A Musical Excursion for Jazz Trombone and Concert Band
This work is published by Grand Mesa Music Publishers.
Slidin’ Down the Mississippi was written for the Mississippi State University Wind Ensemble and their conductor Elva Kaye Lance, for their May 2011 concert tour of Austria and Germany. The piece was premiered with the composer as soloist. Three early twentieth century tunes provide the geographical and musical framework for the arrangement: St. Louis Blues and Memphis Blues by W.C. Handy, and Way Down Yonder in New Orleans by Henry Creamer and Jay Layton.
To the Soloist:
Two solo parts are provided, medium and advanced, differing in the complexity of the suggested solo material appearing in the ad lib sections. The advanced version is a composite of transcriptions of the composer’s improvisations recorded during the MSU concert tour in which the work was premiered.
As originally conceived and performed, the ad lib sections of the solo were completely improvised. Soloists who are comfortable doing so are welcome to improvise wherever chord symbols appear, being careful to return to the printed part wherever “as written” is noted. Cadenzas may also be improvised.