What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life (F.Como-J.Christian)

Michel Legrand’s cinematic masterpiece "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?", originally penned for the 1969 film *The Happy Ending* and earning an Academy Award nomination, occupies a revered space in the intersection of American popular song and modal jazz harmonization. While famously recorded by vocal giants like Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra, the composition’s lush, sweeping intervals and sophisticated harmonic movement have made it an enduring vehicle for instrumental jazz interpretation. The piece represents the pinnacle of late-1960s cinematic writing, characterized by a melancholic yet hopeful lyricism that begs for expansive, textural treatment. In this masterful 17-instrument big band setting, arranger F.Como transforms Legrand’s intricate melody into a breathtaking, emotionally charged jazz ballad with an underlying rubato-to-tempo cinematic flow. The arrangement opens with a atmospheric, rubato harmonic exploration in the brass and reeds before settling into a deeply expressive, slow-burn groove in 4/4 time. The mood shifts seamlessly from introspective solitude to towering, romantic grandeur, evoking a profound sense of yearning and nostalgic reflection through rich, extended chord voicings (major 7ths, #11s, and altered dominants) that mirror Legrand's original orchestral color palette while keeping firmly rooted in a modern big band idiom. F.Como approaches the material with a keen ear for dynamic contrast and textural variety, avoiding the trap of a stagnant ballad chart by utilizing lush sax soli passages and shimmering trombone choir countermelodies. The arrangement features a prominent Flugelhorn or Tenor Saxophone solo vehicle that weaves through the sophisticated changes, backed by tasteful, cushion-like background figures from the ensemble. The climax builds toward a magnificent, emotionally resonant shout chorus that prioritizes exquisite intonation, dynamic control, and subtle rubato phrasing over sheer volume, before gently subsiding into a hauntingly quiet, unresolved final chord. Advanced high school ensembles with exceptional section players, as well as collegiate and professional big bands, will find this 31-page chart to be a rewarding centerpiece for a concert program or festival performance. The primary technical challenges lie not in fast tempos or complex fingerbusters, but in the realm of mature musicality: sustaining long, lyrical lines with vibrato control, maintaining pristine intonation across dense chord clusters, and executing subtle tempo fluctuations with absolute collective cohesion. For an ensemble looking to showcase its expressive maturity, tone color, and stylistic sensitivity, this arrangement offers an unforgettable musical journey. Conductors should approach this chart with a primary focus on breath support, blend, and horizontal phrasing. The tempo is a slow, contemplative ballad feel (around 60–66 BPM), but the subdivision must remain active in the minds of the players to avoid dragging during rubato transitions. The saxophones will need to spend considerable time balancing the dense, close-position voicings in the second and third pages, ensuring that no single voice sticks out unless designated as the lead. Brass players must exercise extreme dynamic restraint; the fortissimo peaks require a rich, darkened tone rather than a blaring edge, particularly in the upper register of the trumpets. Rhythm section players should treat the time with a flexible, breathing quality—the pianist should voice chords sparingly, utilizing rootless comping and tenth intervals that leave plenty of space for the bass to outline the sophisticated harmonic motion. No special plunger mutes or extreme effects are required, allowing the natural, warm acoustic colors of the 17-piece ensemble to carry the full emotional weight of the performance. Q: What instruments and parts are included in this big band arrangement? A: The 17-instrument orchestration includes standard big band instrumentation: Alto Sax 1, Alto Sax 2, Tenor Sax 1, Tenor Sax 2, Baritone Sax, 4 Trumpets, 4 Trombones, Piano, Guitar, Bass, and Drums, spread across a comprehensive 31-page score and parts set. Q: What is the difficulty level of this chart? A: This arrangement is graded as advanced (appropriate for top-tier high school, collegiate, and professional big bands), primarily due to the demands placed on intonation, dense harmonic reading, and sustained lyrical breath control rather than technical velocity. Q: What style and historical context does this arrangement draw from? A: Rooted in the jazz ballad tradition, this chart reinterprets Michel Legrand’s 1969 Academy Award-nominated cinematic theme, bridging the worlds of sophisticated film scoring and lush, modern modal jazz harmonization. Q: What makes F.Como’s treatment of this composition unique? A: The arrangement stands out for its cinematic arc, combining rubato-to-tempo transitions, rich multi-horn soli sections, and a dynamic, emotionally gripping shout chorus that relies on gorgeous chord extensions rather than sheer volume. Q: What is the approximate performance duration and tempo feel? A: The piece is structured as a slow, expressive ballad in 4/4 time with a recommended tempo of around 60–66 BPM, yielding a performance duration of approximately 5 to 6 minutes depending on the length of the improvised solo.