Birthday Madrigals was written in 1995 to celebrate the seventy-fifth birthday of the great jazz pianist, George Shearing. This arrangement is written for combined band and choir, but may be performed by band alone. In honour of George Shearing's noted style, a vibes part has been added to this arrangement, as well as an optional piano part. The original setting was a suite of five movements. The arranger has chosen three of the movements, numbers 1, 3 and 5, because of their similarity in style. This is a special opportunity for Concert Bands, or combined Concert Bands and Choirs, to perform in a true jazz medium, featuring a set drummer and string bass along with the full band.
