Myles Collins

Many big bands of the 30's & 40's performed novelty numbers, and most of them were very forgettable. However, some endured, simply because they were so well written and arranged. Kay Kyser's version o...

Massachusetts is a classic chart from the Gene Krupa band, featuring Anita O'Day on vocal. It is a high energy, up-tempo swinger that is full of great sectional work and hard swingin' lines. We have w...

Here is a softly swingin' and tonally rich vocal chart of Cole Porters' Love For Sale based on the Julie London version. We have removed the string lines and re-scored the chart to make it playable wi...

A great little Charlie Hathaway blues-based chart from the Basie band of 1938, with Jimmy Rushing taking the vocal. The chart opens with a short Basie piano solo and a quick unison riff from the reeds...

Here is a great little swing dance number from the relatively early days of Doris Day with the Les Brown Orchestra. Whilst the vocal lyric is not exactly Shakespearean, it is bouncy and quite infectio...

Although this chart was made famous by Vaughn Monroe in its own right, it is perhaps more widely recognised as the main theme in the Bruce Willis 'Die Hard' series of movies. The opening unison Trumpe...

Taken from the Frank Sinatra / Billy May album 'Come Dance With Me', this rare Sinatra chart carries all of the punch of Billy May's superb writing, combined with the flowing vocal subtlety that is ha...

This great railway tune was originally written for the 1948 film 'The Harvey Girls'. The version that we offer here was recorded by Rosemary Clooney with the Harry James Orchestra in 1952 and, aside f...

This tune was written by the Gershwins for the 1932 film 'Girl Crazy'. Ella Fitzgerald revisited the song on her 1959 Gershwin Songbook album, the arrangement being written by Nelson Riddle. We have t...

Here is Rosemary Clooney's cool 1950's version of Oh You Beautiful Doll, written for vocal solo plus 4 piece backing group. If you band doesn't have a vocal group to hand, don't worry! We have written...

Transcribed from Neal Hefti's outstanding chart written for Sinatra's 1962 album 'Sinatra and Swingin' Brass'', this chart is a fast-paced, high energy, hard-swinging beauty. We have notated the vocal...

Recorded by Doris Day with the Lou Bring Orchestra in 1947, this chart is a really laid-back, bluesy swing ballad. The band supports the vocalist beautifully, and the underlying harmonies are rich and...

Recorded by Helen Forrest with the Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1940, this melodious tune was originally composed by Chopin (Fantasie-Impromptu Op.66) and then adapted and performed by numerous artists...

Transcribed from Billy May's chart written for Anita O'Day, this chart takes a song that is more usually played as a very slow ballad into slow swing territory, where it sits very nicely. It is an out...

Who's Sorry Now is taken from the version performed by the late, great Kate Smith, and it is bold and bluesey too. The band backings give the vocalist great support without ever getting in her way, an...

Gene Krupa recorded over eighty tracks for Capitol Records in 1946-1947. These sessions were later released, along with over sixty Harry James tracks, as the Capitol Vaults Jazz Series. Included in th...

This tune was recorded by Ella for her Harold Arlen songbook album, with the original arrangement scored by Billy May. We have adapted the chart to a full 5444 line-up (from the original 5114) though...

Here is the classic Vaughan Monroe version of this chart, written during the darker days of WWII and sung as a beacon of hope for better times ahead. This is a straight ahead chart with no particularl...

Once In a While is scored as an easy to play vocal feature in the key of Ab, making it singable by most Alto or Baritone voices. After a short intro the vocalist takes the first chorus, backed by reed...

Here is Bobby Darin's great take on My Gal Sal, a song normally associated with a more trad / dixie setting. This version is a mid-tempo swinger that features the vocalist all the way. Unusually, the...

We are proud to offer you our transcription of one of Ella Fitzgerald's most memorable charts. Originally scored by Nelson Riddle for Ella's Johnny Mercer Songbook album, this chart exemplifies his tr...

This is a transcription of Nelson Riddle's lovely chart written for Ella Fitzgerald's Johnny Mercer Songbook album. It is taken at a relaxed 80 bpm and is a perfect vehicle for showcasing the bluesy s...

This version of Cole Porter's classic tune is from Peggy Lee with the Benny Goodman band of 1941. We have augmented the brass to 8 voices and scored Goodman's short Clarinet solo on the Alto 2 part. I...

Transcribed from a live performance and adapted to suit a full 5444 band line-up, this Bobby Darin chart swings from top to toe. It opens with only vocal, bass & drums and the full band only enters mi...

Indian Summer is a hauntingly beautiful melody from the pen of Victor Herbert. Written in 1919 under the original title of 'An American Idyll', the lyric was added in 1939 by Al Dubin. The version tha...