Buried deep in the depths of The Beatles White Album is the fun little track entitled Honey Pie. And buried deep within that is a horn section consisting of clarinets and saxes playing a beautiful jazz-era-inspired accompaniment.

It was very difficult to hear all of the parts from the original recording, so there’s an element of guesswork in my transcription. But regardless, it works and it sounds beautiful.

Without ready access to a clarinetist, these charts have been arranged for (cup muted) trumpet, alto, and tenor sax. We recorded this is a Virtual Collaboration, with musicians from across 4 continents. Audio engineering by Jean Michel Durand and video editing by Shawn Hare.

Resources:

• The Beatles – Honey Pie Virtual Collab video.
• The Beatles – Honey Pie – Trumpet (Clarinet) Sax charts.

Transcribed by me and free for you to use.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.

PS: I finished and published this post from the Blue Note, Manhattan, while waiting at the bar to see trumpet player Nicholas Payton. So excited, just had to tell you…

To some, the Victoria Bitter (VB) beer commercial (advertisement) is almost a second national anthem. It’s iconic and truly Australian, invoking for many a vivid recollection of that hard-earned thirst that needs a big, cold beer, since 1968. As a TV commercial, this catchy tune was recorded by the Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra accompanying John Meillon’s spoken voice. It has been in our ears for over 50 years, and it’s always reassuring to know it’s there.

Last month I hiked the Kokoda Track through the rugged jungle of Papua New Guinea, and for those 8 exhausting days, I longed for an icy cold beer. And so, once the VB commercial tune was stuck in my head, on repeat, it stayed there for the entire trek. There was simply no stopping it.

During those hours of mentally processing the theme, I transcribed the whole thing in my head. So when I returned home it was a relatively simple matter of getting it out of my head and onto paper.

I’m in the process of recording this arrangement with great musicians on strings, horns, and rhythm section. But that’s likely to take a while, so in the meantime, I thought I’d unleash my transcription here.

Resources:

• Victoria Bitter VB Commercial charts: violins, viola, cello, trumpets, trombones, guitars, bass, drums.

Transcribed by me and free for you to use.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.

How did I miss this song, back in the golden days of disco? This was fun to transcribe, play and record.

I collaborated on the BandLab platform this time. Check the link to the Project (below) for details and perhaps some insight, if you’re not familiar with BandLab.

Resources:

• Kool & the Gang – Night People BandLab Project.
• Kool & the Gang – Night People trumpet chart.

Transcribed by me and free for you to use.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.

My horn section transcription of this work, originally recorded by The Phenix Horns [sic] (also known as the EWF Horns) with Phil Collins.

This was a lot of fun to play and record (and very rewarding to finally nail it).

Resources:

• Phil Collins – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven BandLab Project.
• Phil Collins – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven trumpet & tenor sax charts.

Transcribed by me and free for you to use.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Here’s my transcription of Alan Rubin’s trumpet part for “Think”, accompanying Aretha Franklin for The Blues Brothers soundtrack.

I’ve recorded this as part of a “virtual collab”, with all instruments recording individually on our respective corners of the globe, and then mixing the lot in together to form this consolidated collaboration. I plan to post the finished product here when available.

Resources:

• Aretha Franklin – Think trumpet chart.

Transcribed by me and free for you to use.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.

My first transcription recorded on the Bandlab platform (audio only; video is not yet offered on Bandlab).

A fun and funky piece from Kool & The Gang. How had I not heard this before?

Resources:

• Kool & The Gang – Love Festival Bandlab collab.
• Kool & The Gang – Love Festival trumpet & tenor sax chart.

Transcribed by me and free for you to use.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.

That iconic trumpet introduction… You’re out somewhere and you hear it start. People look at each other and smiling, thinking “are we really gonna do this?” The answer is always “YES!” Even at the start of a Green Day concert I once took my daughters to, with the entire Green Day audience at full voice and the YMCA dance moves.

Anyway, towards the end of Bandhub’s time online I notched up 400 recordings. To mark the milestone I decided to throw a Bandhub party, inviting community participation from many of the friends I had made there. This transcription and recording were the results, including an impromptu wah-wah trumpet solo to fill in the instrumental chorus.

My sincere thanks to Alberto Rossi for this fine video edit!

Resources:

• Village People – Y.M.C.A. Bandhub collab video.
• Village People – Y.M.C.A. Trumpet Trombone Sax Violin score and charts.

Transcribed by me and free for you to use.

What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.