Blurred Lines: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Paul Murtha's arrangement strips away none of the groove that made this track inescapable, delivering it in a form your ensemble can actually execute. Young players respond to repertoire they recognize, and this chart capitalizes on that familiarity while teaching them how to lock into a danceable rhythm section.

The arrangement captures the original's hypnotic groove and modern pop sensibility, inviting your ensemble to inhabit a world where precision and relaxation coexist. Expect infectious energy and an arrangement that lets rhythm and repetition do much of the heavy lifting.

Jazz ensembles at the middle and early high school level will find this accessible yet engaging. Directors seeking contemporary repertoire that holds students' attention while building ensemble fundamentals will appreciate the balance Murtha strikes here.

• Keep the ensemble tight on the signature riffs; they should feel like a single voice even when distributed across sections.
• Work the dynamic contrast between verses and the full-ensemble moments, resisting the urge to let energy sag during the smaller textural passages.
• Lock down the eighth-note pocket early in rehearsals. Once your rhythm section owns the groove, the horns will find their pocket naturally.

Place this on a concert celebrating contemporary hits or programming around pop and rock influences in jazz. Its accessibility makes it ideal for early-season ensemble building when students are still developing their chops and need music that feels achievable yet rewarding.

• Locking into a persistent eighth-note groove
• Balancing precision with relaxed feel in funk-influenced contexts
• Playing signature riffs with consistency across multiple voices
• Dynamic control in pop-derived ensemble textures