Santa's in Town: 1st Trombone

Carl Strommen's arrangement cuts right to the heart of what makes a holiday jazz chart work: it swings hard, features transparent voicings that don't require perfect section balance to sound good, and includes clear solo and soli moments that give students real responsibility. The written trumpet solo and shout chorus create natural performance highlights without demanding extensive rehearsal time, which means you can add this to your winter concert with confidence even in a crowded rehearsal schedule.

Bright and propulsive, with the kind of optimistic swing that defines mid-century holiday charm. The shout chorus lands with enough punch to wake up an audience, while the written solo moments give individual voices room to shine without demanding technical fireworks. It sounds bigger and more polished than the rehearsal time required would suggest.

Jazz ensembles at the intermediate level who need a crowd-pleasing holiday number that doesn't demand weeks of preparation. Grade 2 instrumentation and straightforward changes make it accessible to high school and advanced middle school groups with mixed experience levels. Directors looking to program something seasonal that also develops core ensemble skills will find this chart earns its place in a winter concert.

• Lock the rhythm section into a consistent swing feel from the opening; the chart's accessibility depends on a steady, relaxed pocket rather than precision rushing.
• Give the trumpet soloist time with the solo section in sectionals; a confident solo delivery lifts the entire chart and makes the audience lean in.
• Balance the sax soli by having saxes play it with unified articulation and phrase shape, treating it as a mini section feature rather than background texture.
• Use the modulation as a dynamic reset point; bring the energy up slightly as the key change arrives to signal the chart's final push to the audience.

Slot this into a winter concert as a second-half opener to shift the energy after a handful of ballads or concert pieces. The 3:40 runtime fits neatly between longer works, and the holiday theme makes it a natural fit for December programming without feeling forced into January or February sets. Pair it with other seasonal jazz standards or mix it into a varied-repertoire concert where it stands out as the infectious, swinging moment that catches listeners' attention.

• Swing articulation and phrasing across all sections
• Reading and executing written solos with idiomatic jazz phrasing
• Section soli balance and unified ensemble playing
• Responding to key modulations and dynamic shape changes
• Maintaining groove while accommodating written material and improvisation