When Lights Are Low

In the mid-to-late 1970s Ella Fitzgerald performed live with the Count Basie Orchestra several times. This Nelson Riddle arrangement was created for a 1976 appearance at Carnegie Hall as part of the Pablo Jazz Festival. The arrangement was never recorded and perhaps never played again by Ella. The arrangement is 100% a vocal feature of the Benny Carter standard. Slow and bluesy, it has many of the trademark Riddle touches. The arrangement starts out in the key of G and modulates to Ab for a vocalise section where Ella hummed the melody. There is no known recording of this concert, so we have included a midi sound sample to give you an idea of the arrangement.