Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Rock/Swing - Medium Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Released on 1965's "Ella At Duke's Place," this arrangement of a three-way collaboration by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Gerald Wilson casts both Ella Fitzgerald and the Ellington band in an unusual light - the arrangement and performance bears more of a resemblance to a 1950s doo-wop group than a legendary jazz vocalist with arguably the most famous big band of all time.

After a brief piano solo, the band comes in with a full-power blast on a riff that comes up multiple times over the course of the chart. The vocalist enters at measure 10. Although the original melody has been written out in this arrangement, Fitzgerald more or less ignores it in favor of a highly bluesy approach; your vocalist is encouraged to study this approach in order to be able to accurately replicate the appropriate style.

The arrangement's background figures underneath the vocals are repeated throughout the arrangement. They range from trombone offbeats to high note high octane trumpet blasts. All of these backgrounds are fairly simple, but do an effective job at establishing the proper atmosphere for Fitzgerald's vocals. The arrangement comes to a conclusion with one final ensemble blast on a held chord to bring things to a bombastic conclusion.

This arrangement is for jazz big band featuring jazz vocal soloist. It is not a transcription - this arrangement has been prepared from the original set of parts from the 1965 recording session.

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

Vocal Key: G
Trumpet 1: E6
Trombone 1: G4