JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER LIBRARY

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RHAPSODY IN BLUE

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BY GEORGE GERSHWIN®, ARRANGED BY BILLY STRAYHORN

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Transcribed by David Berger for Jazz at Lincoln Center

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F U L L S C O R E

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This transcription was made especially for Essentially Ellington 2004:

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The Ninth Annual Jazz at Lincoln Center High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival.

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Major support for Essentially Ellington is provided by
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The Jack and Susan Rudin Educational and Scholarship Fund,
Surdna Foundation, Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation,
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Verizon Communications, and Verve Music Group.
Additional support is provided by The Heckscher Foundation for Children, the National
Endowment for the Arts, Citigroup Foundation, the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation,
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The Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation, The New York Times Company
Foundation, Gail & Alfred Engelberg, Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation,
Robert E. and Elizabeth Anne La Blanc Foundation, and other generous funders.
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Jazz at Lincoln Center and Alfred Music Publishing Co., Inc. gratefully acknowledge the cooperation and sup-
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port provided in the publication of this year's Essentially Ellington music series:
EMI Music Publishing, Famous Music Corporation & Mr. Irwin Z. Robinson, Hal Leonard Corporation,
Music Sales Corporation / Tempo Music Inc., WB Music Corp., the George Gershwin Family Trust
and especially the Estates of Duke Ellington and Mercer Ellington.
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GERSHWIN® and GEORGE GERSHWIN® are registered trademarks of

Gershwin Enterprises.
RHAPSODY IN BLUETM is a trademark of the George Gershwin Family Trust.
All Rights Reserved
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NOTES ON PLAYING ELLINGTON the lead trumpet is the boss. The lead alto and trombone must them life and personality: that is, vibrato, inflection, crescendo, or
listen to the first trumpet and follow her. In turn, the other saxes diminuendo. There is a great deal of inflection in this music, and
At least 95% of modern-day large ensemble jazz playing comes out and trombones must follow their lead players. When the clarinet much of this is highly interpretive. Straight or curved lines imply
of three traditions: Count Basie’s band, Duke Ellington’s band, and leads the brass section, the brass should not overblow him. That non- pitched glisses, and wavy lines mean scalar (chromatic

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the orchestrations of small groups. Those young players interested means that the first trumpet is actually playing “second.” If this is or diatonic) glisses. In general, all rhythmic figures need to be
in jazz will be drawn to small groups for the opportunity to improvise done effectively, there will be very little balancing work left for the accented. Accents give the music life and swing. This is very
and for practical reasons (it is much easier to organize four or five conductor. important.

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people than it is 15). Schools have taken over the task (formerly

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performed by dance bands) of training musicians to be ensemble 4. In Ellington’s music, each player should express the individuality 10. Ellington’s music is about individuality: one person per part—

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players. Due to the Basie Band’s popularity and its simplicity of style of his own line. He must find a musical balance of supporting do not double up because you have extra players or need more
and emphasis on blues and swing, the better educators have almost and following the section leader and bringing out the character of strength. More than one on a part makes it sound more like a
exclusively adopted this tradition for teaching jazz ensemble playing. the underpart. Each player should be encouraged to express his concert band and less like a jazz band.
or her personality through the music. In this music, the underparts

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As wonderful as Count Basie’s style is, it doesn’t address many of
are played at the same volume and with the same conviction as 11. This is acoustic music. Keep amplification to an absolute
the important styles developed under the great musical umbrella we
minimum; in the best halls, almost no amplification should be

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call jazz. Duke Ellington’s comprehensive and eclectic approach to the lead.
necessary. Everyone needs to develop a big sound. It is the
music offers an alternative.

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5. Blues inflection should permeate all parts at all times, not just conductor’s job to balance the band. When a guitar is used,
The stylistic richness of Ellington’s music presents a great challenge when these opportunities occur in the lead. it should be a hollow body, unamplified rhythm guitar. Simple
to educators and performers alike. In Basie’s music, the conven- three-note voicings should be used throughout. An acoustic string
6. Vibrato is used quite a bit to warm up the sound. Saxes (who most

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tions are very nearly consistent. In Ellington’s, there are many more bass is a must. In mediocre or poorly designed halls, the bass and
frequently represent the sensual side of things) usually employ piano may need a bit of a boost. I recommend miking them and
exceptions to the rules. This calls for greater knowledge of the
a heavy vibrato on harmonized passages and a slight vibrato on putting them through the house sound system. This should pro-
language of jazz. Clark Terry, who left Count Basie’s band to join

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unisons. Trumpets (who very often are used for heat and power)

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Duke Ellington, said, “Count Basie was college, but Duke Ellington vide a much better tone than an amplifier. Keep in mind that the
use a little vibrato on harmonized passages and no vibrato on rhythm section’s primary function is to accompany. The bass
was graduate school.” Knowledge of Ellington’s music prepares you
unisons. Trombones (who are usually noble) do not use slide should not be as loud as a trumpet. That is unnatural and leads
to play any big band music.
vibrato. A little lip vibrato is good at times. Try to match the speed to over-amplification, bad tone, and limited dynamics. Stay away

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of vibrato. Unisons are played with no vibrato. from monitors. They provide a false sense of balance.
The following is a list of performance conventions for the great

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majority of Ellington’s music. Any deviations or additions will be 7. Crescendo as you ascend and diminuendo as you descend. 12. Solos and rhythm section parts without chord changes should
spelled out in the individual performance notes that follow. The upper notes of phrases receive a natural accent and the be played as is or with a little embellishment. Solos and rhythm
lower notes are ghosted. Alto and tenor saxophones need to use section parts with chord changes should be improvised.
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1. Listen carefully many times to the Ellington recording of these sub-tone in the lower part of their range in order to blend properly However, written passages should be learned because they
pieces. There are many subtleties that will elude even the most with the rest of the section. This music was originally written with are an important part of our jazz heritage and help the player
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sophisticated listener at first. Although it was never Ellington’s no dynamics. It pretty much follows the natural tendencies of the under- stand the function of his particular solo or accompani-
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wish to have his recordings imitated, knowledge of these definitive instruments; play loud in the loud part of the instrument and soft in ment. Soloists should learn the chord changes. Solos should not
versions will lead musicians to make more educated choices when the soft part of the instrument. For instance, a high C for a trumpet be approached as opportunities to show off technique, range,
creating new performances. Ellington’s music, though written for will be loud, and a low C will be soft. or volume, but should be looked at as a great opportunity to
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specific individuals, is designed to inspire all musicians to express further develop the interesting thematic material that Ellington
themselves. In addition, you will hear slight note differences in the 8. Quarter notes are generally played short unless otherwise notated.
has provided.
recording and the transcriptions. This is intentional, as there are Long marks above or below a pitch indicate full value: not just
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mistakes and alterations from the original intent of the music in the long, but full value. Eighth notes are played full value except when 13. The notation of plungers for the brass means a rubber toilet
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recording. You should have your players play what’s in the score. followed by a rest or otherwise notated. All notes longer than a plunger bought in a hardware store. Kirkhill is a very good brand
quarter note are played full value, which means if it is followed by (especially if you can find one of their old rubber ones, like the
2. General use of swing phrasing. The triplet feel prevails except for a rest, release the note where the rest appears. For example, a one I loaned Wynton and he lost). Trumpets use 5" diameter
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ballads or where notations such as even eighths or Latin appear.

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half note occurring on beat one of a measure would be released and trombones use 6" diameter. Where Plunger/Mute is notated,
In these cases, eighth notes are given equal value. on beat three. insert a pixie mute in the bell and use the plunger over the mute.
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Pixies are available from Humes & Berg in Chicago. “Tricky

3. There is a chain of command in ensemble playing. The lead 9. Unless they are part of a legato background figure, long notes
should be played somewhat , accent then diminish the volume.
Sam” Nanton and his successors in the Ellington plunger trom-
players in each section determine the phrasing and volume for
bone chair did not use pixies. Rather, each of them employed
their own section, and their section-mates must conform to the This is important so that the moving parts can be heard over the
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a Nonpareil (that’s the brand name) trumpet straight mute.

lead. When the saxes and/or trombones play with the trumpets, sustained notes. Don’t just hold out the long notes, but give
 Nonpareil has gone out of business, but the Tom Crown Call-and-response: repetitive pattern of contrasting exchanges Ellington’s music combines two trumpets and a trombone in plung-
Nonpareil trumpet straight mute is very close to the same thing. (derived from the church procedure of the minister making a ers/mutes in triadic harmony. This is called the “pep section.”
These mutes create a wonderful sound (very close to the human statement and the congregation answering with “amen”). Call-and-
voice), but they also create some intonation problems that must response patterns usually pit one group of instruments against Stop time: a regular pattern of short breaks (usually filled in by a

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be corrected by the lip only. It would be easier to move the tuning another. Sometimes we call this “trading fours,” “trading twos,” etc., soloist).
slide, but part of the sound is in the struggle to correct the pitch. especially when it involves improvisation. The numbers denote the
Swing: the perfect confluence of rhythmic tension and relaxation in
If this proves too much, stick with the pixie—it’s pretty close. amount of measures each soloist or group plays. Another term
music creating a feeling of euphoria and characterized by accented

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frequently used is “swapping fours.”

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14. The drummer is the de facto leader of the band. He establishes weak beats (a democratization of the beat) and eighth notes that

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the beat and controls the volume of the ensemble. For big band Coda: also known as the “outro.” “Tags” or “tag endings” are are played as the first and third eighth notes of an eighth-note trip-
playing, the drummer needs to use a larger bass drum than he outgrowths of vaudeville bows that are frequently used as codas. let. Duke Ellington’s definition of swing: when the music feels like it
would for small group drumming. A 22" is preferred. The bass They most often use deceptive cadences that finally resolve to the is getting faster, but it isn’t.
drum is played softly (nearly inaudible) on each beat. This is called tonic, or they go from the tonic to the sub-dominant and cycle back

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Vamp: a repeated two- or four-bar chord progression. Very often,
feathering the bass drum. It provides a very important bottom to to the tonic: I V/IV IV #IV o I (second inversion) V/II V/V V I.
there may be a riff or riffs played on the vamp.

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the band. The bass drum sound is not a boom and not a thud—it’s
in between. The larger size drum is necessary for the kicks; Comp: improvise accompaniment (for piano or guitar).
Voicing: the specific spacing, inversion, and choice of notes that

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a smaller drum just won’t be heard. The key to this style is to just make up a chord. For instance, two voicings for G7 could be:
Groove: the composite rhythm. This generally refers to the
keep time. A rim knock on two and four (chopping wood) is used
combined repetitive rhythmic patterns of the drums, bass, piano,
to lock in the swing. When it comes to playing fills, the fewer,
and guitar, but may also include repetitive patterns in the horns.

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the better.
Some grooves are standard (i.e., swing, bossa nova, samba), while
15. The horn players should stand for their solos and solis. others are manufactured (original combinations of rhythms).

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Brass players should come down front for moderate to long solos,
Head: melody chorus.
surrounding rests permitting. The same applies to the pep
section (two trumpets and one trombone in plunger/mutes). Interlude: a different form (of relatively short length) sandwiched Note that the first voicing includes a 9th and the second voicing
includes a %9 and a 13. The addition of 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, and

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between two chorus forms. Interludes that set up a key change are
16. Horns should pay close attention to attacks and releases.
simply called modulations. alterations are up to the discretion of the pianist and soloist.
Everyone should hit together and end together.

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Intro: short for introduction.
17. Brass must be very precise when playing short notes. Notes must
be stopped with the tongue, à la Louis Armstrong! Ride pattern: the most common repetitive figure played by the
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drummer’s right hand on the ride cymbal or hi-hat. THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
18. Above all, everyone’s focus should remain at all times on the
swing. As the great bassist Chuck Israels says, “The three most The following are placed in their order of importance in jazz.
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important things in jazz are rhythm, rhythm, and rhythm, in that We should never lose perspective on this order of priority.
order.” Or as Bubber Miley (Ellington’s first star trumpeter) said,
“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” RHYTHM: meter, tempo, groove, and form, including both melodic
Riff: a repeated melodic figure. Very often, riffs repeat verbatim
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rhythm and harmonic rhythm (the speed and regularity of the chord
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or with slight alterations while the harmonies change underneath
changes).
them.
MELODY: what players play: a tune or series of notes.
GLOSSARY
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Shout chorus: also known as the “out chorus,” the “sock chorus,”
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or sometimes shortened to just “the shout.” It is the final ensemble HARMONY: chords and voicings.
The following are terms that describe conventions of jazz perfor- passage of most big band charts and where the climax most often
mance, from traditional New Orleans to the present avant garde. happens. ORCHESTRATION: instrumentation and tone colors.
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Break: within the context of an ongoing time feel, the rhythm Soli: a harmonized passage for two or more instruments playing —David Berger
section stops for one, two, or four bars. Very often a soloist will
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the same rhythm. It is customary for horn players to stand up or

improvise during a break. even move in front of the band when playing these passages. This
is done so that the audience can hear them better and to provide
the audience with some visual interest. A soli sound particular to Special thanks to Andrew Homzy for editing the score.
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RHAPSODY IN BLUETM REHEARSAL NOTES:
• Although legend has it that Gershwin bought several of the themes from the great stride
INSTRUMENTATION: pianist Willie “The Lion” Smith (who mentored not only Gershwin but also Duke Ellington),

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Gershwin’s original Rhapsody in Blue is not a jazz piece. Its jazz elements are devel-
Reed 1 - Alto Sax Trombone 1 oped along classical lines with an outsider’s sensibilities. So, it is of great curiosity when
Reed 2 - Alto Sax Trombone 2 Strayhorn and Ellington retranslate such a work back to its jazz roots. In this abbreviated

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Reed 3 - Clarinet/Tenor Sax Trombone 3 (Bass) rhapsody the familiar solos are redistributed to feature the personalities in the Ellington

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Reed 4 - Tenor Sax Piano organization. This is a loving tribute to not only Gershwin (one of Ellington’s favorite com-
Reed 5 - Baritone Sax Bass posers—their similarities greatly out weigh their differences) but also to bandleader Paul
Whiteman, an early pioneer who paved the way for bands like Duke Ellington’s.
Trumpet 1 Drums

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Trumpet 2 • The form of this chart is baritone cadenza: the A theme comes in at A in A  (13 measures), A'

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Trumpet 3 (in the dominant key—19 measures), and then at D a modulation up a step (4 measures).
Trumpet 4 The B theme begins at E (18 measures), then B' (17 measures), followed at I by A/coda

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(11 bars in B , which is the subdominant key of the B section), piano cadenza, and final
chord.
ORIGINAL RECORDING INFORMATION:

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• This is what used to be called a “classy” piece—not a simple groover, but something that
Composer: George Gershwin aspires to the loftier ideals in us. It’s kind of like when you get all dressed up and take

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Arranger: Billy Strayhorn your date out for dinner in a fancy restaurant. You are still the same jeans and t-shirt–clad,
Recorded: December 20, 1962, in New York, NY hamburger-eating all-American kids, but for these few hours, you indulge the aristocratic
Time: 4:47 and cultured side of you. In musical terms, don’t whitewash all the blues out of this piece.

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Master Number: 3383-3 In the Ellington recording Carney’s baritone is regal, Cootie’s trumpet is aggressively

Original Issue: Will the Big Bands Ever Come Back?

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Gonsalves’ tenor is like taking an afternoon snooze in a hammock in the backyard on a hot
Reprise R-6168 (Mono)/RS-6168 (Stereo)
day with a cool breeze wafting over you. Gonsalves’ use of subtone gives him that transpar-
ent tone that enables us to hear both the solo and the ensemble parts at the same time.
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Currently Available on CD:
Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings • Ernie Shepard’s bass part doesn’t stray (no pun intended) too far from the written part he
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Mosaic MD5-193
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to conform more to Strayhorn’s original concept. I recommend that your bassist learn this
Personnel: Duke Ellington, piano; Cat Anderson, Roy Burrows, and Cootie Williams, part until he or she is completely familiar with the whole arrangement; then some informed
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trumpets; Ray Nance, cornet; Lawrence Brown and Buster Cooper, trombones;
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freedom would be welcome.
Chuck Connors, bass trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Jimmy Hamilton,
• A similar approach may be taken with the drums. Keep in mind the orchestral nature of the
Paul Gonsalves, and Harry Carney, reeds; Ernie Shepard, bass; Sam Woodyard,
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piece. Lots of cymbal crashes and pseudo-timpani rolls add to the theatricality. Even when
drums.
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the rest of the band is playing even eighth notes, the drums should retain the swing triplet
feel. This may seem awkward at first, but you’ll come to appreciate this conflict.
Solo Order: Harry Carney, baritone sax; Cootie Williams; Paul Gonsalves, tenor sax;
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Johnny Hodges, alto sax; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet. • This is basically a gentle piece with a few ferocious moments. Attention to dynamics and
accents is crucial to its effectiveness.
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David Berger
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COMMENTS FROM WYNTON MARSALIS:
• In an inventive twist, Strayhorn set the opening theme in the low register, using the baritone
instead of the clarinet. This introduction must be played with style.

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• You’ll find good practice for cross-section voicings at A4, A6, and A8. These voicings make
us sensitive to our role in the entire band, not just in our section.

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• The rhythm section may have a hard time swinging in this slow tempo.

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• The two measures of call-and-response before B offer a great study on how to build energy
in a short very space. The trumpet solo at B must be played with a lot of cheek and nerve.

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• There is a great counter-riff at C when the trombone has the lead. Saxophones should
make sure to listen to the trombone and adjust accordingly.

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• It is imperative to observe the dynamics throughout for this arrangement to work. For

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example, the sax subtones are the lower equivalent of the New Orleans clarinet filagree.
In addition, the sax soloist must use rest and held notes intelligently to be heard after G.

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Though soft, the rhythms must be definite and the melodies have to crest at certain times
for effect. The ensemble should be uniform on the sfz piano crescendo after letter G.

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• The clarinet part must sparkle before I. Also note that the triplet shuffle of the drums carries
the feeling from I to the piano cadenza. This ending is also deceptively tricky.

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