Too Close for Comfort: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score

Gordon Goodwin's arrangement keeps the swagger of this Broadway standard intact while making space for your ensemble's personality. The intertwined vocal melody and instrumental solos create a sophisticated chart where singers and players trade phrases naturally, and the multiple vocal keys ensure accessibility across different voice types.

Suave and urbane, with a touch of humor beneath the polish. The arrangement swings with ease, shifting between tight ensemble passages and moments where the vocalist and soloists take control, creating a conversational quality that feels like overhearing a very talented group of friends making music together.

Jazz ensembles and vocal jazz groups at the advanced level who want to program a sophisticated, recognizable standard with room for both group precision and individual soloist moments. Directors seeking charts that balance accessibility with real musical challenge will find this especially rewarding.

• Balance the vocalist against the ensemble so the vocal line cuts through without overwhelming the saxophone and trumpet solos that follow.
• Rehearse the modulations (F to G to A-flat) as key structural moments; they should feel intentional, not accidental.
• Use the solo lead sheets to develop individual section member confidence; these charts reward musicians who can navigate changes cleanly and with style.
• Lock in the rhythm section early and let the horns and vocals shape phrasing around that groove.

Pair this with other Goodwin arrangements or Broadway-sourced jazz charts to build a set that showcases your ensemble's range. It works equally well as a standalone feature or as part of a jazz standards concert, and the recording as performed on The Phat Pack CD serves as a valuable reference for style and interpretation.

• Reading and executing modulations between related keys (F, G, A-flat)
• Balancing vocal line with ensemble texture in a jazz context
• Improvising and interpreting solo lines from lead sheets (alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone)
• Navigating extended vocal range (low E below middle C to E-flat fourth space) with musicality
• Coordinating ensemble tightness while maintaining jazz swing feel