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Lover: E-Z Play Today

As performed by Ella Fitzgerald

Item: 35-DS00449771

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$4.99
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Additional Details
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Page Count: 4
SKU: 35-DS00449771

More about this title

About the Artist: Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald redefined what it meant to be a jazz vocalist. Her technical mastery of melody, harmonic sophistication, and rhythmic flexibility set the standard for generations of singers and musicians who followed. She recorded hundreds of standards and original compositions, becoming one of the most influential interpreters of the American songbook.

For music educators, Fitzgerald's recordings serve as masterclasses in phrasing, intonation, and musical intention. Her approach to a melody reveals how much can be expressed through subtle timing choices and the relationship between voice and accompaniment. Teaching from her interpretations builds students' ears for what jazz standards can become.

Why we love this

Fitzgerald's interpretation of this standard captures the elegance and simplicity that made her one of jazz's defining voices. The four-page arrangement gives pianists and singers enough space to explore the song's harmonic content while staying true to the melody that made it memorable. Having this particular recording as a reference point means students can hear exactly how phrasing decisions shape a standard.

What to expect

The arrangement settles into the warm, conversational space where mid-century jazz standards live. There is room to stretch the tempo slightly and lean into phrases without the song losing its elegant simplicity. The four pages feel unhurried; this is music for listening closely, not rushing through.

Who it's for

Pianists building a jazz standard repertoire and singers preparing material for jazz, cabaret, or general music performance. Music educators can use this as an introduction to how standards are arranged at an accessible level while maintaining their essential character.

How to get the most out of it

  • Listen to Fitzgerald's recording multiple times before the first rehearsal. Notice where she places notes slightly ahead of or behind the beat; that flexibility is the difference between reading the tune and inhabiting it.
  • Shape the bridge with slightly more intensity and forward motion than the outer sections. This creates the architectural lift that standards need.
  • Balance accompaniment against the melody line so the harmony supports rather than competes. In a jazz standard, the piano work should breathe with the vocalist or primary melodist.

How to use it

Include this in a jazz standards showcase, a cabaret evening, or a concert pairing classical art songs with popular standards. This recording and arrangement work well as a study piece for students learning how to approach a standard with maturity and respect for the original.

Skills your students will build

  • Phrasing and rubato in jazz idiom
  • Interpreting a standard from a recording reference
  • Balancing accompaniment with melody
  • Understanding chord changes through listening and analysis

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