Something Blue

The notion of performing a concert dedicated entirely to jazz came from RMC’s planned upcoming collaboration with Cantabile in the spring of 2027. Knowing that the subject matter of this collaboration will be emotionally taxing for performers and audience members alike, and in light of our more recent concerts that have explored similar emotional spaces, I wanted to share a concert that was more lighthearted and fun. I have always loved jazz, from the complex harmonies and catchy riffs to the improvisatory nature of the art form overall. In addition, I have always wanted to start an adult vocal jazz group, and this concert has become the perfect opportunity to dive into more of what I love. 

Despite my excitement for this musical opportunity, I was struggling to come up with a way to unify this concert in a way that made sense. If you’ve come to an RMC concert before, you know that I like a theme to our concerts so that the music is connected by a through-line from the first note to the last. I didn’t want this concert to simply be a smattering of jazz pieces, and I wanted to make it more of an exploration of the overall art form since jazz itself isn’t limited to one style. Since I had planned to also teach some vocal improv for this concert, I knew I wanted to find a piece for SATB that was composed over the 12-bar blues, the “something blue” to which our concert title refers. Driving down 287 at 70 mph and listening to the blues, the title and inspiration for this concert suddenly clicked: something old, something new, something borrowed, and Something Blue.

Lullaby of Birdland, that’s what I
always hear, when you sigh.
Never in my wordland could there be words to reveal,
in a phrase how I feel.

Have you ever heard two turtle doves
bill and coo, when they love?
That’s the kind of magic music we make with our lips
when we kiss!

And there’s a weepy old willow,
he really knows how to cry!
That’s how I’d cry in my pillow
if you should tell me farewell and goodbye.

Lullaby of Birdland whisper low,
kiss me sweet, and we’ll go
flyin’ high in Birdland, high in the sky up above
All because we’re in love!

SOMETHING OLD

Our concert begins with the “something old,” a set of four jazz standards that represent both swing and Latin idioms within the jazz canon. While there is no official governing body of defining standards, a song is considered a “jazz standard” due to its popularity and ubiquity in live performance and recordings. Lullaby of Birdland was composed in 1952 by jazz pianist George Shearing with lyrics later added by George David Weiss. In 1940’s/50’s jazz, Birdland (a jazz club named after Charlie “Bird” Parker) was the center of all things jazz in New York CIty. Shearing composed this song at the request of a disc jockey who was planning a live radio broadcast from the club and needed a theme song. Lullaby has been covered by many artists, including (and not limited to): The Manhattan Transfer, Count Basie and His Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan.

It must a’ been moonglow,
way up in the blue.
It must a’ been moonglow,
that led me straight to you.

I still hear you sayin’,
“Dear one, hold me fast.”
And I start in prayin’,
“Oh, Lord, please let this last.”

We seemed to float right through the air.
Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere.
And they’re singin’ to you, way up in the blue.
I always remember,
that moonglow gave me you.

Darmon Meader’s arrangement of Moonglow offers a contrast to the heavy swing of our first piece. Originally composed to be more of a dreamy ballad, the easy swing of this melody embodies the 1930’s romanticism of starry nights and slow dancing. The melodies of both Birdland and Moonglow are written with the same form of AABA in which the A sections present the main melodic hooks and preliminary embellishments while the B section of the melody serves as a bridge. “Lullaby’s” A section melodies are blocky in nature, composed to fill each 8-bar phrase, whereas “Moonglow” was constructed as a “riff tune” with short, repetitive, catchy rhythms.  Contrary to the style of the time where the bridge of a song was typically high energy, Moonglow’s bridge is floaty and ethereal; the syncopated countermelodies in Meader’s arrangement also add to this “floaty” feeling.

Oariá raiô
Obá obá obá
Mas que nada — Whatever
sai da minha frente — get out of the way
que eu quero passer, — that I wanna pass
pois o samba está animado, — because samba is really exciting
O que eu quero é sambar. — and I wanna dance (samba).
Este samba — This samba
que é misto de maracatu, — that is mixed with maracatu
É samba de preto velho, — old black samba
samba de preto tu.– black samba you.
Mas que nada– Whatever
um samba como este tão legal,– a samba like this is so nice
você não vai querer — you don’t want me
que eu chegue no final. — to get to the end.

The difference between Latin jazz idioms and swung idioms lies in the expression of the eighth notes. In swing styles, the eighth notes are unevenly stressed with the weight on the upbeat instead of the down (doo DA doo DA doo…etc) and in Latin jazz the eighth notes are evenly weighted, functioning as the rhythmic motor of the piece. In both fast and slow Latin styles the straight eighth note feel inspires a sway in the body (although it feels more like a true dance in fast tempos), and this sway is evident in our set of Latin standards. 

Originally written by Jorge Ben Jor, Más que Nada is a combination of traditional Samba and more driven guitar rhythms. He was considered a rebel at the time for using a more percussive style of playing than that of the Bossa Nova style (a la “The Girl from Ipenema”). The song became an international hit when Sergio Mendez covered it with his band Brazill ‘66. He replaced the driving guitar with a more piano-led Bossa Nova feel and had female soloists as the lead vocals; this is the most widely recognized iteration of this song to date. Since then, Mas que Nada has been covered by Miriam Makeba, Ella Fitzgerald, The Tamba Trio, and yes, even the Black-Eyed Peas.

Bésame, bésame mucho, — Kiss me, kiss me a lot
como si fuera esta noche — as if tonight
la última vez. — were the last time
Bésame mucho, — Kiss me a lot
que tengo miedo a perderte — for I’m scared to lose you
perderte después. — lose you again
Quiero tenerte muy cerca — I want to have you close
mirarme en tus ojos — look at myself in your eyes
verte junto a mí, — see you together with me,
piensa que tal vez mañana — I think that maybe tomorrow
yo ya estaré lejos — I will already be far away
muy lejos de ti. — very far away from you.

“Bossa Nova” means “new wave” or “new style” and is derived from Samba but places more emphasis on the melody and harmony and less on the percussion groove of the style. Bossa Nova is a more intimate style of Latin jazz and can be described as smooth, laid back, mellow, or “cool,” and typically features moderate to slow tempos, conversational singing with no vibrato, and a steady, grounded, two-beat pulse of the bass alternating between the root and the fifth of each chord. The Bossa version of Besame Mucho is a perfect example of this relaxed Latin jazz groove. This song was originally written by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velásquez as a Bolero supposedly inspired by “Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor,” a piano piece by Spanish composer Enrique Granados. The Bossa Nova adaptation was created by Joao Gilberto in 1977; he took the pleading, crying-out nature of the original and turned it into a quiet, intimate invitation. The arrangement by Kirby Shaw that RMC is performing maintains the austerity of the original melody by filling space with the other choral voices in an undecorated, supported manner.

Don’t you notice how
I get quiet when there’s no one else around?
Me and you and awkward silence.
Don’t you dare look at me that way.
I don’t need reminders of how you don’t feel the same.

Oh, the burning pain
Listening to you harp on ’bout some new soulmate:
“She’s so perfect, blah, blah, blah.”
Oh, how I wish you’ll wake up one day,
run to me, confess your love. At least just let me say

that when I talk to you, oh, Cupid walks right through
and shoots an arrow through my heart.
And I sound like a loon, but don’t you feel it too?
Confess I loved you from the start.

What’s a girl to do?
Lying on my bed, staring into the blue,
unrequited, terrifying.
Love is driving me a bit insane.
Have to get this off my chest,
I’m telling you today… (chorus)

SOMETHING NEW

The “something new” portion of our concert explores the way jazz styles have inspired and infiltrated traditional pop styles, translating long-standing jazz traditions into modern pop expressions. From the Start by Laufey is the perfect bridge between these two sections of our concerts as a pop song infused with “Old World” stylings. Set in a Boss Nova style, this song has similar musical features to that of “Besame,” like the grounded bass line and the cool, conversational melodic delivery. It differs from traditional Bossa in that the tempo is a bit faster, a necessary aspect for it to compete with modern pop. Like most pop music, “From the Start” has a catchy chorus and is structured much like the “riff song” technique of Moonglow. Vocal improvisation in jazz can come off as overly academic and inaccessible, but Laufey treats her scatting like a bridge, making it melodic and rhythmic and nearly as catchy as the chorus.

Don’t you know I’m no good for you?
I’ve learned to lose you, can’t afford to.
Tore my shirt to stop you bleeding,
but nothing ever stops you leaving.

Quiet when I’m comin’ home, and I’m on my own.
I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that.

Don’t you know too much already?
I’ll only hurt you if you let me.
Call me friend but keep me closer, (call me back)
and I’ll call you when the party’s over.

But nothing is better, sometimes,
once we’ve both said our goodbyes.
Let’s just let it go,
let me let you go.

The first half of our concert concludes with two vocal jazz arrangements by Kerry Marsh, former professor in the jazz studies program at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) and currently the director of Jazz Singers and the Vocal Jazz Lab at the University of Kansas. His post-modern vocal jazz arrangements have been performed by groups all over the world and are the perfect example of the fusion between pop originals and the rhythmic and harmonic complexities of jazz music. Commissioned by Janice Vlachos for “Age of Guinevere” at Fairview High School, Billie Eilish’s When the Party’s Over serves as the debut performance of RMC’s select vocal jazz group (no name yet). The haunting, austere melody of Eilish’s original pairs beautifully with the lush, dissonant writing that Kerry Marsh employs in most of his arrangements. The original recording is harmonized with only four different chords, whereas the Marsh arrangement features a harmonic tapestry that adds complexity while maintaining the “hollow” spirit of the original. 

I won’t talk about the weather,
not with you, we’re not together,
’cause even when the sky?is?grey, I’m feelin’?blue.
And though the winds are always?changin’
and the clouds are rearrangin’,
a part of me will always be in love with you.

There’s a fire in L.A.
and since you moved there back in May,
I wonder, should I call to see if you’re alright?
Yeah, you’re a million miles away,
but I still think of you each day
and hope the weather doesn’t keep you cold at night.

I won’t talk about the weather,
not with you, we’re not together,
and it’s hard to say if we will ever be.
But I’ll admit my greatest fear is that the air will never clear,
so I just wish that we could talk like you and me.

No, I won’t talk about the weather,
not with you, we’re not together,
but I wonder if we’re ever really through.
‘Cause if we’re talkin’ about whether,
you and I should be together.
Oh, I know I’ll always be in love with you.

Marsh’s creative harmonic language also shines in his arrangement of The Weather, originally written and performed by the funk duo Lawrence. This arrangement starts much like the original with a simplistic, lilting melody supported by stacked sounds of piano and long tones from the horn section. Lawrence is gifted in the art of “word painting”– composing music that does what the words describe. In this instance, Lawrence uses the diatonic minor chord to represent the “bad weather” of the relationship (“I won’t talk….) and shifts to the relative diatonic major chord at the more “sunny” melodic moments. True to form, Marsh has created an arrangement that honors the spirit of the original while adding some surprise gospel funk flare at the end.

When I hear a band blowin’ Basie,
I can count on losing my cool.
Take me where the rhythm is racy.
Let me be a dancin’ fool.

Some prefer the Café Europa,
sipping Dubonnet on a stool.
Me, I get my kicks at the Copa.
That’s where I’m a dancin’ fool.

I’ll show you some moves
smooth as satin
and others they don’t teach in school.
When that crooner starts into scattin’,
just give me a chance and
my tuxedo pants and
presto, I’m a dancin’ fool!

When those trumpets blare, man,
I ain’t got a care, man!
I’m like Fred Astaire, man… Cool!

SOMETHING BORROWED

The second half of our concert begins with two more pieces performed by our select vocal jazz ensemble. We open with Barry Manilow’s Dancin’ Fool, a song that blends big band swing with disco. Written in 1979, this song came out one year after his mega-hit “Copacabana.” It features a “four-on-the-floor” disco beat with a full brass band sound throughout. In our vocal jazz version, the singers take the place of the instruments during the bridge: sopranos as trumpets, altos as saxophones, and the tenors and basses as trombones. 

I have always been a little curious, wanting to know this and that.
Inquiry was fun!
I’d question all my friends and make them furious.
But now my battle with the unknown has been won.

If you want to know ‘bout philosophy,
or you want to learn to make a groovy cup of tea.
There’s only one place you need to look,
that’s in Mister Hooper’s Find It in a Minute Book.

If you want to read ‘bout the birds that fly,
or you want the recipe for Huckleberry pie.
You won’t believe how little time it took
when you read the Hooper Find It in a Minute Book.

And it’s guaranteed to be all you need.
Take my word indeed. Don’t be shy, baby, give it a try.

If you want a sure way to get a man,
or you’re with a woman you just cannot understand.
Believe me when I say it’s worth a look
into Mister Hooper’s Find It in a Minute Book!

And it’s guaranteed to be all you need.
Take my word indeed. Facts will fly in the blink of an eye.

If you want to name every stars above,
or you want to do the happy hippo dance of love.
Believe me when I say it’s worth a look
into Mister Hooper’s Find It in a Minute Book.

The small group’s final number for this concert is Jeremy Fox’s arrangement of Mr. Hooper’s Find It In a Minute Book. The song was originally composed by vocalist and songwriter Rosanna Eckert and is a tribute to the actor Will Lee who played Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street. The main melody is set to a complexified version of the 12-bar blues while the singers explore the various finds in Mr. Hooper’s book. Fox’s arrangement includes a bombastic shout chorus as well as opportunities for solos and improvisation.

The crux of our “something borrowed” portion of the concert is Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass. The piece includes the traditional Mass Ordinary – Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei – set to modern jazz grooves. Two seemingly disparate forms are beautifully combined through Chilcott’s masterful harmonic writing and sensitivity to the spirituality of the text. The melody of the Kyrie is set using a dorian scale, a scale used frequently in jazz for both composition and improvisation. The minor tonality reflects the imploring seriousness of the first petition of “kyrie eleison,” and the crescendo to each “Christe eleison” elicits the desperation of the second petition of “Christ, have mercy.” Often referred to as the “Hymn of the Angels,” the Gloria comes from Luke 2:14 in which a multitude of angels announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds. The rest of the text was later added to the movement as a hymn of praise. Chilcott’s setting captures the celebratory nature of the angel’s message with a crisp, uptempo swing that bookends the movement around a more solemn and reverent (yet still syncopated) setting of the intermediary text referencing the removal of sin from the world. The Sanctus is and has always been my favorite movement from this Mass setting. It’s comparable to Durufle’s setting from his Requiem in that it feels like a procession that builds to the arrival of the Lord. The harmony oscillates between the minor tonic and the major third, a technique that gives the sense of heaviness and lift simultaneously. After the initial statement of “Holy is the Lord,” the choir joins in unison to sing “heaven and earth are full of your glory” as the harmony rises in progression and tension to arrive at the tonic major on the word “hosanna.” The remainder of the movement oscillates between the tonic major and the subdominant major chord, aka the “Amen” cadence frequently sung after hymns of praise. The Benedictus in this setting is driven by the easy swing groove over an oscillating minor five-major one harmonic pivot. The scale is mixolydian–major with a flat seven–that exudes a sense of celebration and sophistication. The entire movement is set like a canon and culminates with a driving, homophonic “hosanna in excelsis.” The text of the Agnus Dei is a threefold petition for the absolvement of sin and request for peace. In Chilcott’s setting, the tension and drama are depicted through a lilting melody during the “Agnus dei” portion of the text – solo soprano in the first petition, soprano and alto duet in the second petition, crescendoing to a full-choir iteration to close the movement.

Too tall to be short. Too short to be tall.
Too small to be big. Too big to be small.

Well, I’m stuck in the middle with no way out.
I’m stuck in the middle and there ain’t no doubt.
That I’m stuck in the middle, but at least I’m stuck here with you.

Too smart to be dumb. Too dumb to be smart.
Too tart to be sweet. Too sweet to be tart.

Well, I’m stuck in the middle neither here nor there.
I’m stuck in the middle and I’m goin’ nowhere.
Yes, I’m stuck in the middle, but at least I’m stuck here with you.

I can’t make up my mind to go left or right.
I can’t nap in the day or sleep through the night.

No, I’m stuck in the middle not the most or the least.
I’m stuck in the middle South of North, West of East.
I’m stuck in the middle, but at least I’m stuck here with you.

Too old to be young. Too young to be old.
Too cold to be hot. Too hot to be cold.

Well, I’m stuck in the middle and it ain’t no fun.
I’m stuck in the middle, but my song is done.
And I’m stuck in the middle, but at least I’m stuck here with you.

SOMETHING BLUE

I love to use the 12-bar blues to teach vocal improvisation due to its predictable form, simple harmony, and accessibility for beginning improvisers. When I teach the blues, I typically use a song that I learned from Dr. Leila Heil while in graduate school at CU Boulder. I didn’t want to use this song in performance and I was having trouble finding an SATB version of the blues for a choir performance. There are plenty of pop/rock settings of the blues, like Chuck Berry’s “Johnny Be Good” and Elvis’ “Hound Dog,” but I wanted to stay within the jazz confines of our concert theme, especially because I wanted to showcase the improvisation skills that our singers have learned. After a lot of searching, I discovered Justin Binek’s Stuck In the Middle, an original setting of the 12-bar blues that features all the hallmarks of the blues with a bit of twist in the lyric. Binek writes:

“Stuck in the Middle” is an original blues that I wrote as an audition selection for the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s “Riff Generation” ensemble. Part of the audition process was to write a riff-based blues melody that incorporated the classic “Route 66” stop-time break…While most blues tunes have sad and sorrowful lyrics, I lead a generally happy life, so I decided to go for more of a quirky approach to the lyric, all playing on the theme of being “stuck in the middle.”

O may the road rise to meet you,
and may the wind be at your back,
and may God’s own sunshine be warm upon your face,
and may His rain fall softly on your fields.
 
And then until we meet again,
may God safely hold you in the palm of his hand.

While I like ending a concert on a high note (pardon the pun), I wanted to conclude this concert with a musical “hug” where the choir surrounds the audience during the final song. Again, I had cornered myself with this challenge: a song that’s uplifting, lush, and suitable in an acapella surround-sound setting for this kind of moment. After coming up empty after hours of searching, I decided to look up one of my favorite arrangers, Derric Johnson. Among his many musical achievements, one of the most notable (and my favorite) is his thirty-three-year long service as Creative Consultant to for Walt Disney World where he arranged and produced Epcot Center’s The Voices of Liberty, His arrangement of May the Road Rise Up to Meet You features his trademark lush, nostalgically chromatic writing that sounds like the classic Disney movies of old. Until we meet again!