Instrumental Solos by Special Arrangement: Trumpet Book & CD

Strommen's arrangements give trumpet players authentic jazz repertoire without requiring improvisation skills, removing a significant barrier to participation in jazz performance. The included CD accompaniment keeps rehearsal momentum strong while your student focuses on articulation, phrasing, and jazz style interpretation. These are melodies every listener recognizes, which means your student plays with immediate musical satisfaction rather than learning unfamiliar territory.

Sophisticated and cool. These standards carry the elegance of the Great American Songbook; playing them feels like stepping into a jazz club rather than a concert hall. The melodies are lyrical and deeply musical, creating an immediate sense of artistic accomplishment even for students still developing technical facility.

Trumpet students in the early intermediate range who are drawn to jazz but want to focus on style and musicality rather than improvisation. This book works equally well for private studio instruction and ensemble settings where a student performs a jazz feature without needing full band participation.

• Use the recorded accompaniment to internalize jazz rhythmic feel and swing articulation; the rhythm section serves as a steady model for phrasing and time feel.
• Shape phrases with jazz inflection rather than classical legato; listen for how the accompaniment vocalist or horn approaches rubato and rhythmic displacement.
• Balance dynamic contrast across sections; many of these standards depend on lyrical weight during the melody, which means your student may need to project more than expected for solo repertoire at this level.
• Experiment with slight delays on eighth notes to create authentic swing; the written rhythms are straight, but the jazz style calls for subtle rhythmic adjustment in performance.

Feature a trumpet student in a jazz-focused concert or pops concert without requiring a full jazz ensemble; the accompaniment CD removes that constraint. Alternatively, use individual selections alongside your jazz band rehearsals as a way for soloists to prepare feature material with professional backing. This book also serves well for solo recitals when students want to explore a style beyond their primary classical training.

• Swing articulation and jazz phrasing conventions
• Singing jazz melodic style with rubato and dynamics
• Listening and responding to rhythm section accompaniment
• Stylistic interpretation of familiar standards
• Tone control and projection at different dynamic levels