#had to leave the sax solo in

[icbmil]

“Play that guitar baby…Fuck off. Play the fucking saxophone, fuck him.”

[lookninjas]

So I usually try to do music from a bunch of different countries on these playlists, but now that the Latvian thing has become an acknowledged running joke, it's time to take it to the next level. Also, while I dunk on the algorithm as much as any tumblr user... it really has taken my love of Citi Zēni and turned into a plethora of awesome artists that I've had an amazing time listening to. So I'm gonna just give Latvia some love here.

The game is simple: Pick a song from one of my bad descriptions. You do not have to recognize the song to pick it. Just go with the description that suits your mood. Feel the vibes. Vote, reblog so other people can vote, and at the end of a week I will make a playlist out of the results, from the song with the least votes to the song with the most votes.

If you are burningly curious about a song and don't want to wait a week, shoot me an ask and I will tell you what the song is. And if you want to hear the playlist (I promise you do), leave a comment asking to be tagged, or ask to be tagged when you reblog, and I will tag you.

Except I'm tagging @not-kaiva now, because you asked for recs that were similar to Bermudu Divstūris on the country poll, and I didn't really get back around to answering, but there will probably be something on this playlist you like, so stay tuned.

Okay, that's it. Please vote, please reblog, and please listen to something new this week. It's fun.

[singlesablog]

Nothing Ever Lasts Forever

“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (1985) Tears for Fears Phonogram / Mercury  Records (Written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, Chris Hughes) Highest U.S. Billboard Chart Position – No. 1 I would suggest that what makes a song truly memorable, rather than its intention or craft, is the special, unidentifiable magic that allows the  listener to enter into the feeling of it.  The Police could sing “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” in 1980, and by the end of the song, one knew what they meant, kind of.  In pop music, “kind of” is good enough.  Such is the moment of what is arguably Tears for Fears most enduring song, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”.  In an album full of big songs (Songs from the Big Chair), and portentous messages (“Shout”, “Mothers Talk”, “The Working Hour”) as well as a gigantic, bombastic love opera (“Head Over Heels”), it was the last effort to be recorded, the album being short one song (the final only 8 tracks), and inspired by two chords Roland Orzabal kept playing over and over during down studio moments.  Paired with an idea of a song originally entitled “Everybody Wants to go to War”, spurred on by producer Chris Hughes (a major contributor to the sound and feeling of the record, a masterpiece of old fashioned layered studio sound), and introduced by a sparkling synthesizer coda devised by keyboardist Ian Stanley, the song was recorded in a week (the shortest of any they attempted), was not much loved by the two singers, and then indeed took over the world.

Tears for Fears where formed by Roland Orzabal (Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana) and Curt Smith in Bath, Somerset, England in 1981, after deciding to leave their first new wave band, Graduate.  They were barely 21 years old when their very first record, The Hurting, debuted in 1983.  The record was an immediate success, with the single “Mad World” charting at No. 3 in the UK, and they were almost immediately very famous.  The Hurting was never a record I personally warmed to, not being a hit in the US in its time, and rather overlong and same-y in its synth sound (although I appreciate that to many this is sacrilege, and that they will want me strung up).  The general outlook and themes of the band’s two main performers, based on Arthur Janov’s primal therapy/primal scream, was extremely heavy-handed, if sincere, and weighed the album down.  It is apropos that when they finally met Janov later in the 1980s they were disillusioned by the fact that he had “gone Hollywood” and that he asked them to help write a musical based on his theories for him.

Songs from the Big Chair was to be a continuation of the same themes of lost childhoods (the title taken from the book and television movie “Sybil”, starring Sally Field, and the big chair being the safe chair in therapy where she could let her multiple personalities appear and subsequently sort out her traumatic past), but rather organically the record moved away from pure synth sounds and into standard instrumentation. In fact, I had not appreciated how much of a guitar, bass, and drums record it is until renting the Classic Albums episode on the making of the record; it is indeed full of gigantic guitar solos, lonely sax, thundering drums, and on “Head Over Heels”, the piano (!) as the driving instrument.  The synth work in it (mostly by Stanley) is beautiful and atmospheric, but the soul of the album is in the studio space commandeered by Chris Hughes, as well as the slow and methodical layering of sound that makes the record so special and successful.

Management, being nervous of the insular themes the two main band members, were committed to, begged for, a single, a “driving song”, something that would inspire the listener to roll down the car window and hum along, and perhaps Chris Hughes knew this when he pushed them to flesh out the song.  According to the documentary it was one accident after another: Orzabal’s overly strong singing style naturally suggested that Curt Smith take the lead, which brought a wistfulness to it; the lyrics, cobbled together, were snatches of blurry ideas only tangentially related; the shuffle beat of the song, rather than being driving and ambitious like the rest of the album, was subtle and dreamlike; and the very throwaway nature of the track lead to a kind of gentle creativity.  “Shout”, the first big single they recorded during those sessions, had set the tone of the record for Hughes, but it was “Everybody” that is perhaps the lasting achievement from the LP.  With the droning synthesized voices in the back of the track, the synth sounds, wonderful guitar (yes, including a blazing solo), and the mysterious blending of their two voices, it immediately invokes “that” year when you hear it, perhaps even the entire decade, by not being exactly representative of the band’s sound and purpose.  Wistful and ponderous, the song has endured.  We all know that “Shout, shout, let it all out” is the real credo for the two of them, but “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, like the proverbial tortoise, snuck up from behind their giant themes to deliver their message much more softly than either of the two very emotive singers could ever have intended.

Scenes from the video for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", shot in Los Angeles, and directed by Nigel Dick, in 1985.

Don’t get me wrong—Songs from the Big Chair is indeed a masterpiece, each track one gem after another, and as a record, a very solid gestalt.  Mostly it is a beautiful and mysterious album, one I have never tired of, and entirely deserving of its fame.  Sadly, the relentless touring of the album (and their relative very young ages) ruined the relationship for Roland and Curt, and after the long, overblown production for the follow up LP The Seeds of Love (which took three long years to record, so obviously difficult it was to follow Big Chair) that they split up in 1991, and remained estranged for nearly 10 years, with Roland recording for the band alone.  With their dour, pouty looks and fisherman’s sweaters, it is not clear that either band member ever actually wanted to rule over anything, but fame obviously had different plans for them.  Considering the single today, not understanding exactly what “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” alludes to has ironically made the song even more persistent as a statement; beyond the gentle suggestions of the music, one cannot help but think of it as either a forecast of the greed of its era, or perhaps as the dream of a dream for the 1980s.

However, Tears for Fears' most successful single is still miraculously casting that very same spell it did in 1985. A mood will always be a mood. ***

Chris Hughes, instrumental as producer for the sound of Big Chair, co-wrote “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”. He began his career as the drummer for Adam and the Ants, and produced the band’s very influential Kings of the Wild Frontier album in 1980.  He was the producer of both The Hurting and Songs from the Big Chair, and co-produced Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain” from the album So.

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith are both 62 years old. 

Producer Chris Hughes is 70.  

Ian Stanley (keyboardist) is 67.  He was unhappy with the direction of Tears for Fears’ The Seeds of Love (1989), which he considered lightweight by comparison, and split from the band, eventually working with many artists, including Howard Jones on that famously heavyweight album Cross That Line (1989), and which produced his comeback single “Everlasting Love” (No. 12 in the US).

Roland and Curt reunited in 2001 and recorded tracks for Everyone Loves a Happy Ending, promising a follow-up.

Eighteen years later, in 2023, The Tipping Point was released to near universal praise and chart success, their most personal and cohesive record as a duo since Songs from the Big Chair.  The scream was back, more plaintive than primal, and much more suited to their age and experience.

[thesinglesjukebox]

LUKE COMBS - "AIN'T NO LOVE IN OKLAHOMA"

You're doing mid, Oklahoma...

[5.62]

Ian Mathers: This goes so much harder than anything from Twisters: The Album ought to that it verges on false advertising. [8]

Julian Axelrod: There are two songs on the Twisters soundtrack with "Oklahoma" in the title. Lainey Wilson's "Out of Oklahoma" is a tender, conflicted ballad that underlines both our heroine Kate's complicated feelings toward her hometown and Daisy Edgar-Jones's complicated feelings toward American accents. On the other end of the spectrum is Luke Combs's "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma," a big honking stomper that blares out of YouTube storm chaser Tyler's truck every time he drives into frame. "Out of Oklahoma" is a much better song, but "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma" feels truer to the movie around it: unapologetically dumb, unfathomably huge, and completely uninterested in weather science. In a way, Luke Combs is the Glen Powell of the Twisters soundtrack: He feels it, he rides it, he secures the bag. [6]

Katherine St. Asaph: You know what they say about the weather in Oklahoma (and every other state with a version of this adage): if you don't like how badass a song about it sounds, wait two minutes. [4]

Tim de Reuse: My bona fides: I grew up in tornado alley, a stone's throw from the same Red River that Combs is caterwauling about here, and I spent every spring and summer hiding in basements and bathrooms with a battery-powered radio whenever the sirens turned on. If you're going to write an aggressive, regionally-themed country belter, then the theme of middle-American inclement weather gives you a lot to work with! A skinny little fuck-you from heaven that selectively plucks entire neighborhoods off the map, terrifying in its unpredictability but boring in its yearly ritualization -- you could say a lot there about vice, adrenaline, self-destruction, or maybe just the texture of life in Oklahoma itself. But outside of a few lines that explicitly reference storm-chasing, ostensibly added out of contractual obligation, it's Combs-by-numbers, albeit with a soundtrack-ass hard-rock production job that bounces off his voice completely. If someone else had gotten this paycheck they might have accidentally done something interesting. [4]

Nortey Dowuona: Not bad, just not good. Doesn't tell me anything about who you are, or what you feel. [6]

Alfred Soto: I want my tornado songs to sound like sax solos on Stooges tracks or to depict romantic entanglement like this forgotten 1996 beauty. Luke Combs doesn't sound like a windstorm -- he blows hot air like a MAGA on a street corner. [3]

Taylor Alatorre: There were probably discussions at some point about wanting to learn from the mistakes of "Humans Being," which is unfortunate because "Humans Being" is Van Hagar at their messy, pissed-off best, mixing chaos and composure in a way that perfectly mirrors the characters on screen. Combs's paean to the perils of storm chasing is more deliberate in its pacing and more literal in its writing, while still leaving enough lyrical wiggle room for those who really do just want the tornadoes to be metaphors. The focus on duality and ambivalence is appropriate for a disaster film in which the disaster is both sought out and avoided in equal measure. And if the tough-talking country-rock grit scans as generic upon first listen, those few seconds of breathing room after each verse offer both variety and a hint of the “silent extreme” that Hagar spoke of. [7]

Jonathan Bradley: As unnecessary as making a sequel to Twister and at least as gloriously obvious as titling it Twisters. In recent years, the distortion pedal has been cause for concern in country music, not because it's a sign of inauthenticity or any of that guff but because Nashville wields it like a dumb man with an oversized truck: as an easy marker of lunkish masculinity that's never actually used to get anything from A to B — wit, wordplay, weltanschauung. "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma" sounds like that type of thing, but Luke Combs matches the storm-sized riff with roaring intensity. The lyrics about chasing the devil down a Sooner State highway don't get deep or dark enough to suggest any actual hell is being raised, but this is a song off the soundtrack of a summer blockbuster; it's enough to kick moderate quantities of ass. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[beezonia]

Guess who’s slowly getting into genshin again and stuck in idol au brainrot

So you get this

———

Sooo

La Signora, Childe and Scaramouche (now known as Kuni a solo artist) were like triple H and had a good 3 year run before they disbanded because of a very bad scandal between childe/Scaramouche and their company sort of going bust

La signora was the main vocal and centre

Childe was the visual and lead vocal

Scaramouche was main rapper and the leader

—

La Signora is now a popular soloist (think hyo or taeyeon) under the name Rosalyn

Her company is called Harbinger‘co and her manager is Pantalone

Childe is obviously with DCKZ and is hoping to make his first solo album soon working with some other idols (cough Lumine cough)

Now Kuni in my version is a solo artist under a unknown company named Riverbend because he wanted a fresh start

But he obviously got very popular not only because of his past but because of his singing voice because oh boi his voice is just as good as his raps

And yeah his career as a soloist shot up from there and he is also working on a full album

—-

Now Yunjin is another soloist (think kwon eunbi because glitch is definitely one of yunjin’s songs)

She was an opera singer and trained most of her teen years on her voice and dance.

She was in a gg with Barbara and Xinyan for an experiment trying to merge idols from different companies, they were pretty popular but then Xinyan announced she was leaving the group due to personal reasons and the other two got split (Barbara had her growing popularity and yunjin wanted to work on her own projects)

They still keep in touch (they are besties) and rumour has it they may or may not be having a reunion concert soon.

Yunjin likes to mix classical music with her samples and then her manager will bop their head along with the beats.

She really wants to work with Ayaka due to their sounds being so similar but so different at the same time and their concepts are very similar.

They both have a sort of princess vibe and are the pride and joy of their company.

Yunjin is working on a mini album trying to figure out a new but familiar sound for her fans, she’s hoping to collaborate with xinyan for this and also a member of a small trio named Mona who is more of a classic/hyperpop producer.

——-

Mona, Fischl and Kuki are a trio named Amethyst Dreams (probably will change)

They are a mix of hyperpop and rock music with a dash of that girl crush vibe

Mona is their producer she works her ass of for her two friends and their success because they are from a very small company.

She’s also the main vocalist along with the centre/visual she can play the violin

Fischl loves the hyperpop concept the group has along with the little bits of rock they try to add cause of the sort of gothic concept of the group

She’s the lead vocal and the maknae of the group who plays the electric guitar and the sax for some reason (kuki has tried to get her to do a solo for their upcoming album)

Kuki is a punk rock fan, she plays drums and has a killer voice also her raps slap so hard that people have taken to call her the rap goddess (think Youngji)

Like she spits fire and on variety shows she is not afraid to diss the hosts

Main rapper and also centre (her and Mona share the role)

They are coming out with their first full album soon

——

Nilou is still a sort of trainee but is probably gonna debut with a new group with Layla and Candace maybe faruzan idk

They are called Lotus Paradise or Waves of harmony (probably gonna change)

They are a girl crush sort of group but do experiment with the concepts

Nilou is the lead dancer and centre

Layla is lead vocalist and maknae (I think not sure about that yet)

Candace is lead rapper and leader of the group

They have a very large fanbase fro a group who hasn’t debuted yet due to Nilou/Candace and them being popular in past survival show and gaining fans from that

Their first mini album has like an oasis theme and some of the songs are about their struggles trying to debut hence the theme of oasis

Candace is also a producer but not many know about that

—-

That’s pretty much all I have for now! Lmk if you want anymore of my ideas!

[iceicewifey]

KAT KAT KAT i am shaking u gently and telling u u have such a Big Brain for making those SDC OC and agents of dio OC ask games AAAAAAA sending u 2 asks for Shay!! 💕

3.) Was your OC ever fleshbudded? If so, was it ever removed?

5.) Does your OC have a significant fight (or multiple) against the Crusaders? Do they team up with any other agents or is it a solo thing? Alternatively, if your OC isn’t a fighter, do they have any significant role to make up for it?

WHSWHSWSH thank u sof!! ;v; i wish i could've added more onto the agents one but i just know i'm gonna think of more i could've added later JGNBJ

tagging @jotatetsuken because she asked these same questions ♡

˖˚♡‧₊ 𝘼𝙂𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝘿𝙄𝙊 𝘼𝙎𝙆 𝙈𝙀𝙈𝙀 ˖˚♡‧₊

3.) Was your OC ever fleshbudded? If so, was it ever removed?

in my main canon, no, shay was never fleshbudded. she was wary of dio at first, but never unloyal enough to warrant a bud. i have an old au i need to dig up sometime from around the time i first created her where she was budded and went to india with hol horse for his first appearance. her stand is insanely useful when teamed up with the right partner, and hol horse's emperor is a perfect example. this au has two outcomes — either dio wins and the part ends a LOT sooner, or hol horse hightails it and leaves her there with the crusaders like 🧍‍♀️ FJGNBJK it's an au because i thought of it way before she had any real role in the part, but now that she does, it's been sidelined to an au.

5.) Does your OC have a significant fight (or multiple) against the Crusaders? Do they team up with any other agents or is it a solo thing? Alternatively, if your OC isn’t a fighter, do they have any significant role to make up for it?

oh man... buckle up, because this is going to be LONG. the quick answer is yes, shay has one significant fight against the crusaders, but she also alters the mansion fight in ways i'd have to draw to thoroughly explain, but tenore sax isn't automatically disabled, plus avdol lives! so there's that. her only solo fight takes place after the hol horse incident, and taking boingo back to the airport to get him on a flight back to aswan, because she's pissed off at that point and decides to go after them herself. shay insists that boingo lets her see thoth to get an idea of what to do, even though she's already setting herself up for failure because he won't be there with her, so she won't know what to do next. i haven't written very much about the actual fight so far, but it'd be around the area where the crusaders are waiting for the beggar to find the mansion, while iggy is fighting pet shop. shay being shay is too headstrong to think about the ramifications of going after five big ass dudes all by herself, and needless to say it doesn't end well for her. also since she gets thrown into the nile, i thought it'd be funny if she gets thrown in close to where iggy surfaces after escaping petshop and she's like "wtf is that a dog" not realizing what dog that is before swimming to save him... JKNGFBKJF i know this doesn't really answer the question, but i'll definitely be posting about it when i figure it out ;w;

answered   ::   2, 4, 9, 7, 12*, 5*, 9*, 3, 5    ┆    pending   ::    1 *   =   from the crusaders version

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Get Hot Or Go Home: Vintage RCA Rockabilly '56-'59 1988 Rockabilly / Rock & Roll

Look, folks, I am by no means a huge fan of rockabilly music, but this comp from Country Music Foundation Records—which was an extension of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville at some point—still has some real bangers on it. I appreciate rockabilly for serving as a vital step towards the eventual explosion of rock & roll, but, in hindsight, a lot of that 50s stuff can feel pretty monotonous, formulaic, linear, and threadbare, which most of this comp happens to be.

But when the singer gets raucous, the band gets noisy and fast, and the sound gets a bit thick, I am definitely 100% on board.

So, back in '88, Country Music Foundation Records got access to the RCA label's mid-to-late 50s rockabilly vaults, and they ended up fashioning a comp that was comprised of a bunch of musicians who probably aren't very well known outside of rockabilly circles, except for Roy Orbison. And on that comp, you can also find a good deal of songs that had previously gone either unreleased in the U.S. or unreleased entirely. And it's all of good sound quality too, so, regardless of how I personally feel about 50s rockabilly, if that's your jam, you're gonna wanna listen to this whole album, just to hear some of these rarities alone.

Now, this thing was originally released as a double-LP, and the first one is taken up by only two artists: New Orleans' Joe Clay and Atlanta's Ric Cartey. And for me, it's Clay who is inarguably the star of not just that first LP, but this whole entire release. I really don't find his first five songs to be very gripping, but the next four are the ones that bring that loud and brash, energetic rock & roll attitude that I'm after. And it comes as a bit of a surprise too, since he is so much more reserved in the previous five songs. But tunes like "Get on the Right Track" and "You Look That Good to Me" feature Clay gravelly shouting, with his backing band *really* turning it on for the solos. And before this album came out, the only places you could hear "You Look That Good to Me" were on a couple German releases. Go figure!

Unfortunately, though, the second LP ends up leaving a lot more to be desired than the first, but we still get a good one from "The Female Elvis," Janis Martin, who was one of just a few pioneering female rock & rollers back in her day. The full-on clanging clamor of the guitar solo on her "All Right Baby" is very satisfying, and then, later on, we're treated to Jimmy Dell's "Rainbow Doll," which chooses to eschew a guitar solo for a completely unexpected, greasy, sleazy, and bawdy sax one instead. Fantastic stuff there.

So, while I found the vast majority of this collection of 50s rockabilly from RCA to be pretty bland, the small slice of tunes that do happen to stand out are still *super* tasty 😋. And if you really love 50s rockabilly, then you'll probably end up enjoying this full 33-song set a whole lot more than I did.

Highlights:

Joe Clay - "Get on the Right Track" Joe Clay - "You Look That Good to Me" Joe Clay - "Cracker Jack" Joe Clay - "Did You Mean Jelly Bean (What You Said Cabbage Head)" Janis Martin - "All Right Baby" Jimmy Dell - "Rainbow Doll"

[scary-ivy]

Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band at the San Jose Civic 6/17/23 concert notes

I don't even know what to say except for simply that was great, but I'll try to put it into words

It was awesome to have floor seats for once, and in such a small venue, it felt very close and intimate. I swear Ringo pointed directly at us or looked right out way several times.

His singing voice sounded great tonight, I always think he somehow sounds better live than he does on his recent albums (less autotune?), and just as clear and strong as on any of the Beatle records. I think he might have actually gotten better at singing over the years.

If you've never seen Ringo Starr live, he continues to have an insane amount of energy for his age, dancing along to every song he sings, running and jumping around. He acts borderline hyperactive.

I think we missed Matchbox, we came in right as It Don't Come Easy started. Ringo threw in a little "hare krishna" into the song, which got applause and peace signs from the audience. So many peace signs.

Edgar Winter kept giving everyone in the band these big alliterative introductions

Steve Lukather was great on all the Toto songs, and I was really impressed with his guitar playing, he's like the lead guitarist of this version of the band. Everyone stands up for the Toto songs

Edgar Winter was soo good, he played keyboards, sax, and drums and sang. His keytar solos on Frankenstein were amazing. He wasn't part of the band the last time I saw them, but he's a great addition and elevated the whole show. He claimed to have invented the idea of the keytar, and his keytar was super cool it was more like a normal keyboard but with a strap and the note bending patch on the lower side of the instrument, which was a unique way to playing it.

Colin Hay was still my favorite though because I just love Men At Work so much, he sings so powerfully and I loved hearing his distinctive voice on the Toto songs. I almost started crying during Overkill because seeing Ringo Starr playing along with this song brought me back to my childhood.

The other members of the band were superb I just wanted to shout out my favorites

I loved watching Ringo play along with the songs, he really does have the exact same mannerisms and style of drumming as when he was in the Beatles, crossing his arms over each other and bobbing along. The only time I saw him go faster was their cover of Johnny B. Goode, I guess that's just a really fast drums song.

I need to talk about Ringo's outfit, he was wearing this black shirt with shinny metallic chevrons on it, very flashy, and flattering black pants. When he went away for the "magical musical moment" (which I think is just his way of distracting the audience from him leaving briefly) my mom said "I bet he'll come back in an outfit change", and somehow she was right because he came out wearing this black denim jacket with dark blue stars on it. Loved that flashy fit. And everyone in the band was wearing some type of flashy, dorky "rock & roll" outfit, I loved it.

I also love the set design Ringo Starr & the band have, it's a airbrushed psychedelic forrest scene on a screen, with big glowing stars having in front of it, and then they project even more stars on it. They also had screens this time, which was nice

Ringo told us that this was the only song attributed to Lennon-McCartney-Starkey, and then joked about asking them to change the order. What Goes On. Loved it.

Before "I'm the Greatest" Ringo said John wrote this song for him, and said the was only one John. Man I loved hearing him do I'm The Greatest, such a good song and such a uniquely Ringo song, like a statement piece for the whole show. He kept singing "what will you do with a drunker sailor" quickly during the little turnaround in the song, which was fun.

A moment I will describe later, but it ended with Ringo saying Love Is Love.

Their was a moment where he teased several different Beatles songs and then the band started playing them, but then he stopped them every time. Extremely funny.

He did Boys while playing the drums, and said he had been doing this song long before he joined the Beatles.

I loved hearing the rest of the band add extra solos to What Goes On, Boys, and especially I Wanna Be Your Man, which ruled especially on the verses

Yellow Submarine, I think I might prefer live to the Beatles version, everyone in the audience sings along. He did funny adlibs during the "boat straight ahead" part

'I took you on a Yellow Submarine, now I'll show you an Octopus' garden" loved this, just lovely to hear him sing it

Back Off Boogaloo had some type of funny intro.

"This song is about something I'm trying to do more and more everyday, which is Act Naturally" insanely cryptic thing to say. He literally started jumping up and down near the end of this song.

Ringo held up and read a sign from the audience that said "you're our favorite Beatle, please don't tell Paul"

""If you don't know this song, you're probably in the wrong venue. waiting for Led Zeppelin" band launches into Zeppelin song for a surprisingly long bit. And then he said just start it lads" or something like that and they did With a Little Help From My Friends, with the band perfectly singing the Billy Sheers intro and a nice Beatlesesque outro. He hit the long note at the end and everyone in the audience hit it with him.

Give Peace a Chance as sort of an encoure, love that.

Fucking superb.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mary Elaine LeBey: Song of the Day - Happy 85th Birthday to my favorite Ivie Anderson song… "Rose of the Rio Grande" ...

Ivie was the vocalist with Duke Ellington’s band for many years in the 30s, and is one of my most adored artists. She eventually became sick and had to leave the band, but these recordings are, of course, eternal.

85 years ago today, June 7th, 1938, the band and Ivie recorded three classics: "You Gave Me the Gate (and I'm Swingin')" and "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street", and this beauty, “Rose of The Rio Grande”.

The song was composed by Harry Warren and Ross Gorman with lyrics by Edgar Leslie, and this perfect version features the best Ellington assemblage: Duke on the ivories, Ivie on local, Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams, and Rex Stewart on trumpets, Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, and Juan Tizol on trombones - the great solo in this track being from Brown, Sonny Greer on drums, Billy Taylor on bass, Barney Bigard on clarinet, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, and Harry Carney on saxes, and Fred Guy on guitar.

This track has been on my “playlist” since I was about six.

All three of the tunes recorded today in this session are stellar, but this one is super special - to me anyway. It just swings, and is just a purely happy track…

My father had a big swing jazz band, and Basie and Ellington were particularly major gods in my home, so this brand of music was in my ears and soul from birth… and these tunes and records and arrangements were woven into my soul.

This tune always takes me back to a comfort zone of “everything’s gonna be just fine”…

Simple and simply delightful. “Rose of the Rio Grande Rose of the border land One word then hand in hand We'll leave the preacher's side room Happy little bride and bridegroom Over those hills of sand I've got your love nest planned You claim it I'll name it Rose of Rio Grande”

[Scott Horton]

[solipseismic]

4 the music ask game: humbers 1 & 8 <3

THANK U CAL MY BELOVED MWHAH!!!

music ask game :)

1 - what is/are your top album(s) this year?

uhhhhh off the top of my head i suspect widow (crywolf), music from before the storm (daughter), melt away (jadu heart), inbred (ethel cain), or never had to leave (matt maeson)!

8 - what is the strangest thing you’ve witnessed at a show?

GOTTA SAY. strangest SHOW ive ever been to was car seat headrest. like over all that entire show. bless will toledo's furry little heart. that man is very interesting to watch perform. close runners up tho are bono (u2) putting on and taking off his macphisto makeup onstage and the blond sax player from caravan palace absolutely SERVING CUNT for like a 6-minute sax solo (and this is strange to me bc before that i generally had no feelings on or towards sax music but after that ................... my god.)

[arterrorist]

Larry Young „Unity”

I was blown away by this album on several levels.

First - the organ sound. If you’re a fan of Hammond sound it’s a must. If you don’t like Hammond it’s a must too 🙂 as I’ve never heard Hammond organ sounding quite like this. I would say they sound restraint but in a good way - showing the deeper and more diverse sound palette than usual.

2. Second - the drums. Omg, the drums on this album! Elvin Jones plays like he is having a solo all the time. He is always super busy and always comes up with something new and yet his playing has all the musical qualities to not overwhelm the listener and he manages to leave enough room for other musicians.

Third - bass. I was a bit purplexed as I thought I remembered the players, but couldn’t recall the name of the basist. whoom I could clearly hear playing, with a great feeling and skill. Moreover I had a feeling something was not right as I knew there were four players involved and I knew who had played which instrument, and there seemed to be no place for a bass. Did they use uncredited basist for some reason? Anyway, I’d decided to enjoy the album (bass included) and clarify it later. To my astonishment, it came out the skillful „basist” whoose style and tone I loved so much, was Larry Young himself, using bass pedals on his Hammond B3 organ. I had to listen the whole album again just to admire his footwork combined with his hands - amazing!

Fourth - sax and trumpet interplay. Both, Henderson and Shaw, are the jazz royalty, each in his own right, but what they achieved here together is just a pure perfection. There is a moment, just after the beginning of the first track, when they share the note ping-ponging it (is it even a word?😅) smoothly from one channel to another. Beautiful!

Fifth - their take on Monk’s classic „Monk’s Dream”. It is done by duo: Young/Jones but their play is so dense you can hardly notice anyone’s missing. As one reviewer put it: each one of them plays like five men 😁

So, the whole album goes straight to the strict top of my favourite Blue Note „out there” list, Along with Dolphy’s „Out to lunch”, Moncur III’s „Evolution”, McLean’s „Destination…out!” And Andrew Hill’s „Black fire”.

Oh, and the cover is as iconic as it gets🥰

A masterpiece ⭐️✨⭐️

[fadedlovemp3]

ateez were right when they said people weren’t meant to be alone don’t leave me now don’t leave me now oh take me home and then had a sax solo

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

We were coming from Geneseo in upstate New York. The campus was alive with music: folk, rock, blues, and jazz. Every style had its zealots. I liked them all. I was eclectic. I could hang with the rockers, the folkies, the Dylan, Baez, and Cohen fans. We only had one jazz group on campus, the Aldoujo Trio. Off campus, I had caught Dave Brubeck and his band taking five at Rochester's pride and joy, the George Eastman Theater—the home of our own philharmonic, built by George Eastman, who, with Kodak, had brought photography to the common man.

Playboy magazine used to compile an annual jazz all-star team. I was familiar with their names and getting familiar with their sounds even while being overwhelmed by the Liverpool sound (the Beatles), the Tottenham sound (Dave Clark Five), the Mersey Sound (Gerry and the Pacemakers), the Motown sound (Supremes), as well as various hootenannies, shindigs, and hullabaloos.

After getting acquainted with the Village, Bob and I started looking for musical entertainment. We didn't have to go far. The Village Gate was only a few steps from our apartment. We stopped in three consecutive nights and caught Gerry Mulligan, Charles Mingus, and Dizzy Gillespie.

The Gate was not overcrowded. There was no admittance fee, only a cover charge, which I believe was $10. Beers cost an amazing $5, compared to .35 for a Genny in Gennyland. For the price of two Michelobs (a premium beer at the time) a night, I got an undergrad degree in jazz.

Gerry, Charles, and Dizzy were perennial Playboy jazz All-Stars. Each of them was amazing in their own way.

The first night we caught Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan, with his baritone sax, brought an airy, lyrical touch to the scene. Born in '27, he was a cornerstone of the cool jazz movement, favoring intricate, melodic interplay over the bombast of other styles. His pianoless quartet with Chet Baker was a revelation—each note a conversation, each silence a statement. Mulligan’s gentle yet complex approach created an atmosphere that was both intimate and expansive.

The secomd night we caught Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy's style was all about fast tempos and complex chords, a whirlwind of notes that could leave you breathless. He wasn't just a musician; he was a showman, a pioneer who blended jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms, bringing a new, infectious energy to the genre. His presence at the Gate was electric, every solo a testament to his virtuosity and flair.

Last but not least Charlie Mingus

And Charles Mingus, the bassist and composer who seemed to channel the very soul of jazz into his music. Born in '22, Mingus was a force of nature, blending gospel, blues, and avant-garde elements into a sound that was as raw as it was sophisticated. I remember him sleeping in a chair on stage, only to be roused by his band and launch into a set that was nothing short of transformative. Mingus didn’t just play music; he lived it, his compositions brimming with social commentary and emotional depth.

The Village Gate Encounters

Gerry, Charles, and Dizzy were perennial Playboy jazz All-Stars. Each of them was amazing in their own way.

I appreciated the spontaneity, the virtuosity, and the unstructured collaboration of these legends and their supporting groups. I particularly recall the gigantic Charles Mingus sleeping in a chair on stage before his band came out, woke him up, and started playing. Charles attempted to introduce the members of his group. He stumbled over their names, finally mumbled, “To hell with that,” and they broke into their show, blowing everybody away with the tightness of their invention.

While we were waiting for Charles to wake up, four young guys came strutting into the Gate. They ordered their beers. I got the feeling it was their first time at the Gate, whereas I was a regular jazz bow, having been literally and figuratively blown away the two two nightsshows.

I recognized one of the guys immediately: Gerry Marsden.

In New York for Ed Sullivan.

“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.”

“Ferry Cross the Mersey.”

“How Do You Do.”

“I Like It.”

“Girl on a Swing.”

Gerry and the guys must have been in their early twenties. They were at the Gate to catch some jazz. I appreciated their fandom. I’m pretty sure Charles Mingus didn’t give two shits. Neither did my traveling companion Bob.

I wasn’t about to burst over to their table and make a big deal out of their presence. I was jazz cool at the moment and stayed that way throughout Charles’s performance. At least three times, however, I made direct eye contact with Gerry as we winked at one another after a tasty improvised solo by one of the band.

I liked the guy.

Good vibes.

Much different from Charles.

Gerry had the look of a guy who had just broken through to the other side. He threw me some of that vibe mixed in with a subtle “if I did it, you can do it” vibe.

The show ended. The week ended. Soon we were back at Geneseo, telling Bob's two roommates about Gerry and the Gate.

Both of Bob’s roommates were musicians. We eventually started a band. Two of our staple songs, songs that we did every time that we played, were “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” and “Ferry Cross the Mersey.”

“Ferry Cross the Mersey” reminded me of my first impressions of Greenwich Village (as it is today). The song also symbolized passages of all kinds, including the passage from life to death.

Yesterday, I found out that Gerry Marsden had passed away at the age of 78.

I like to think that he crossed that Mersey and wound up in a land that he loved when he passed away.

Gerry, Dizzy and Charles were long gone as was Maynard G. Krebs

Thanks for the vibes and the memory, GM.

Rest in peace, y'all.

[sheetmusiclibrarypdf]

Chick Corea's style (an analysis, sheet music, Noten)

The genius of Chick Corea (an analysis - sheet music)Chick Corea's short biography Best Sheet Music download from our Library. Browse in the Library:Chick Corea's piano styleA. Technique B. Rhythm C. Melodic Characteristics D. Harmonic Characteristics It Could Happen To You (Live / Show 1 / January 3, 1998) Chick Corea's Arrangement and Solo on “It Could Happen to You” Please, subscribe to our Library. Thank you! Browse in the Library:

The genius of Chick Corea (an analysis - sheet music)

Chick Corea's short biography Armando Anthony Corea was born June 12, 1941 in Chelsea/ Massachusetts. His father, a jazz trumpet player, was his first musical inspiration. After several years of exploring the piano and the drum set, Chick started piano lessons with concert pianist Salvatore Sulo. During short stints at Columbia University and Juilliard, he decided to pursue a professional career as jazz musician and took residence on Seventy First Street in New York. Soon he was busy playing with Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Herbie Mann, Elvin Jones, Stan Getz, and many others. With trumpeter Blue Mitchell Chick recorded his first original composition, called Chick's Tune on Blue Mitchell's LP “A Thing To Do”. The first LP under Corea's own name, “Tones for Joan's Bones”, recorded in 1966, features Joe Farrell (saxes), Woody Shaw (trumpet), Steve Swallow (bass), and Joe Chambers (drums) playing a mixture of Latin, Bop, and Free Styles. More Bebop oriented tunes are recorded on the 1968 follow-up “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs” with Miroslav Vitous on bass and Roy Haynes on drums. Shortly thereafter, Corea rose to international fame during a three-year stint with the Miles Davis group. With bandmates Dave Holland (bass), and Jack DeJohnette (drums), Corea started exploring the world of Free Improvisation on the recording “Is”. Several recordings with his group “Circle” document further experimentation with free forms. After a return to more melodic lines and harmonic progressions with his solo piano recordings “Improvisations I & II” for the ECM label, Corea decided to leave Circle and focus back on structure, melody, and harmony. In his Forward to the Warner Bros. publication “The Jazz Styles of Chick Corea”, he explains his change in direction: “In 1971, an incredible change occurred in my life, directly stemming from some initial studying I did of the works of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, “says Chick. “The result was a seemingly new-found but actually old and hidden goal I had for a long time: to create and communicate the music I love.” The realization of this goal became his group “Return to Forever”, one of the most influential groups of the Jazz Rock Fusion era. The original members include Stanley Clarke (bass), Joe Farrell (saxes, flute), Flora Purim (vocals, percussion), Airto Moreira (drums, percussion), and Chick Corea (keyboards). Their self-titled debut and the follow-up record “Light as a Feather” emphasize the fusion of jazz traditions with Latin-American music. The result are some of the most melodic compositions of jazz, such as Corea's probably most famous piece “Spain” or the playful “Sometime Ago.” After replacing Florim and Moreira with Bill Connors (guitar) and Lenny White (drums) in 1974, the group became one of the forerunners of electronic jazz. RTF's progressive mixtures of jazz concepts, rock and latin-american rhythms, and classical forms are documented on “The Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy” and with guitar virtuoso Al DiMeola on “Where Have I Known You Before”, “No Mystery”, and “Romantic Warrior”. The group went through several personnel changes until it's final break-up in 1980, including a 13-piece ensemble with strings and Gayle Moran, Corea's wife, on vocals. The various incarnations and Corea's extended compositions and arrangements are documented on “The Leprechaun”, “My Spanish Heart”, “Mad Hatter”, “Friends”, and “Secret Agent”. The years until 1985 were filled with a wide variety of activities, ranging from several duo projects with Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton, John McLaughlin, and Paco di Lucia among others, over acoustic collaborations with Michael Brecker, Eddie Gomez, and Steve Gadd on “Three Quartets”, to performing Mozart's Double Concerto with Friedrich Gulda and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Inspired by his classical performances, Corea composed his own concerto for piano and orchestra and released his Children's Songs, a collection of 20 short piano pieces reminiscent of Darius Milhaud's ragtime and tango influenced piano music. By 1985, Corea joined forces with young virtuosos John Patitucci (bass), Dave Weckl (drums), and Scott Henderson (guitar) to form The Chick Corea Electric Band. In an interview for Keyboard Magazine, July 1986, Corea explained that the use of electronic instruments opens up new possibilities of expression and allows him to communicate with sounds currently familiar to a broader audience.

A recording contract with the GRP label resulted in a series of tours and recordings, such as the self-titled debut, the grammy winning “Light Years” with Eric Marienthal (saxes), and Frank Gambale (guitar), “Eye of the Beholder”, “Inside Out”, and “Beneath the Mask”. The Electric Band era concluded in 1993 with the release of “Paint the World”, featuring the Electric Band II with Gary Novak (drums), Jimmy Earl (bass), Mike Miller (guitar), and Eric Marienthal (saxes). During the 90ies, many jazz musicians discarded the world of electronics and focused on using acoustic instruments and interpreting the traditional standard repertoire. Already during the late 80ies, Corea, Patitucci, and Weckl, had toured and recorded as an acoustic trio. Recording now for his own label, Stretch Records, Corea returned to his acoustic roots with “Time Warp”, a tribute to Bud Powell, and duo recordings with Bobby McFerrin and Gary Burton, recorded between 1994 - 1997. In addition, he further explored the world of classical music with “The Mozart Sessions”, conducted by Bobby McFerrin. Most recently Corea formed the sextet “Origin”, a new outlet for his compositions and arrangements. Corea never seems to sit still, always looking for new, unexpected adventures. But even in the most diverse projects, such as his free-style recordings with “Circle” compared to the jazz fusion of the “The Chick Corea Electric Band,” Corea's piano style is easily recognizable and well-defined. While incorporating the traditions of jazz, the ultimate goal of any jazz musician is to develop a personal, recognizable approach to playing by defining some basic conceptual principles. Those principles provide the unifying threads throughout Corea's eclectic projects. Following is a discussion of some of those characteristic of a great artist. Chick Corea's piano style A. Technique - In one of his poems from his music poetry, Chick writes: “Discipline your body, discipline your instrument…”. His clean and clear attack and mastery of his instrument demonstrates such principles. - His articulation is always precise and clean no matter if he plays a Steinway grand piano, a Fender keyboard, or his Yamaha strap-on keyboard. Corea's keyboard solo on “Got A Match” on The Chick Corea Electric Band is exemplary for his clear articulation even at extreme speeds. - Corea's touch can be very powerful, using the piano foremost as a percussion instrument. One example is on An Evening With Herbie Hancock, where he plays the vamp figure of “La Fiesta” at the beginning so forceful and with minimal key contact, that it sounds more like a drum groove than a piano vamp. - On the other hand, he can be very sensitive and tasteful. Some examples are his romantic soloing on “Where Have I Known You Before” on the similarly titled album and his interpretations of his own “Children's Songs.” - He doesn't limit his palette of sounds to conventional means of playing the piano keys. Especially during duo or trio performances, one can frequently observe Corea plucking the strings inside the piano and experimenting with different ways of preparing the strings. Such experimentation were personally witnessed during his concerts at the 1996 IAJE convention, and can also be heard on “Fragments” and “Duet for Bass and Piano No. 2” on the record Circling In. - Chick Corea's use of baroque-like embellishments are heard rather frequently in his playing. Sometimes he'll just fill out melodic intervals chromatically, as in the following example.

His complete independence of right and left hand is also a strong component of Chick Corea's technique. Such independence enables him to provide bass ostinatos and rhythmic accents complimentary to right-hand melodies. A short excerpt from his solo on “La Fiesta” exemplifies this ability.

B. Rhythm - Chick Corea's preference for Latin-American rhythms has become a trademark of his style. The choice of song titles, such as “La Fiesta,” “Spain,”” My Spanish Heart,” “Samba Song, “or “Señor Mouse” already indicate such preferences. His piano accompaniments often combine Latin-American rhythms with jazz harmonies.

2. Sophisticated rhythmic interplay and precise timing are very prominent in Chick Corea's comping and soloing. Being an accomplished drummer, he has a wide repertoire of rhythms and the ability to execute them with confidence and perfect timing. Such rhythmic variety adds interest and excitement to his music. 3. Often, his syncopation and his ability to play different rhythms with each hand create polyrhythmic effects. The rhythmic organization of his melodic lines, often referred to as phrasing, also displays his rhythmic mastery and versatility. Although the typical strings of eighth notes dominate Chick Corea's soloing, he knows how to place rests and other rhythmic values effectively to create logical, congruent lines. C. Melodic Characteristics One main aspect of jazz improvisation is to create interesting melodic lines in relation to a repeating harmonic structure. Therefore, the pitch content of melodic lines needs to be discussed in reference to the underlying harmonies. As a result, some aspects in the analysis of melodic and harmonic elements will overlap. The melodies of Corea's compositions are very lyrical and memorable, many of his songs have become part of the standard repertoire of jazz musicians. Some examples are “Spain,” “Windows,” or “Humpty Dumpty”. During his improvisations, he combines such lyricism with complex rhythmic and harmonic twists. Some of his most lyrical improvisations are captured in his “Piano Improvisations I & II” and his solo rendition of “Where Have I Known You Before.” Rooted very much in the Bebop tradition, Corea's improvised lines are dominated by long strings of eighth notes shaped in the sinoid waveforms. Especially at faster tempos, such dominance of eighth note values is apparent. Corea often prefers lydian and altered scales to add tension and color to his improvised lines. Especially, diminished scales (half step/ whole step alternating) used in relation to dominant chords can be frequently detected in his solos. Jazz musicians often develop favorite melodic patterns and runs that make their style recognizable. Corea often uses a chromatic ascending pattern and short embellishments at the beginning of lines. D. Harmonic Characteristics Studying the classical literature and composition has influenced Corea's harmonic vocabulary. Similarities to the harmonic innovations of the French romantics such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel can be detected. Corea displays preferences for wide, open sounds with frequent uses of Ma7#11 chords. During his years with John Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner developed a new harmonic approach by using voicings based mainly on the interval of a fourth. This technique became the essence of the modern piano sound. Similar voicing techniques can be detected in Corea's playing. Corea's harmonic progressions often depart from the traditional functional harmony, which depends mainly on the II-V-I relationship. One technique for harmonic expansion is the use of poly chords, which consist of harmonies with foreign bass notes or two harmonies layered on top of each other. Other techniques for harmonic expansion are the use of ostinati and pedal points. Both techniques are apparent in Corea's compositions and performances. Pedal points provide a suspended feel to the harmonic movement and create tension to be released with the departure from the pedal point. Especially in his cycle of “Children's Songs”, Corea frequently uses ostinati to create accompaniments.

Children's Songs No. 1 Finally, Corea often employs parallel movement of harmonies of the same quality. This is another technique to avoid functional harmony while still creating logical harmonic movement. It Could Happen To You (Live / Show 1 / January 3, 1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyJrmaoHN7A

Chick Corea's Arrangement and Solo on “It Could Happen to You”

Please, download a transcription of Chick Corea's arrangement and two solo choruses on the standard “It Could Happen to You” by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke (from the songbook "Chick Corea Plays Standards") Chick-Corea-Plays-Standards-1 “It Could Happen to You”Download This performance with Corea's most recent group “Origin” was captured in February 1998 during an engagement at New York's jazz club “Blue Note”. Many of Corea's style characteristics discussed earlier are apparent in this transcription. The following analysis will focus on these special characteristics. “It Could Happen to You” is a 32-bar song, composed in two similar 16-bar sections. After a rubato solo piano introduction, Corea states the head, supported by Avishai Cohen on drums and Adam Cruz on drums. Steve Davis on trombone, Bob Sheppard on tenor sax, and Steve Wilson on alto sax join for the last four measures. In order to reinforce his liberal treatment of the melody, Corea adds, deletes, and substitutes some of the original harmonies. In measure 3, Corea adds an Am passing chord, then proceeds chromatically up to C. Furthermore, a string of chromatically descending, parallel dominant chords substitutes for the original tonic - subdominant progression in measure 5 and 6. Instead of the regular ii-V Turnaround in measures 15 and 16, Corea harmonizes the melody in triads to a step-wise descending bass line, a technique discussed earlier under harmonic characteristics. Finally, he suspends the resolution to the tonic in measure 31 by laying a C-pedal point for the final 6 measures of the head. Corea begins his solo with a melodic sequence, emphasizing the #11 of F-Major in measure 37. The sequence continues with embellishments until measure 41. For the turnaround in measure 46 and 47, Corea chooses to use a D-Major Scale, brightening up the sound of the F-Major harmonic basis from one flat to two sharps. In order to lead back to the F-Major tonic, Corea moves up chromatically, implying E-Major during measure 48. Similar to the tonic-subdominant substitution with a string of dominant chords during the head in measure 21-24, Corea plays a descending, chromatic sequence from Bb13 to G13 in measure 54. He completes his first chorus with a C-pedal point. During m. 61-64, Corea melodically implies a progression of Dm7, Ebm7, Ab, G7b9 over the C-pedal point as a turnaround to the F-Major tonic in m.65. During the second chorus, Corea concentrates more on rhythmic aspects for his improvised lines. In m. 67/ 68, he crosses the bar lines with a hemiola, leading to a syncopated repetition of C's doubled at the octave over the course of the following three measures. Echoing the thought, Corea states a series of B's in measure 75 and 76. In relation to the F Major harmony in measure 75 , B is the #11, one of Corea's favorite harmonic option to brighten up major chords. Again, he implies a series of triads over an ascending bass line to close the first half of the second chorus. Block harmonies characterize the improvisational approach for the second half of the chorus. Instead of the C-pedal point, Corea increases tension and intensity by leading into the third solo chorus with an ascending B-Major scale, accented by syncopated, ascending fourths in the left hand. In closing this discussion of Corea's piano style, the following basic principles can be extracted from the analysis. With a clear touch, a clean technique, and a very strong sense of rhythm, Corea is well-equipped to realize his quest for communication through his music. Some of his most prevalent melodic techniques are the frequent use of embellishments, lydian and altered scales, and some typical chromatic patterns. Harmonically, Corea frequently uses voicings based on the interval of a fourths, poly chords, non-functional progressions, pedal points, and ostinati. In summary, Corea's artistry is based on a strong command of his instrument and contemporary harmonic techniques. Naturally there is a deeper level to artistry than just the surface of technique, rhythm, melody, and harmony. Read the full article

[tagohd]

May 2023

Even though I'm not starting my Patreon yet, I still think it would be a good idea to put out monthly progress reports, at least for my own records. So, here's a look at what I got done this month:

TL;DR

Finished one song that is now in the process of being published

Expanded on the lore behind my songs

Made progress on rewriting a song I first wrote in 2020 and began rewriting last June

Added to a song I thought was already finished

Started 3 new WIPs

Rhapsody for a Dying City

I began writing this song near the end of February, and I was stuck on it for some time. Initially titled simply "Jazzy Thing", I thought it could work as the theme for a city, so I changed the name to "City" until I could come up with something better. Eventually, the song evolved into something of a rhapsody with 5 distinct sections (A-E) spanning multiple genres, so I finally settled on the title "Rhapsody for a Dying City". What city it was and why it was dying would be decided later (more on that in a bit).

By the beginning of the month, I had the main idea for the song mostly completed. I still needed to write a saxophone solo, so I ended up hiring a professional, Brian Campbell, to improvise one for me. Since he also plays the clarinet, I hired him for that as well. On 5 May, after he sent back the recordings, of which there were five, I had to decide which ones to use, which was not an easy task. While listening to the entire song, I ended up deciding it would sound better if the sax came in a few measures earlier. This also allowed me to use more of the solos he recorded; the final version is actually a combination of four different recordings.

At the same time, I made some other changes to the song. I added a bass line throughout the song (prior to this, the piano was the main source of bass), a rhythm guitar part and a piano part in Section D, and a violin part and a pad in Section E. I also changed the bass line in Section E to be more active.

Then I began playing with the mixing. I decided to double track the guitars to give them a larger stereo presence: the lead guitar is panned completely to the left, and I added a delay that's panned completely to the right. I then did the same thing to the rhythm guitar, but in the opposite direction. I also added some effects and automation. You can hear some of this in the sample I uploaded: the reverb, saturation, and stereo width on the saxophone are gradually increased, giving it a psychedelic sound.

By 12 May, once I was satisfied with the mix, it was time for mastering. While I do have software that can essentially master for me (iZotope Ozone 9), I wasn't satisfied with the results. Because the song spans multiple genres and Ozone's Mastering Assistant only listens to one section of the song, I felt it would be better to hire a professional to do the mastering for me. As an added bonus, the mastering engineer I hired, Andres Mayo, also gave me some tips on how to improve my mix. A week later, and the song was mastered.

MONO

Of course, even though the song was finished, it still wasn't ready to be published. It needed album art. For that, I turned to my beloved mutual @lunathrix, who also made the album art for my first EP, A Losing Proposition, which is available for streaming or purchase on pretty much any platform. But what was he supposed to draw? That's where MONO comes in.

MONO is essentially the world for which my songs are the soundtrack. Conceived as a video game based on the hero's journey, I really hadn't done much with the story since I first had the idea in late 2020. But in order to ensure the album art remained (mostly) consistent with the story, @lunathrix had the idea to compile all of the lore into one place instead of leaving it scattered across a few Google Docs and our 3 years of DMs. I initially attempted to create a blog (@mono-lore) for holding all of it, but that quickly became untenable due to the scope of the project, so we switched to Obsidian with the "vault" maintained as a repository on GitHub. (I also briefly considered Scrivener, but Obsidian is free instead of $50, so it had a pretty large advantage.)

Just getting everything together and organized was a pretty large task in and of itself. In order to get all of our DMs, I ended up exporting the entirety of my main blog. (I found a tool that purported to extract just the DMs via Tumblr's API, but I couldn't get it to work.) After waiting almost an entire day, my blog was finally downloadable as an 80 GB(!!) ZIP file. I still don't know how big it is when uncompressed; I only wanted the DMs, so that's all I extracted. Anyway, once everything was in Obsidian, the lore quickly expanded, especially since I could now build off ideas I'd forgotten about.

This update has already gone on long enough, and I'm still not done, so I won't get too detailed, but here's a summary of some of the changes we've made:

New characters, including a secondary antagonist and a lesbian dragon who pines for the protagonist's horse

New information about existing characters, e.g. age, appearance, last names

The towns now have actual names instead of just being "Hometown/Boringsville", "Snowy Village", and "City". They are now Genton, Plata, and Rhapsody, respectively. (Yes, I know that technically makes the song "Rhapsody for Rhapsody". Maybe I'll come up with a better name later, but that's still better than just calling it "City".)

As it relates to "Rhapsody for a Dying City" and its album art, we decided the song was about the protagonist, Luke Campbell (no relation to Brian), having to go to Rhapsody to retrieve a legendary artifact known as "CURSED AL'S CURSED ORB". Other highlights include: Luke being an idiot and accidentally grabbing a chocolate orange instead, and one of the new characters, Case Weston, fighting him for THE ORB before he eventually joins Luke's side (but it's not because he likes Luke or anything, baka).

(Note to self: just realized that "Case Weston" sounds like "Case Western". That was unintentional, though it may have been subconscious. Not sure how to feel about that.)

Snowy, Pt. 1 (Rewrite)

(Okay, I'm almost done, I promise.) Although "Rhapsody" was my main project for this month, I did work on a couple other things as well, including a rewrite of one of my first songs, "Snowy, Pt. 1".

Last year, I started rewriting the songs on my first EP because they don't meet my current standards. For instance, I always intended for "Snowy, Pt. 1" to be a bit dissonant, but not as dissonant as it actually is. I had already fixed the piano part last year, but this month I finished writing the new flute part. I still need to fix the strings and the drums, though. I also still need to work on rewriting the other songs from A Losing Proposition.

Boringsville

Inspired by the sax on "Rhapsody", I added a sax part to "Boringsville", essentially giving it a new melody. Also had an idea to combine the "chiptune" version with the version featuring more realistic instruments.

When I first wrote "Boringsville" in August of last year, I actually wrote a second version that I envisioned would play when you're walking around the village at night. This month I added drums to it. I still need to fix them because I forgot that the night version isn't swung.

New WIPs

"Crystalline" - Not sure yet where this would play. Kinda too similar to the "Area Zero" theme from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

"Power" - A song that might play when you acquire/are in the vicinity of THE ORB and/or a chocolate orange (THE ORBNGE?)

"Untitled" - An idea I had for a song that either plays when you're on Luke's farm or when you're at the abandoned mine in Plata (or possibly both). I haven't written it down yet because every time I try to play it, I end up playing The Ink Spots instead.

All in all, this felt like an unusually productive month. Next month's update might not be as long.

[anaisvionet-blog]

more jazz please

My roommates Leong, Sophie, (Charles) and I were coming from a Yale sporting event. The sky looked like a dirty Swiffer-mop and the wind seemed to be ignoring the posted 20mph speed limit. It was a typical spring day in New Haven, overcast, 65°, with intermittent, drizzling rain. I was thinking it was a good day to be a duck.

We were looking for something to gnaw on and a beverage - of the alcoholic variety. We picked up some Mike’s hard cider (featured in our refrigerator now), which proves college students really do plan for the future.

It was about 4pm and the streets were puddled, slick-looking and empty. The lone passing car sounded like it was riding on a sponge. I was wearing a navy blue, short sleeve Polo dress, a matching Polo bucket hat (for the rain) and a slub knit hoodie that I ‘borrowed’ from Sunny forEVER (seriously, I ordered her a replacement from Amazon) and Roxy boat shoes.

On a side street, a “party-bike” sat parked, sad and abandoned in the rain. A party-bike is a tram fitted up as a bar that slowly drives noisy drunks around. The drunks sit around a “U” shaped bar, on small, backless stools welded onto the tram. Yes, an open-air bar on wheels. I can’t help thinking that a lawyer came up with the idea, because what could go wrong?

The first time I saw a “sightseeing” party-bike was on Beale Street, in Memphis Tennessee. Memphis is the Disneyland of barbeque and the blues. Every storefront for blocks is an open air blues bar, a barbeque place or souvenir shop (or all three at once). Party-bikes make sense there, because intoxication is like oxygen in Memphis. It's a party-bikes native environment. In New Haven, they seem cheap, excessive and opportunistic.

As we were walking, in the distance, we heard the wail of a saxophone and a beat so clear, that the sound seemed to linger and shimmer in the air, like a cartoon neon ‘Jazz’ sign. We instantly turned that way and discovered it was coming from a place called “Three Sheets” which was having open-mic tryouts for the house band.

It’s a bar that serves food and there’s a ‘beer goddess’ painted on one wall. In Georgia, we’d call it a ‘fern bar.' We found a table in the darker back, out of the way, and settled in. A waitress quickly took our orders and brought us several IPA beers.

Near a platform stage, there were 6 or 8 musicians sitting around (with their instruments) waiting to take a turn forming a trio with the house drummer and bass who were laying down a constant beat. One would step in with a guitar and play for a hot minute, then a guy with the sax, another with a trumpet and yet another with a clarinet, it went on and on. They each had a solo, at some point, and it made me wonder why I don’t listen to more jazz.

Our afternoon of music was something Sophie had wished for. Earlier that morning, as we were leaving the residence, she’d said, “I wish there was a concert or something going on tonight - something musical,” and boom, we get this. Still, I don’t subscribe to the idea of holy intervention.

I hate it when I hear people say, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” I bristle, my head snaps in the direction of the speaker, I want to see who that dumb-ass is. My parents and sister are doctors, and believe me, people are dying every day in situations that are more than they can handle. Heart attacks, staph infections, gunshot wounds, covid, cancer - Uggg, sorry, I got off track and boiled-over there.

Anyway, we had some jazzy music and incredible Vietnamese pulled-pork sandwiches with fries and a smoky ketchup that I could have just drunk. . . *I put (Charles) in brackets because, as our driver and escort, he’s usually there in the background when we’re not in the residence. But his presence is circumscribed, because he’s not there socially. Is it rude not to include him in every narrative? I don’t know - it's a habit.