The Best Things In Life Are Free (arr. Kirby Shaw): SSA Choral Octavo

Shaw's arrangement strips this timeless standard down to its essential charm while keeping the harmonic sophistication that makes jazz singing rewarding. The SSA voicing opens the piece to groups of varying sizes and skill levels, yet the jazz harmonies and swing feel demand genuine musicianship from your singers. It's the kind of arrangement that sounds effortless but requires careful attention to blend, rhythmic precision, and that indefinable quality of swing that Shaw has spent his career teaching.

Breezy and sophisticated, with the warmth of an old favorite paired with the harmonic sophistication that makes you listen twice. There's an understated elegance here; the arrangement lets the melody breathe while supporting it with jazz voicings that feel both contemporary and timeless.

Directors seeking a crowd-pleasing standard that doesn't sacrifice musicality, and SSA ensembles ready to explore jazz harmony and swing feel. This works equally well for high school choirs with jazz experience and community or adult choral groups looking for accessible but sophisticated repertoire.

• Let the rhythm section lock the groove early in rehearsals rather than starting with perfect note accuracy. Once your singers feel the swing subdivision and sense where to sit rhythmically within the pulse, tuning and blend fall into place naturally.
• Shape phrases with the lyrical ease of a jazz vocalist rather than a classical legit singer. The text should feel conversational; lyrics like 'the best things in life' benefit from subtle phrasing and natural breath placement that follows the language, not bar lines.
• Balance the soprano line carefully against the lower voices. Jazz arrangements often ask altos and second sopranos to carry important harmonic material; if they're buried beneath a soaring first soprano, the arrangement loses its sophistication.
• Encourage singers to listen to classic vocal jazz recordings of this standard. Hearing how artists like Ella Fitzgerald or Bill Evans trio recordings treat the melody and harmony will inform choices about tone, vibrato control, and the right kind of flexibility in tempo.

Program this alongside lighter fare on a spring or pops concert where you want to signal that your group understands jazz idiom without requiring a full vocal jazz set. It also serves as a natural teaching piece mid-season, introducing students to swing feel and jazz harmony in the context of a song everyone recognizes.

• Swing subdivision and rhythmic placement within jazz time
• Listening and balancing jazz voicings across three parts
• Phrasing and text delivery that serves lyrical meaning over metrical structure
• Blend and tone control in close harmonic contexts
• Recognition of chord changes and harmonic movement in jazz standards