Nice Work If You Can Get It: Choral Octavo SoundTrax CD

Jay Althouse's arrangement strips away excess and focuses on what makes this Gershwin standard so enduring: a pristine melody, bright harmonic color, and swinging rhythm. The inclusion of two solos gives singers the chance to step into the spotlight while the ensemble provides sophisticated support, making this work equally valuable for building confidence in developing soloists and for showcasing your section's blend and balance.

This is pure swing optimism: bright, energetic, and effortlessly charming. The melody bounces with the ease of someone who knows life is good, and Althouse's voicings add sophisticated color without losing the song's conversational warmth. Singing it should feel like stepping into a 1930s nightclub where everyone's having a genuinely good time.

Any choir seeking a crowd-pleasing standard that works for pop or jazz-focused concerts, or for programs that pair classic Broadway material with contemporary repertoire. The arrangement sits well for mixed or equal voices with moderate ranges and demands solid intonation and rhythmic precision without extensive technical difficulty.

• Keep the rhythm section locked in the swing feel throughout; the recorded accompaniment will help establish this groove, but your singers need to feel it in their bodies, not just hear it.
• Balance the solo lines prominently against the harmonic background so the featured singers cut through without the ensemble pulling back too far.
• Shape the phrase endings with a light lift rather than a full stop; this style demands forward motion even in the rests.
• Work the tight harmonies in rehearsal without the recording first so singers internalize their own part before relying on the track.

Program this as a centerpiece for a standards or classic American songbook concert, where it can anchor a Gershwin set or sit comfortably alongside Cole Porter or Rodgers and Hart. Its theatrical familiarity also makes it valuable for variety shows, pops concerts, or end-of-year celebrations where you want a song the audience already loves but arranged fresh for voices.

• Swing rhythm and jazz articulation
• Part independence and blend in close harmonies
• Solo confidence and microphone technique
• Stylistic flexibility in interpreting American songbook repertoire
• Intonation in chromatic chord progressions