Come Fly With Me (arr. Rick Stitzel): Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Rick Stitzel's arrangement strips away none of the song's charm while keeping it genuinely playable for young jazz ensembles. The medium swing groove sits perfectly for groups still building their rhythmic vocabulary, and the full-ensemble voicing means every player contributes meaningfully rather than sitting out sections waiting for a solo.

Buoyant and breezy. The melody rises and falls with the lightness of someone truly ready for adventure, and Stitzel's arrangement captures that optimism through straightforward harmonies and a groove that lets the tune breathe. There's joy in the simplicity without any sense of condescension.

Grade 2 jazz ensembles ready to tackle a recognizable standard without the complexity of soloists or dense harmonic reharmonization. This works for bands meeting a few times weekly and for students encountering swing style for the first time, since the rhythmic demands are straightforward and the part-writing is clear.

• Lock the time feel first. Spend a full rehearsal establishing a relaxed, floating swing that sits just behind the beat rather than rushing ahead; once the rhythm section settles, soloists and melodic voices will find their pocket naturally.
• Balance the saxes and brass when they're stating the melody together. The sax section should mirror the brass tone and energy rather than compete, which keeps the arrangement sounding cohesive and prevents the high woodwinds from overpowering the ensemble.
• Articulate all quarter notes and shorter rhythms with the same attack and weight across sections. Inconsistent tonguing between trumpet and saxophone lines, or between first and second trumpet, will muddy the groove even if the time feel is solid.
• Treat dynamic markings as part of the arrangement's storytelling. Pulling back during ensemble hits or swells, then popping back in for the melody, gives the piece shape and keeps your players engaged through repeated sections.

Pair this with another early Sinatra standard or a different era of swing tune to build a mini unit on the Great American Songbook. It also sits well on a jazz concert as a palate cleanser between busier arrangements, since audiences recognize it immediately and young players gain the confidence of playing something genuinely familiar.

• Swing eighth-note feel and time placement
• Ensemble balance and blend in scored passages
• Articulation consistency across sections
• Reading and interpreting jazz notation (slash notation, swing markings)
• Phrasing and dynamic shape within a song form