Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me: Choral Instrumental Pak

Zegree captures what makes this Ellington standard endure: the swagger of that opening statement, the loose conversation between voices and rhythm section, and the joy of a full ensemble scat shout. The medium swing tempo keeps things grounded while giving your singers room to find their jazz phrasing.

Sophisticated but never stuffy. The tune swings with vintage cool, built on that unmistakable Ellington harmonic language, while the scat sections invite your singers to play and explore within structure. Three minutes of pure jazz confidence.

Vocal jazz ensembles with solid rhythmic foundation and comfort with scat singing. This works for advanced high school choirs with jazz experience or early college jazz ensembles looking to add a Ellington staple to their library.

• Lock the opening vamp with your bass and piano players first. Those iconic notes need to settle the groove before the melody enters.
• Let the scat chorus breathe. Over rehearse the rhythmic hits, then trust your singers to feel the swing between them rather than pinning every note.
• Balance the written solo sections so they sit just behind the rhythm section energy. Jazz singing lives in that pocket, not on top of it.
• Record a few run-throughs at your target tempo. Your ensemble will hear whether the walking bass and comping land cleanly together.

Pair this with other swing era standards in a jazz-focused concert, or slot it into a mixed choral program where you want a moment of genuine groove. The three-minute runtime makes it an ideal opener or closer for a set.

• Swing articulation and phrasing in both lyrical and scat contexts
• Listening to and locking with a walking bass line
• Reading and executing rhythmic figures that sit behind the beat
• Ensemble balance between melody, harmony, and rhythm section
• Interpreting jazz dynamics and tension-release within a chart