City of Angels

Carole Crompton and Steven Mead commissioned me to write this piece for the 2019 Bolsover International Brass Band Summer School. They asked for a jazz-influenced piece with a slow introduction and solos for three instruments. So, I came up with a Latin Jazz piece that sums up the times I’ve spent in Los Angeles. I imagined the night-time lights of downtown LA and Beverly Hills, and I conjured up the mood of driving through Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway en route to Santa Monica on a beautiful summer’s day. The piece is an extended feature for flugelhorn with written out solos for trombone and cornet. In the score and parts I provided chord symbols so that any competent improviser could have fun inventing their own solo.

Instrumentation: Brass band

Percussion: 3 players

Playing standard: Intermediate

Duration: 6′