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PAUL MORELLI MUSIC |
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Here are some recordings of my compositions and / or arrangements. Keep checking back, more are on the way! If you are interested in something, just ask. I am glad to print them and send them to you for use in an educational situation (college jazz ensemble or the like) for a nominal charge to cover ink, paper, and shipping. Or I can send you the Sibelius files for an even more nominal charge. If you want to use one of my pieces for something commercial, contact me and we will work out the details. If you'd like something minor changed (i.e. a tenor solo moved to the 4th trumpet part), no problem. If you want a more labor-intensive change (i.e. replace tenor solo with new sax soli), I will have to charge for it. PLEASE NOTE: I have registered all of my compositions with the U.S. Copyright Office. If you try to make money off them without my written permission, I will see you in court, and I will be backed up by the Library of Congress itself. I'd suggest that you not try it.
Doctor Rank (click here to listen): Comments: A sneaky uptempo swing number in D minor for
big reed section, Doctor Rank requires clarinet, 2 altos, 3 tenors,
bari, and rhythm section. (The clarinet part can be played on soprano
sax or trumpet, if you have a trumpeter who has a comfortable high E
- either way, just leave out the two spots where the clarinet plays
the melody down low.) Though technically moderate (it's actually easier
on the saxophonists' fingers than it sounds), it requires musicians
who can read because it has so many independent parts in unexpected
places. The form is ABAC, where the As are 9 bars and B and C are 8.
A ton of fun to play, the effect is gleefully sloppy, the kind of sound
that suits saxophones so perfectly. It's named after a character from
Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, a very conflicted doctor who is terminally
ill and in love with one of his patients (a married woman). Composer and Arranger - Paul Morelli Clarinet - Paul Morelli Piano - Chris Dabbo Engineers - Mike Wilson and Jason Gillespie
I-71 North (click here to listen): Comments: A rock tune that is alternately majestic and serene rather than merely pounding, I-71 North was inspired by one of my favorite drives, the titular highway arriving in my old hometown of Cincinnati from the south. At the crest of a hill, the whole city is suddenly sprawled beneath you behind the Ohio River. Requires the first alto sax to double on flute and fourth trumpet to double on flugelhorn. The tune is in the form of AAB, each section 16 bars long - but be aware the first A and second A have the same melody but different chords. This chart is technically easy, especially for saxes and trumpets, but needs to be played cleanly and precisely in tune. Some of the chords in the big brass chorales will only lock in with pinpoint intonation. The big brass ensemble parts need to be played with a broad, orchestral, Kenton-esque sound rather than the usual big band shout chorus approach. Composer and Arranger - Paul Morelli Alto Sax 1 and Flute - Paul Morelli Trumpet 1 - Paul Morelli Trombone 1 - Mike Greco (solo - Jason Yasinsky) Piano (and solo) - Chris Dabbo Engineers - Mike Wilson and Jason Gillespie
For Noon... When We Reach the City (click here to listen): A lovely ballad for unusual instrumentation, For Noon requires flugelhorn, five saxes (2 altos, two tenors, and baritone sax), and rhythm section. On this recording I show off the expanded range of the four-valve flugelhorn, but it works great with a standard flugelhorn. (The written part does not exceed the usual range.) Saxophonists with symphonic sounds rather than squawky jazz sounds are preferred. The tune is a minor key 35 bar AABA, the 2nd A expanded to eleven bars instead of eight. Rather than sound like a typical jazz ballad, For Noon mixes jazz harmony with an aria-like melody. The title is the last line of the Ray Bradbury classic Fahrenheit 451, as the protagonists begin a long walk to help survivors in a destroyed city. Flugelhorn: Paul Morelli Piano: Chris Dabbo Engineers: Mike Wilson and Jason Gillespie
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