Great Use of a Chorus in an Improvised Song

This is an example of excitingly organic musical improv expertly tempered with solid technique to create a well-organized, theatrical piece. The sections are very clear:

1. A “preamble,” during which Lani fishes for a catchy idea that she can turn into a chorus.
2. Then the “chorus” materializes, followed by
3. A “spoken interlude” which launches cleanly into
4. the recurrence of that chorus.
5. A “bridge” section comes along and takes us climactically RIGHT back into a final section,
6. the chorus. This time around, the chorus becomes a soaring conclusion to the song. Overall, it’s no particular “song form” or formula; it’s just the singer using great musical sense as she goes. And we enjoy hearing these defined sections go by.

Lani has a beautiful sense of “arc.” The song lives just long enough, it remains interesting throughout, and seems complete when it’s over. The backbone of the whole thing: perfect use of a chorus. Lani wraps her talent around musical-improv classroom disciplines and the results are great!

A DOUBLE LATTE
(A Dash of Peppermint, and You)
Improvised by Lani Shipman, with Michael Pollock on piano
Based upon the audience suggestion: “Starbucks”

(PREAMBLE)

He works behind the counter at Starbucks
I see him every night at 6:15:23
I shuffle in, I look like crap, but he always smiles at me
And I say, “Good Morning, Jose”
I’ve never been popular
Elementary school was really hard
I was always playing alone
And no one gave me a Valen’ Day’s card
I’ve never been popular
High school was even worse
But then I met Jose
And that curse was lifted

(CHORUS)

I’ll take a double latte
With a dash of peppermint, and you
A double latte
And a dash of peppermint, and you
(SPOKEN INTERLUDE)
Okay, so I’ve been working at Xerox for like, five years
And I keep thinking, what am I gonna do, how am I gonna progress?
And then I meet Jose, and I decide – “That’s my ticket”

(CHORUS)

I’ll take a double latte
And a dash of peppermint, and you
A double latte
And a dash of peppermint, and you

(BRIDGE)

Then the day comes
When we walk down the aisle
And everybody’s got a little Starbucks cap
And a Starbucks apron on

(CHORUS)

Double latte
A dash of peppermint, and you
Double latte
And a dash of peppermint, and you
(Jason enters: …Miss Lani? Got your latte!

THE SECOND CITY LOS ANGELES TRAINING CENTER
Joshua Funk and Michael Pollock’s
Advanced Musical Improv Class
in performance

LANI SHIPMAN
sings a song based on the audience suggestion: “Starbucks”

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