Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Swing - Medium Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Vocalist/pianist Nat 'King' Cole enjoyed a wonderfully fruitful partnership with arranger Billy May over the course of his career. This arrangement was recorded by Cole in 1961, but not released until three years later on the album Let's Face The Music! It's an interesting standout in his catalogue because of his performance on the Hammond organ, an instrument he didn't often play in his career otherwise.

The arrangement begins with a (typical for May) hyper-cutesy introduction, with pinging bells surrounding popping trombones. A meandering sax-and-trumpet line sets up Cole's vocal appearance at measure 5. What's a little atypical for May is that the background figures under Cole's vocals continue to consist of these lazily strolling horn lines passed around between various instrument groupings. The band ramps up for what initially seems to be an incoming raucous shout chorus at measure 21, before suddenly dropping out to give Cole a solo spotlight on organ, all while setting up a key change. A similar fake-out occurs a few measures later at measure 33. The organ solo is written in the piano part for this publication.

The organ solo comes to a close via a recycled introduction that ushers Cole's vocals back in at measure 44. The backgrounds are at first much more simplistic than they were during the original melody statement, and should be performed a little more delicately by the ensemble as well. The final two measures of the vocal melody see some stop-time hits in the ensemble before returning to the arrangement's sugary beginning with a quick piccolo and clarinet soli to set up the final brass hits. All in all, a short, but sweet endeavor from Cole and company.

This publication was based on Billy May's original pencil score - this is not a transcription. Both alto saxophones and tenor saxophone 1 double on piccolo and tenor saxophone 2 doubles on clarinet. However, these doubles occur for the last two measures of the arrangement only. Optional alternate parts are included that avoid these doubles.

 

Full Score
Vocal
Woodwind 1: Alto Saxophone/Piccolo
Woodwind 2: Alto Saxophone/Piccolo
Woodwind 3: Tenor Saxophone/Piccolo
Woodwind 4: Tenor Saxophone/Clarinet
Woodwind 5: Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets
4 Trombones
Tuba
Harp
Guitar
Piano/Organ
Bass
Percussion: Bells/Marimba
Drums

Vocal Key: Eb modulating to F
Trumpet 1: D6
Trombone 1: B5