Gettin' In The Mood (For Christmas) (arr. Roger Emerson): SATB Choral Octavo

Roger Emerson's arrangement captures the playful swagger of Setzer's original recording while making it completely singable for mixed voices. The jazz inflections feel natural rather than forced, and the part writing creates genuine interaction between sections without becoming technically overwhelming. Your singers get to inhabit an unmistakable stylistic world that feels sophisticated and cool, which matters when you're asking them to commit to learning something new.

Casual sophistication. The arrangement feels like a band in a room, trading licks and settling into a groove that's both playful and assured. There's warmth in the voicing and genuine joy in the lyrical material, but nothing overwrought or syrupy. This is jazz standards energy applied to Christmas music.

Mixed choirs looking to program a Christmas selection with genuine style and swing. High school and college ensembles will find real engagement here, as will adult community choirs seeking something that feels both festive and musically satisfying.

• Establish the swing feel in rehearsal before touching the notes. Get your ensemble comfortable with the rhythmic lilt in the ensemble passages; this groove is non-negotiable and drives everything else.
• Balance the saxophone figures (written in the alto and tenor parts) so they dance above the chord sections without overwhelming the singers. These riffs need air and space to breathe.
• Anchor the bass line early. The walking bass pattern underneath the verse sections needs to stay consistent and grounded while the upper voices play around it.
• Record a sectional run-through with the SAT parts singing over an accompaniment track to help your basses lock in the harmonic foundation.

Position this as a closer on a holiday concert or as the stylistic centerpiece of a modern Christmas set. The arrangement has enough personality to stand alone and enough accessibility to work well paired with traditional carols, creating a satisfying arc across a program.

• Singing swing rhythm and jazz articulation
• Balancing ensemble texture while maintaining individual line integrity
• Reading and executing jazz chord voicings and harmonic extensions
• Phrase shaping with stylistic bend and dynamic nuance
• Listening and blend within a groove-based harmonic context