Old Devil Moon: SATB Choral Octavo

Mac Huff's arrangement captures the swagger and sophistication of this standard without overcomplicating it. The voicing sits comfortably for SATB ensembles while maintaining the harmonic nuance that makes jazz standards rewarding to sing, and the 11-page length feels substantial enough to justify rehearsal time without demanding excessive preparation.

Playful and sly, with an underlying romantic tension. The melody dances around the harmony with a knowing wink, and the text's flirtation with fate gives the arrangement room for both vocal transparency and moments of richer harmonic color. There's sophistication here, but it never takes itself too seriously.

Choirs with intermediate to advanced singers who have experience with jazz style and understand jazz phrasing conventions. This works equally well for show choirs, jazz ensembles, and select-voice groups in community or educational settings looking to program a recognizable standard.

• Shape the phrasing around the lyrical content rather than the bar lines. The devil-may-care attitude of the text should breathe in your delivery, not feel locked to a rigid pulse.
• Balance the four parts carefully in passages where the melody sits in upper voices; this arrangement likely distributes the lead between sections, and clarity depends on soloists resisting the urge to cover harmony lines.
• Approach the jazz harmony with specificity in tuning. Chords will sit more naturally if singers imagine the function of each note rather than blending generically.
• Use dynamics to outline the form. A 12-bar or 32-bar jazz structure responds well to subtle dynamic shaping that reveals the harmonic architecture underneath.

Fit this into a set of jazz standards for a pops concert or a program celebrating the American songbook. It pairs well alongside other Harburg compositions or classic jazz numbers and works as an excellent contrast piece if you're balancing a program that includes heavier classical or contemporary work.

• Jazz phrasing and swing interpretation
• Four-part jazz harmony voicing and tuning
• Lyrical expression and subtext in secular vocal music
• Blending while maintaining harmonic independence