John Done Saw That Number (Band and Singer)
My first encounter with this tune was in the Our Singing Country collection of the invaluable John and Alan Lomax. When I looked at the original transcription, it struck me as dramatic and narrative, which inclined me to infuse this arrangement with a great deal of musical theatre elements. In fact, this arrangement isn't particularly folk-y, though it has it at its core.
It opens with a small tease of just voice and piano before jumping into one of three "Chant Sequences." Each chant is led by the lead vocalist, with the "ensemble" keeping time with the hi-hat, stomps, claps, and snaps.
Between those are the choruses: harmonically simple but powerful. If your ensemble is proficient, riffing and ad-libbing are completely appropriate, especially during the third chorus. In the middle of the song, one of the choruses is mixed with a jazz swing groove in the bass and hi-hat.
Orchestration
Lead Vox - Baritone (Bb2-Eb4)
Descant - Soprano (Up to high Eb)
Backing Vox - SATB (Performed by All,
including instrumentalists. Includes fixed motions)
Keyboard (Piano, Organ)
Upright Bass (opt. Electric)
Percussion (Hi-Hat, Standing with singers)
Tenor Sax
My first encounter with this tune was in the Our Singing Country collection of the invaluable John and Alan Lomax. When I looked at the original transcription, it struck me as dramatic and narrative, which inclined me to infuse this arrangement with a great deal of musical theatre elements. In fact, this arrangement isn't particularly folk-y, though it has it at its core.
It opens with a small tease of just voice and piano before jumping into one of three "Chant Sequences." Each chant is led by the lead vocalist, with the "ensemble" keeping time with the hi-hat, stomps, claps, and snaps.
Between those are the choruses: harmonically simple but powerful. If your ensemble is proficient, riffing and ad-libbing are completely appropriate, especially during the third chorus. In the middle of the song, one of the choruses is mixed with a jazz swing groove in the bass and hi-hat.
Orchestration
Lead Vox - Baritone (Bb2-Eb4)
Descant - Soprano (Up to high Eb)
Backing Vox - SATB (Performed by All,
including instrumentalists. Includes fixed motions)
Keyboard (Piano, Organ)
Upright Bass (opt. Electric)
Percussion (Hi-Hat, Standing with singers)
Tenor Sax
My first encounter with this tune was in the Our Singing Country collection of the invaluable John and Alan Lomax. When I looked at the original transcription, it struck me as dramatic and narrative, which inclined me to infuse this arrangement with a great deal of musical theatre elements. In fact, this arrangement isn't particularly folk-y, though it has it at its core.
It opens with a small tease of just voice and piano before jumping into one of three "Chant Sequences." Each chant is led by the lead vocalist, with the "ensemble" keeping time with the hi-hat, stomps, claps, and snaps.
Between those are the choruses: harmonically simple but powerful. If your ensemble is proficient, riffing and ad-libbing are completely appropriate, especially during the third chorus. In the middle of the song, one of the choruses is mixed with a jazz swing groove in the bass and hi-hat.
Orchestration
Lead Vox - Baritone (Bb2-Eb4)
Descant - Soprano (Up to high Eb)
Backing Vox - SATB (Performed by All,
including instrumentalists. Includes fixed motions)
Keyboard (Piano, Organ)
Upright Bass (opt. Electric)
Percussion (Hi-Hat, Standing with singers)
Tenor Sax