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Jay Althouse's arrangement captures the sophisticated simplicity that makes Great American Songbook repertoire so effective in choral settings. The piece brings the elegance of jazz-inflected songwriting into an accessible choral context, giving singers the chance to inhabit genuinely beautiful melody without wrestling with unnecessary complexity. This is the kind of repertoire that reminds singers why they love being in a choir.

The piece carries the unhurried warmth of a late-night jazz standard, intimate and reflective. Mercer's lyrical sensibility combined with Althouse's arrangement creates a moment of genuine emotional connection, neither sentimental nor austere.

This arrangement serves choirs seeking accessible Great American Songbook literature that maintains musical sophistication. It works equally well for high school and community choirs, or as a change-of-pace selection for college ensembles looking to explore jazz-inflected harmony and lyrical interpretation.

• Lean into the lyrical phrasing rather than treating this as a rhythmic or rhythmically intricate piece; let the text naturally shape breath and line.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to establish the harmonic color and jazz inflection, then encourage singers to listen past it and find the melodic independence within their own part.
• Balance transparency in the upper voices with warmth in the supporting harmony; this repertoire lives in the detail of how voices blend, not in volume.

This pairs naturally with other songbook standards in a concert celebrating American vocal music, or works as an elegant standalone selection within a broader choral program. It's particularly effective in spring or end-of-year concerts where you want to showcase musicality and artistry rather than technical display.

• Jazz-inflected harmony and chromatic voice leading
• Lyrical phrasing and text interpretation in popular repertoire
• Blend and balance within close harmonic voicing
• Interpretive independence from recorded accompaniment