Tuba and Tuba Ensemble

Tuba solo, 5 Tubas, Piano, Bass and Drum Set

“Big Alice goes from the Bo Diddly rhythm figure and gets more raucous as the piece goes on.”

• Howard Johnson

When Howard heard Don Pullen’s chart, he immediately wanted to arrange the piece for Gravity to play. During a rehearsal when he brought the arrangement to the band, he called Don Pullen and the ensemble played the arrangement on Pullen’s telephone answering machine. When Don Pullen heard the musical message, he immediately called Howard and exclaimed that “he loved it!”

Howard Johnson’s jazz tuba ensemble is envisioned as a tuba choir- with tubas in F, E flat, CC, and BB flat- that encourages tuba players to learn to play in the upper register. His charts were originally written for his tuba jazz ensemble, Gravity, formed in 1968 with Howard Johnson as solo lead tuba. The charts can in fact be performed with euphoniums; but he formed his group, made his arrangements and developed this specific instrumentation 50 years ago as a statement about tubas and prefers to hear his arrangements played in this configuration, encouraging tuba players to develop the range required. His most important advice is that whatever instrumentation is used, make it fun and find the best jazz rhythm section!

Learn More

Goedicke’s Concert Etude, op. 49 was originally written for trumpet, and remains Goedicke’s most popular and most frequently performed work. It has been arranged for nearly every instrument in the brass family at one time or another, and here is accompanied by a flexible brass ensemble

This versatile solo works great as a showpiece for either euphonium or trombone with a variety of accompaniments. The accompanying ensemble can be trombone quintet, tube/euphonium ensemble, or simply a mix of low brass instruments. This accompaniment will also work with the original trumpet solo edition.

Learn More

Tuba solo, 5 Tubas, Piano, Bass and Drum Set

“I learned this tune from Bob Neloms when I was 18 and he was 16 years old. I’m still playing it although he barely remembers writing it.”

• Howard Johnson

Howard Johnson’s arrangement of Evolution was first performed in the early 1970s. Recordings of the arrangement with the original Gravity personnel have been lost. Bob Neloms is known for his active musical life as a post-bop jazz pianist in New York starting in the late 1960s. The story has it that many years later when Howard played Evolution for Bob Neloms, Bob did not recall the composition. The evolution is that learning and recreating Bob Neloms’ chart was monumental for Howard. He continued to use this composition to build his knowledge of jazz harmony and to develop and sharpen his improvisational skills.

Howard Johnson’s jazz tuba ensemble is envisioned as a tuba choir- with tubas in F, E flat, CC, and BB flat- that encourages tuba players to learn to play in the upper register. His charts were originally written for his tuba jazz ensemble, Gravity, formed in 1968 with Howard Johnson as solo lead tuba. The charts can in fact be performed with euphoniums; but he formed his group, made is arrangements and developed this specific instrumentation 50 years ago as a statement about tubas and prefers to hear his arrangements played in this configuration, encouraging tuba players to develop the range required. His most important advice is that whatever instrumentation is used, make it fun and find the best jazz rhythm section!

Learn More

Tuba solo, 5 Tubas, Piano, Bass and Drum Set

“Fly with the Wind is what McCoy does better than anyone else. The soaring melodic and intense rhythmic nature of this composition carries me aloft.”

• Howard Johnson

Fly with the Wind was originally recorded in 1976. The album featuring this title track was McCoy Tyner’s first all-strings project with flute, oboe and his rhythm section featuring McCoy Tyner, piano, Ron Carter, bass, and Billy Cobham, drums. Later in 1992, The Turning Point album was released on the Birdology label with McCoy Tyner’s Big Band, featuring Howard as both a tubist and an arranger.

Howard Johnson’s jazz tuba ensemble is envisioned as a tuba choir- with tubas in F, E flat, CC, and BB flat- that encourages tuba players to learn to play in the upper register. His charts were originally written for his tuba jazz ensemble, Gravity, formed in 1968 with Howard Johnson as solo lead tuba. The charts can in fact be performed with euphoniums; but he formed his group, made his arrangements and developed this specific instrumentation 50 years ago as a statement about tubas and prefers to hear his arrangements played in this configuration, encouraging tuba players to develop the range required. His most important advice is that whatever instrumentation is used, make it fun and find the best jazz rhythm section!

Learn More

“Way Back Home is the Jazz Crusader’s Anthem and although we recently lost Wilton Felder, we shall not forget his major contributions as a composer.” Howard Johnson The Jazz Crusaders were signed by Pacific Jazz Records around 1960. Wilton Felder, composer/tenor saxophonist, and Wayne Henderson, trombone, fronted the group. The Jazz Crusaders style had a very heavy emphasis on the rhythm and blues genre as well as gospel and soul. Howard Johnson’s jazz tuba ensemble is envisioned as a tuba choir- with tubas in F, E flat, CC, and BB flat- that encourages tuba players to learn to play in the upper register. His charts were originally written for his tuba jazz ensemble, Gravity, formed in 1968 with Howard Johnson as solo lead tuba. The charts can in fact be performed with euphoniums; but he formed his group, made his arrangements and developed this specific instrumentation 50 years ago as a statement about tubas and prefers to hear his arrangements played in this configuration, encouraging tuba players to develop the range required. His most important advice is that whatever instrumentation is used, make it fun and find the best jazz rhythm section! Learn More

solo (Euphonium or Tuba) with EEEETTTT

The Overture to Rossini’s Barber of Seville is still considered to this day as one of the most loved and best recognized classical works in the world. This music has been included in many forms of media, including movies, commercials, and of course, cartoons. I wanted to use this well-known music in such a way that it could become a soloist piece with the tuba ensemble in the orchestral role. The provided cadenza is there only as a guideline to what the soloist can really strive for.

This arrangement received its premiere at the Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference in Feb. 2013. It was requested and performed by the Oldham County High School Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble under the direction of Brad Rogers and Chris Schmidt. The tuba soloist for the performance was Chris Combest.

Learn More

Tuba solo, 6 Tubas, Piano, Bass and Drum Set

“Testimony” is part of a suite called Witness and Testimony, inspired by the tradition of the black church where interaction with the congregation is encouraged both as Witness and as Testimony.”

• Howard Johnson

Testimony was written in 1991 by Howard Johnson for Gravity. Witness and testimony was first conceived for big band by Johnson and later adapted for Gravity. He often uses this piece for teaching musical concepts at high school and college educational residencies.

Howard Johnson’s jazz tuba ensemble is envisioned as a tuba choir- with tubas in F, E flat, CC, and BB flat- that encourages tuba players to learn to play in the upper register. His charts were originally written for his tuba jazz ensemble, Gravity, formed in 1968 with Howard Johnson as solo lead tuba. The charts can in fact be performed with euphoniums; but he formed his group, made his arrangements and developed this specific instrumentation 50 years ago as a statement about tubas and prefers to hear his arrangements played in this configuration, encouraging tuba players to develop the range required. His most important advice is that whatever instrumentation is used, make it fun and find the best jazz rhythm section!

Learn More