Review

Charles and Huel Murphy
Santa Plays the Trombone (in the North Pole Band): for the English Trombone Consort

Arranged by Guy Turner

3 tenor, 1 bass trombone

Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
Publisher: Virgo Music Publishers
Date of Publication: 1954 / 2019
URL: http://www.printed-music.com/virgo

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

When it comes to Christmas music, trombonists have no shortage of arrangements to choose from. The catalogue is so substantial, publishers often create dedicated pages to help organize everything in one location. Given this, it is incumbent upon the composer or arranger to contribute something unique and original to an almost trite genre. Through its upbeat Dixieland style and quirky source material, Guy Turner’s arrangement of Santa Plays the Trombone (in the North Pole Band) fulfills this requirement.

Unlike standards such as Jingle Bells or Silent Night, Santa Plays the Trombone is a virtually unknown Christmas tune. Set here for a standard trombone quartet (with an optional sung section), Turner’s arrangement stems loosely from the 1954 recording by “Poppa” John Gordy and his Dixielanders. It appears that Turner chose to mirror this recording, with a brief transition added between the opening verse and first instrumental solo. It is important to note that, while Turner appears to follow the tonal structure heard in the 1954 recording, he fails to include the shift back to the home key in measure 44.

A strict transcription of the melody sung by Clint Garvin on the 1954 recording is forgone in favor of a “tailgating” approach. In the absence of text, this provides a light and fun intrigue that a strict transcription would lack. Unfortunately, this arrangement includes ornamentation that fails to truly represent the vocal quality, written in different places from the recording and awkwardly added where none was needed (as seen in the first part, measures 10 and 15). It would be advised for performers to listen to the recording and imitate Garvin’s ornamentation.

With a range extending from F to b-flat1 in the tenor trombones and FF to d1 in the bass trombone, an optional sung section, as well as stylistic considerations, this piece provides a slight challenge that is both fun for the performers and enjoyable for the audience. A short work, it will be a welcome and diverse addition to any trombone Christmas concert.