Don't Get Around Much Anymore (arr. Mark Brymer): SATB Choral Octavo

Brymer's arrangement captures the relaxed sophistication of the original while making it genuinely singable for mixed voices. The harmonies sit beautifully across all four parts, and the piece never feels like a shoehorned reduction of a jazz standard. Your choir will enjoy the swing feel without needing to become a jazz ensemble overnight.

Urbane and slightly melancholic, like watching the city lights from a quiet bar. The melody has a gentle swing to it, and despite the title's self-aware complaint, the tune carries an undercurrent of acceptance and wry affection for life's small disappointments.

Intermediate to advanced SATB choirs with at least some experience in jazz or swing idioms. The piece works well for choirs that want to program a recognizable standard without oversimplifying the musical content.

• Keep the tempo conversational rather than metronomic. This tune breathes best when it feels like natural speech set to music, so allow slight rubato around the phrase endings.
• Balance the humor in the lyrics with musical sophistication. The self-deprecating wit works when singers commit to the character without winking at the audience.
• Blend soloists or small sections on the melody lines against sustained harmony parts. This spotlight technique, common in jazz arranging, helps the tune feel like it's being told rather than simply performed.

Use this as a bridge piece between classical and contemporary programming, or anchor a "Great American Songbook" concert with it as your opener or closer. It pairs naturally with other jazz standards and swing arrangements, and it's also a conversation starter in mixed repertoire concerts where it can surprise and delight audiences expecting only classical material.

• Swing rhythms and jazz articulation
• Phrasing in a jazz context (breath placement, line shape)
• Intonation across jazz voicings
• Blend and balance in four-part jazz harmonies
• Interpreting lyrics with character and restraint