Just One of Those Things: SATB Choral Octavo

Mark Hayes has arranged this standard with real swing vocabulary intact. The choice to open with the verse before moving into the 2-beat sets up narrative momentum, and the shift into a driving swing section gives singers a genuine sense of style without requiring them to sing over incomprehensible complexity. You get an arrangement that sounds like real jazz singing, not a simplified approximation.

Cole Porter's sophisticated melody unfolds with cool confidence over a propulsive jazz rhythm. There is real swing here, the kind that makes singers want to move, paired with the urbane charm that defines a golden-age standard.

High school and college choirs looking for standards repertoire that satisfies both pop and jazz sensibilities. The piece accommodates groups of varying sizes, making it accessible to smaller programs while offering enough harmonic interest for more experienced ensembles.

• Establish the walking bass line early in rehearsals. Have your accompanist (or a pianist doubling the recording) lock that line in before worrying about swing articulation in the voices.
• Distinguish the verse from the 2-beat section through dynamic contrast. The verse can sit more conversationally; let it breathe before the energy kicks in.
• Work the swing feel in isolation during warm-ups rather than embedded in the full arrangement. Once the rhythmic feel settles in the singers' bodies, drop it into context.

Pair this with other mid-century standards or American Songbook material for a concert that celebrates jazz singing tradition. It works equally well as a show-opener that immediately signals style and energy, or as a closer that sends the audience out on an upbeat groove.

• Swing articulation and jazz phrasing conventions
• Reading and performing a walking bass line with precision
• Navigating meter and tempo changes within a single piece
• Blending legit vocal technique with jazz interpretation
• Understanding harmonic movement in jazz chord progressions