The popular song ?Five Foot Two? dates back to 1914. So who wrote it? Good question, since the song was changed so often. Leo Feist, Inc. published a version in 1925 crediting Ray Henderson with music; Sam Lewis and Joseph Widow Young, with words. That same year The California Ramblers made the song?s first recording and used the Feist-published version. Since then, ?Five Foot Two? has been recorded many times by many different artists as well as being used in film and TV productions.
This arrangement was inspired by a vocal interpretation the arranger heard in the 1950s while working at an Adirondacks resort hotel. It starts and ends with brief slow sections but most of the way through breezes along at a suggested 112 tempo. All notes are within normal playing range of the five instruments, although Tuba does play its lowest E and F a couple of times. The melody consists mainly of half notes, quarter notes and whole notes, but the variations include lots of eighth notes and a few tricky rhythms. Written as a companion piece to Sweetwater Brass? popular ?Somebody Stole My Gal,? this ?Five Foot Two? is upbeat and fun and includes plenty of delightful 1920s-style doo-wacka-doo and ricky-ticky turns.
Completed in 2020, performance time for ?Five Foot Two? runs about 2 minutes, 39 seconds. The arranger, Les Smith, will be happy to provide substitute parts (for example, treble clef baritone for trombone) at no charge; contact him directly at lessmith61@bellsouth.net. For more arrangements by Les, enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.

America Enters The Great War for Brass Quintet Arranged by Jari Villanueva A Medley of "Goodbye Broadway, Hello France" and "How Ya Gonna Keep ?Em Down on the Farm?" Score and parts provided Full Score 2 Trumpets in B Flat Horn in F Trombone Tuba Drums Eb Alto Horn (Substitute for Horn in F) Baritone T.C. (Substitute for Trombone) "Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France? is a 1917 song composed byBilly Baskette, with lyrics written by C. Francis Reisner and Benny Davis.While the song was popular during its time, it also saw a revival during WorldWar II, where some soldiers preferred World War I songs over the war songsbeing produced at the time. ?How Ya GonnaKeep ?em Down on the Farm (After They?ve Seen Paree?)? is a World War I songthat rose to popularity after the war had ended. The music is by Walter Donaldson. The lyricshighlight concern that American soldiers from rural environments would not wantto return to farm life after experiencing the European city life and culture ofParis during World War I. It became popular among soldiers in the First WorldWar and is remembered as one of the more songs of World War I. This skillful and fun arrangement by Jari Villanueva captures the flavor of theoriginal tunes and would be a great selection commemorating the 100thanniversary of World War I. A retired memberof the United States Air Force Band where he served on the Music Productionstaff (as well as a trumpeter and bugler) and a student of Bill Holcombe, JariVillanueva continues writing for different ensembles. His arrangements areplayed by bands, brass ensembles and brass quintets all over the countryincluding many military groups. Many of his arrangements can be found on SheetMusic Plus and JV MUSIC.