Download Big Band    Ya gotta love technology!  These days, a simple Yamaha keyboard can crank out all the subtleties of a big band arrangement.  It takes awhile, but the results are amazing and well worth the trouble.  If you like big band, that is.

“Almost Like Being in Love” is a song from the Lerner and Lowe musical Brigadoon.  I personally detest Broadway music, but many tunes have been taken out of a musical and turned into something palatable.  Sinatra did just that with this little gem.  Nat King Cole cranked out a pretty nifty arrangement too.  Brigadoon (the musical -ugh) premiered on Groundhog Day in 1947.  Coincidentally, the movie Groundhog Day (starring Bill Murray in 1993) featured Cole’s version.  If you remember, Murray’s character relives the same day over and over again in the film.  Finally, he wakes up to a new day and is mighty happy the fiasco is over.  It’s then that the soundtrack brings in a smooth Nat King Cole singing the first line “What a day this has been…” –  very cool.  Oh, and don’t look up the musical – it’s just plain silly.

The big band arrangement works well in South Florida Golf Country clubs, as they like everything big and brassy down there.  We like the way Cole did it and it works just fine for smaller venues and older crowds.  Your choice.  You can download the smoother Cole arrangement off the Jazz/Swing list – it’s version 2.