The Blues Brothers Rockin' Soul Revue: Jazz Ensemble Conductor Score & Parts

Murtha captures the infectious groove and punch of the Blues Brothers catalog while keeping the ensemble writing Grade 2 accessible. The medley format lets you deliver genuine soul and funk energy in a single feature, and these three songs are so recognizable that your audience will respond immediately to every phrase.

You get the warmth and grit of classic soul music delivered with infectious groove and straightforward joy. There is no pretense here, just the genuine fun and charisma that made the Blues Brothers legendary, distilled into a package your ensemble can own completely.

Jazz ensembles in middle school and early high school will find this arrangement both musically satisfying and technically manageable. It works beautifully for any director looking to program accessible soul and funk repertoire that students genuinely enjoy playing and audiences recognize immediately.

• Lock the rhythm section into the pocket before rehearsing the horns. The groove is what sells these arrangements, so spend time grooving the bass and drums together until they feel locked and relaxed.
• Find the swagger in your sound. Soul and blues music demands attitude and confidence from the ensemble, even at younger grade levels. Encourage your players to listen to the original recordings and absorb the feel, not just the notes.
• Balance energy across the medley. Each tune has its own character, so use the transitions to reset the feel and give your audience a moment to appreciate the shift before diving into the next song.
• Work the dynamics. Grade 2 writing sometimes tempts ensembles to play everything at one level. Shape each phrase and let the quiet moments build anticipation for the big hits.

Use this as a feature on a concert where you want to show your ensemble's personality and comfort with contemporary idioms. It pairs naturally with other funk or soul selections and works especially well as a closer that sends the audience out smiling.

• Blues and funk groove vocabulary and feel
• Reading and maintaining syncopated rhythmic figures
• Balancing unison and section writing across a medley structure
• Dynamic control and phrasing in soul music contexts
• Listening to and interpreting recorded models