"Mi Burrito" is a popular Latin-American folk song, but the big band jazz arrangement is an original composition by Raymond Harry Brown. Brown composed it for his wife in 1973 when he had a rehearsal band in New York City that included his brother, Steve Brown, Steve Gadd, Tony Levin, Will Lee, Marvin Stamm, Louie Del Gaddo, Dave Taylor, Tom Malone, Sam Burtis, and others. Brown named the composition after a huge stuffed animal burro that he purchased for his wife rural Kentucky, when he was on the road with the Studio Band of The United States Army Field Band.

Jazz genre

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The arrangement is a samba-swing featuring a trumpet and tenor sax duet.[1]

Selected discography

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Professional

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  • Full Faith & Credit (big band), Debut, Palo Alto Jazz Records PA8001 (©1980) (CD – analog & LP); OCLC 9913785
Released in CD format, Avion AVCD-500
Personnel: Raymond Harry Brown (flugal horn, arranger, conductor), Jim Benham (flugal horn), Rich Bice, Tim Acosta, Chase Sanborn, Rich Theurer (trumpets); John Russell, Mike Birch, Joel Karp, Paul Williams (trombones); Dick Leland (bass trombone); Steve Keller, Dave Peterson (alto saxes); Paul Robertson (alto sax on track 1); Matt Schon, Chuck Wasekanes (tenor saxes); Dennis Donovan (bari sax); Dave Eshelman (baritone horn); Billy Robinson (tuba); Smith Dobson (né Smith Weed Dobson IV; 1947–2001) (piano); Paul Potyen (piano, arranger); Steve Brown; (guitar); Seward McCain (bass); Ed McClary (drums)[2]

College ensembles

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Selected performances

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Brown's arrangement of "Mi Burrito" was one of 96 chosen by the One O'Clock Lab Band for their concert tour of the Soviet Union in 1976. Soviet censors, given prior approval of the set lists, prohibited the group from playing two pieces: "Mi Burrito" and "St. Thomas". The band played them anyway, without announcing the titles, and they were included in a live NBC satellite broadcast from Moscow on July 4, 1976.[3][4]

References

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  1. ^ "Idaho State University Jazz Bands Perform on April 3 at Jensen Grand Hall", US Fed News Service, including US State News Washington, D.C., March 25, 2009
  2. ^ Review: "Full Faith and Credit Big Band: Debut", Jazz Journal International (February 1984), Vol. 37, No. 2, pg. 30; ISSN 2041-8833
  3. ^ "Texas Band a Smash Hit", Corpus Christi Times, July 13, 1976, pg. 7B
  4. ^ "Lab Band Happy to Be Back Home", by Joyce Hopkins, Denton Record-Chronicle, July 11, 1976
        (same story), NTSU Notes, University of North Texas, September 1976, pgs. 5 & 6