Examples of Great Arranging...

[JTeagarden]

Every now and then, when the stars align and my BAC is dialed in just so, I notice something about an arrangement that shows artistry and craftsmanship at the same time.

Here's an old one, arranged by Axel Stordahl, making the most out of very little (after padding it out with a 1-minute intro, Sinatra sings for less than 2 minutes):



The momentum all comes from the increasingly more defined background parts in the woodwinds over the course of the chart, compare them at 1:05, 1:32 and 2:20: So subtle, and so effective.

Please add examples of other concrete things arrangers/composers did to amp up the good!

[Cmillar]

Great!

Just have to add:

Basically any arrangement that Nelson Riddle did for Frank Sinatra is a masterpiece and lesson in arranging.

(....too many albums to put here in links!)