Creative collaboration is a fundamental aspect of American composer Joel Puckett. The three works receiving their premiere recording here exemplify this spirit, each reflecting synergy between Puckett’s dynamic creative vision and the musicians for whom he composes. Puckett’s new Trumpet Concerto was written for the distinguished jazz trumpeter Sean Jones as an homage to Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, commissioned and premiered by Benny Goodman. The orchestral song cycle There Was a Child Went Forth on texts of Walt Whitman was composed for the 225th anniversary of the United States President’s Own Marine Band. The album’s title track Short Stories is a concerto grosso for string quartet and orchestra, which has been widely performed since its 2013 premiere.