By Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald
Arranged by Shawn W. Davern
Sytrus Brass, December 2022
Year: 1981/2022
Duration: 3:50
Grade: Medium
Originally composed by William Salter and Ralph MacDonald as an instrumental track recorded and released as a single by saxophonist Grover Washington Jr in 1981.
Bill Withers wrote lyrics for the song at the request of MacDonald and recorded a vocal version released as a single in 1981.
Fanfare Ciocărlia recorded a Balkan brass band cover version of the song, released in 2020 and featured in the movie Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Brass quintet version performed and recorded by Sytrus Brass on December 7th, 2022.
Program Notes
No song better instills the glory days of smooth jazz than Just the Two of Us, originally composed by William Salter and Ralph MacDonald as an instrumental track that would later be recorded and released as a single by saxophonist Grover Washington Jr in 1981. Whether you have heard the gorgeous saxophone lines on Washington Jr.’s version or the silky voice of Bill Withers on his own rendition, Just the Two of Us remains a massively important song in American music and a piece of art that has continued to infatuate each generation of listeners. The song received a Balkan brass band treatment in 2020 by the group Fanfare Ciocărlia and featured in the infamous cinematic masterpiece that is Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Fanfare Ciocărlia’s version of Just the Two of Us fueled the inspiration to arrange the song for a smaller brass quintet format with drum set, in a hope to capture the original Balkan goodness. The brass quintet version features an improvisation section as well as space for the drum set player to let loose. The high brass should also be ready to have their fingers moving fast through some of the quick note passages. It is this arranger’s delight to bring such a fantastic song to the brass quintet idiom and I hope all admirers of smooth jazz or Balkan brass enjoy this new version of Just the Two of Us.
Shawn W. Davern 