Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Ballad - Medium Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Lonely Hours was the title track for a 1963 recording session that saw jazz vocal royalty Sarah Vaughan teaming up with an orchestra led and arranged by jazz Renaissance man Benny Carter. This chart is a classic example of short-and-sweet; it doesn't feature excessive notes or showcase Carter's arranging chops at their most virtuosic, but every chord, ensemble hit and bass line are placed at exactly the right spot to maximize their emotional weight.

The performance begins with a slow and steady bass line accompanied by a chunking, almost R&B-style drum groove. The saxes play a brief unison statement before Vaughan makes her entrance at measure 5. Most of her first vocal chorus is given minimal horn accompaniment, with only an occasional appearance from the reserved saxes or pecky muted trumpets interrupting what is otherwise a very intimate musical setting. The complexity (and volume level) of the accompaniment begins to subtly but steadily grow at measure 29, with the full brass section prodding a simple but effective sax line.

The trumpets hint at double time as a way of leading into the extremely brief shout chorus at measure 37. The full band plays a variation of the melody at full volume for two measures before the brass drop out. At this point, the saxes handle a tricky unison line with the pianist providing tasty solo fills in the gaps before the re-emergence of the vocals at measure 45. The shout chorus also switches to a more traditional swing feel before returning to the original 12/8 groove. The backgrounds here are the same as they were at measure 29. The melody is tagged a couple times before the arrangement comes to a conclusion via a rising ensemble figure that ends on a powerful (and somewhat tart) final chord.

This arrangement is for female vocal soloist with jazz big band. It is not a transcription - it has been prepared from Benny Carter's original score. The vocal key is F.

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

Vocal Key: F
Trumpet 1: Db6
Trombone 1: F4