Big Band: Happy Birthday Sheet Music

[Gandalfe]

I've been looking around for some sheet music for a big band of "Happy Birthday" for an upcoming party. I can easily just have a combo version available, but it would be preferrable to have the whole big band play a nice arrangement. I've checked the normal sheet music haunts; Marina Music, J. W. Pepper, and Sheet music plus as well as the Sibelius amateur sites.

While piano and guitar versions abound (which I could write myself) I can't find a big band version. I did find Stan Kenton's "Happy Birthday to You" but that is both harder than this band can do and too much. Anyone have a pointer to a place where I can purchase this?

[hakukani]

You might try jim martin at pdfjazzmusic:

http://pdfjazzmusic.com/

[Gandalfe]

You might try jim martin at pdfjazzmusic:
http://pdfjazzmusic.com/ No joy in Mudville... but a nice site.

[saxhound]

E-mail sent.

[Gandalfe]

Life is good and I luv getting the Sibelius files to play with. Thanks SaxHound! 8-)

[saxhound]

You're welcome.

A little bit off topic, but it ties in to arranging. Not having a great ear for chords, I sometimes struggle with doing an arrangement from a recording. I downloaded a demo of this yesterday:

http://www.neuratron.com/audioscore.htm

Sibelius also sells this through some kind of co-marketing agreement, and it is supposed to work with Sib 5 and 6.

Given the limitations of the demo (20 seconds max, no saving or exporting), it worked pretty well. I had to use Audacity to slice out the relevant section from the recording, but I was able to figure out what I needed. I'm not ready to pay the $249 yet, because I think they still need to work out some issues, but one of these days, it will be a great tool to have. Maybe by the time I upgrade to Sibelius 9 or 10, it will be ready for prime time.

[Roger Aldridge]

Gandalfe,

The Arranging for the Large Jazz Ensemble book published by Berklee has 5 versions of Happy Birthday for big band written in different styles: early jazz / Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Bill Holman, and Miles Ahead era Gil Evans. I have transposed parts for the Ellington version.

Roger

[Gandalfe]

The Arranging for the Large Jazz Ensemble book published by Berklee has 5 versions of Happy Birthday for big band written in different styles: early jazz / Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Bill Holman, and Miles Ahead era Gil Evans. I have transposed parts for the Ellington version.Way cool. So many projects and so little time. 8-)

[Roger Aldridge]

If you want the parts for the Ellington-style version of Happy Birthday let me know. I'll have to check to see if the page size is one that I can scan and send as a PDF. It's a good sounding chart.

Roger

[Gandalfe]

It's a good sounding chart. That sounds very promising. That would be awesome Roger. 8-)

[Carl H.]

If you want the parts for the Ellington-style version of Happy Birthday let me know. I'll have to check to see if the page size is one that I can scan and send as a PDF. It's a good sounding chart.

Roger
If you could CC me on that, I would greatly appreciate it!!

[Gandalfe]

We get this request every year and just do the combo thang, but a Big Band version that sounds great would really make my day. I hope these candidates result in one that the band likes.

[tictactux]

We get this request every year and just do the combo thang, but a Big Band version that sounds great would really make my day. I hope these candidates result in one that the band likes.

We have a march version here... <hides behind monitor>

[Groovekiller]

I'm holding out for a Mambo

[Roger Aldridge]

It seems to me that the Ellington-style Happy Birthday chart could be played as a mambo. If you'd like to have a copy please email me and I'll send it to you on Monday. The score and parts have been scanned into a PDF file. As I described in a previous email, I did not write this chart. Rather it's contained in the Berklee arranging book as an example of big band styles. Besides the Ellington-style there are also early jazz / Fletcher Henderson, Basie, Holman, and Gil Evans (based on his My Ship chart on Miles Ahead) stylistic versions of Happy Birthday.

Roger

[Gandalfe]

I like both of these versions and may use them both as one piece. We'll see what the director sez.

[Gandalfe]

Argh, the sound of these was not good in ensemble. The band wanted so much to like them but the first one sounded too much like a march (their words not mine) and the second sounded like it was mis-transposed. I understand Ellington has some disonate stuff but this was just hard to sell the gang. Maybe will do something up for the rhythm section and the rest of us will just sing it.

[Roger Aldridge]

Yes, some of the voicings are dissonant. The final chord, especially, defies analysis with conventional harmonic thinking. These are part of the Ellington style.

The Basie-style version of Happy Birthday in the Berklee arranging book may be a better match for the band.

Roger

[Gandalfe]

The Basie-style version of Happy Birthday in the Berklee arranging book may be a better match for the band.Is that in the Berklee "Songwriter's Workshop (http://www.amazon.com/Songwriters-Workshop-Harmony-Berklee-Press/dp/0634026615/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267211987&sr=1-1)"?

[Roger Aldridge]

It's a book called "Arranging for the Large Jazz Ensemble" that is published by the Berklee Press. If you don't have a copy of it, it's definitely worth its price. Even if one is an experienced arranger, it's helpful to have it in your library as a reference.

Roger