Fellow big band arrangement (i.e. chart) enthusiast,

Here you will find a number of like-minded band arrangement preservationists, of varying degrees, and their collections. In my seemingly never-ending quest to fill missing parts I found it handy to combine the larger lists I've been sent and search them all at once. Another benefit was that I could then determine likely instrumentation for charts I had obtained so that I was more confident about which parts I still needed. Yet another is that I could then see what charts were out there for tunes, arrangers and instrumentations. Other collectors and band leaders liked the idea. We all wonder about instrumentation, who can supply a part that we lost, etc.

I took the more significant fields/columns, put them online and made them searchable. Then I set up a way to contact the collectors easily. The interface is very simple. Search for a chart, look through the search results, indicate interest by checking boxes, type a small message, then press the EMAIL button. E-mails are sent to those people who hold the charts, allowing them to reply directly to your e-mail. Nobody is obligated to respond but most do and you'll find that lots of friendly people share the same interest in preserving the music we love. Be advised that some people listed do sell, but they sell to re-coup costs and time, so the amounts are trivial, really. Always ask and see where their interests lie for trading.

Who can use Chart Find? Everyone! You don't need to create an account or log in to browse collections or contact collectors. You might want to create an account and login before searching, though, as some collections are only searchable by people who have accounts and some that belong to certain Yahoo groups. Creating an account is easy, too. Click on "Login or request an account". Chart Find will ask for your e-mail, a password and a handle (short name by which you would like to be known.) That's it. Once you are a user and you upload a collection you can control who can see your collection, see your handle and e-mail you. Give it a try!

As people post their collections it is possible that charts that are still in publication will show up. Contact the publisher directly to obtain these arrangements and parts - avoid asking these nice collectors, please.

I am happy to upload listings if you'd like to participate. You can also upload a list yourself by clicking on the "Upload" link if you have your collection in Excel format.

Best regards,