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Songs with cool trumpet. Introducing famous pieces from wind ensemble and jazz.

The trumpet is often regarded as a leading, spotlight instrument among wind instruments, and especially in wind ensembles and classical music, you’ll often hear the trumpet playing standout phrases.

Beyond that, there are plenty of songs where the trumpet shines in drama and film insert songs, as well as in jazz classics.

In this article, we’ll introduce a wide selection of cool trumpet pieces all at once.

We’ve chosen a variety of tracks across genres with the trumpet at the core, so be sure to find some pieces you’d like to perform yourself.

Songs with Awesome Trumpet Parts: Introducing Classic Wind Ensemble and Jazz Pieces (21–30)

Trumpet of the Night SkyNini Rosso

Trumpet of the Night Sky — Nini Rosso
Trumpet of the Night SkyNini Rosso

In the silence of the night sky, a trumpet plays a graceful tone that resonates deep in the heart.

This work by Nini Rosso, one of Italy’s foremost trumpeters, is a masterpiece inspired by the military lights-out bugle call, imbued with a prayer for peace.

Released in 1964, it topped the charts in several European countries, including Italy, Germany, and Austria, and sold over five million copies by 1967.

In 1972, Rosso also appeared at the 23rd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, accompanying Frank Nagai, among other performances, making the piece beloved in Japan as well.

Whether you wish to spend a peaceful moment or calm your mind to focus, its resonant, lyrical melody will be there by your side.

Trumpet VoluntaryJeremiah Clark

This is a classic celebratory piece whose brilliant tones instantly elevate the atmosphere of any venue.

Included around 1700 in the keyboard music collection A Choice Collection of Ayres, it features a memorable melody that imitates the bright sound of the trumpet, and has been performed by many distinguished artists such as Maurice André and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Since it was played at the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, it has been cherished as a wedding standard.

It’s an effective choice for moments when you want to energize the scene—such as a brisk, processional entrance or honoring achievements at an awards ceremony.

Songs with cool trumpet parts: Introducing classics from wind ensemble and jazz (31–40)

Dragon Quest Concert Selectionsugiyama kouichi

Dragon Quest Concert Selection / Koichi Sugiyama
Dragon Quest Concert Selectionsugiyama kouichi

A brass band medley whose fanfare announces the beginning of a grand tale of a hero known as the Player, instantly capturing listeners’ hearts.

Koichi Sugiyama, one of Japan’s leading composers, provided the timeless original melodies, which arranger Toshio Mashima has shaped into a dramatic 9-minute-48-second work.

Reimagined from video game music for the concert hall, this piece is structured to evoke vivid images of a hero journeying across vast lands and confronting formidable foes.

The fact that its source piece, Overture, was used at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2021 Olympics further attests to its musical significance.

With its thrilling, valiant sound, presenting it as the climax of a concert is sure to sweep the audience into a whirlwind of excitement.

Trumpet ConcertoFranz Haydn

Haydn: Trumpet Concerto / Tarkövi · Minkowski · Karajan-Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Trumpet ConcertoFranz Haydn

Here is the Trumpet Concerto that Franz Joseph Haydn composed in 1796, toward the end of his life.

Although this piece is now popular among trumpet players, it was poorly received when it premiered in 1800.

Haydn is said to have written it for Anton Weidinger, who first invented the valved trumpet capable of playing chromatic notes.

In older trumpets without valves, players couldn’t even perform some passages with whole-step intervals in the lower register, let alone semitones.

It was a groundbreaking work for its time.

The Splendid DanceClaude Thomas Smith

The Magnificent Dances [Perfect Version] — Seika Girls’ High School Wind Ensemble (High Quality)
The Splendid DanceClaude Thomas Smith

This is a vibrant piece that overflows with energy, as if a dazzling ball were unfolding before your eyes with people dancing briskly! It’s a work by American composer Claude T.

Smith, known for many masterpieces for wind band.

Commissioned by the United States Air Force Band, the piece features a virtuosic and grand structure spanning about nine minutes.

True to its theme of a “Folâtre” (cheerful, playful) dance, its glittering and thrilling sound captivates listeners and doesn’t let go.

Brilliant solos sprinkled across the instruments provide showcase moments that draw out each performer’s full potential.

Perfect for a main concert program or as a challenging work to demonstrate your band’s prowess! It’s sure to become an unforgettable piece that leaves a powerful impact on any audience.

Car 16 15 AKuroda Takuya

This striking instrumental track with a forward-leaning groove was crafted with contemporary hip-hop and marching bands in mind, delivering the kind of groovy, cutting-edge jazz sound that is quintessentially Takuya Kuroda—a tour de force.

Born from his encounter with drummer and co-creator David Frazier, the piece is an ambitious work that vividly reflects Frazier’s track-making sensibilities.

It appears on the album “EVERYDAY,” released by Universal Music in February 2025, with a music video unveiled the same month.

The album also features genre-defying tracks like “Must Have Known” and “Off to Space.” Brimming with the exhilaration of racing through a city at night and rich in improvisation that captures the essence of jazz, this is the perfect track for a nighttime drive.

“Retro” 2023 All-Japan Band Competition Required Piece IIIAmano Masamichi

[WISH's Set Piece] 2023 All-Japan Band Competition Required Piece III: Retro (Performance)
"Retro" 2023 All-Japan Band Competition Required Piece IIIAmano Masamichi

A piece by Masamicz Amano, a master of film music who brilliantly revived 1970s–80s pop in contemporary wind band form.

Commissioned as the 2023 All-Japan Band Competition Set Piece III, it became a major talking point when 35 out of 99 ensembles chose it at the national finals.

With a structure that shifts from bright rock to sentimental ballad to crossover, it never lets the listener’s attention flag.

The authentic rhythms laid down by drums and congas, and the jazzy trumpet and sax solos, are just irresistibly cool.

You can feel the composer’s passion for “real pop” in every corner of the sound.

For bands that want to electrify the hall with a grooving performance, this could provide the ultimate showstopper.