Edition: Jazz Studio Orchestra Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Swing - Medium Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

They Can't Take That Away from Me is one of the most frequently covered compositions by the fraternal tag team of George and Ira Gershwin. The tune lends itself well to a wide variety of interpretations. This arrangement by Nelson Riddle for Ella Fitzgerald takes things at a pace that is not quite a ballad, but still very relaxed.

Things begin with a singing of the verse by Fitzgerald that is lightly rubato, but still relatively steady in tempo. The woodwinds in particular provide some florid accompaniment during this section; these parts should definitely be drawn out by your section. The melody proper begins at measure 19, where the tempo settles into a gently swinging pulse that's a hair slower than the rubato section. The backgrounds during the majority of the melody fall into two classic Riddle styles: cutesy ascending woodwinds and muted trumpets (like at measure 19), and simple but hard-swinging riffs (like at measure 27).

A surprise ramping up of the intensity occurs at the lead-in to measure 43, where the volume level increases to a powerful forte atop a heavy backbeat in the drums. It may seem a bit unexpected at first, but it adds a delightfully unexpected weightiness to the otherwise light and gentle proceedings. A brief lull happens at measure 61 for the tagged final few measures of the melody before the volume picks back up for a brief but highly effective hard-riffing ensemble finale.

This publication was based on the original Nelson Riddle pencil score - this is not a transcription.

 

Full Score
Woodwind 1: Flute/Alto Saxophone
Woodwind 2: Flute/Alto Saxophone
Woodwind 3: Flute/Tenor Saxophone
Woodwind 4: Clarinet/Tenor Saxophone
Woodwind 5: Clarinet/Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets
Horn in F
3 Trombones
Bass Trombone
3 Violins
Viola
Cello
Harp (Optional)
Guitar
Piano
Bass
Percussion: Bells/Vibraphone
Drum Set

Vocal Key: G
Trumpet 1: C#6
Trombone 1: B4