"City in the Jungle" (2023) by Kevin Leroy Grant - UF Symphonic Band
I began work on this piece soon after I had my first premiere of one of my band pieces by the University of Florida Symphonic Band in Spring 2021. The ascending riff was the first idea that came to mind when creating the piece. I wanted to create this feeling of a place with bustling energy, and so the name of the piece took many forms. The one part of the title that remained constant among most of the titles is "city." I eventually thought, "It would be a bit interesting to hear what a jungle city would sound like," and so took the bustling energy from the intro to imagine a cityscape with the wild and raw energy of a jungle.
This piece is dedicated to Professor Watkins and the University of Florida Symphonic Band for all of the support they have given me in my compositional journey. You all make me very proud proud to be an alumnus of this school.
Premiered by the University of Florida Symphonic Band on October 26th, 2023.