The Drifters

Under the Boardwalk

Summer, sun and beach - this carefree attitude to life was conveyed by the vocal group "The Drifters" in 1964 with their song Under the Boardwalk. Latin American-influenced rhythms at a rather moderate tempo lend the song a sunny, relaxed vacation atmosphere, which is also mentioned in the lyrics. As a prominent 'southern' percussion element, a guiro is heard already in the introduction, which remains present in the background throughout the piece.

Stefan Schwalgin has conceived his arrangement as a solo for flugelhorn and wind orchestra. The pitch for the soloist is almost as comfortable as lying in a beach chair. A clou of the arrangement consists in the fact that the wind players of the orchestra at the beginning pantomimically give the impression of playing the mentioned guiro sound (which really comes from the percussion register) with their palms. A small interlude of 'Mexican' orchestral trumpets in parallel thirds completes the slightly exotic flair of the whole.