This piece owes its existence to a request for a new encore piece by Quattromboni, and is dedicated to them. In considering what I could write for them, it occurred to me that one of the most fun and enjoyable musical experiences I ever had was the time I sang with a gospel choir. I’m a great admirer of the great power and expressive range of the trombone, and I thought that a trombone quartet would do very well in evoking the joy and exuberance of gospel music. Just a word about one unusual feature of the piece: trombones 1, 2 & 3 have to clap an accompaniment to the bass trombone solo in the middle. This is not as easy as it sounds, especially for us classically trained musicians who would have been thumped on the head by our teacher if we so much as tapped our toe in lessons. Here the musicians get to break all the rules (and the composer encourages performers to add their own stuff to the interpretation – swoops, glisses., hand signals, vibrato, etc.). During the times when some of the players clap or fingersnap, they should feel free to shout occasional encouragements to the soloist of the moment. The main thing, first, last, and always is for the performers and audience to have a good time with the music.
