Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Swing - Medium Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

When the peerless vocals of Ella Fitzgerald, the relentless swing of the Count Basie Orchestra, and the brilliant arrangements of Quincy Jones come together, it's hard for the results to be anything less than classic. This version of 'Deed I Do, released on 1963's Ella and Basie, is no exception. All three of these artists were operating at the peak of their abilities here, and the final product reflects as much.

The band has no hesitations making its introductory statement, gradually tapering off over the course of four measures to set the stage for Fitzgerald's entrance with the melody. The backgrounds range in complexity from brief, simple riffs to somewhat more complicated extended melodic lines, but they always serve to support and frame the vocals, not once becoming intrusive. A typically brilliant Jones shout chorus commences at measure 37, with the saxes and brass throwing ideas off of one another. The brass tend to perform in a sharper, more segmented fashion, compared to the saxophones' more linear statements.

Fitzgerald returns with the vocals at measure 53, with the horn backgrounds initially being reused from before. Things change up a bit at measure 61, with the band as a whole beginning to dig in harder, bit by bit. A briefly extended tag sets up the final statement, with the horn sections providing contrasting, but equally hard-swinging, riffs. The performance wraps up with the brass holding a sustained chord over a wonderfully bluesy saxophone riff.

This publication was based on the original set of parts that were used for the recording session - this is not a transcription.

 

 

 

Full Score
Vocal
2 Alto Saxophones
2 Tenor Saxophones
Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets
4 Trombones
Guitar
Piano
Bass
Drums

Vocal Key: Bb
Trumpets 1 & 2: E6
Trombone 1: D5
Trombone 2: A4