Edition: Jazz Studio Orchestra or Big Band Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Swing - Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

The eternal optimism of Tony Bennett’s buttery tenor is a natural fit for the upbeat lyrics and melody of On the Sunny Side of the Street, recorded on the 1967 album Tony Makes It Happen. Marion Evans' arrangement takes on an appropriately bright and brassy attack. Although the trumpets and trombones need to have strong upper registers to perform this arrangement, it is otherwise not overly challenging.

Atop a thumping pedal in the bass, the trombones and trumpets play a descending unison figure before splitting into harmony. Bennett announces the start of the tune at measure 9 with a literal shout before the intensity dies down for the remainder of the chorus. All backgrounds should be supportive, but not overly aggressive. The band roars to life for a quick shout chorus at measure 41, wrapping around a series of exuberant fills from drummer Sol Gubin. Things cool off again for Bennett's return, but there's still an underlying urgency to the new set of backgrounds that were not present earlier. A gradual build culminates in a return of the original brass melody line that shepherds the performance to an exciting finish.

This arrangement was originally written for studio orchestra, but Marion Evans wrote a 'club date' version that is the same arrangement but moved the string parts into the saxophone section that allow it to be performed by a standard big band.

This publication was prepared from Marion Evans's original pencil score - this is not a transcription.

 

 

Full Score
Vocal
2 Alto Saxophones
2 Tenor Saxophones
Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Bass Trombone
2 Violins (Optional)
Viola (Optional)
Cello (Optional)
Harp (Optional)
Guitar
Piano
Bass
Percussion: Glockenspiel/Timpani
Drum Set

Vocal Key: Ab
Trumpet 1: F6
Trumpets 2-4: C6
Trombones 1-3: Bb4