Tico Tico: Brass Quintet Score & Parts

The infectious Latin groove carries itself; your ensemble won't need weeks of rehearsal to sound authentic and engaging. David Marlatt's arrangement keeps the melodic and harmonic essence of the original while tailoring the part-writing to showcase your lead trumpet and create natural blend among the lower voices, making this both teachable and audience-friendly.

Tico Tico radiates warmth and buoyancy. The melody dances with a natural lilt, and the harmonic support underneath feels both grounded and buoyant, inviting the listener into a transportive moment that feels both celebratory and effortless.

Brass quintets seeking a crowd-pleasing showstopper that sits comfortably in the medium-difficult range without requiring virtuosic technical demands from every player. This works equally well for high school or community ensembles with a solid lead trumpet and for college groups looking to program something that audiences recognize and enjoy.

• Balance the trumpet feature against the supporting voices by having your first trumpet sit forward in the ensemble mix; the flugelhorn second trumpet should blend inward rather than compete, creating a unified harmonic cushion.
• Lock the rhythmic pocket with your trombone and tuba first. The groove lives in the bottom, so rehearse those parts as a unit before layering in the trumpets.
• Approach the optional high licks as embellishments, not obstacles. Your lead trumpet should have permission to sit back on the melody line if the high passages feel forced; authenticity matters more than showing off.
• Shape the phrasing around natural breath points and the underlying clave rhythm rather than arbitrary musical phrases. Latin repertoire rewards players who hear the percussion architecture beneath the brass lines.

Program this as a concert closer or a lighter moment between more substantial works. Its accessibility and infectious appeal make it an excellent festival selection, and it pairs well with other Latin-influenced works or as a stylistic contrast to classical or contemporary chamber music.

• Balancing a featured melody against ensemble harmony
• Executing Latin rhythmic feels and clave-based phrasing
• Adjusting timbre and blend between trumpets (bright trumpet and mellow flugelhorn)
• Playing with rhythmic precision in syncopated, groove-based material
• Interpreting optional embellishments and improvisation-like passages