Perdido (arr. Paul Murtha): Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Perdido has the swagger and energy that makes students excited to rehearse, while Murtha's arrangement strips away nothing essential about the tune's character. The scoring allows younger ensembles to sound confident and polished without requiring years of section refinement, which means your group can focus on phrasing, dynamics, and that essential swing feel rather than technical survival.

Perdido swings with the confidence of a seasoned professional ensemble, complete with the kind of melodic hooks that stick in your head for days. There's an easy elegance to the tune; it moves without strain, and the rhythm section gets to feel like the heart of the band rather than just keeping time.

This chart works for jazz ensembles at the middle school level and up, or for high school groups still building their swing vocabulary. It's equally useful for adult community bands wanting a tune that sounds bigger than its technical demands.

• Build the swing eighth-note feel from your rhythm section first. Lock the hi-hat and bass into a relaxed pocket before the horns enter; this foundation makes everything else groove.
• Keep articulation light and punchy in the saxophone section. Murtha's writing moves quickly through the changes, so crisp tonguing on each phrase keeps the melody from blurring into the background.
• Balance your trumpet voices carefully, especially when the melody moves to the second trumpet. The tune's familiar shape means audiences hear it in their bones; slight imbalances in the lead voice stand out immediately.
• Don't rush the tempo. Many young ensembles accelerate 'Perdido' out of sheer adrenaline. A steady, walking tempo lets the harmonic movement shine and gives the arrangement room to breathe.

Slot this into a concert of American standards or early jazz classics, where it pairs beautifully with other Ellington compositions or Duke-era repertoire. It also works as a rousing opening number for a pops concert, setting an upbeat tone that immediately wins over audiences unfamiliar with jazz ensemble music.

• Reading lead sheets and jazz changes
• Swing eighth-note articulation and feel
• Section balance and blend across trumpet, trombone, and saxophone sections
• Improvisation-ready familiarity with a jazz standard
• Rhythmic precision in ensemble unison passages