Edition: Jazz Studio Orchestra Arrangement with Vocal

Description: Ballad - Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

Peggy Lee's 1957 album The Man I Love involves a rather interesting triumvirate of musical collaboration: Lee on vocals, backed by an orchestra arranged by Nelson Riddle and conducted by, of all people, Frank Sinatra. It should come as no surprise that the final product is fondly remembered by many, with Please Be Kind serving as a particular highlight.

While Lee is the star of the show for the majority of the performance, there are a couple notable instrumental features as well. The first of these instrumentalists is a solo violinist, who is showcased primarily during the arrangement's rubato sections. The second is tenor saxophonist Buddy Collette, who plays tasteful accompaniment behind Lee on the first half of the first chorus while getting 8 bars to himself at the start of the second. Chord changes have been included in the 2nd woodwind part, but it should be noted that Collette plays the solos that Riddle wrote into his part fairly straight on the original recording. The remainder of the orchestration is classic Riddle - sweeping strings, dense brass, and light, cutesy woodwinds. Due to the many shifts in and out of steady tempo, it is imperative that vocalist, conductor, and ensemble adequately rehearse things in advance to avoid potential confusion.

The majority of this publication has been prepared from the set of original parts used for the 1957 recording session. However, the final four measures of the violin parts have been lost, and have been transcribed accordingly. In addition, there is a note in the parts that the instrumental half chorus following the first melody (from measure 40 to measure 57) was cut, but the entire arrangement was performed on the original recording, so this was likely done for live performances only.

 

Full Score
Vocal
Woodwind 1: Flute
Woodwind 2: Flute/Tenor Saxophone/Bass Clarinet
Woodwind 3: Clarinet
Woodwind 4: Clarinet/Flute
2 Horns in F (or 2 Flugelhorns)
3 Trombones
Solo Violin
3 Violins (9 Players Recommended)
Viola (3 Players Recommended)
Cello (4 Players Recommended)
Harp (Optional)
Guitar
Piano
Acoustic Bass
Percussion: Vibraphone
Drum Set

Vocal Key: Ab
Trombone 1: F4