hear this music played by a full symphony orchestra, the more instruments you employ the longer it takes to orchestrate it, find musicians, record it, mix it and master it. In short, it can quickly end up becoming impractical. With 5 players you can still achieve a wide range of sounds, and it is an interesting challenge to try and make such a small ensemble sound much bigger than it actually is. On a more artistic note, a quirky musical like this might well benefit from the small size of the band – with too many musicians it could lose the intimate, off-the-wall eccentricity that is to important to its style.

James and I have chosen our instrumentation, in part, to allow us to record as much as possible ourselves. It is as follows:
 

  • Reeds: I have some little experience in playing woodwind instruments of various kinds, and we have taken advantage of that here. At the time of writing, the show makes use of piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone and (of all things) jaw harp.
  • Keyboard: Neither of us class ourselves as pianists, so we have had to force someone else to record this part for us. It would have been difficult to achieve a really full sound without the supreme versatility of this instrument. I have used a number of different keyboard sounds, ranging from electric piano to celeste to chamber organ.
  • Drum kit: Neither of us play this either, but it’s really a necessity for many of the pop/rock-based songs in particular.
  • Ukulele/banjolele: Both of us can play these, and they largely serve to fill out the harmony, leaving other instruments free to add further interesting layers.
  • Tuba/bass guitar: This is James’ part, and covers the all-important bass line along with occasional more melodic sections.

Note that, wherever possible, we have included multiple instruments on the same part for players to swap between. This is a common trick in musical theatre, as it allows the orchestrator to extract an extremely wide range of sounds from a small group of players. Of course, as the music is intended for recording rather than live performance, we could have layered up even more instruments to create a much bigger ‘virtual band’. I have avoided doing this because it would add more work to the recording process in particular, and I think it would sound artificial to indulge too much in such technological wizardry. Thus you will not hear more than one tuba at once, or a choir of multitracked piccolos (thank heavens). Everything you do hear will be replicable by a live 5-piece band, should the occasion ever arise.*

If I may quote the musical itself, ‘”How long did all this take?” I hear you ask.’ Well, I aimed to orchestrate one song every two days on average. I consider that a reasonable rate of progress. Perhaps I could have got it done quicker, but I’m a very busy man and had other important matters to attend to such as tea drinking, sitting, and watching paint dry. But anyway, to answer your question, the whole lot took about two-and-a-half weeks.
 

The Songs

Now for the interesting bit! Below you will find some exclusive, never-before-heard clips from Mongolian Death Worm, highlighting the bits of orchestration that I am particularly proud of. Note that I have been deliberately vague regarding lyrics, plot, and in some cases titles, so as to avoid dropping any of the dreaded ‘spoilers’. Also bear in mind that the recordings I’ve included are mere computerised mock-ups, and a pale imitation of how the finished tracks will eventually sound!

The Ballad of the Mongolian Death Worm
As the title suggests, this song is loosely inspired by ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd’, combined with hints of ‘Spider Pig’ (from The Simpsons Movie end credits), with a corny pop ballad in the middle for a bit of light relief. I’ve used the frankly terrifying sounds of piccolo, bass clarinet, harpsichord, banjolele and tuba to give a sort of cartoonish horror feel.

One of the challenges of orchestration is writing parts that are well-suited to each individual instrument. Fore example, a series of notes that is very easy to play on one instrument may be virtually impossible to play on another. In that vein, I am rather pleased with a sequence of harpsichord quintuplets I have devised towards the end of this piece. They may sound elaborate, but they should be reasonably straightforward to play because all the performer has to do is place his hand over the required notes and press them in sequence, almost like drumming his fingers on a table:
 

[Click me!]

 
 
World Without Sand
The second song of the show is a kind of protest song expanding on a character’s hatred of sand. I do enjoy assembling these kinds of slightly naff pop pastiches, ticking off clichés along the way. Specifically, I had fun coming up with a mildly irritating saxophone solo to accompany the character’s rousing motivational speech:
 

[Click me!]

 
 
Steakout
As the name implies, this one is about subterfuge, espionage and generally sneaking around. It alternates between subtle 1960s-style ‘spy’ music, and less subtle raucous yodeling (for reasons that will become apparent when you hear it). To capture the former style I’ve used the classic combination of bass, hi-hat and low flute – if I owned an alto flute, it would have been ideal for this. To capture the latter, I’ve brought in the additional forces of honky-tonk piano and (of all things) jaw harp.
 

[Click me too!]

 
 
One thing I’ve learnt from this project is that there are several different styles of yodeling, originating from the various regions where the art is practised. I’ve opted here for an American/country/cowboy variety, injected with a substantial dose of caffeine!

Say Hello To Yellow
Without wanting to give too much away, this is essentially a ‘list’ song naming all sorts of yellow things. I’ve tried to build up the excitement over its duration by gradually adding layers to the texture, as well as increasing the tempo. I’m especially fond of these ‘stops’ and the subsequent broadening section, that help lead up to the final few lines:
 

[I too desire to be clicked.]

 
 
The Trap
This is a very short song, detailing yet another of Andrews’ and Sheriff’s plots to capture the worm. It has for some reason taken on a slightly Celtic vibe on account of the ‘open 5th’ chords that permeate the harmony. It also contains another example of well-suited instrumental writing, as the following ukulele part can easily be played by barring and plucking the top two strings:
 

[I wasn’t going to say anything, but a click wouldn’t go amiss.]

 
 
Every Hero Needs A Villain
Songs are a bit like children, in that you are not supposed to choose a favourite. Mine and James’ favourite happens to be this one, which alternates sections of big band swing with Klezmer-inspired verses. To get that authentic-ish Klezmer style, we have included some long dramatic accelerandi and employed an instrumentation of clarinet, banjolele, tuba and tambourine:
 

[I echo the sentiments of my brethren.]

 
 
Untitled Worm Song
Occurring towards the climax of the show, Untitled Worm Song covers a number of plot points through several disparate musical styles. One of my proudest achievements in orchestrating this show is having used not one but two instruments that don’t appear in the vast collection of 562 listed in Musescore (my music notation software). The first was (of all things) the jaw harp (see ‘Steakout’), and the second is the calliope, which I have used to comedic effect to highlight a comical section towards the beginning of this song:
 

[You may click me if you wish.]

 
 
I am also rather pleased with my ‘suspense chord’ that underscores the dramatic finale to the song. When I devised this I wasn’t in the mood for making creative decisions, so I found a random number generator and used it to choose the notes of the chord. Who says computers can’t write music?

[I have no need for your external validation. Don’t click me. See if I care.]

 
 
Finale
As you can probably guess, this is the musical’s final song, and like ‘Untitled Worm Song’ it switches abruptly between a number of contrasting styles. My favourite moment is this transition from a wild gospel section (using Hammond organ, tambourine, saxophone etc.) into a gentle rock section, which ultimately draws the song – and show – to a close. Yet again, I’ve enjoyed putting in some cheesy little fills and motifs (see piano, right hand).
 

[All I want is to be clicked!]

 
 
Concluding Remarks
So there we have it! I hope you’ve enjoyed this little glimpse into the dark and unsettling world that is my brain, and are now massively hyped for what will surely be the next big thing to take the world by storm. Keep a beady eye on this blog for occasional updates on the progress of the project, and maybe even some more behind-the-scenes features should I feel so inspired.

But for now, good night. And don’t let the Mongolian Death Worm bite!

* Hint hint, Cameron Mackintosh!

Me, Myself and My Facebook Page

I do always enjoy preaching to the converted – it’s so much easier than preaching to all the rest! Which is why today I’m going to update you on how you can keep updated with my assorted adventures.

You see, my collaborator and press agent Beatrice Dunleavy has been hard at work putting together a nice little Facebook page, so that all the modern people out there can like me and share me and comment me and trend me. She thinks it might be a good way to broaden my audience, but to be honest I quite like having a narrow audience so we’ll see how this pans out. Maybe I’ll have to sack her…

Here be the link: https://www.facebook.com/Michael-A-Grant-100822578372890/ By way of a disclaimer I’ll mention that it will primarily consist of links back to these blog posts, however if you are a modern person or you know someone else who you suspect might be, feel free to engage with the whole shebang.

P.S. This week, I’ve been making reeds:
 

100 Of My Favourite Pieces To Perform

You may not have realised it yet, but today is a very special day and this is a very special blog post! For this is the 100th post I have written since starting this venture way back in 2017.

To celebrate, I’ve been looking back into the mists of time and working hard to put together a list of 100 of my favourite pieces that I’ve performed. And to give some vague semblance of structure to it all, I’ve grouped them into a selection of categories as follows:
 

 
I hope y’all enjoy my choices, my inmightful insights and my little snippets of recordings. Don’t forget to lick and subside, or whatever ‘internet people’ do. Now, to start planning for my 200th post…
 

Big Band

All Of You
The Sam Jewison Orchestra (Various dates, Tsax/bsax)
I do like a bit of Cole Porter – maybe because (as I recently discovered) we share the same birthday. Or maybe because he just wrote great songs! And here’s one of them, which I consider harmonically strange and lyrically quite creepy, but which really zings in an up-tempo big band arrangement. Sadly I couldn’t find an ideal example online but this one’s quite good nonetheless:
 

Artie Shaw: Concerto for Clarinet
E.A.S.Y. Jazz (2011, Cl solo)
Originally thrown together to fill a spot in the mediocre Fred Astaire vehicle ‘Second Chorus’, this is a bit of an oddball piece but great fun and an excellent showcase for the soloist. I’m pretty sure everyone’s favourite bit is the long glissando here:
 

At Last
The Moonlight Serenade Orchestra (2016, Asax)
A (deservedly) popular song at weddings I believe, it is especially enjoyable to slur your way around those long legato melodies:
 

Cheek to Cheek
The Sam Jewison Orchestra (Various dates, Tsax/bsax)
Heaven, I’m in heaven, And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak, And I seem to find the happiness I seek, When I’m out playing this tune in a big band:
 

Come Fly With Me
The Sam Jewison Orchestra (Various dates, Tsax/bsax)
As you’ll see, I apparently have a bit of a thing for Sinatra songs about flying. This is the first, and while I’ve never been to ‘Llamaland’, if it’s as good as this song then it must be the best themepark ever:
 

Fly Me To the Moon
The Sam Jewison Orchestra (Various dates, Tsax/bsax)
When I first heard this song as a young whippersnapper, I remember it was performed by a Frank Sinatra impersonator on ‘Stars In Their Eyes’, and I went round the house singing it relentlessly for days afterwards. Over the years my enthusiasm hasn’t abated, and I always enjoy getting stuck into the classic melody:
 

I’ve Got You Under My Skin
The Sam Jewison Orchestra (Various dates, Tsax/bsax)
Another Cole Porter here, and I particularly like the way this song builds so gradually over its 56 bars, reaching a peak in both pitch and intensity at the line ‘But each time I do, every thought of you makes me stop…’:
 

Perfidia
The Moonlight Serenade Orchestra (2016, Asax)
I’d never heard this song before I played it in 2016, and I was instantly hooked. It’s got hints of ‘At Last’ in the melody, with chords reminiscent of ‘Beyond the Sea’, and I just think it’s a smashing piece. There are loads of different versions out there but my favourite is Glenn Miller’s:
 

Sing Sing Sing
The Moonlight Serenade Orchestra (2016, Cl)
Surely the most thrilling big band piece EVER, when I performed this I got to play the part of Benny Goodman and go off on an inappropriately long clarinet solo over the famous Krupa-style drums. A real highlight:
 

Choral

An Irish Blessing
Josephine Butler College Choir (2013, Voice)
There must be as many settings and arrangements of this traditional Celtic prayer as there are shamrock leaves in a massive field of the stuff. The variant we sang in Butler Choir is straightforward but nonetheless exceedingly pretty and satisfying to warble:
 

Gjeilo: Ubi Caritas
Josephine Butler College Choir (2013, Voice)
This is quite possibly my number one favourite choral piece that I’ve sung in, so much so that in 2014 I arranged it for bassoon quartet and performed that version in a concert for the Norwegian ambassador. Long story… For anyone who doesn’t speak Latin, the ballpark translation is ‘Where charity and love are, there God is.’
 

Grieg: Ave Maris Stella
Josephine Butler College Choir (2013, Voice)
If I remember rightly, we performed this a couple of times in my second year at Durham – once in college, and once for evensong in the cathedral. Another Latin title, this one means ‘Hail, Star of the Sea’, and Grieg achieves a beautifully rich texture by dividing up the sections of the choir:
 

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Various (Voice)
I do enjoy harmony singing, but it normally takes quite a bit of effort to learn and internalise the part. The great thing about Christmas carols is that you only have to learn the harmony once, and then you can just roll it out every year! All the fun, with minimal effort. This is one of the classics, of course, and my favourite moment is Mendelssohn’s lovely suspended D in bar 3 on ‘Glory to the new-born King’:
 

Hawes: Lazarus Requiem
Durham University Choral Society (2015, Cl 2/bsax)
I have two enduring memories of this performance. The first is that I was asked at very short notice (and with very little experience of the instrument) to play the solo baritone saxophone part. We were doing it in Durham Cathedral with the composer in the audience, so no pressure! (Fortunately it all went alright with the exception of one bit where I miscounted 4 bars rest as 2 and came in a bit early, a recollection that haunts me to this day…) The other enduring memory is of the thrill of anticipation when hearing the entire choir, and woodwind and brass sections, take in a massive breath just before launching into the epic ‘Sanctus’:
 

O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis)
Various (Voice)
Another Christmas carol – in fact the first one that I learnt the harmony to. A popular favourite for good reason, it’s always a pleasure to give it its annual airing:
 

Parry: Jerusalem
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2010?, Cl 1), Durham University Choral Society (2014, Cl 1)
Here’s a tune that never seems to get old – a firm fixture in the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ style repertoire and just as uplifting for performers as listeners. Its splendour shines through in pretty much any arrangement, but Elgar’s orchestration will always be the classic:
 

Walmisley: Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D Minor
Josephine Butler College Choir (2013, Voice)
This is another piece we learnt for my first and only evensong, in Durham Cathedral. It was an exciting challenge and an enjoyable performance – I especially remember belting out those first few bars in the most threatening and forbidding tones I could muster:
 

When I’m Sixty-Four
Scarborough VI Form Choir (2010, Voice)
This was one of our favourites in my early days of harmonising in VI Form Choir. A fun and satisfying a capella arrangement by the choir director, there don’t seem to be any videos of it online so instead here’s a different barbershop version that I hope you like:
 

Film

Adventures on Earth (from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)
Irish Film & Pops Orchestra (2019, Bsn 2)
I think I’m right in saying that this concert piece is basically the same as the score for the last 10 minutes of the film, and it’s only when you listen to the music in isolation that you realise to what a large extent it is responsible for the film’s emotional impact. If you’ve got any sense you’ll listen to the whole thing, but if not then the iconic ‘flying theme’ is famous for a very good reason:
 

Cowboys Overture, The
Irish Film & Pops Orchestra (2019, Bsn 2)
One of John Williams’ lesser-known scores, written in 1972 before he got big and famous. I find the middle section reminiscent of Bernstein’s ‘On the Waterfront’ suite, and it’s followed by a cracking bassoon soli:
 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Suite for Orchestra
Irish Film & Pops Orchestra (2018, Bsn 2)
I could play John Williams music all day, it’s all just great… Here’s another classic for you to enjoy (just make sure you don’t mistakenly listen to the weird and disappointing imposter that is the ‘Symphonic Suite’). My current favourite moment is this particular modulation in ‘Hedwig’s Theme’:
 

Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra
Irish Film & Pops Orchestra (2017, Bsn 2)
As a bona-fide nerd, this is music (and films) that I know forwards, backwards and to a certain extent side-to-side. Getting to play it was a great experience, especially when I discovered that the famous opening chord has a low Bb for bassoon 2!
 

Suite from Jaws
Irish Film & Pops Orchestra (2018, Bsn 2)
Playing those legendary opening semitones on bassoon is just the best thing ever.
 

Symphonic Suite from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Irish Film & Pops Orchestra (2018, Bsn 2)
I’m not as ‘into’ Lord of the Rings as some other bits of pop culture, and this suite isn’t as interesting for the low woodwind as John Williams’ stuff (Yay! We love you John Williams!). Nevertheless it’s good to play all those famous big tunes:
 

Theme from Jurassic Park
Irish Film & Pops Orchestra (2018, Bsn 2)
For quite a scary film (and suspenseful soundtrack) the main theme is surprisingly stately and romantic. I’m pleased to report that it contains plenty of low Bbs to keep bassoon 2 occupied as well. Here’s my personal highlight:
 

This Land / King of Pride Rock from The Lion King
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2015, Cl 1)
Hans Zimmer’s film music generally doesn’t do it for me, but the stuff he wrote for The Lion King is spectacular and these cues really hit the nail on the head:
 

Jazz Standards

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band (Various dates, Cl)

All of Me
I must have played it a billion times but I’m still not bored of it. It has a cracking melody, along with some delightfully heartfelt lyrics (‘You took the part that once was my heart’ etc.). As with so many things, however, the greatest version has to be that performed by The Muppets:
 

After You’ve Gone
This one has a slightly unusual 40-bar structure which makes a nice change from the 32-bar that later became almost universal. It’s the third most-recorded pre-1920s standard, and really ticks along if you know what I mean. I was going to link to a Benny Goodman recording here, but then I discovered The Muppets have done an even better version:
 

All the Things You Are
This one is known for having a weird harmonic structure which is an interesting challenge to improvise around, while somehow managing not to feel contrived. Here’s a classic version from Artie Shaw with one of my favourite vocalists Helen Forrest:
 

Careless Love
On the face of it, this age-old blues number doesn’t look very interesting – 16 bars, fairly conventional chords, with a simple tune. But something about it is really captivating, and it’s always a delight to play:
 

I Get the Blues
A recent addition to the Jelly Roll repertoire, this is a stonking good tune with a nice blues-y twist which is great to improvise over:
 

I’ll See You In My Dreams
There is no shortage of break-up songs in the jazz repertoire, and this is one of them. A poignant little tune which nonetheless has a nice bounce to it, plus I always like a harmonic progression that doesn’t start on the tonic:
 

Les Oignons
The thing about audience participation is that it usually ends up being more fun for the performers than for the audience – that’s why I try to include as much of it as possible in Jelly Roll concerts. One of our biggest successes was our version of this song (written as a tribute to well-known Frenchman Lesley Onions), in which I managed to get the entire audience shouting ‘ONIONS!’ whenever I held up said vegetable. Oh the power! Buy our CD for the full live recording, or hear the important bit here:
 

Margie
A staple of the Jelly Roll repertoire, and very satisfying to twiddle around. Fun fact: The melody for ‘Black Beauty’ works surprisingly well over the chords for ‘Margie’ (something that Jelly Roll take full advantage of, don’t you worry!):
 

Midnight, the Stars and You
Most famous for its use in Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘The Shining’, this is a fine song in its own right and actually quite romantic when stripped of its horror film connotations:
 

My Sweetie Went Away
Yet another break-up song for all those miserable jazz musicians out there. This one is especially suited to anyone who groans because their trifling mama left her papa all alone:
 

On the Sunny Side of the Street
As well as a terrific tune, this song has a strangely bittersweet quality that I really enjoy:
 

The Sheik of Araby
This tune just sits nicely under the fingers on clarinet, feels really natural to improvise around and has a catchy melody to boot:
 

Some of These Days
This song has a real drive to it, partly due to the progression from a minor key into a major, which makes it very exciting to play. It works well with the growly Edmond Hall style of clarinetting, but the foremost interpreter to my mind will always be Miss Piggy:
 

Sweet Sue, Just You
This has established itself as a firm favourite of the Jelly Roll repertoire in recent years. The song is as sweet as the Sue it describes, with a simple yet touching melody and some nice sincere lyrics (‘Noone else, it seems, ever shares my dreams, And without you dear I don’t know what I’d do’). Plus, the echo effects in the tune lend themselves to all kinds of musical jokes.
 

Tonight You Belong To Me
Apparently the kids these days have a phobia of this tune due to its use in the series ‘American Horror Story’. Even I must admit that the Patience and Prudence recording is as creepy as the man in Sherlock Holmes story ‘The Creeping Man’. But the song itself is delightful, with an eminently hummable melody mixed with a subtle poignancy:
 

You’ve Got A Friend In Me
This is a rare song that manages to be lyrically very touching without ever feeling mawkish. Musically there’s lots of fun to be had too – that bridge section goes round some quirky chords – and I never get tired of playing that famous clarinet introduction:
 

When the Saints
I’ve included this one specifically for the role it plays as the primary repertoire of the Scarborough Boxing Day Comedy Band, which I have played in for the past seven years and never fails to be a surreal and magical experience. As ever, The Muppets have done it better than anyone:
 

 

Boxing Day: There are simply no words.

 
When You’re Smiling
The ideal musical pick-me-up, easy to sing along with, and also the perfect vehicle for my infamous ‘laughing clarinet’ solo. What more could a person want from life?
 

Musical Theatre

Anything Goes
Durham University Light Opera Group (2015, Pic/fl/cl/asax)
When I played this show I did so as part of a 19-piece pit orchestra, and it was an absolute blast. It was also my piccolo debut – I bought one off eBay and (kind of) learnt it specially. It’s got too many great songs to choose from, so instead I’m going to showcase a top-secret bit of archive footage from our 2015 performance of the big song-and-dance number ‘Blow Gabriel Blow’:
 

Beauty and the Beast
Scarborough YMCA Productions (2010, Cl)
One of the first musicals I ever performed, and still a favourite. There’s some crazy-difficult music in here which is a nice challenge, plus it’s great playing all the tunes that I was brought up listening to. I always enjoyed the ‘Gaston’ dance break in particular, which is just mental and felt like a day’s work in itself:
 

(N.B. Even this isn’t the complete instrumental – I couldn’t find a version that included the entire thing.)

Betty Blue Eyes
Shenfield Operatic Society (2018, Fl/cl/asax/bsax)
For some reason I found this an exhausting show to play, and to this day I’m not sure if that’s that fault of the musical itself or if I was just a bit out of shape. It’s based on an Alan Bennett film, and set in the post-war era of rationing and austerity with a score to match. Tiring, yes, but nonetheless hugely enjoyable. Here’s a song from it:
 

(N.B. To any woodwind players out there, be sure to check the chords for the saxophone improvisation in the exit music – the ones that are written are in the wrong key!)

Cabaret
Durham University Light Opera Group (2014, Cl/bcl/bsn/bsax)
Another instrumental debut here, this time for baritone saxophone. I really like playing this musical, with its oppressive atmosphere of dark foreboding. The music is smashing, although surprisingly inconsistent between the various stage and film versions. Highlights for me are the two songs sung by Fräulein Schneider, ‘So What?’ and ‘What Would You Do?’:
 

Candide
Sedos (2016, Bsn)
The main downside to this show is the 10-minute monologue in Act II about how one of the characters only has one bumcheek, which can get a bit tiresome the 10th time you hear it. But the music is superb. My personal highlight is the 11 o’clock ballad ‘Nothing More Than This’, which represents Bernstein’s attempt to emulate the beauty of a Puccini aria. It is often overlooked and even omitted on recordings, but is one of the most beautifully heartbreaking songs you’ll ever hear:
 

Company
City Academy (2015, Pic/fl/cl/asax/tsax)
I spent a week playing this show in the ‘intimate’ setting of a basement under Shoreditch Town Hall. I really like how it embraces ambiguity and accepts that there aren’t always easy answers. The final song ‘Being Alive’ perfectly sums up the central character’s struggles, and is as thrilling to play as it is to listen to:
 

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Southampton Musical Society (2017, Fl/ob/cl/tsax)
What’s that? Oboe? Surely not! Well, you’d better believe it – amongst other bits and pieces, I delved into the dark arts of high double reeds for these 2017 performances. Despite that, I still had a great time. The music just zings with vitality, and an incisive wit pervades all the lyrics. Here’s one of my favourite bits, ‘Nothing Is Too Wonderful to Be True’:
 

Also, I do appreciate an orchestrator with a sense of humour:
 

 
Guys and Dolls
Durham University Light Opera Group (2014, Cl/asax), York Light Opera Company (2018, Cl/tsax)
What list would be complete without mention of Frank Loesser’s seminal masterpiece? For me, the most exciting bit to play is the ‘Crapshooters’ Ballet’, which takes its tunes from ‘Luck Be A Lady’:
 

Gypsy
Little Theatre Company (2017, Pic/fl/cl/asax)
I was in two minds whether to include this one, because Reed 1 is a real [insert profanity here] to play, and half the music is completely illegible:
 

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But then I remembered how exciting it was to play the overture, ‘If Momma Was Married’, ‘Rose’s Turn’ and especially this bit of clarinet:
 

 
So I relented, and here it is. Here’s one of my favourite songs from it:
 

How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
Sedos (2019, Fl/Ebcl/cl/asax)
Another of Frank Loesser’s shows, albeit less well-known (despite winning a Pulitzer Prize). I enjoyed squawking away on Eb clarinet for this, but my favourite bit was the lovely song ‘I Believe In You’, a motivational speech that the main character sings to himself in the mirror, and which includes an ingenious bit of orchestration where the entire orchestra is required to play kazoos in order to mimic the sound of an electric razor:
 

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Sedos (2017, Fl/cl/asax/tsax)
I didn’t expect to enjoy this musical – I am generally opposed to ‘jukebox’ shows on principle, and normally I don’t even like many of the songs in this one. But somehow it was one of the most fun things I’ve ever played, particularly (of all things) ‘Girls Just Wan’na Have Fun’:
 

Seussical
The Sundowners (2018, Fl/cl/bsn/bsax)
Never having read any of Dr. Seuss, I didn’t have a clue what was going on in this musical. But I didn’t have to, because I had so many juicy baritone saxophone lines to keep me entertained! Like this one:
 

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Finchley & Friern Barnet Operatic Society (2017, Bsn), Geoids Musical Theatre (2018, Pic/fl/Ebcl/cl)
Not the easiest music to play (or listen to, at times!) but a real masterpiece nonetheless. ‘Judge’s Johanna’ is one of the creepiest songs imaginable, with a deliciously sinister line for the bassoonist to enjoy:
 

Sweet Charity
National Youth Music Theatre (2015, Cl/bcl/bsn/bsax)
I played this as part of a top-notch 17-piece pit band, and the extra numbers really make a difference for these classic orchestrations (although we were still missing a string section). I enjoyed it all, but particularly the baritone saxophone part for the first piece we rehearsed, ‘Rich Man’s Frug’:
 

West Side Story
Music Theatre Project (2016, Cl/bcl/bsn/bsax), Newcastle High School for Girls (2017, Bsn)
As always with Bernstein, there’s lots of crunchy harmony to get your teeth into and wacky rhythms to keep you on your toes. One of my favourite songs to play is ‘A Boy Like That’, especially when honking out low Cs on bass clarinet in the reduced orchestration:
 

 
Whistle Down the Wind
Vivo d’Arte (2018, Pic/fl/tsax)
I usually find Andrew Lloyd Webber a bit hit-and-miss, and this show is no exception. But I had a wonderful time being in the pit orchestra for it, with the highlight being the gorgeous song ‘A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste’:
 

Wizard of Oz, The
Zodiac Musical Society (2018, Cl/bcl/asax), Scarborough YMCA (2011, Cl/bcl/asax)
I have many problems with this musical, ranging from the inexcusable deus ex machina to the fact that it doesn’t have that many songs (and half of them are just repeated with different words). The clari/bass clari part, though, is jolly good fun (to quote the munchkins), and even features the legendary ‘villain going indoors’ music as referenced in Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra:
 

 
My favourite bit to play has to be the crazy and challenging ‘Twister’ music:
 

Orchestral

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2009, Cl 2), Durham University Palatinate Orchestra (2016, Bsn)
Aside from the opening (which is surely the most famous four bars in all of classical music) I am very fond of the thrilling build-up that leads from Movement 3 straight into the finale:
 

Borodin: Symphony No. 2
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2014, Cl 1/Bsn 2)
The opening and closing bars of Movement 1 are like a giant trying to batter your door down, and especially fun for bassoon 2:
 

 

Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2010, Cl 1)
The soaring orchestral tutti that announces third movement’s second subject never fails to lift the spirits:
 

Copland: Appalachian Spring
Scarborough Symphony Orchestra (2016, Bsn 2)
The orchestral suite from Copland’s famous ballet contains plenty of complex and intricate music, but for me the highlight is the closing section which represents a newly-wed couple taking their place in the community. It pulls off the rare feat of being musically simple, yet devastatingly beautiful at the same time:
 

Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
Durham University Chamber Orchestra (2013, Cl 1)
There are lots of gorgeous moments to enjoy here, but this is my personal favourite:
 

Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2013, Bsn 2)
Playing this piece should be on every bassoonist’s bucket list, but beware! It’ll take some practice!
 

Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’
Alderley Edge Symphony Orchestra (2019, Bsn 2)
My enduring memory of bassoon 2 for this piece is that I got to play loads of really low notes as loud as I possibly could, so how could I not include it in this list?
 

 

Elgar: Salut D’Amour
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2008, Cl 2)
Written as an engagement present for his fiancée (originally for solo violin and piano), this piece demonstrates Elgar’s fondness for so-called ‘light’ music but manages to impart a real depth to the genre through its heartfelt yet hummable melody.
 

Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2
North Yorkshire Schools Symphony Orchestra (2010, Cl 2)
I can’t honestly remember much about this piece, other than that it was a really fun play. The moment that most sticks in my mind is the pulsating strings in the Miller’s Dance:
 

Holst: The Planets
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2014, Cl 1), Dulwich Symphony Orchestra (2018, Bsn 3)
Fun fact: The second time I played this, our rehearsals took place in James Allen’s Girls’ School in Dulwich, where Holst was actually teaching when he composed the work. Our rehearsal room was dedicated to him, and even had some little stained-glass windows depicting several of the planets. Anyway, Mars and Jupiter are the most famous movements but I’d like to draw your attention to a barnstorming moment in one of my favourites, Uranus:
 

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2010, Cl)
A great romp throughout from the 17-year-old composer, but listen in particular for the clarinets et al. doing donkey impressions (no, seriously!):
 

 
Mozart: Symphony No. 41
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2008, Cl 2, 20??, Bsn)
The final movement of Mozart’s final symphony is a real tour-de-force of ingenious contrapuntal writing which never feels dry or academic. A draining piece to perform, but very rewarding – just don’t tell him I played it on clarinet!
 

Nielsen: Pan and Syrinx
Durham University Chamber Orchestra (2013, Cl 1)
I really relished playing the clarinet part for this. Not only does it get a big cadenza of its very own, but it also gets to do some juicy dissonant screaming towards the end, reaching up as far as a high G# (if memory serves me correctly).
 

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2011, 2016??, Bsn), Durham University Palatinate Orchestra (2013, Bsn)
Those bassoon solos sound simple, but are tricky blighters to get right (especially when your instrument malfunctions in the middle of them…). On the bright side, at least I’ve never had to tackle the flute part!
 

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2
Durham University Palatinate Orchestra (2015, Bsn 1)
The most popular of Rachmaninov’s concertos, and it’s easy to see why – those slushy sweeping romantic lines are irresistible, and a thrill to play.
 

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Durham University Palatinate Orchestra (2014, Bsn 1)
In my previous house-share, there was only one moment over the course of two years when my housemate told me I was being too loud, and that was when Scheherazade was playing on the kitchen radio (or should that be ‘Scheherazadw’?). Did I turn it down? Not on your nelly! It’s glorious from start to finish, but the highlight has to be the fantastic bassoon solo that (almost) opens movement 2:
 

 
Shostakovich: Festive Overture
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2008, Cl 1), Durham University Palatinate Orchestra (2014, Bsn 1)
If I had to choose the single most exhilarating orchestral piece to play, it would probably have to be this one. The bassoon part is alright, but nothing compared to the crazy acrobatics that the clarinets get to indulge in:
 

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2011, Bsn 2)
Without doubt my favourite symphony EVER – so much so that I even made my own piano transcription of it (available here). If you haven’t already, cancel all your appointments and go and listen to it now, but make sure you have a box of tissues to hand. As for highlights, the build-up from movement 3 into 4 is glorious, and as a bassoonist I really enjoy the soli that introduces the main theme of movement 2. But the real tear-jerker for me has to be this bit in the second movement:
 

Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2014, Cl 1/Bsn 2)
The opening soli for the lower strings is sublime, and the bit where the ‘cannon’ goes off is ridiculous, but for me nothing beats the climactic chorale where the tubular bells player goes crazy:
 

Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2009, Cl 1), North Yorkshire Schools Symphony Orchestra (2010, Cl 2), Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2013, Cl 1)
It’s great fun to play all these tunes that are so familiar and well-loved. My only regret is that this suite doesn’t include the Pas de Deux (Intrada) from Act II, but as it is, my favourite moment is probably the opening to Waltz of the Flowers (even if that harp just won’t shut up):
 

Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2012, Bsn 3)
I will happily go on record as saying that this symphony has one principal fault: It is just too darn long. And that’s coming from someone who will happily sit through all 70 minutes of Shostakovich 7. Having said that, it does open with a bassoon/bass clari soli which redeems it somewhat, and I do have some friends who would disown me if I didn’t include the work in this list. As a sucker for a good slow movement, I’ve always enjoyed the soaring strings in movement 3:
 

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
Durham University Palatinate Orchestra (2015, Bsn 1)
So here’s what I think of this one: movement 2 is great. Movement 1 is also great (but too long). Movement 3 and 4 are basically just filler. But when it’s good it’s amazing – the opening is a real joy to blast out (yes, believe it or not there are two bassoons desperately trying to compete with that horn section), and this bassoon solo in movement 2 is worth the entry price alone:
 

Vaughan-Williams: The Wasps Overture
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2013, Cl 1)
I’m not a massive Vaughan-Williams fan in general, but this one really gets me. The sweeping melody here is particularly delightful:
 

Wagner: The Mastersingers Overture
Scarborough Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (2007, Cl 2), Macclesfield Symphony Orchestra (2020, Bsn 2)
I’ve performed this overture twice before, and neither time with very much rehearsal so I’ve never got to know the piece very closely. I can, however, tell you that it is a thoroughly exhilarating play but also pretty tiring – I can’t imagine having to play the entire opera immediately afterwards!
 

Walton: Spitfire Prelude and Fugue
North Yorkshire Schools Symphony Orchestra (2010, Cl 2)
With an opening that good, who cares what the rest of it sounds like! (Spoiler: The rest is pretty good too).
 

Various Songs

Blue Suede Shoes
The Strangers on the Shore (2013, Cl)
One of my favourite gigs I’ve ever done also happens to be one of the most surreal. This was the debut, and so far only, performance from experimental (or perhaps just plain mental) rock band ‘The Strangers on the Shore’, in the back of a pub in Scarborough. Blue Suede Shoes was to my mind one of our most successful experiments, because we realised that it would be much better if the verses were played really really fast, and the choruses really really slowly. Sadly I’m not aware of any surviving footage of that particular song, but read on for some other video excerpts from the gig…

For Good
Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Various dates, Cl)
I’m not the biggest Stephen Schwartz fan, and to be honest the whole ‘Wicked’ phenomenon has passed me by. But this song at least is very beautiful – just don’t ask me what the heck it’s about!
 

Have You Ever Had A Feel Of A Fiver?
The Strangers on the Shore (2013, Uk)
Another one from ‘The Strangers on the Shore”s legendary performance, I seem to recall we gave this song a driving ‘Status Quo’-type vibe. I’m a little unsure as to the origins of this one – I can never remember if it’s a real song or just some weird thing my friends heard an alcoholic saying one day. The best person to ask would be my friend and colleague Bunty Moonshine, who makes a hobby of documenting these historic musical moments: twitter.com/BuntyMoonshine Perhaps we’ll never know the truth.

I Won’t Send Roses
Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Various dates, Cl)
If you’ve read this far, you may have noticed that I’m a sucker for a good ballad. And ballads don’t come much good-er than this one, from ‘Mack and Mabel’:
 

Je T’Aime
The Strangers on the Shore (2013, Cl)
This is an absurdly hilarious song at the best of times, but at the worst of times it’s even better. I’m pleased to report that video footage of this part of ‘The Strangers on the Shore”s performance does exist, so if you’d like to see frontman Larry Marsh shouting random phrases out of a French textbook and yours truly screaming more or less at random, now is your chance:
 

Let It Go
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2015, Cl 1)
It only causes me slight embarrassment to confess that, in my final term at Durham, I enjoyed playing this song much more than the massive piece of Ravel we showcased a few weeks later. There’s just something about it that’s hard to resist:
 

Little Shop of Horrors Medley
Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Various dates, Cl/tsax)
This is one of my arrangements I’ll have you know, and is a combination of the songs ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, ‘Somewhere That’s Green’ and ‘Suddenly Seymour’. I’m proud of how it turned out, especially the bit where I force the entire string section to just clap along:
 

 
Fun to play too. Sadly not available to listen to online, but the next best thing is this medley on which it is based:
 

Long Ago
Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Various dates, Cl)
Here’s an example of a song (from ‘Half a Sixpence’, incidentally) that was originally pretty average, but became much stronger when it was reworked for a revival production. The version we do in WMTO is expanded somewhat, but you can get a general idea from the 2016 revival recording it is based on:
 

Mack and Mabel Overture
Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Various dates, Cl/asax/tsax)
I do like a good overture, and this one is especially fun to play with a full orchestra. It certainly keeps you on your toes, I’ll say that much:
 

Morning Glow / Magic To Do
Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Various dates, Cl)
More Stephen Schwartz, and more songs where I don’t have the slightest clue what they’re about! What I do know is that this medley is expertly orchestrated by WMTO’s very own Chris Fossey and is extremely rewarding to play (not to mention much better than the originals:
 

One Day More
Durham University Symphony Orchestra (2015, Cl 1), Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Various dates, Cl)
‘Les Misérables’ is a musical that I really wish I could hate, simply because then I could be a snob and look down on all the common peasants with their simple popular taste. Sadly I find this an impossible task, and for me the emotional directness of the songs always manages to be thrilling rather than naff. One Day More in particular always sends a shiver down the spine:
 

Overture / All That Jazz
Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra (Various dates, Cl/tsax)
There are few things I like more than some sleazy clarinet playing, and the opening number from ‘Chicago’ provides the ideal opportunity. Great fun to get your teeth into:
 

You Done My Brain In
The Strangers on the Shore (2013, Cl)
One more from this gig, then I promise I’ll leave you alone. ‘You Done My Brain In’ was originally written by everyone’s favourite weirdos ‘The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band’, and I seem to recall we used it as our opening song shortly after Larry appeared on-stage wearing a large amplifier cover with a huge smiley face painted on the front. It’s gloriously daft, and strangely no less meaningless than a lot of so-called ‘serious’ music:
 

Transcription Tuesday But On A Wednesday: ‘After You’ve Gone’, Benny Goodman, AND ‘The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise’, Edmond Hall

Well, as promised last week, today represents the final edition of Transcription Tuesday But On A Wednesday! Boo hoo! That’s right, after this there will be no more. Transcriptions, that is – I assume Wednesdays will still continue as planned.

To celebrate, and in order to completely undermine my plan of finishing on a nice round number, I have for you today a double whammy! To start with, I have a little bonus transcription from the archive which I made back in 2017, of ‘After You’ve Gone’ (as recorded by the Benny Goodman Trio). It’s interesting to look back and see the little things I did differently back then. For example, I appear to have added question marks to chords I was unsure of, whereas nowadays I just whack the wrong chord in anyway and hope for the best!
 

 
And secondly, so that we go out with a bang, I have a hot-off-the-press transcription of ‘The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise’, as recorded by Edmond Hall in December 1966. It’s a stunning performance, and by pure coincidence is at precisely the same tempo as today’s other transcription. So if you take away nothing else from this experience, remember this: The key to hot hot jazz is 250 bpm.
 

On My Own with the Jelly Roll lockdown video

In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, “It’s better to watch stuff than to do stuff.” So in that spirit I now ask you to stop whatever you are doing and watch this sublime pair of videos featuring everyone’s favourite person, ME!

To start with, here’s a video from a few years ago that the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra released recently, with the somewhat ironic title of ‘On My Own’:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3223970174292610&id=720997227923263&anchor_composer=false

And now for some people who literally are on their own (at least they were when they recorded this): It’s The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, with their misguided attempt at a remote collaboration video!
 

Transcription Tuesday But On A Wednesday (But On A Thursday): ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’, Artie Shaw

Coming up on Transcription Tuesday But On A Wednesday (But On A Thursday)…

This!

I have a confession to make today that I hope will not upset the general population of Planet Earth too dramatically. The truth is, in recent weeks my enthusiasm for Transcription Tuesday But On A Wednesday has begun to wane somewhat, and it would appear by its frankly obnoxious behaviour this morning that my laptop feels the same way. I begun this venture back in October as an open-ended kinda thing, with no real idea of how long it would go on for, but I feel as though I have extracted as much value as I can from the project and therefore the time has come to draw it to a close. I notice that this week’s offering will be my 29th, so I think it is appropriate that it should be the penultimate one, allowing me to finish next time on a nice round number.

But anyway, on to today’s transcription! I didn’t intend to do an Artie Shaw recording this week, however the other day I discovered a remarkable fact: Yes, Shaw was a clarinettist. Yes, he was a saxophonist before that. But I’ll bet you didn’t know that the first instrument he ever took up was the ukulele! : O With such exquisite taste as that, how could I not offer the man another place in my transcribbled hall of fame?

The piece I have chosen is a 1940 recording of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, featuring R.T. and his Gramercy Five. And be sure to listen out for further new horizons in sound, in the form of (wait for it)… jazz harpsichord! I really don’t think I can take any more excitement!