Strike Up the Band

This is one of a series of arrangements written by Nelson Riddle for Ella Fitzgerald focusing on the Gershwin songbook. These arrangements constitute some of the most famous settings of classic songs for one of the greatest vocalists in American music. 'Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook' was the high point in the series of songbook packages produced by Norman Granz for the Verve label. There had been four such projects beforehand: boxes of songs by Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin preceded it. Granz decided to make the Gershwin box the most ambitious of all of them; 5 LPs plus a 7" limited edition bonus disc that included Riddle arrangements of Gershwin instrumental compositions. This was the first songbook that was arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. Granz had wanted Riddle for the first songbooks, but he was unavailable at the time. Although the musical it originated from quickly fell into obscurity, the Brothers Gershwin's 'Strike Up the Band' has become a rather popular entry in their vast catalog of songs. Nelson Riddle's arrangement for Ella Fitzgerald sees the former showcasing his humorous side while still providing a setting that allows the latter to shine at her brightest. Things begin, appropriately enough, with a military-style roll-off in the drums before a roaring fanfare in the brass enters at measure 13. Once the brass have had their say, the arrangement seems to settle into a more traditional swing feel, although the march tempo continues to peek its head out from time to time throughout the rest of the performance. The backgrounds, in typical Riddle fashion, provide enough support to spur on Fitzgerald's vocals without overwhelming or outshining her in the process. Another bugle-call style figure in the brass announces the beginning of the very tongue-in-cheek ensemble shout chorus. The melody here is handled by the extreme registers of the ensemble - the piccolo and the tuba - with the rest of the brass section simply but effectively filling in the gaps. Fitzgerald returns at measure 75, accompanied by ensemble figures similar to what backed her earlier on. The last few measures of the melody are tagged, and although the listener may be expecting one last marching band reference, the final few measures are instead a hard-swinging ensemble riff that closes off the performance in a highly effective and enjoyable way. This publication was based on Nelson Riddle's pencil score - this is not a transcription.