2 by 2 is written in the style of the great Cool era jazz composers like Bill Holman and Gerry Mulligan. It utilizes counterpoint in the backgrounds rather than block chords you would find in a Basie chart. When performing this piece with your ensemble, try to play softly and with lots of balance. Check out some recordings of the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band for inspiration. As he once said, it is hard to swing softly, but it is worth it.   David Larsen's compositions have been performed by groups all around the globe. David’s most recent big band works, published by Dapper Page Music, have garner great praise and the pieces Applied Physics and Bright Days were chosen as Editor’s Choice Award winners from J.W. Pepper. He has written works for big band for jazz greats like Francisco Torres, Ken Peplowski, Roxy Coss, and Tamir Hendelman. David’s other works are routinely played around the country and he has also appeared as a guest composer and soloists with many groups including the Swing Shift Jazz Orchestra, the Blue Skies Big Band, and the Jazz Northwest Big Band.