C'est Magnifique: E-Z Play Today

Smooth, urbane, and effortlessly charming. The tune has that Cole Porter signature quality of making something complex sound deceptively simple, with unexpected harmonic turns that reward careful listening and playing.

Students who are ready for jazz repertoire but benefit from simplified notation and manageable page turns. This works equally well for solo performance or as part of a jazz piano recital where variety in style matters.

• Let the melody breathe on the opening phrase. Resist the urge to rush; the sophistication of this tune lives in its elegant phrasing.
• Balance accompaniment texture with the right hand line. The E-Z arrangement will guide you, but listen for moments where stepping back creates space for the melody to shine.
• Anchor the harmonic changes with your left hand. Feeling the movement between chords will help you stay grounded when the melody takes unexpected turns.

Pair this with other standards at a jazz or pops concert to give students repertoire that audiences actually want to hear. At two pages, it fits neatly into a mixed recital or serves as an intermission break in a longer program.

• Reading jazz chord changes and voicings in piano reduction
• Phrasing in the style of 1950s musical theater
• Managing harmonic rhythm and left-hand accompaniment patterns
• Interpreting a melody line with jazz inflection and expression