[Trombone-l] Billy May

[Sharman King]

The re-release of "Big Fat Brass" is thrilling as a resource to our 
older players who listened and played Billy May's charts.

He wrote for many Las Vegas type shows and it was always as big a thrill 
to see "Arranged by Billy May" as it was to see "Arranged by Nelson 
Riddle" because you knew you were going to have great 'bone charts.

A particular memory to me was the fact that Billy May always included 
something really, really hard in the middle of many pages of normal 
professional difficulty writing. I particularly remember this in Mitzi 
Gaynor shows; she always hired the best arrangers and the shows were 
absolute joys to play. But you had to watch out!

Younger players on the list should take some time to listen to "Big Fat 
Brass" to hear what all of us oldsters are so fondly remembering! 
Amusing, thrilling, eclectic and incredibly correct writing from one of 
the giants!

Sharman

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Sharman King
632 West Broadway
Vancouver BC V5Z 1G1
phone  		604 873 0661 ext 7
		800 929 5711
cel 		604 263 4419	
fax 		604 876 5711
sharman at bookwarehouse.ca
sharman at sharmanking.ca
sharman at istar.ca
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