Bewitched (from Pal Joey): E-Z Play Today

E-Z Play Today's reduction makes this standard accessible without sacrificing its essential character. The melody and chord changes remain intact, so pianists hear exactly what makes this tune endure in the jazz repertoire while building real experience with standards-based playing.

Smooth and slightly wry. The melody moves with ease over changes that feel inevitable rather than complicated, and there's an underlying sophistication that keeps the tune from ever sounding simple. You're playing something that sounds like jazz without pretension.

Pianists exploring jazz standards for the first time, whether in a classroom setting or on their own. This arrangement works for students who read piano fluently but haven't yet tackled lead sheet notation or more complex reharmonization.

• Shape the melody with subtle dynamic swells on longer notes; resist overplaying what is already a beautiful, conversational line.
• Lean into the swing feel by letting eighth notes breathe rather than playing them rigidly. The rhythm section in any accompaniment will guide you.
• Explore comping underneath the melody in measures where you have space. This teaches you to voice changes differently than you would in classical playing.
• Notice where Hart's lyric lands on the strong beats versus where the melody floats. This awareness transfers directly to your interpretation of the phrasing.

Pair this with other E-Z Play standards to build a unit on American songbook essentials. It works equally well as a solo piano piece in a variety show or as the foundation for students learning to improvise over familiar changes in a jazz ensemble setting.

• Interpreting swing rhythm in a written arrangement
• Reading chord changes in jazz context
• Balancing melody and accompaniment texture
• Phrasing vocal music idiomatically on an instrumental
• Understanding the relationship between lyric stress and melodic shape