Written and arranged in 1946 by Bill Finegan for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Pussy Willow was a really progressive chart for its time, and hints at the sort of writing style that Finegan would later employ with the Sauter Finegan band. This is a hard chart, not just because the brass ranges are high (lead Trumpet to high Eb, lead Trombone to high Db), but also because your players can't always employ the "follow the leader" style of sectional playing. The intro gives a clue to this, as everyone is doing something slightly different. Dynamics are vital to this chart too. The saxes take the lions share of the melody. Sometimes they are unison, sometimes in thirds and other times fully voiced. The only sax double is Alto 2 on Clarinet for the intro, and the Tenor solo is written out in full. So in summary, it's all a bit tricky, but well worth the effort. Grade: Advanced Duration: 3:10
