And All That Jazz: SSA Choral Octavo

Kirby Shaw's arrangement distills the essence of Kander's original into a lean, theatrical package that works beautifully in SSA voicing without compromising the sultry jazz character. The piece lives in that sweet spot where students can access genuine Broadway material while building confidence with syncopation, jazz phrasing, and dramatic interpretation. Programming this gives your choir a legitimate showstopper that audiences recognize instantly.

Smoky, confident, and unapologetically theatrical. The piece carries the glamour and attitude of the original without requiring a full pit band. Singers step into a world of sophisticated urban charm where every phrase matters and the rhythm is the backbone.

SSA and SSAA choirs looking for substantial jazz repertoire that plays to audiences and students alike. This works equally well in a concert setting or as a feature in a Broadway-themed program, and it's accessible enough for developing ensembles while offering enough musical depth to challenge stronger groups.

• Nail the restraint in those opening measures. The 'strut' tempo is about controlled confidence, not rushing; let the piano establish the groove before voices enter.
• Shape the jazz phrasing by treating the lyric line as conversational rather than legit. Use a slightly delayed vibrato entry and lean into the syncopated rhythms rather than fighting them.
• Layer in Fosse-inspired movement or staging if your venue allows it. Even minimal choreography (hand gestures, weight shifts, synchronized turns) transforms the piece from concert number to production moment.
• Use the recorded accompaniment in early rehearsals to anchor the ensemble on jazz articulation and syncopation. Then rehearse a cappella sections to build independence and tighten intonation under the chord changes.

Position this as a show-closer or second-half opener in a concert built around Broadway or jazz standards. It also anchors a theater arts collaboration or serves as the anchor for a concert exploring jazz in musical theater. Because of its dramatic impact, pair it with contrasting repertoire rather than stacking it with other uptempo pieces.

• Jazz phrasing and articulation (separation, breath control, syncopation)
• Reading and performing syncopated rhythms in a jazz idiom
• Harmonic awareness within jazz chord progressions
• Balancing legit tone production with jazz inflection
• Ensemble synchronization in rhythmically complex material
• Dramatic interpretation and stage presence in a Broadway context