Jazz Lines Publications
Presents
the jeffrey sultanof master editionlaura
As recorded by charlie parker, 1950

Arranged by joe lippman
edited by jeffrey sultanof

full scorefrom the original manuscript
jlp-8031
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Music by David Raksin© 1945 (Renewed) by TWENTIETH CENTURY MUSIC CORPORATIONAll Rights Controlled by EMI ROBBINS CATALOG INC. (Publishing) and ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC. (Print)
This Arrangement © 2010 EMI ROBBINS CATALOG INC.
All Rights Reserved
Used by Permission of ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC.
Layout, Design, and Logos © 2010 HERO ENTERPRISES INC. DBA JAZZ LINES PUBLICATIONS AND EJAZZLINES.COM

Jazz Lines Publications
PO Box 1236
Saratoga Springs NY 12866 USAcharlie parker with strings series

laura (1950)
Background:
When Billie Holiday signed a new recording contract with Decca Records in 1944, she told producer Milt Gabler she
wanted to record with strings. Anxious to establish Holiday as a pop singer, Gabler hired six string players for her firstsession, and the first song recorded was Lover Man, one of her biggest hits. Several years later, when Charlie Parker signedwith impresario/manager Norman Granz' label Clef, Parker asked for strings as well.
Granz was obviously keeping costs down, as only five string players
were hired for the first session (1949), but these were the very top
New York session players; some were members of the NBC symphony conducted by Arturo Toscanini. As much as he'd dreamed ofplaying with strings, reportedly Parker walked out of a few sessions
without playing a note (the number has never been authenticated). Helater explained that the sound of the strings and the thought of working with such distinguished musicians scared him; he thought they weregreater artists than he. What finally took place was sheer magic. Theparts for the string players were relatively easy, so they listened andenjoyed Parker's improvisations. The arrangements for the first studiosession were done by Jimmy Carroll and recorded on November 30,
1949. On July 5, 1950 there was another studio recording session, thistime with arrangements by Joe Lippman. This second date featured alarger ensemble including oboe, French horn, 4 violins, 2 violas, cello, harp, guitar, piano, bass, and drums. Parker also appearedwith his string group on at least 4 live occassions: Birdland (August, 1950 and March and April, 1951), Apollo Theater (August1950), Carnegie Hall (September, 1950), Rockland Palace Dance Hall (September, 1952). In 1952 Parker recorded an additional 4 arrangements by Lippman featuring a full big band with a string section.
Parker would later say that the studio recordings with his string ensemble were his favorites of his own work, despite jazzcritics' condescending reactions and their claims that he was 'selling out.' As it turns out, he was selling 'in.' The albums soldwell, and brought Parker to a whole new audience. As far as his own playing, many of his solos on this first album were lovely
and inspired. Just Friends is one of Parker's finest records and his solo is remarkable; I can't be the only one who can sing itby heart at a moment's notice. It is a pity that none of the alternate takes seem to have survived.
David Raksin’s Laura was already a jazz standard, a distinction it acquired because of its lovely melody and its interesting
chord sequence. The story of its creation had been told many times by the composer but is worth repeating here. Raksin
had been in Hollywood since 1936, working for Charles Chaplin orchestrating the master’s score for the film Modern Times.
Alfred Newman at 20th Century-Fox considered him a major talent and Raksin soon became part of the Fox music staff. The
motion picture Laura was considered a run-of-the-mill whodunit when it was in production and Raksin was called in towrite the score. Production began with the legendary director Rouben Mamoulian in the director’s chair, but he was firedand Otto Preminger was signed to take over. Preminger wanted to use Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Lady as the musicaltheme of the picture, but Raksin felt that an original theme would suit the film better. He was given the weekend to comeup with the theme. He labored over this for the better part of a weekend, and then remembered that he’d received a letterfrom his wife that he hadn’t really read when he had previously opened it. He took out the letter, which was in effect telling
him that she was filing for divorce. He put the letter on the piano and improvised as he read it over and over. Soon his fingers
were playing the theme we now know as Laura. The rest is music history: the theme was heard by moviegoers who wanted
the sheet music, lyrics were added by Johnny Mercer, and Laura became one of the most popular songs of 1944. By the timeof the 1950 Bird with strings date, the song was a standard.

The Music:
Laura was arranged by Joe Lippman. It would appear that there are more
string players on this session than what is listed in standard discographies,
as there are multiple viola parts and only one player cited.
A number of changes were made to this arrangement, presumably byParker or Norman Granz:
1) The oboe solo at measure 12 was originally written for Frenchhorn.
2) The French horn solo at measure 14 was originally to be played
by Parker.
3) At measure 44, strings originally had whole notes.The indication“Beguine” is handwritten in a few parts, indicating that thissection was originally played straight-ahead.

Notes to the Conductor:
This is a lovely ballad setting that should pose few problems for ensembles. The transition between the swing and beguine
section and back should be smooth and not labored, with no change in tempo.

Jeffrey Sultanof- October 2010

the jeffrey sultanof master edition

jazz Lines pubLications

JlP-8031

LauraScore

Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Music by David Raksin
Arranged By Joe Lippman
Edited by Jeffrey Sultanof(as recorded by Charlie Parker)

rubato    Solo Alto Sax.

æ   (Strings)3(Oboe)3       rall.
3(Fr. Horn)3 

3(Solo Violin)       

3(Oboe)3   

3   (Fr. Horn){S`o`l`o`}Oboe Horn in F      3   

mf

Violin App

Violin Bppæpp

Viola Aæææææææ
{P`o`n`t`i`c`e`l`l`o`}æ

æ


pp

Celloææ{P`o`n`t`i`c`e`l`l`o`}æpp

Viola B{N`a`t.`}æ{P`o`n`t`i`c`e`l`l`o`}æpp    3     æ{P`o`n`t`i`c`e`l`l`o`}Violin Dæ{P`o`n`t`i`c`e`l`l`o`}Violin Cææ{P`o`n`t`i`c`e`l`l`o`} 3    3 ææ{P`o`n`t`i`c`e`l`l`o`}





æ
æ

ææ


æ

æ


ppHarpGuitar(Opt.)           (Apreggiate)gg  ggg
p g[Cs,Dn,En,gFn,Gn,An,Bf]
Agggg7(b9)gg   ggg 
(Apreggiate)[En][Ef,Af]*ggg  gg
ggg (#9)
ggg E7ggg gg 
ã
 3



ä


{N`a`t.`}sfz

ä{N`a`t.`}



sfz

ä

{N`a`t.`}



sfz

ä


{N`a`t.`}

sfz

ä


{N`a`t.`}

sfz

ä


{N`a`t.`}

sfz

[Df]

[Cs,Gs,Bn]*                   1DownUpD b 7(#9)
 (Play Flourish)[Cn,Gn,An]*{T`o` `P`i`a`n`o`}ppDrum Set   3  sfz

mf{A`r`co` `}Bass 3ä3            p{S`o`l`o`}Piano/Celeste 

{C`e`l`e`s`t`e`}





mf

{S`o`l`o`}
Sordina sfz




2
3


4

© 1945 (Renewed) by TWENTIETH CENTURY MUSIC CORPORATIONAll Rights Controlled by EMI ROBBINS CATALOG INC. (Publishing) and ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC. (Print)
This Arrangement © 2010 EMI ROBBINS CATALOG INC.
All Rights Reserved
Used by Permission of ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC.
Layout, Design, and Logos © 2010 HERO ENTERPRISES INC. DBA JAZZ LINES PUBLICATIONS AND EJAZZLINES.COM

5

LauraJlP-8031

jazz Lines pubLications

Score - Page 2
A TempoF #>9[A] A. Sx.
Ob.

 = 132

B 7(b9) 3 

3E>(,7)


C #>

E<9E6mpHn.

 


mp

Vln. A

mp

Vln. B
mpVln. Cmp

Vln. D
mpVla. A

mp

Vla. B



mpVc.


mp





Hp.

Gtr.



A>7

Pno.



mp

’’’’’

mpA >9N’’’’   

’G>(,7)’’G6’’  ’

G>(,7)

D 7(b9)(See Note)A >9N

D 7(b9)’{P`i`z`z`}


Bass

yœy





{P`la`y` `T`im`e`}{B`r`u`s`h`e`s`}

ã
6

mp

y
œy


yy7



G>(,7)

D 7(b9)






’’’’

mp

D. S.










  


E>’’



[Cn,Dn,Bf]

A >9’

G <9’’  G6

G <9G6

’’’’

8Note: The piano part that Joe Lipman wrote has been included.
However, for the recordings, the pianist freely comped instead.

9’


G<9





E>


’’’(4)E>’

Laurajazz Lines pubLications

JlP-8031

Score - Page 3

A. Sx.



E >9


A 7(b9)3

A 7[äÁ]
3





D<9



{S`o`l`o`}Ob.

33mfHn.

 



Vla. B







Vc.



Vln. A

Vln. B

Vln. C

Vln. D

Vla. A











Hp.

Gtr.

gg  
gg
gg
ggg
ggg
ggg  gg G >9’


Pno.




BassD. S.

ã10



















’’’

C 7(b9)’  ’

G >9





’’’’


  

’F <9’ C 7[äÁ]C 7(b9)

G >9’

C 7[äÁ]’’’’’’’’


’

’

’





F< 9



C 7(b9)C 7[äÁ]F <9







’’’’’’’’’

’

(8)

’

11

12

13

’

LauraJlP-8031

jazz Lines pubLications

Score - Page 4[B]
A. Sx.

  

Ob.



Hn.

 (Fr. Horn)

3

{S`o`l`o`}3mfVln. A

Vln. B

Vln. C

Vln. Daa





Vla. A

Vla. B

Vc.



[Ef,Af]Hp.

[Cf]gg   
ggg  gg  






Gtr.





F >9’


Pno.



’’’’

’



F >9
BassF >9ãyœy

D. S.

14A b>7’yyœy

A b>7

y’
15’’’’

’A b>7’’

E b<7’


’’’’’’’’

’



’

’







E b<7



E b<7



’’’’’’’(4)’1617’