One Last Bar Then Joe Can Sing (1994) was commissioned by the Arts Council of Great Britain for the percussion quintet Nexus, and is a reflection on aspects of percussion history, both personal and musical. The members of Nexus are my friends (I played in the Steve Reich Ensemble along with Russ Hartenberger in 1972, the year after Nexus was formed). The piece aimed to demonstrate how a fine percussion ensmeble can be as musically expressive and subtle as, say, a string quartet. The piece starts...