Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me: SoundTrax Digital Audio Download

Duke Ellington's harmonic sophistication combined with Russell's clever lyric creates a piece that feels both elegant and playful. The Alfred Pop Choral Series arrangement by Darmon Meader captures the swagger of the original while remaining singable for developing choirs, and the recorded accompaniment gives you a professional sound every time you rehearse.

Cool, collected, a little bit knowing. The melody has a casual lilt that belies Ellington's chromatic sophistication underneath. Singers feel like they're in on a musical joke, delivering a lyric with the kind of understated confidence that comes from real swing.

Choirs comfortable with jazz idioms and looking to build their Great American Songbook chops. The piece works for high school ensembles and beyond, particularly programs that blend classical training with popular music traditions.

• Anchor the rhythm section to the recording from your first rehearsal so singers internalize the swing feel early and don't drift into straight eighth notes.
• Emphasize the lyrical phrasing in passages where the melody sits high; this isn't a piece that benefits from pushing volume, but rather from conversational clarity.
• Use the SoundTrax download to create a reference recording for students who struggle to hear their part independently, especially useful when sight-reading the jazz harmonies.
• Check the instrumental parts arrangement to see if you want to spotlight a soloist on the melody or keep it as a full-ensemble moment.

Slip this into a pops concert or a jazz-themed set where it can sit comfortably between more traditional standards. It also works as a showstopper in a spring program focused on American songwriting, especially if you pair it with other Ellington or Russell compositions.

• Swing rhythm and jazz phrasing
• Reading and performing Ellington-level chromatic harmony
• Lyrical interpretation and conversational delivery
• Balance and blend in a more sparsely-textures choral arrangement