All Arrangements in This Section Were Prepared Using Original Scores and/or Parts from the Recording Sessions
'Corner Pocket' and 'Ol' Man River' from the
Count Basie Orchestra
Ever since its appearance as the second track on the Count Basie Orchestra’s April in Paris album (1955), 'Corner Pocket' has been recognized as one of the most iconic entries in the group's extensive library. In many ways, Ernie Wilkins's arrangement of Freddie Green's melody could be considered a prime example of the Basie sound: a simple, riff-based melody, comfortable amounts of room for solos, and a thrilling shout chorus that spans the band’s entire dynamic range.
Jimmy Mundy's show-stopping take on 'Ol' Man River' has an interesting and surprisingly long-winded origin story. It was initially conceived and arranged as a drum feature for Buddy Rich who was playing with Eddie Condon in 1949. Condon and Rich performed this live on TV for Condon's Floor Show (March 19, 1949). The chart was refined and developed over the next decade or so before making its way into the library of the Count Basie Orchestra to serve as a feature for drummer Sonny Payne. This publication is based on the Basie version that was recorded in 1958 and released on Not Now, I'll Tell You When.
Two More Nelson Riddle Arrangements from Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book
We are very pleased to present 'How Long Has This Been Going On'. Ella begins this arrangement singing the seldom-heard verse initially accompanied by the harp and subsequently joined by the strings. The vocal key is Bb. Also recently released is 'Oh, So Nice'. This chart begins with a reflective, quiet, colla voce duet between the vocalist and the guitarist. Originally, Riddle intended for this arrangement to be closed out as a 'board fade' but the decision was made to have a firm ending and the bass player improvised it. His ending has been transcribed for this publication but your bass player is encouraged to improvise as well. The vocal key is C.
Our First Two Joe Newman Small Group Charts
Beginning in 1954, longtime Count Basie trumpet star Joe Newman recorded a series of small group albums. Most arrangements were written by Ernie Wilkins, but Manny Albam and Al Cohn also contributed to these sessions. Ernie Wilkins's arrangement of the old standard 'Careless Love' distills the classic Basie sound down to its core essence in a way that expertly balances tight ensemble work with an easy ability to open things up for extended solos. This was recorded in 1955 for the Rompin' with the Count's Men album. One of the oldest standards in the jazz canon, Manny Albam's Basie-tinged arrangement of 'Sometimes I'm Happy' is a lovely, mellow setting for the trumpeter's naturally easygoing approach. Its lower difficulty makes it a great option for less experienced musicians while still managing to be musically satisfying for more advanced players. This arrangement was recorded for the 1955 album I'm Still Swinging.
More from the Great Louis Armstrong
We continue to build our new Louis Armstrong Series with two more of his finest efforts. Our last newsletter was heavily focused on his iconic 'What a Wonderful World'. As we discussed, the circumstances surrounding this tune are surprisingly complicated. Recorded during an unusually tension-filled session in 1967, the song was largely ignored upon release in the United States (whle being a big hit in England) due to a lack of promotion by ABC Records, whose president harbored an intense dislike for it. It wasn't until over 20 years later, when the song was used in the soundtrack for the film Good Morning, Vietnam, that it experienced a surprise breakout in popular success, ultimately culminating in being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. We also have just released the 1938 big band version of 'Struttin' with Some Barbeque'. It is believed by some that this version of 'Struttin' surpasses the greatness of even the original Hot Five recording. Featuring one of Armstrong's most magisterial recorded trumpet solos, Chappie Willet's arrangement manages to sneak in some surprisingly modern touches in the ensemble portions.
Two More Vocal Standards from Tony Bennett
We have another from the longtime pairing of Tony Bennett and Marion Evans, '
She's Funny That Way'.
Among Bennett's many arrangers over the years, Evans collaborated with him the most. He wrote most of the material for Bennett's 1967 albums Tony Makes It Happen and For Once in My Life. This arrangement of the standard 'She's Funny That Way' comes from the Tony Makes It Happen album and is a sultry and smooth backdrop for the standard. The vocal key is Db. The fabulous George Siravo arrangement of 'Who Can I Turn To?' was released on Bennett's album of the same name. The song was written for the British musical The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd in 1964. Producer David Merrick saw the production of the musical in London and decided to bring it to America for a nationwide tour. Bennett recorded the tune in August of that year and it reached #33 on the U.S. pop singles chart.
One More New One from Our Friend Dave Pell
We have been publishing Dave Pell's fabulous octet charts for many years now. This arrangement of 'Love for Sale' by Bob Florence was recorded in 1962 for the Today's Hits in Jazz album. It features solos for tenor saxophone and piano and brief solos for guitar, baritone saxophone, and trumpet.
Dave starred in half of one of the greatest days in the 23-year history of ejazzlines in 2010 in Los Angeles. In the area for business, we met Med Flory of Supersax fame at his house to discuss publishing more of his music and view his charts. Med and his dog Chauncy were relaxing and watching Olympic ice hockey in the glow of Med's well-lit case protecting his Supersax Grammy Award. Med was very tall, and quite a character. A very intelligent sort of artistic Renaissance Man, Med carved out a long resume in films and TV to complement his music successes.
We said our goodbyes to Med and headed to LA's legendary Brent's Deli to meet Dave. Another incredible character, Dave was quite the raconteur. Over a fabulous deli dinner, Dave kept us rapt with his long-ago stories of endless gigs, Hollywood, his active dating life, and so much more. Once he realized we were paying, he kept ordering more for the road, which we certainly did not mind. We escorted Dave to his bright red sports car and watched him drive off into the LA sunset. As another LA icon once said, it was a good day.
We send our thanks to Med and Dave once again for allowing us the privilege of publishing their groundbreaking, unique, and just plain great music. Wherever they are, we can rest assured that there is a fabulous soundtrack and lots of endless laughter.
And More New Music...
Welcoming HX Music to Our Catalog
We have just added four exciting arrangements from Ryan Fraley and HX Music to our site. Ryan has a great interpretation of progressive rock kings Yes's hit 'Long Distance Runaround'; this chart absolutely captures the spirit of the original, and is flexible as a vocal option or a tenor sax feature. We also recommend Ryan's own 'Abacus'. A cheerful Latin waltz with a pseudo-6/8 syncopation throughout, 'Abacus' was written for the 2022 Indiana Junior All-State Jazz Ensemble. There can be solos on any instrument and younger players will benefit from the provided transcriptions for alto and trumpet that match the recording note-for-note.
Featuring music from Ryan, Monika Herzig, and others, HX Music presents a highly original, creative variety of styles, and we suggest checking these charts out.
