Jazz Lines Publications

Presents
It Ain’t Necessarily So
As recorded by the miles davis/gil evans orchestra

Arranged by gil evans

prepared by dylan canterbury, rob duboff, and jeffrey sultanof

full score
from the original manuscript

jlp-7556

Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward and Ira Gershwin

Copyright © 1935 (Renewed) GEORGE GERSHWIN MUSIC,

IRA GERSHWIN MUSIC and DuBOSE and DOROTHY HEYWARD MEMORIAL FUND All Rights Administered by WB MUSIC CORP.
GERSHWIN ® and GEORGE GERSHWIN ® are registered trademarks of Gershwin Enterprises. IRA GERSHWIN ™ is a Trademark of GERSHWIN ENTERPRISES
PORGY AND BESS ® is a Registered Trademark of PORGY AND BESS ENTERPRISES. This Arrangement © 2016 GEORGE GERSHWIN MUSIC, IRA GERSHWIN MUSIC and DuBOSE and DOROTHY HEYWARD MEMORIAL FUND
All Rights Reserved Used by Permission of ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC.
Logos, Graphics, and Layout Copyright © 2016 The Jazz Lines Foundation Inc.

This Arrangement Has Been Authorized by the Estate of Gil Evans

Published by the Jazz Lines Foundation Inc., a Not-for-Profit Jazz Research Organization Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting America’s Musical Heritage.

The Jazz Lines Foundation Inc.

PO Box 1236
Saratoga Springs NY 12866 USA
  gil evans series 

It Ain’t Necessarily So (1958)

Background:
George Gershwin’s folk opera Porgy and Bess has now achieved classic status as one of the finest operas ever composed, and one of the most
ambitious theater works created by an American. Charleston, South Carolina native DuBose Heyward’s novel Porgy was published in 1925 and told
the story of Porgy, a crippled, impoverished African-American beggar, and Bess, the troubled woman who he falls in love with. It was such a success
that Heyward and his wife Dorothy adapted the work for the stage in 1927. The resulting play Porgy was also a major success on Broadway, and
Heyward was soon considering adapting it into a musical.

Gershwin read Porgy in 1926 and corresponded with Heyward suggesting that they collaborate on bringing a new operatic adaptation of the work
to the stage. Gershwin’s very heavy schedule did not allow this to happen for years; he had been considering writing an opera for some time, and
during this period he received a commission from the Metropolitan Opera. Porgy was the story he wanted to use, but the racial situation at the time
made using African-American actors impossible at the Metropolitan Opera. He considered other works, but ultimately decided that Porgy was the
ideal vehicle for what he hoped to achieve. There was other interest in Porgy, as Jerome Kern proposed writing the score with Al Jolson playing the
lead, but nothing ultimately came of this. Finally, an agreement was reached with the Theater Guild in 1933 for a folk opera based on Porgy with an
all African-American cast.

George Gershwin spent time on an island near Heyward’s hometown of Charleston (where the story was based) and he and Ira Gershwin began
working with Heyward. Their collaboration was an amicable and fruitful one, but it took nearly two years for what was to become Porgy and Bess
to be created. Heyward wrote the libretto and contributed lyrics, with Ira Gershwin ultimately finalizing many of them; Stephen Sondheim has
written that the lyrics are the finest ever written for the American musical theater. The complete version of the opera is very long, and Gershwin
was philosophical about much of his music being cut, believing that one day the full work would be presented in an opera house.

Porgy and Bess ultimately opened in the fall of 1935 at the Alvin Theater in New York and its initial run was something of a disappointment, with its
124 performances receiving decidedly mixed reviews and less-than-hoped-for financial success. Many loved the score and the production, while
others such as composer/critic Virgil Thomson and Duke Ellington criticized the work (although there is some evidence that Ellington may not have
actually written what was published under his name, as he praised Gershwin in his autobiography and eventually recorded some of the songs from
Porgy and Bess).

Still, the work began to firmly root itself in the American consciousness, with Summertime soon becoming an American popular music and jazz
standard, and other songs from the work were performed and recorded as well. But Gershwin did not live to see the work achieve ultimate success,
tragically dying in 1937 from a brain [Link] were revivals of the play in the early 1940s with more cuts, and these were much more successful.
Over the next decade, there were performances literally all over the world, but by the mid-1950s, Porgy and Bess began to fall into a decline, surely
due in part to the Civil Rights battles that were growing, and a planned production was ultimately unable to occur in its hometown of Charleston.

Later in the 1950s, a major Hollywood production of a movie based on the work was planned, and this resulted in a new revival of interest in Porgy
and Bess in the musical community. The 1959 movie did win awards, but ultimately was neither a financial nor a critical success. The next decade
and a half were not kind to Porgy and Bess, as it seemed out of step with the turbulent and rapidly-changing times. It was the 1976 Houston Grand
Opera production which revived the work and ultimately was responsible for it eventually taking its rightful place in American cultural history.

The Houston production was the first professional performance of the entire opera, with all of the previous cuts restored, allowing the work to
be seen and heard precisely in the form in which it was originally intended. The reception led to productions at Radio City Music Hall and even
finally at the Metropolitan Opera House. There have since been many more productions of Porgy and Bess, as well as recordings of the score and
its various songs.

The depictions of African-Americans led to much controversy over the decades, but today Porgy and Bess has reached a place of being a nearly
universally beloved American Classic. It had a postage stamp issued in its honor and has been named the official opera of the state of South Carolina.
Nearly everyone knows the song Summertime. It is performed all over the world, and its music - like so many other classic works - is timeless; it
sounds as fresh, relevant, vibrant, and beautiful today as it must have sounded when George Gershwin first heard it in his head.


Gil Evans Biography:
Gil Evans spent his earliest years traveling around Canada with his family, as they were regularly forced to move in order to follow the availability
of mining jobs for his stepfather. In 1922 the family settled in Berkeley, and it was shortly afterward that Gil first developed an interest in music,
inspired by a Duke Ellington concert he had been brought to by a family friend. His training began with piano lessons, but he largely taught himself
through listening to and transcribing from his record collection. While in high school he took jobs in hotels as a pianist, and after graduation he
formed an ensemble that would serve as the house band for the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach for two years; in 1937 the band relocated
to Hollywood, where it provided music for Bob Hope’s radio broadcasts. Through his work for Hope, Evans was hired as an arranger for Claude
Thorhill’s orchestra, whom he continued to work alongside until 1948 - although with an interruption of several years when World War II prompted
Evans to enlist in the army.

After his discharge from the military in 1946 Evans settled in New York. His efforts with Thornhill had gained him a solid reputation in the jazz
community, leading to his involvement in the Miles Davis nonet in 1948; with this group he recorded the landmark album The Birth of Cool between
1949 and 1950, the album being finally released in 1953. During the first half of the 1950s Evans remained largely inactive, focusing his attention
on musical study while occasionally arranging for television and radio, and for singers such as Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis. He resumed his
collaboration with Miles Davis in 1956, contributing to the following year’s Miles Ahead and continuing with several more notable recordings up
through the early 1960s. His first recordings under his own name were also made during this period, which would see him established as one of
the leading names in the jazz world.

In 1964 Evans had his first of two children with his second wife, and for the majority of the remainder of the 1960s he devoted himself to raising
his family. When he became active again in 1969, his work reflected the emerging music of the time, integrating electric instruments into the jazz-
ensemble framework. A strong interest in the music of Jimi Hendrix developed during this time, and a record of jazz arrangements of his songs
would be released in 1974 after Hendrix’s death brought an end to plans for an actual collaboration between the two. Regular touring of the States
and Europe continued throughout the 70s and 80s, with most of his recorded output being culled from these performances; several ventures into
film scoring were also made in the 1980s, including contributions to Absolute Beginners and The Color of Money. A residency at the New York club
Sweet Basil was established in 1984, which continued until Evans’s death in 1988.

The Music:
Miles Davis and Gil Evans, one of the greatest collaborative teams in jazz history, first teaming in 1949 on Birth of the Cool, a jazz landmark, began
to show interest in Porgy and Bess in the late 1950s. Due to the success of Davis and Evans’s 1957 Miles Ahead LP, Columbia Records, their label,
allowed them more freedom in choosing material for future recording sessions. Davis had been delving deeply into modality and symphonic music
and ultimately decided to take on Porgy and Bess in this context. Evans’s unique and considerable orchestration skills and Davis’s new dedication to
experimentation with modality led their Porgy and Bess to become a landmark record in jazz history.

Joined by other like-minded collaborators such as Cannonball Adderley and Paul Chambers, Davis and Evans ultimately created what is considered a
classic of orchestral jazz. Evans knew the material very well, and was able to use different musicians and instruments to ideally represent themes in
the music. Davis’s uniquely beautiful and evocative sound was truly an ideal vehicle to express the emotional impact the work [Link] created
something very new and different, while at the same time staying very faithful to the intentions of its creators.

One of the most frequently covered songs from George and Ira Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess, It Ain’t Necessarily So is intended to serve as a
defining moment for the character of Sportin’ Life, a drug dealer who has his eyes set on seducing Bess. A hedonist through and through, Sportin’
Life offers up his cynical views of the Bible to the largely religious community of Catfish Row, earning him a mix of interest and scorn from the
other characters.

Notes to the Conductor:

The arrangement begins with a somewhat painstaking statement from the solo trumpet, with some soft ensemble backgrounds that gradually build
to a powerful hit that establishes the medium swing feel that the rest of the arrangement adheres to at measure 10. The trumpet soloist briefly
improvises before stating the pithy melody at measure 18. The full ensemble re-enters at measure 26 to provide accompaniment for another
improvisation from the solo trumpet before the melody returns for the final A section at measure 34.

Beginning at measure 42, the rest of the arrangement serves largely as a vehicle for an improvised trumpet solo. Most of the accompanying backgrounds
are handled by brief rhythmic hits in the horns, but the rest of the ensemble enters to help out on the bridge at measure 58.

Interestingly enough, the melody on the bridge is not stated until measure 90, when the full ensemble comes in at full strength at measure 90. The
trumpet soloist resumes the melody at measure 98, with another extended improvised solo that gradually fades out until the end of the arrangement.

Dynamics in all of Evans’s music is of prime importance. Minimal miking of the flutes is recommended so that they can be heard, but they must not
be louder than the brass. As has been discussed in other Jazz Lines Publications, the original parts for the Porgy and Bess album are for four reed
players, one of which is an alto sax, the remainder doubling on woodwinds of all sizes and types. Clearly Evans wanted the sound of a brass orchestra
with woodwinds as color and acoustic support; he did not conceive these settings for live performance. In the studio, the instrumental balance was
worked out so that the woodwinds sounded as Gil wished. For live performances, some amplification is needed so that the alto flutes and bass flute
are heard. Please do not over amplify them; they are not meant to be as loud as the brass in ensemble passages.

Doug DuBoff, Dylan Canterbury, Rob DuBoff, and Jeffrey Sultanof

- June 2016
jLp-7556 Jazz lines PubLications

It Ain't NecessariLy So recorded by miles davis

Music and Lyrics by George Gershwin,
Score DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin
Arranged By Gil Evans
Prepared by Dylan Canterbury, Rob DuBoff, and Jeffrey Sultanof
Slowly  = 60
                
Solo Trumpet
Or Flugelhorn
    
mf 3
  
Woodwind 1:
Alto Sax.
      
pp

Alto Flute 
Woodwind 2:         
Alto Flute/Bass Clarinet
     
pp

Alto Flute 
Woodwind 3:         
Alto Flute/Bass Clarinet
     
pp

 
Woodwind 4:
Clarinet
            
    
  
 
        
    
  
p

 
Trumpet 1       
 
Trumpet 2       

 
Trumpet 3       

 
Trumpet 4       

 
Horn in F 1           
p
 
Horn in F 2           
p
 
Horn in F 3           
p

In Hat
         
Trombone 1 
p
In Hat
         
Trombone 2 
p
In Hat
         
Trombone 3 
p

In Hat
         
Trombone 4 
p

Tuba
 
    

                                    
Bass   
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3
mf
Brushes

  œ œ œ œ œ œ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
(4)
Drum Set


pp

2 3 4
Copyright © 1935 (Renewed) GEORGE GERSHWIN MUSIC,
IRA GERSHWIN MUSIC and DuBOSE and DOROTHY HEYWARD MEMORIAL FUND All Rights Administered by WB MUSIC CORP.
GERSHWIN ® and GEORGE GERSHWIN ® are registered trademarks of Gershwin Enterprises. IRA GERSHWIN ™ is a Trademark of GERSHWIN ENTERPRISES
PORGY AND BESS ® is a Registered Trademark of PORGY AND BESS ENTERPRISES All Rights for IRA GERSHWIN MUSIC Administered by WB MUSIC CORP.
This Arrangement © 2016 IRA GERSHWIN MUSIC, DU BOSE AND DOROTHY HEYWARD MEMORIAL FUND and GEORGE GERSHWIN MUSIC
All Rights Reserved Used by Permission of ALFRED MUSIC
This Arrangement Has Been Authorized by the Estate of Gil Evans
Published by the Jazz Lines Foundation Inc., a Not-for-Profit Jazz Research Organization Dedicated to Preserving and Promoting America's Musical Heritage.
Jazz lines PubLications It Ain't NecessariLy So jLp-7556
Score - Page 2
        
                
Solo Tpt.   
3 3 3 f
3 3 3
cresc. poco a poco

  
Ww. 1 (A. Sx.)          
mp

   
 
Ww. 2 (A. Fl.)        
mp

   
 
Ww. 3 (A. Fl.)        
mp

  
Ww. 4 (Cl.)            
  
 
            
mp

In Hat
  
Tpt. 2        
mp

In Hat 
     
Tpt. 3     
p mp

In Hat
    
Tpt. 4       
p mp

   
Hn. 1      
   
mp

   
Hn. 2      
   
mp

   
Hn. 3     
   

mp

   
    
Tbn. 1  
mp

     
    
Tbn. 2 
mp

          
Tbn. 3 
mp

    
Tbn. 4       
mp


Tuba        
mp

p

                                          
      
Bs.   
   
  
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3  3 3 3
3
3 3 3 3
3 3 3
3
{T`o` `S`t`i`c`k`s`}

 ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ œœ
(8)
D. S.  

5 6 7 8 9
jLp-7556 It Ain't NecessariLy So Jazz lines PubLications
medium Swing  = 140 Score - Page 3
ad lib
[10] A.
Solo Tpt.  ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’

 
Ww. 1 (A. Sx.)      

 
f

To Bass Clarinet

Ww. 2 (A. Fl.)      

 
f

To Bass Clarinet

Ww. 3 (A. Fl.)      


f

Ww. 4 (Cl.)      


f

Tpt. 1      
f


Open

Tpt. 2      
f


Open

Tpt. 3      
f


Open
Tpt. 4      
f

       
Hn. 1                 
 
p
       
Hn. 2                 
p
       
Hn. 3  
     

 
     




p
Open

Tbn. 1
      
f


Open

Tbn. 2
      

f


Open

Tbn. 3
      

f


Open

Tbn. 4
      

f

       
Tuba 
f

G.
           
Bs.     
 
mf

Sticks (Cross stick)

y y y y fy y
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
sim.

(4)
D. S. œ y œ y
mf
10 11 12 13