Duke Ellington for Strings: Conductor Book

Zinn's arrangements capture the swagger and elegance of Ellington's writing without requiring jazz specialists in your section. The conductor book gives you the full picture of how 16 iconic compositions sit together, making it simple to construct a cohesive concert or select pieces that match your ensemble's strengths and your programming needs.

Stepping into the world of Duke Ellington through strings feels like inhabiting a sophisticated lounge where elegance and swagger coexist. The music swings with understated confidence, weaving rich chromatic harmonies and surprising chord changes that feel both timeless and modern, inviting listeners into a distinctly American sound.

String orchestra and string quartet conductors looking for accessible arrangements of American jazz standards that appeal to audiences without requiring specialized jazz training. This collection works for high school ensembles with solid intonation and rhythmic control, as well as adult community orchestras and chamber groups seeking sophisticated pops repertoire.

• Balance the jazz swing articulations across your ensemble by rehearsing the rhythmic drive with a metronome, then backing away from mechanical precision to let the phrasing breathe naturally.
• Use the conductor book to establish clear cues for ensemble entrances in pieces with multiple melody lines, as some Ellington compositions weave contrapuntal voices that need synchronized attacks.
• Shape the rubato moments (particularly in slower pieces like 'Solitude' and 'In a Sentimental Mood') by conducting the harmonic motion rather than the bar line, which allows your strings to phrase like a vocalist.
• Emphasize the layered accompaniment patterns that give Ellington's harmonies their richness; secondary voices should sit slightly back but remain clearly articulated rather than disappearing into a blur.

Program these pieces strategically within a classical concert to break tension and engage audiences in a different musical vernacular, or construct an entire pops program built on Ellington's catalog. Individual selections work beautifully as encores and reception music, while 'Mood Indigo,' 'Solitude,' and 'Prelude to a Kiss' are ideally suited for slower concert moments.

• Reading jazz articulations and swing notation in a string context
• Ensemble coordination across varied accompaniment figures and countermelodies
• Phrasing with rubato and harmonic awareness rather than strict metronomic precision
• Intonation stability in chromatic and extended harmony