How High the Moon: SAB Choral Octavo

Arranger Jay Althouse transforms a timeless jazz standard into a modern, energetic choral experience without sacrificing the tune's sophistication. The samba treatment gives your singers a rhythmic anchor and contemporary feel, while the scat section provides a genuinely fun vocal challenge that engages even reluctant singers. You get a piece that sounds fresh and collaborative (instrumental parts are available for added texture) while remaining accessible for a three-part mixed choir.

Bright, propulsive, and playful. The samba rhythm creates instant forward motion, while the tight SAB harmonies keep voices locked together even as the melody and scat lines dance around them. It's the kind of piece that makes audiences smile and singers feel like they're part of something genuinely swinging.

Directors seeking a secular, high-energy opener or closer that works for middle school through adult choirs. This arrangement suits groups comfortable with jazz idioms and rhythm section independence, and it's particularly valuable for choirs wanting to program contemporary treatments of standards without commissioning new work.

• Lock the rhythm section early and often. The samba pulse is everything; have your basses and tenors establish the groove before layering the upper voices.
• Approach the scat section as spoken rhythm first, then melodic. Build confidence in the text and timing before worrying about pitch accuracy.
• Balance the tight harmonies by rehearsing each voice part in isolation, then bringing voices together one at a time rather than all at once.
• If adding the available instrumental parts, let the ensemble hear the full arrangement in rehearsal to understand how their voices sit within the bigger sound.

Open a concert with this to set an upbeat tone, or use it as a palate cleanser between heavier choral works. It pairs well with other jazz standards or Latin-influenced pieces in a secular concert, and it works equally well as a spring or pop concert feature.

• Rhythmic independence and samba pulse maintenance
• Jazz articulation and phrasing
• Scat singing and rhythmic syllable precision
• SAB voice part balance and blend
• Working with recorded accompaniment tracks