Featuring Janelle Monáe, Deep Cotton, St. Beauty, Jidenna, Roman GianArthur, and George 2.0.

Hell You Talmbout

Special Thanks to:
Engineer - David Korn
Piano - Daniel Peart 

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LOVE (Cover) - Musiq Soulchild

The end of the 60s into and through the 70s saw the era of the “blaxploitation” film – a genre of filmmaking aimed at African-American audiences which put us in leading roles of stories that often followed anti-establishment plots. These films were often controversial due to their exaggerated bravado, hypersexuality, and violence. Noticing the lucrative potential of blaxploitation films, Hollywood began to market these films to a wider audience. Though low budget, they possessed an exciting, raw, soulful quality unlike any other genre up until that time, and from these films were born some of the most iconic characters  (Shaft, Dolemite, Foxy Brown, and Cleopatra Jones, to name a few) and soundtracks ever created, written by some of the biggest names in African-American popular folk music of the day and since, including Issac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, and Marvin Gaye.

“The Low-Down Brown Get-Down” is the soundtrack for a nonexistent blaxploitation film. It pulls from various sounds and styles of African-American folk music, such as funk, R&B, soul, early hip hop, the blues, and even film noir to stitch together its “scenes.” The title pulls from and is inspired by “post-jive” African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). The word “Brown” in the title, in addition to its reference to none other than the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, whose most-famous licks and bass lines pepper the intro and recur throughout the piece, also refers to the melanin of the people who created these sounds.

This piece unapologetically struts, bops, grooves, slides, shimmies, head bangs, and soul claps its way straight through its thrilling “chase scene” finale. It was my intention with the creation of this piece to go full steam ahead on bringing African-American folk music to the concert stage to take its place amongst all other types of folk music that have found a comfortable home in this arena. May this work push back against notions of “sophistication,” “appropriateness,” and “respectability” that have been codified in the concert music setting for a century and more.

This work was commissioned by a consortium led by the Purdue University Fort Wayne School of Music Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Dr. Daniel Tembras, Director.

The members of the consortium are as follows:

University of Kentucky – Dr. John Cody Birdwell, Director of Bands
University of South Carolina – Dr. Cormac Cannon, Director of Bands
University of North Carolina Greensboro – Dr. Kevin Geraldi, Director of Instrumental Studies
University of Georgia – Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner, Director of Bands
University of Texas at Austin – Prof. Jerry Junkin, Director of Bands
University of Oregon – Dr. Dennis Llinás, Director of Bands
University of Minnesota – Dr. Emily Threinen, Director of Bands

The Low-Down Brown Get-Down [MIDI]

Come Sunday is a two-movement tribute to the Hammond organ’s central role in black worship services. The first movement, Testimony, follows the Hammond organ as it readies the congregation’s hearts, minds, and spirits to receive The Word via a magical union of Bach, blues, jazz, and R&B. The second movement, Shout!, is a virtuosic celebration - the frenzied and joyous climactic moments when The Spirit has taken over the service. 

The title is a direct nod to Duke Ellington, who held an inspired love for classical music and allowed it to influence his own work in a multitude of ways. To all the black musicians in wind ensemble who were given opportunity after opportunity to celebrate everyone else’s music but our own - I see you and I am you. This one’s for the culture!

This work was commissioned by a consortium led by The Illinois State University Wind Symphony, Dr. Anthony Marinello, conductor.

The members of the consortium are as follows:

Ball State University – Tom Caneva, Director of Bands
Baylor University – Eric Wilson, Director of Bands
Clemson University – Mark Spede, Director of Bands
Columbus State University – Jamie Nix, Director of Bands
The Dallas Winds – Jerry Junkin, Music Director
James Madison University – Anthony Marinello, Director of Bands
Loyola University New Orleans – Serena Weren, Director of Bands
Michigan State University – Kevin Sedatole, Director of Bands
University of Florida – Jay Watkins, Associate Director of Bands
University of Illinois – Steve Peterson, Director of Bands
University of Miami – Robert Carnochan, Director of Wind Ensemble Activities
University of Michigan – Courtney Snyder, Associate Director of Bands
University of South Carolina – Cormac Cannon, Associate Director of Bands
University of Texas at Austin – Jerry Junkin, Director of Bands
Western Kentucky University – Gary Schallert, Director of Bands
Western Michigan University – Scott Boerma, Director of Bands

2020 TMEA

Come Sunday - Baylor University Wind Ensemble (TMEA 2020), Dr. Eric Wilson

Composer/Arranger/Educator. Assistant Professor of Composition at The University of Texas at Austin.

The Low-Down Brown Get-Down [MIDI]

Omar Thomas

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