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I had my buddy buy them from you last year, but (I guess he just wanted to play stuff that he knew?) we didn't read a single one at any of our little thingies . I believe he is planning on shuffling them into the mix this year, particularly since I reminded him about them. Considering that we do little shows that last about 50 minutes and somebody jabbers a little bit in between each one, I would not mind it a bit if you would tell me which ones are your personal favorites of the ones from your collection to the ones that you think are just great, but perhaps your least favorite, since we'll probably be reading them for the first time at the first venue. Also, is there 40 or more minutes of stuff in the collection?
These questions may seem ignorant and they might even seem (without intending to be at all) insulting, but it's only because I'm absolutely ignorant regarding what's in the set, and I'd like to transfer your opinions to the fellow who bought them from you and will be stuffing the folders.
I'd actually be fine playing 100% your stuff this year, and maybe mixing in some of the stuff we've done in the past back in with your stuff next year.
I do believe I recall that most of your titles are standards, and I believe that during the Christmas season what people are looking for is tradition and familiarity.
Anyway I'm really hoping to see more of your things if not all of your things in those folders this year. Your stuff has received high marks, and frankly not everything that we've been playing is particularly good.
Okay. Here's a really short version of all the rest of the above: Were a quintet to play five of your charts, which five would you hope they would play?

Let me answer this tomorrow. I am about to hit the sack. I will send you a link to the file with all the updated and improved stuff for free… just please pass it on to him. I "improved" a lot of these, and added some I had wanted in the collection for years. I also added in some "serious" stuff that you can use when working out a contract for an Advent season service that would allow the brass quintet to play an offertory or communion tune without the choir, organ, or piano. None of it is "Christmas" but all are things we have played in the churches around here for years during the Advent season up to and including Christmas midnight masses.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is my favorite of the bunch. My least favorite is "All I Want for Christmas is You". I did the arrangement on request for extra $$$ for the BCBSMS employee party a few years ago. All we could find was this horrendous arrangement we bought for a similar request years earlier, and it was pretty putrid. So when we accepted the commission neither of the two of us who do our arrangements wanted it. I was the junior member so I got stuck with it. It is pretty good. It takes a 2nd trumpeter who can read his a$$ off as there is a long cadenza with accompaniment that requires some "bell conducting" and strong rhythmic reading. It is a pretty accurate lift of whatsherface's cadenza insofar as you can put on paper some of those vocal things that are hard to notate for "real" musicians, heh, heh…

There is over an hour of material without talking. I think it is up to about 1:15 now, so you could do a full recital with an intermission and blurb-spewing between each tune and still have stuff that would put you over your time limit.

My "clever" arrangements (I know you dislike this sort of crap; I do, too, but these were inspired enough that I actually like them) are "Rudolph Played the Tuba" and "Blue Christmas". (I have a dark sense of humor, and "Blue Christmas" at one point is juxtaposed over "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" — because his Christmas is blue because SHE'S DEAD. So as the trumpet plays his lament she is being lowered into the ground. Call me tacky — our group likes it anyway.

I like "Santa Baby" and both of the Leroy Anderson tunes. "Carol of the Bells is one I did for my Army Band quintet in 1987. (Sleigh Ride is even older — 1984?) "Let it Snow" is the standard Frackenpohl arrangement, but notationally cleaned up, with an entire second half with a trombone solo over changes. "Christmastime is Here" has flugelhorn over changes.

This set is more "old fart" friendly with larger print and most arrangements spread out onto two pages. These are to be printed and bound, so there are no page turns while playing, except in the two, longish Anderson tunes.

I'll get back to you tomorrow with a link.

Thanks for the preview. Go to bed and if you have anything else to tell me tomorrow I'll be glad to hear it.

I sent you a PM with the link.