The Sea-Shells Waltz was written in 1880 as part of a musical challenge Innes posed to the great French cornetist, Jules Levy. They were both in New York performing as soloists with the legendary Gilmore band for some summer concerts. Levy would play a solo and Innes would follow with an even more elaborate one. One day Levy brought in a new solo in which he injected his own extemporaneous cadenza made up of everything he could do on the cornet. When his turn came to play, Innes also had something up his sleeve. He had written a brand new solo for the trombone, entitled The Sea-Shells Waltz with a minute and one-half cadenza.

This legendary musical duel brought forth a delightful solo that has been rediscovered and edited by Trombonist Chris Buckholz. The solo is about 8-minutes in length for advanced performers.

Below is a gorgeous sample of some of the concert band version of the work (soon to be published) beautifully performed by Chris Buckholz, from his double CD album Versatility.

Fantasie-Legende für Posaune und Klavier by early 20th Century Danish composer Axel Jørgensen was forgotten for quite a while but has been rediscovered, edited and recorded by noted Danish Trombonist and educator Niels-Ole Bo Johansen.

The work is in a late Romantic style with hints of expressionism, about 4 minutes in length and is appropriate for advanced intermediate level performers (range is up to a high B).

The beautifully performed sample is by Mr. Johansen and pianist Erik Kaltoft from the CD, The French Connection.

Fantasy Sonata, Op. 40 for Trombone and Piano by Benjamin Schroen is a work composed in 1900 which was forgotten and now rediscovered by musicologist and conductor, Dr. Keith Davies Jones.

Fantasy Sonata is written in the same virtuoso style as compositions of that period by Joseph Serafin Alschausky, and though quite challenging, it is fully idiomatic for the trombone. There is a passing ?reference? to the Concerto by Rimsky-Korsakov, and it is just possible that Schroen might have been familiar with that work as a trombonist himself. There are also some stylistic similarities to the Fantasia for trombone and organ Op.58 composed in the mid-19th century by Friedrich August Belcke (1795 ? 1874).

The 6.5-minute work featuring several short cadenzas, contrasting dramatic and expressive sections is in Romantic style, in bass and tenor clef and appropriate for intermediate to advanced performers.

Richard Galliano is a French accordionist of Italian heritage. After a long and intense period of study, at 14, in a search to expand his ideas on the accordion, he began listening to jazz and heard records by the trumpet player Clifford Brown. The second decisive meeting took place in 1980, with the Argentinean composer and bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla.
Astor strongly encouraged Richard to create the French ?New Musette?, as he himself had previously invented the Argentinean ?New Tango?.
Some later collaboration include Chet Baker, Eddy Louiss, Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Charlie Haden,
Gary Burton, Michel Portal, Toots Thielemans and Kurt Elling.

This arrangement for C or Bb Trombone (or Euphonium) with piano of one of his most famous and performed pieces (with clear rhythmic references to the Piazzolla's "Libertango") is suitable for classroom, repertoire and recital.