At the heart of *Just Us* is a phrase my mother often used— “It’s just us”—a simple yet profound affirmation of the unbreakable bond we shared as she raised me on her own. This work reflects that journey, expressed through two poignant musical moments that bookend the piece.

The opening captures the exuberance of my mother’s unrestrained joy, her voice filling our home as she sang at the top of her lungs after a long day’s work. This unfiltered expression of happiness often invited me to join in, responding with my horn, creating our own intimate duet—an impromptu musical dialogue between mother and child.

As the piece draws to its conclusion, the mood shifts—slowing, darkening—a recognition of life’s inevitable course. It reflects the bittersweet reality of the moment when one of us may depart from the other, an acknowledgment that, in the end, we were always all we had. The music lingers, leaving behind the echoes of love and shared experience that transcend time.