Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Swing - Medium Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

For this arrangement for 1963's 'Ella and Basie,' Quincy Jones steals a page from the library of Count Basie's friendly rival Duke Ellington by adapting Billy Strayhorn's 'Satin Doll' into a classic arrangement designed to feature longtime favorite of both Ellington and Basie Ella Fitzgerald.

The arrangement starts with a saxophone and trombone pick-up that sets up the trademark Basie medium-slow tempo swing. An ascending line in the trumpets gradually leads into the vocalist's entrance at measure 9. As was so frequently executed with aplomb by the Basie band, this section should be low in volume but high in pulse and swing underneath the vocals. Occasional interjections from a muted trumpet solo throughout the arrangement should be simple yet melodic; listen to Joe Newman on the original recording to hear a perfect example of how to pull this off. The volume level of the ensemble ebbs and flows throughout the melody, but doesn't truly take off to full power until the shout section at the pickup phrase to measure 41. Even then, things don't remain there for long, as even the second riff is only at a medium-loud level. The vocalist re-enters for the final A section at measure 49, and after a brief tag the introduction is re-used as an "outro" before a final subdued warm chord in the saxophones and trombones.

This arrangement is for female vocal soloist with jazz big band. This is not a transcription - it has been prepared from the original set of parts. The vocal key is G.

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

Vocal Key: G
Trumpet 1: E6
Trombone 1: C5