I Only Have Eyes for You: SSA Choral Octavo

Mark Hayes's big-band arrangement captures the swagger of the original without overwhelming an SSA ensemble, and the scat singing section gives singers a chance to experience jazz language beyond traditional choral parts. The contemporary reference embedded in the lyrics (that knowing wink toward smizing) opens space for honest conversation about how standards remain alive when we approach them with humor and awareness of current culture.

Sophisticated and buoyant. The arrangement swings without ever losing elegance, delivering that specific pleasure of a standard that has proven its worth across decades and dozens of interpretations. There's a lightness here despite the harmonic complexity, and the scat touches remind you that jazz is as much conversation and humor as it is precision.

This works for treble choirs with some jazz singing experience or willingness to learn it. The scat section and syncopated rhythms ask singers to step outside traditional choral territory, making this ideal for a chamber choir, an advanced high school ensemble, or a college group ready for a style shift.

• Lock the syncopated rhythms in section rehearsals before combining voices. The jazzy phrasing requires precision, and independent parts won't sound cohesive if the rhythmic foundation wavers.
• Approach the scat section as a vocal jazz exercise, not a novelty moment. Guide singers to think in short melodic phrases and feel the swing subdivision rather than sing it mathematically.
• Use the recorded accompaniment to establish the big-band groove and show singers how their phrasing sits against the rhythm section. This arrangement depends on locking with that pocket.
• Balance blend with clarity in the harmonies. The jazz voicings are part of the arrangement's character; singers need to hear each other's lines while maintaining the overall sonority.

Program this as a change-of-pace selection in a concert that otherwise leans classical or contemporary. It programs beautifully alongside other jazz arrangements or as a bridge between a formal first half and a lighter, more playful second half. The recognizability of the tune also makes it an audience favorite, which matters for concert momentum.

• Reading and executing syncopated rhythms in ensemble context
• Singing jazz scat language and phrasing
• Balancing individual line clarity with blended harmonic voicing
• Responding to swing groove and subdivisions in ensemble
• Interpreting standards with contemporary awareness