Just A Closer Walk With Thee | Brass Band

The Creation

In 2006, I was part of the Melbourne Staff Band‘s tour of the USA & Canada, and was pleased to be asked to write a piece to commence the second half of their concert. Ken Waterworth, the conductor, wanted something that would bring the band onto the stage, and then have them leave to introduce our vocalist, Rebecca Raymond. I chose the spiritual Just A Closer Walk With Thee, and ended up using a 5 piece “dixieland” style ensemble to achieve this effect.

The Arrangement

It proved to be a popular piece, but because it was tailor made for that concert, no other bands played it…until now! I’ve rewritten the ending and brought the band back, so it is perfect for the band who would like to feature a small group in the middle of a piece.

The arrangement starts off with a lush, jazz harmony inspired chorale, and weaves its way through a slow swing section, into a brushes solo (a la “Cute”) and finally into the dixieland combo, who whirl and twirl through the tune until the full band comes back in with a big chorale ending. Scored for Salvation Army Festival band, this arrangement is geared towards 1st and 2nd section bands (UK) and features every section in the band at some stage. A great concert opener and feature tune.

The Video

Check out one of my first Youtube mockup videos!