DESCRIPTION:
Part of my Graduate Recital at Belmont University. Featuring a number of incredibly talented musicians.

Tim Buell - Drums
Stephen Wilder - Bass
John Cardoni - Guitar
Kevin Gatzke - Sax
Emmanuel Echem - Trumpet
Myself - Wil Houchens - Piano

"When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" is a traditional church hymn from the 1890s written by James Milton black. Black led a fairly elusive and private lifestyle, leaving little known about his life. The arrangement itself is a combination of arrangements. One by Nashville pianist, Gordon Mote, and the other my own arrangement, influenced heavily by the tune "revelation" by Russell Ferrante. The opening head is played as solo piano arrangement, played with a lot of space in the sound. Following the opening head, the arrangement evolved into a medium gospel groove with a heavy back beat. Given gospel's R&B and jazz roots, there is a lot of room for creative exploration. This particular arrangement incorporates elements from funk and disco as well.