bRUMBA!!

bRUMBA!! is a spin-off an earlier composition of mine: ‘Strumba’ – originally written for string quartet. The name, as one might guess, is a combination of brass and Rhumba, just as the former title was a combination of strings and Rhumba.

The Latin-tinged work is short and showy, meant to be an enjoyable piece, whether placed in the midst of a serious classical recital, or during a concert of lighter fare.

I always had known I wanted to re-score this work (originally written in the mid-90s), and was happy when the opportunity presented itself for a concert in 2009 in Bozeman. The Bozeman Symphony had engaged me to produce and arrange an entire evening of Latin music for brass quintet and orchestra. The concert, entitled ‘Salsa Metales’ and featuring the Spectrum Brass, was scheduled for November 14, 2009, and thus served as the premiere for this work, bRUMBA!!

Jim Stephenson, August, 2009