Edition: Jazz Studio Orchestra Arrangement

Description: Latin/Swing - Medium Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Frank DeVol received numerous accolades for his extensive work for film and television soundtracks, so it should come as no surprise that this string orchestra arrangement for Ella Fitzgerald's 1957 album "Like Someone In Love" has a significant Hollywood atmosphere going for it.

The arrangement begins with a sultry Latin groove in the rhythm section with the drummer playing a simple rhythm on bongos with some syncopated hits in the piano and guitar. The violins play a held Bb that gradually crescendos into a sweeping descending line to set up the vocalist's entrance with the melody at measure 5. There is a bit of contrast provided by the violas and celli with their more accented attacks before the violins re-enter with a very similar sweeping descending line in the first and second ending.

A dramatic swell in the strings sets up a shift to a swing feel on the bridge at measure 17. More sweeping string ensemble figures accompany the vocalist on the final A section at measure 25, which also sees the rhythm section return to the initial Latin feel. The volume level, which has been at barely above a whisper until this point, reaches its maximum level for the four measure soli section in the strings that begins at measure 33. These four measure sections are followed by a four measure piano solo before the vocalist re-enters at measure 45.

As the arrangement comes to a close (after a return to the initial Latin feel once more at measure 53), the introductory violin figure returns at measure 57. A quick two measure vocal break sets up the dramatic finale at measure 62, where competing ascending (in the violins) and descending (in the violas and celli) lines enter strongly but rapidly decay back to near-nothingness for the final chord.

This arrangement is for a studio orchestra with female vocal soloist and has been prepared from Frank DeVol's original pencil score and the set of parts used during the recording session. This is not a transcription. The vocal key is Ab.

Full Score
Vocal
4 Violins
2 Violas
2 Celli
Guitar
Piano
Bass
Drums/Bongos

Vocal key: Ab