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Take the 'A' Train

Music by Duke Ellington

"Take the 'A' Train" is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. It is arguably the most famous of the many compositions to emerge from the collaboration of Ellington and Strayhorn. The title refers to the then-new A subway service that runs through New York City, going at that time from eastern Brooklyn, on the Fulton Street Line opened in 1936, up into Harlem and northern Manhattan, using the Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan opened in 1932.

"Take the 'A' Train" was composed in 1939, after Ellington offered Strayhorn a job in his organization and gave him money to travel from Pittsburgh to New York City. Ellington wrote directions for Strayhorn to get to his house by subway, directions that began, "Take the A Train". Strayhorn was a great fan of Fletcher Henderson's arrangements. "One day, I was thinking about his style, the way he wrote for trumpets, trombones and saxophones, and I thought I would try something like that," Strayhorn recalled

    Release Date: 1939


Songbooks, Arrangements and/or Media

Displaying 1-12 of 12 items.


Barrie Carson Turne : Just Voices - Jazz : SSA. / SAT : Songbook : 884088627430 : 1847720528 : 14041562

Barrie Carson Turne : Just Voices - Jazz

Ten easy three-part a cappella arrangements of classic jazz songs, for either SSA or SAT choirs, with a piano part for convenient rehearsal. All of these rousing pieces are presented in new arrangements by Barrie Carson Turner. Just Voices Jazz brings together ten timeless jazz songs that make an ideal introduction to mastering the a cappella style.

Songlist: Ain't Misbehavin', Come Fly With Me, Don't Know Why, Fever, Fly Me To The Moon, If I Had You, Stormy Weather, 'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It), Take the 'A' Train, The Girl From Ipanema

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Voicing: SSA. / SAT | 7267b | Songbook | $14.95 | A Cappella


Hywel Davies : A Duke Ellington Choral Suite : SATB : Songbook : 884088485719 : 0853605904 : 14009357

Hywel Davies : A Duke Ellington Choral Suite

A Novello Voices Choral Suite, arranged by Hywel Davies. Contains: Take the A Train, Satin Doll, Lush Life, Things Ain't What They Used to Be and Perdido. The Novello Voices series features fabulous SATB arrangements of popular modern songs from West End shows and the worlds of jazz and pop.

Songlist: Take The 'A' Train, Satin Doll, Lush Life, Things Ain't What They Used to Be, Perdido

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Voicing: SATB | Performed by Duke Ellington | 4367b | Songbook | $7.95 | With Piano


Duke Ellington : Duke Ellington Anthology : Solo : Songbook : 884088236328 : 1423436997 : 00313400

Duke Ellington : Duke Ellington Anthology

The most important composer in the history of jazz, the legendary Duke Ellington lead his band continuously for five decades. This collection features 52 of his most beloved songs, including: Caravan - Don't Get Around Much Anymore - I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good - I'm Just a Lucky So and So - It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Mood Indigo - Perdido - Satin Doll - Solitude - Take the A Train - and more.

Songlist: Day Dream, Drop Me Off In Harlem, East St. Louis Toodle-oo, Love You Madly, Ring Dem Bells, Black Butterfly, The Mooch, I Didn't Know About You, Cotton Tail, Passion Flower, Everything But You, Something To Live For, Azure, Solitude, Dancers In Love, In A Mellow Tone, The Single Petal Of A Rose, Warm Valley, I'm Gonna Go Fishin', Jump For Joy, Caravan, Just A Settin' And A Rockin', Duke's Place, What Am I Here For?, Brown Skin Gal In The Calico Gown, Black And Tan Fantasy, Boy Meets Horn, Chelsea Bridge, Prelude To A Kiss, Perdido, and more

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Voicing: Solo | 20313b | Songbook | $28.95 | PVG


Ella Fitzgerald : Original Keys For Singers : Solo : Songbook : 073999023343 : 0634063421 : 00740252

Ella Fitzgerald : Original Keys For Singers

Arguably the best female jazz singer ever, no one could out-swing or out-scat "The First Lady of Song." This fine book features authentic transcriptions in the original keys of 25 Fitzgerald classics in voice with piano accompaniment format.

Songlist: A-Tisket A-Tasket, Black Coffee, But Not For Me, Cheek To Cheek, (You'd Be So) Easy to Love, Embraceable You, Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye, How Long Has This Been Going On, I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good), I'm Beginning to See the Light, I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket, I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm, If You Can't Sing It (You'll Have To Swing It), III Wind (You're Blowing Me No Good), Just One Of Those Things, The Lady is a Tramp, Let's Call The Whole Thing Off, Lullabye Of Birdland, Midnight Sun, Misty, Oh, Lady Be Good, Satin Doll, Stompin' At The Savoy, Take the 'A' Train

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Voicing: Solo | Performed by Ella Fitzgerald | 9204b | Songbook | $24.95 ON SALE $21.95 | Voice and Piano


Various : The Best Big Band Songs Ever - 4th Edition : Solo : Songbook : 888680900243 : 1540041441 : 00286933

Various : The Best Big Band Songs Ever - 4th Edition

This fourth edition boasts 66 swingin' big band favorites: Basin Street Blues - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - Don't Get Around Much Anymore - In the Mood - Jumpin' at the Woodside - Mood Indigo - The Nearness of You - Satin Doll - Sentimental Journey - Sing, Sing, Sing - A String of Pearls - Take the A Train - Tuxedo Junction - and more.

Songlist: April In Paris, Sweet Lorraine, Moonlight Serenade, Begin The Beguine, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Flying Home, I Can't Get Started, Jumpin' At The Woodside, One O'Clock Jump, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Shiny Stockings, Sing, Sing, Sing, Skyliner, Take The 'A' Train, Why Don't You Do Right (Get Me Some Money, Too!), Don't Be That Way, Straighten Up And Fly Right

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Voicing: Solo | 40617b | Songbook | $19.95 | PVG


Various Composers : The Great American Songbook - The Composers : Solo : Songbook : 884088106522 : 1423419545 : 00311365

Various Composers : The Great American Songbook - The Composers

From Berlin to Gershwin to Carmichael to Cahn, this folio features a comprehensive collection of standards from the greatest American composers, along with photos and bios of these masters of song.

Songlist: Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive, Ain't Misbehavin', All The Things You Are, All The Way, April In Paris, Autumn In New York, The Best Is Yet To Come, The Best Things In Life Are Free, Beyond The Blue Horizon, Big Spender, Blue Skies, Body And Soul, Button Up Your Overcoat, Buttons And Bows, Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, Change Partners, Cheek To Cheek, Come Fly With Me, Come Rain or Come Shine, Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me, Don't Blame Me, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Dream A Little Dream Of Me, Easy Living, Everything's Coming Up Roses, A Fine Romance, For You, For Me, For Evermore, Georgia On My Mind, Here's That Rainy Day, Honeysuckle Rose, and more

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Voicing: Solo | 5324b | Songbook | $27.95 | PVG


'Round Midnight : New York State Of Mind : 1 CD

'Round Midnight : New York State Of Mind    Out of Print

What better for well-respected Barbershoppers and 2006 NYC Harmony Sweeps Regionals champs and Audience Favorite 'Round Midnight to dedicate their second album to, than their beloved hometown? Larry, Jeff, T.J. and Wayne have represented their city well, twice reaching the Semi-Finals in the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Barbershop Quartet competition, and also being named the BHS 2010 Mid-Atlantic District Champions. Their first, self-titled CD won major kudos, being nominated for a CARA award for "Best Barbershop Song." "New York State of Mind" features 10 Big Apple (and international) favorites: Billy Strayhorn's Duke Ellington hit, "Take the A Train," a pair by Billy Joel, "Honesty" (a live cut) and the title tune, Lennon/McCartney's "All My Lovin','" Jazz master Thelonius Monk, Williams & Hanighen's "'Round Midnight," Sam Cooke's soulful Doo-Wop hit "Nothing Can Change this Love," the Barbershop standard "Some Lucky Day, the bluesy "Body and Soul," Harry Noble's pop hit "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" and Adam Schlesinger's "That Thing You Do," from Tom Hanks' 1996 comedy/drama of the same name. The sweet sound, great harmonies and leads, and wonderful arrangements of this talented, veteran quartet add up to the kind of great entertainment that New York City is famous for!

Songlist: Take the 'A' Train, New York State of Mind, All My Loving, Nothing Can Change This Love, Body and Soul, Some Lucky Day, Honesty, 'Round Midnight, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, That Thing You Do!

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2086c | 1 CD | $14.95 ON SALE $ | A Cappella


Clark Sisters : Swing Again/A Salute To The Great Singing Groups : 1 CD : jas 603

Clark Sisters : Swing Again/A Salute To The Great Singing Groups

The Clark Sisters (Ann, Jean, Peggy and Mary) recorded these songs in 1959 and 1962. Formerly known as the "Sentimentalists," they sang with Tommy Dorsey and had several chart hits. What sets them apart as special is their ability to mimic instruments with uncanny accuracy, such as on "Sugar Blues," where they capture every nuance of the trumpet sound, muted and open. The "Salute" album gave the sisters the opportunity to select their favorite numbers from groups such as the Mills Bros. ("Paper Doll"), the McGuire Sisters ("Sugartime"), the Pied Pipers ("Dream") and the Modernaires ("I've Got A Girl In Kalamazoo"), among many others. Listen to them cut loose on "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon," where they trade licks with the band!

Songlist: My Blue Heaven, Until The Real Thing Comes Along, Bei Mir Bist Du Schon, Paper Doll, I'll Get By, I've Got A Gal In Kalamazoo, Dream, Sugartime, I'm Getting Sentimental Over You, Undecided, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, When I Take My Sugar To Tea, St. Louis Blues March, Hot Toddy, Song Of India, I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm, I Can't Get Started, Trumpet Blues, In The Mood, When Day Is Done, The Mole, Take the 'A' Train, Sugar Blues, One O'Clock Jump

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4191c | 1 CD | $15.98 | Accompanied


Delta Rhythm Boys : Radio, Give Me Some Jive : 1 CD : 55110

Delta Rhythm Boys : Radio, Give Me Some Jive

Twenty nine track compilation contains radio & movie soundtrack performances from 1941-45 from the legendary & innovative Delta Rhythm Boys, who were one of the first vocal groups to wear matching color uniforms (most prior groups wore only black tuxedos) & one of the first groups to choreograph their moves on stage. This features the songs "A-Sittin' & A-Rockin'," "East Of The Sun," "Star Dust," "Darktown Strutters' Ball," "How High The Moon" & others.

Songlist: A-Sittin' & A-Rockin', One O'Clock Jump, I'm Beginning to See the Light, Jersey Bounce, Are You For It, St.Louis Blues, Stardust, Get On Board Little Children, Texas Polka, Hey, John, Snoqualimie Jo Jo, My Sacrifice, Darktown Strutters' Ball, Dry Bones, Jack You're Playing The Game, Jut A-Sittin' And A-Rockin', Rigoletto Blues, Snoqualomie Jo Jo, Take the 'A' Train, The More I Go Out With Somebody Else, Give Me Some Skin, I'm Beginning to See the Light, Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me, Shoe Shoe Baby, Paper Doll, How High The Moon, East Of The Sun, Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye, Bugle Woogie

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7479c | 1 CD | $17.98 | Some a cappella


Just 4 Kicks : All In Good Time : 1 CD

Just 4 Kicks : All In Good Time    onsale

The four players in Just 4 Kicks are only four of the most respected (and frequently employed) arrangers and educators in the music industry. Their talent is only surpassed by their prodigious accomplishments, the results of which are ours to appreciate. Obviously influenced by the brilliant vocal jazz groups of the '50's and '60's, most notably the Four Freshmen and Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, "All In Good Time" is adventurous and exuberant. Billy Strayhorn's comically ironic "Everything But You" is one of the great swing tunes in the lexicon, and Just 4 Kicks stands in for an entire jazz combo, tossing off brass solos and a drum breakdown. The arrangement of "Alice In Wonderland" frequently voices the harmony, including the enticing ninth chords, by implying the root, rather than stating it overtly. "I'm Walkin'," popularized by "Fats" Domino and arranged here by Kirby Shaw, retains the boogie-woogie party mood of the original and kicks it up a notch - now that's impressive. Many of the songs feature furious scatting, all done live. Don Shelton of the Hi-Lo's guests on "Green Dolphin Street," and the Bobs' Joe Finetti stops by to supply vocal percussion on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition."

Songlist: I'm Walkin', Everything But You, Alice In Wonderland, Black Orpheus, On Green Dolphin Street, Her Bright Smile, Poppity-Pop, All Blues, Superstition, Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye, Blizzard Of Lies, Take the 'A' Train, A Quiet Place

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6255c | 1 CD | $14.95 ON SALE $3.95 | A Cappella


Various Artists : Harmony Sweepstakes 2006 : 1 CD : 2006

Various Artists : Harmony Sweepstakes 2006    onsale

It's the first weekend in May, and the sold-out audience at Marin Veterans Auditorium in San Rafael, CA is buzzing with anticipation of seeing the Harmony Sweepstakes Finals, possibly the best live show in a cappella! 8 Regional-winning groups are backstage, having beat out as many as 8 other groups for the privilege of singing their hearts out for the National Championship. "Finals" has 16 of the best tunes from that memorable night, including Bay Area winner Clockwork's jazzy "My Baby Just Cares For Me," and wonderful cover of Radiohead's "Creep," part of an excellent set that won them 3rd place, and the award for "Best Original Arrangement." We hear Mid-Atlantic-winning Regency's "Only You" and high-energy "Jump, Jive and Wail," part of a great set that won them 2nd place. LA barbershop quartet Hi Fidelity, in "Addams Family" costume, bring us the "Addams Family" theme and a key-bending, hilarious "Blackbird," they won both Audience Favorite and the National Championship. New York Quartet 'Round Midnight's "Take the A-Train" and "Tin Roof Blues," Chicago's Elmo Thumm's "Last Train to Clarksville" and "Shooting Star," Denver's Curious Gage's "Long Train Runnin'" and "Windmills" show us how good Hi-Fidelity had to be to win. Boston's Traces sing "As" and "Wonderful World," which won Best Original Song," and the Pacific NW's Tongue Tied A Cappella give us a dynamic cover of the Starship's "We Built This City." Exciting cuts from a magic May evening in San Rafael!

Songlist: Addams Family, My Baby Just Cares For Me, Only You, Take the 'A' Train, Last Train to Clarksville, Blackbird, Jump, Jive & Wail, As, Creep, Tin Roof Blues, Shooting Star, We Built This City, Long Train Runnin', Sunglasses, Windmills, Wonderful World II

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2006c | 1 CD | $9.95 ON SALE $4.95 | A Cappella


West Side 5 : West Side 5 : 1 CD

West Side 5 : West Side 5

We loved New York City's own 3 men, 2 women Vocal Jazz quintet West Side 5 at the 2010 Harmony Sweeps Finals in San Rafael, their first self-titled EP album, and "West Side 5," this remarkable 12-cut debut CD! The 5 have the kind of sophisticated, buttery jazz harmonies, sweet original arrangements of jazz, pop, show tunes and bossa nova songs and some of the best faux horns we've heard. Some favorites are Billy Strayhorn's "Take the A Train," the Disney standard "Someday My Prince Will Come," Sammy Cahn's "Call Me Irresponsible" and "I Fall In Love Too Easily;" George Shearing's "Lullabye of Birdland," Jones/Schmidt's poignant "Try to Remember," Hupfeld's "As Time Goes By," Tim Eller's bright, scattish "Self-Absorbed, and Newley/Bricusse's "Pure Imagination." "If they can make it there, they'll make it anywhere" is absolutely true, and Lara, Sara, John, Eric & Steven are commonly compared to such elite groups as the Real Group and New York Voices. Great jazz, album and group, don't miss this one!

Songlist: Take the 'A' Train, Someday My Price Will Come, Nobody But Yourself, Wave, Call Me Irresponsible, In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Lullaby of Birdland, As Times Goes By, Try To Remember, Self-Absorbed, I Fall In Love Too Easily, Pure Imagination

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2645c | 1 CD | $14.95 | A Cappella


Individual Folios

Displaying 1-3 of 3 items.


Take the 'A' Train : SATB : Steve Zegree : Duke Ellington : Duke Ellington : 1 CD : 35022415 : 747510001140

Steve Zegree : Take the 'A' Train

Arranger: Steve Zegree | Composer: Duke Ellington Performed By: Duke Ellington

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Voicing: SATB | Sheet Music | $2.65 | With Piano |
(Minimum order 4 copies)
| 35022415


Take the 'A' Train : 2-Part : Kirby Shaw : Duke Ellington : Duke Ellington : Sheet Music : 02500795 : 073999179361

Kirby Shaw : Take the 'A' Train

Now available in a Discovery arrangement, this is the perfect way to introduce this standard to younger singers.Available separately: 3-Part Mixed, 2-Part and ShowTrax CD. Performance Time: Approx. 2:00

Arranger: Kirby Shaw | Composer: Duke Ellington Performed By: Duke Ellington

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Voicing: 2-Part | Sheet Music | $2.30 | With Piano |
(Minimum order 4 copies)
| 02500795 | Showtrax CD Available
Other Voicings: 3-Part, SATB


Take the 'A' Train : SAB : Russell Robinson : Duke Ellington : Duke Ellington : Sheet Music : 35022412 : 747510073086

Russell Robinson : Take the 'A' Train

Russell Robinson always finds a way to take a song and make it accessible for the younger voice and inexperienced ensemble. He continues with this arrangement of Take the A Train. The singer learns the melody in the opening then is ready to take on the faster movement of the same melody throughout. A great jazz classic for choral groups. Available separately: SATB, SAB, StudioTrax CD.

Arranger: Russell Robinson | Composer: Duke Ellington Performed By: Duke Ellington

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Voicing: SAB | Sheet Music | $2.50 | With Piano |
(Minimum order 4 copies)
| 35022412
Other Voicings: SATB

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