The Beef Brigade, a funk tune for mixed ensemble, was composed in 2013 for the Genkin Philharmonic, and is a kind of companion piece to an earlier jazz-funk piece I composed in 2006 entitled “Gonzo on Manzo”. My last name (Rindfleisch) is the German word for “Beef”. “Manzo” is the Italian word for “Beef”. Hence, “The Beef Brigade’s” fundamental connection to “Gonzo on Manzo”. In this case, The Beef Brigade is composed for the singular style of the Genkin musicians- an ensemble with a very “Frank Zappa” inspired approach to music-making.