Edition: Jazz Big Band Arrangement

Description: Ballad - Difficult

Publisher: Jazz Lines Publications

"Blues Theme Mauve" serves as a surprisingly dark finale for the middle movement of "Black, Brown and Beige." The arrangement stays at a slow and burdened pace throughout, with the lyrics delving into subject matter that ranges from melancholy to downright depressing. The performance of your band should reflect this mood accordingly.

The arrangement announces itself with a bugle-like trumpet fanfare before the band quickly decays, setting up the entrance of the vocals. From measure 7 to measure 34, the vocalist performs the somber melody in a slow rubato fashion; the band is at the vocalist's will here, so be sure to follow their pacing as best as possible. The backgrounds range from powerful ensemble blasts to choppy trombone honks. These different sections should be over-exaggerated to provide an appropriate emotional backdrop.

The pickups to measure 35 mark not just a return to a steady tempo, but also the spotlight shifting to a tenor saxophone solo, originally handled by the incomparable Ben Webster. The backgrounds become appropriately simpler in order to not overwhelm the tenor sax. The spotlight changes direction once again at measure 52, this time to the trading brass sections. The trombones should have a choir-like, almost regal quality to their performance. The trumpets, on the other hand, should play harshly, with an almost raunchy quality.

A two measure tenor sax solo break sets up the vocalist's return at measure 66. The band remains in tempo behind the vocals at first, including a slight hint at double-time at measure 72. A brief saxophone dirge sets up an almost equally brief call-and-response between the vocalist and a muted trumpet at measure 74. The arrangement then ends in a way seemingly opposite of how it began: the lyrics are reversed while the band gradually drops out to nothing more than a barely audible dissonant rumble in the saxophones.

 

Blues Theme Mauve starts at 6:10 in the below sound sample.

Full Score
2 Alto Saxophones
2 Tenor Saxophones (Tenor Sax 1 Doubles Clarinet)
Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Guitar
Piano
Bass
Drums

Trumpets 1-3: C6
Trombone 1: C5