You Are The Sunshine Of My Life [Jazz version] (arr. Brent Edstrom): Piano Vocal

Brent Edstrom's arrangement captures the warmth of Wonder's original while adding jazz inflection through reharmonization and comping suggestions that never overshadow the vocal line. High school and college singers get a genuine window into how a standard pop ballad becomes a vehicle for exploring chord extensions, substitute dominants, and the interplay between accompaniment and melody that defines sophisticated arranging.

Intimate and glowing. The arrangement honors the original's tenderness while inviting the performers to inhabit the harmonic space Wonder created, creating a sense of speaking directly to the listener rather than performing at them.

This works beautifully for advanced high school singers and college students studying jazz vocals or arranging. Pianists pairing with singers will find genuine musical complexity that rewards attention without requiring professional performance skills.

• Balance the vocal line over the comping patterns in the piano part; the richness comes from hearing both elements clearly, not from the accompaniment receding into the background.
• Lean into the swing feel where indicated rather than playing it straight, letting the rhythmic interpretation breathe and avoid sounding stiff.
• Experiment with rubato in the verses, treating the piano and voice as conversational rather than metronomic; the arrangement supports this flexibility.
• Pay attention to the dynamic shape within phrases, rising toward harmonic tension points and releasing when the harmony resolves, which will bring out Edstrom's voice leading.

Consider programming this as a standalone feature or as part of a jazz standards set that showcases R&B's influence on vocal jazz. It works equally well in a spring concert, a singer's recital, or as a teaching example in an arranging class.

• Reading jazz chord symbols and interpreting comping figures
• Phrasing across bar lines and managing breath in a ballad context
• Listening to harmonic tension and release while singing
• Coordinating rubato between pianist and vocalist
• Understanding how reharmonization preserves melody while deepening harmonic content