A Coconut Named Alex

This colourful title aptly combines the basis for the piece and the person it was written for. Tenth grade trumpet player Alex McCarthy would come to brass quintet rehearsals and, rather than warming up on long tones or lyrical studies, he would play excerpts from the Denis Di Blasio tune Coconut Champagne which was written for Maynard Ferguson and his band. This piece uses that melodic material as a base for this upbeat samba tune. There is a solo section for cornet and a written out solo has been provided.