Three Little Words – 2023
Bill Holman
The WDR Big Band plays a classic Holman chart
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“Three Little Words” was originally a sentimental ballad from the early 1930s before it became a swing standard due to its attractive chord changes.
The innovative arranger Bill Holman, who became well known for his charts for Stan Kenton before he led his own Los Angeles-based big band for decades, came up with some surprising variations in his own arrangement of the tune, featuring joyfully overcrowded ensembles and some unexpected twists and turns.
The WDR Big Band, a jazz orchestra that can hold its own with any ensemble in the world, digs into the colorful arrangement which leaves some space for solos by trumpeter Andy Haderer, altoist Johan Horlen, and pianist Billy Test.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald