Long Ago (And Far Away) (from Cover Girl): E-Z Play Today

This standard deserves a spot in any jazz pianist's repertoire because it offers genuine melodic substance without excessive technical demands. E-Z Play Today's streamlined voicings let students focus on the song's romantic phrasing and harmonic movement rather than getting tangled in complex chord substitutions.

Wistful and tender, this piece evokes memory and longing through Kern's gift for crafting singable, lingering melodies. The arrangement captures the intimate quality of a standard that rewards subtle emotional coloring and sympathetic phrasing.

Intermediate pianists ready to work with jazz standards at a manageable technical level, this arrangement supports both solo performance and accompanying other musicians. It works equally well for students building their jazz vocabulary or pianists seeking accessible material for casual performance.

• Shape the melody with rubato in the opening phrases; let the tempo breathe rather than mechanically counting through the verse.
• Voice the accompanying chords to highlight the song's harmonic progression without overshadowing the tune itself.
• Pay attention to the transition between sections, using dynamics to clarify the form and maintain listener engagement.
• Accompany the melody with tasteful restraint, remembering that this is a jazz standard where less often communicates more elegance.

Feature this in a jazz standards concert or as part of a Golden Age of Broadway program that celebrates the theatrical songwriting tradition. It also serves well as an encore piece or as background music for an evening dedicated to American songbook classics.

• Interpreting jazz phrasing and rubato within a structured melody
• Reading and voicing lead sheet harmony for jazz standards
• Building confidence with recognizable, singable melodic material
• Balancing accompaniment texture to support rather than compete with the tune