End of a Day Collection is the companion sheet music book to Matt Johnson’s 1995 album End of a Day. The album includes quite a bit of instrumentation in addition to Matt’s piano, so the pieces don’t sound exactly the same as the recording, but most of the thirteen pieces are so much fun to play that you probably won’t notice. There is a lot of variety in the music - from slow ballads to smooth jazz to Impressionistic to Latin jazz and more. There is a wider range in the difficulty of the pieces than the Origins Collection, and I would say they range from upper intermediate to advanced. Some are slow and poignant while others are joyously upbeat and driving. It’s a really nice collection to sit down and play through, looking for pieces you respond to and that are at your playing level. The download of the complete book is available for FREE on Matt Johnson’s website, and the recording is, too, so you have nothing to lose! Individual pieces can also be downloaded for free. The music can be purchased at SheetMusicPlus.com.

The sheet music was transcribed by the composer and he very wisely made it roomy and easy to read - especially the fast runs that are often 32nd notes. Fingering suggestions are well-placed and the pieces that aren’t rubato have metronome settings. Be prepared for an abundance of ledger lines - especially on the left hand. I noticed that those notes are USUALLY an octave lower than the note that follows, but not always. If you have problems reading more than three or four ledgers, keep a pencil handy! AND, you’ll find that you are using almost all 88 of the keys on the piano! Some of the jazz rhythms are complex, but are fun to play once you have them figured out. It seems like there is something for just about everyone here, so check out End of a Day Collection at www.MattJohnsonMusic.com.

The titles of the pieces, the key(s) they are in and the number of pages are:

Attack of the Killer Bunnies - Key of G minor (2 flats) - 12 pages
Luke’s Theme - Key of D (2 sharps) - 8 pages
Hidden - Key of C (0 sharps or flats) - 10 pages
Well, My Heart’s So Sad - Key of G minor (2 flats) - 5 pages
It’s Finally Out! - Key of E minor (1 sharp) - 11 pages
Stereo Kisses - Key of F (1 flat) - 4 pages
BOO! - Key of Bb (2 flats) - 8 pages
End of a Day - Key of F (1 flat) - 9 pages
Shadows on the Wall - Key of D minor (1 flat) - 3 pages
The Clouds, They Roll By - Key of F minor (4 flats) - 15 pages
Fairy Tales - Key of Bb (2 flats) - 7 pages
Lost & Found - Key of Bb (2 flats)/ Eb (3 flats) - 7 pages
Kiss Away the Hurt - Key of A (3 sharps) - 6 pages