More Today Than Yesterday: Choral Instrumental Pak

Kirby Shaw's arrangement captures what made the original so immediately gratifying while opening the door for genuine jazz interpretation. Your singers get to inhabit a song the audience already knows and loves, which means they can focus energy on the stylistic elements that separate a jazz treatment from a pop cover. The swing feel and harmonic sophistication here teach musicianship through repertoire that actually engages people.

Nostalgic yet contemporary, the arrangement wraps itself in genuine warmth. There's an optimism here that feels both vintage and timeless, with the kind of harmonic movement that rewards careful listening while remaining accessible to casual listeners.

Jazz choirs and show choirs ready to tackle a recognizable pop standard with harmonic and rhythmic depth. Directors seeking material that connects with audiences while genuinely developing swing phrasing and ensemble jazz sensibility will find this particularly useful.

• Shape the phrasing around the lyrical content rather than rigidly metering it. The tune breathes, so let it breathe with you.
• Lock the harmonic foundation early in rehearsals. Once the voicings settle, your soloists will have solid ground for improvisation and rhythmic freedom.
• Record a rehearsal and listen for rhythmic cohesion across all sections. Jazz intonation sits differently than classical voicing, and audio playback catches what your ear misses in the moment.
• Emphasize the difference between straight eighth notes and swung eighths from day one. This song lives and dies on that distinction.

This works beautifully as a concert closer or the opening number of a second half dedicated to jazz standards. Pair it with other vocal jazz treatments to show your ensemble's range, or feature it as a showcase for your developing soloists and improvisation students.

• Swing eighth-note interpretation and feel
• Jazz intonation and chord tone singing
• Improvisation within a structured harmonic framework
• Stylistic contrast between pop and jazz interpretations
• Ensemble balance in jazz voicings
• Phrasing with rhythmic flexibility