Woodwind Ensemble Bass Clarinet,E-Flat Clarinet - Level 3 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.1135165
By Ella Fitzgerald. By Traditional. Arranged by Vanessa Klassen. Jazz,Religious,Spiritual,Standards. 21 pages. Vanessa Klassen #735208. Published by Vanessa Klassen (A0.1135165).
“Just a Closer Walk with Thee†dates back to the southern African-American churches of the nineteenth century, frequently being performed as part of a traditional New Orleans-style funeral march. Composer Kenneth Morris heard a train station porter singing the song while traveling from Kansas City to Chicago in 1940. The music became so prominent in his mind that Morris exited his train and took a different train back to the previous station to ask the porter to sing it again. Morris wrote down the music and lyrics and had the song published. The song soon became a standard in both the gospel and jazz genres and has since been recorded by numerous artists. The original author or composer is unknown. This arrangement for clarinet quintet is closely based on Ella Fitzgerald’s recording of the song which was featured on her 1967 album, “Brighten the Corner.†Ella’s voice is represented in the Clarinet 1 part which has been transcribed exactly as she sung. There is also a simplified Clarinet 1 part which is easier to read and allows the soloist more freedom to embellish as desired. The accompanying parts are the background vocals and upright bass, with the light piano riffs in the E♠Clarinet part. The E♠part may be omitted for an easier quartet version. The biggest challenge in this arrangement is the balance as the solo is often in the lower register of the clarinet (below the break).
