musician, singer, artist, storyteller
Download the pdf "Creating an Arrangement"
Listen to these 3 arrangements of Mood Indigo
- What is the overall mood of the piece?
- How does the intro help to create this overall mood?
- How long is the intro?
- What is the groove of the tune? (Ballad, swing, bossa nova)
- What is the instrumentation?
- What is the song form?
- How do they create variety in the piece? Rhythm breaks, kicks, modulations?
- How do they end the song?
- How does the vocalist create variety and make different sections sound different?
- 01. Mood Indigo Boswell Sisters 3:13 (Shine on Harvest Moon)
- 02. Mood Indigo Tony Bennett 4:34 (Sings Ellington Hot & Cool)
- 03. Mood Indigo Nina Simone 4:01 (The Essential Nina Simone)
Here are some other interesting arrangements:
- I'm Old Fashioned Susannah McCorkle 3:56 (the Songs of Johnny Mercer)
- Tea For Two Holly Cole Trio 2:50 (Limited Edition)
- Walking On The Moon Sting 3:14 ( Walking On the Moon)
- Nature Boy Annie Ross 2:40 (Sings a Handful Of Songs)
- Spring is Here/Falling in Love Betty Buckley 3:39 (Heart to Heart)
- She's A Lady Patricia Barber 4:15 (Modern Cool)
- Nice Work If You Can Get It Carmen McRae 2:50 (It Takes A Whole Lot of Human Feeling)
- Lazy River Vinx
Here are 5 examples to demonstrate how singers use accurate rhythm. Remember to tap your toe while you're listening. Pay attention to rhythm patterns: how they're repeated, when the singer lags behind, how they catch up again. Try to hear figures: triplets, swing eights, etc. Put the groove in your body, hear the complex rhythms, not just the quarter notes, and listen to the different instruments.
- Oh Look At Me Now Nancy Wilson
- This Time The Dream's On Me Annie Ross
- Our Love Is HereTo Stay Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
- Lullaby Of Broadway Dianne Reeves 5:34 (A Little Moonlight)
- Sampa Gilberto Gil (Acoustic)
- Bala Com Bala Elise Regina
Here are some examples of singers singing rubato or out of strict time. Rubato comes from the italian "to rob." and refers to stealing time from one section and paying it back in another. Play attention to how they keep everything moving along. Sentences are strung together in a meaningful way with space in between whole thoughts. Rubato doesn't mean deadly slow but rather conversational.
- By Myself Paticia Barber
- You're Nearer Shirley Horn
- Lush Life Johnny Hartman
- You Call It Madness Ernie Andrews
- I'm Glad There Is You Carmen McRae
How I love singer who tells me a story. Some of these stories you feel you know from the first words, others take some time to spin out. These are masterful singers creating an experience for you. Listen and enjoy.