The Jerry Hey Brass Band

 

One piece from my listening presentation begs to be examined in its own light, and it is that of the brass band tribute to Michael Jackson. What begs further examination is Michael Jackson's horn writer, Jerry Hey. Hey wrote and performed on most of Michael Jackson's records, as well as others for well known and loved bands such as Earth, Wind and Fire and Chicago.  Basically, if you heard horns on a recording in the 80s/90s, Jerry Hey probably had something to do with it. lTypically writing for two trumpets, saxophones and trombone, his lines are notable for their technical prowess an melodic interjection. Many of these lines are the basis for the non-melodic portions in this arrangement of Michael Jackson's music. 

What makes this arrangement particularly interesting is its extensiveness and lack of availability. The music itself covers many of Jackson's major songs, including Billie Jean, Bad and We are the World. Each song is given its own movement within the larger work, while keeping the space between movements minimal, so as to fully experience the show as a whole. I feel as though Michael Jackson would have approved of this arrangement as many of his live shows often featured mashups for the sake of a performance such as those that are found in this work. Also, there are only two recordings of this arrangement online, and the music can only be bought directly from the arranger. Whether this was done due to the high copyright royalties from the Jackson estate, or because the arranger truly never meant to make this commercially available, the world may never know. But for now, kick back and enjoy this tribute to the King of Pop.