Review

W.C. Handy
St. Louis Blues:

Arranged by Brian Bass


Ledyard, CT, United States
Publisher: BVD Press
Date of Publication: 2003

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 5 brass

This challenging arrangement features soaring melodic lines, syncopated rhythms, and huge climaxes. The trumpets carry most of the melodic material; the first trumpet part is particularly challenging. The trombone gets a couple of nice melodic solos, otherwise its part does not present significant challenges; range is only F-f1. Tuba range stretches from FF-g with frequent large leaps. The accompanying voices are particularly well written throughout, replete with subtle syncopations. It may be difficult to program this work, as the ending is somewhat subdued compared to the climaxes achieved earlier in the arrangement, but it is a fresh approach to an old favorite. A complete score, PDF format, and a recording, MP3 format, can be downloaded from the publisher’s website, www.bvdpress.com.

-Jeremy Kolwinska
Northwestern College (MN)