I Got Rhythm: TTBB Choral Octavo

Mark Hayes understands how to unlock the rhythmic DNA of a Gershwin standard without overshadowing the melody that made it immortal. The arrangement gives your men's voices genuine jazz vocabulary to work with, syncopation, scat syllables, and harmonic movement that feel authentic rather than gimmicky. Your singers will sound like they're having a conversation with one of America's greatest songs, not performing it from a distance.

Propulsive and alive. The arrangement crackles with the kind of energy that made Gershwin's original so infectious, built on layers of syncopation and call-and-response that make you want to move. It swings hard while keeping the underlying melody close enough to recognize.

Men's choirs and mixed ensembles with solid rhythm readers and an appetite for jazz-inflected American standards. This works for groups beyond intermediate level who want to explore repertoire that feels contemporary in spirit despite its classic origins.

• Attack the syncopated lines with precision; the rhythm is the point, so lock in as an ensemble before worrying about blend.
• Lean into the scat and rhythmic syllables Mark Hayes has written. These aren't decorative; they're the voice of the arrangement.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to internalize how the voices sit against the jazz piano and rhythm section, then gradually reduce dependence on it during rehearsals.
• Shape the classic melody when it returns so it lands with earned simplicity after all the rhythmic play around it.

Pair this with other Great American Songbook arrangements to build a set that shows how jazz vocabulary has shaped American vocal music. It's also an excellent choice for a concert that includes classical and contemporary work, serving as a bridge that audiences recognize and enjoy immediately.

• Reading syncopated rhythms across multiple vocal lines simultaneously
• Jazz articulation and swing feel in a choral context
• Rhythmic independence while maintaining ensemble cohesion
• Scat singing and rhythmic syllables as compositional elements
• Balancing a catchy, memorable melody with complex harmonic movement