JazZ^∆^ChilL

Smooth@JazZ

Reposting my groove to Miles Davis 'Blue In Green' I did last year, if you've heard before apologies :) If not hope you like :)

A Late Night Groove to 'Blue In Green' - Miles Davis

(FYI: This song is available on my website at: https://ahmedsirour.com/track/2996468/midnight-melanin-manhattan-a-score-for-ivy as well as Bandcamp at: https://ahmedsirour.bandcamp.com/track/midnight-melanin-manhattan-a-score-for-ivy)

I created this based on a scene from the 1968 film, #ForLoveofIvy, which was a story written by the recently departed, late/great #SidneyPoitier and featuring the also late/great #AbbeyLincoln. The music you hear is an original score I created, inspired by this scene (not one of Quincy Jones', who beautifully scored the rest of this movie, although his style was an influence I wanted to partially emulate). I was actually surprised he left so much room open in this bedroom scene you're watching now, because the original scene had no music at all until after Ivy (Abbey) joins Jack (Sidney) in bed for Round 2 of their lovemaking. 

Inspired by the great cinematography and sexiness of this moment, this is an all original arrangement of my own, and even chopping up and editing the royalty-free horns that I used for the trumpet and saxophone solos (which was very difficult to do because it's a combination of many different real horn player samples that I had to edit/pitch/re-arrange/EQ just for it to sound like two players to add to the grand piano, upright/double bass, and horn parts in the hook/chorus that I manually played and myself on keyboard (via Logic Pro instruments) to make it into a Jazz "quartet", then finally mixing and mastering the whole thing for it to come out finally as it did, which you can hear in full from the link at the top of this description.

Like many, I took a trip down memory lane, watching #SidneyPoitier films, since his recent passing at age 94. However, not many people know of/have seen this particular film called  "For Love of Ivy", which is kinda surprising since Sidney was THE biggest movie star in Hollywood at the time this film came out in 1968.

To put it in perspective, he started filming this movie (an original story he wrote, himself) in the Autumn of '67, but just a few months earlier that year, #ToSirWithLove dropped in the Spring, followed by #InTheHeatoftheNight that Summer, and #GuessWhosComingToDinner was up next in December to close out his undefeated year as the King of the Silver Screen. While each film in '67 was a blockbuster hit (and all dealt with #racism in some form), "Ivy" was very different as it was a rare mainstream film showcasing two Black romantic leads–Sidney, and the magnificent Jazz singer/activist Abbey Lincoln (who had a dope afro but they gave her a wig, instead 🙄 )–and it even featured the very first (though not explicit) Black lovemaking scene in a Hollywood movie. Perhaps that's why it didn't get much publicity over time as those others did, because more radical than a 1967 film with an interracial couple is a 1968 one with a Black couple being intimate on the big screen.

Ivy's character looked so serene, looking through the window, out over Manhattan late at night, in the afterglow of their tryst, before taking the throne and looking over her sleeping "conquest" 😉 It's a sexy scene without music, but I wanted to hear what it would sound like with some, and so I take this moment to celebrate the memory and legacy of Sidney Poitier, of Abbey, and this wonderful moment of #BlackLove on film with it!

This song will be included in my upcoming project I'm releasing on my bday, Tuesday, the 22nd of February, 2022 (or 22/02/2022). That's also the title of the project: 22022022 (the only palindrome b'earthday I'll have in my lifetime). I hope you enjoy and Happy #BlackHistoryMonth.

#AhmedSirour

Midnight, Melanin, & Manhattan (a score for Ivy)

"Midnight, Melanin, & Manhattan (a score for Ivy)"

From the album 'Umakhulu' (AFS052)

Ayanda Sikade on Drums
Nduduzo Makhathini on Piano
Simon Manana on Alto Sax
Nhlanhla Radebe on Bass

Produced by Ayanda Sikade
Recorded by Peter Auret at Sumo Sound
Mixed and Mastered by Gavan Eckhart at Soul Fire Studios
Artwork: Michael MacGarry
Cover photo: Vuyo Giba

© Ayanda Sikade 2021/22
℗ Afrosynth Records 2021/22 - www.afrosynth.com

Distributed by Rush Hour, Amsterdam - www.rushhour.nl https://www.rushhour.nl/record/vinyl/umakhulu

Umakhulu

'Imithandazo Yeengelosi' (prayer of angels) - Ayanda Sikade

Let It Ride

Let It Ride (From "Norah Jones is Playing Along" Podcast)

I wrote this tune on the piano immediately after a Gospel choir rehearsal in June, 2014.  It flew out of nowhere & I knew I only had minutes to capture it...  I soon ran home excited & spent the evening piecing my words together.  

MUSIC VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/B0_lEGRXJks

Stories & Rhymes

A re-working of the classic "Kind of Blue" track written by Bill Evans.  

Miles Davis - Blue in Green

(c)&(p) 2018 Fazer
Artwork: Daily Dialogue (dailydialogue.cc)

Releasedate: 14. September 2018
Label: Fazer
Format: 12", 180g vinyl, 45 rpm
Distributor: wordandsound

Info:

The German Jazz quintet Fazer releases the 12“ White Sedan with two remixes by Glenn Astro & Hodini (Apollo, Ninja Tune, Tartelet, Money $ex etc.) and Tru Thoughts powerhouse Werkha.
The band appeared on the map in March with their self-released debut album MARA. The dynamic range of their drum-centered sound combined with extensive improvisation resonated with international listeners and DJs alike, appearing in sets by Mafalda or Louise Chen and on the waves of radio stations like NTS, Le Mellotron or Worldwide FM.

The original track builds on the so called „Guaguanco“, a traditional latin rhythm that is closely tied to dance. Stretching over 7 minutes, the song opens with an introduction of the groove by the two drummers. The main theme then sets the mood that is maintained through searing trumpet kicks and two solos of remarkable restraint that is too often missing in the contemporary jazz world. After a reprise of the theme, the tune ends on a mellow note echoing its more frantic parts in a more soberly manner.
Romantic yet never tacky, White Sedan can be a special turn in an eclectic DJ-set as well as the soundtrack to a sundown getaway scene in a heist movie.

Glenn Astro & Hodini completely melted down the original stems, molding them into a glimmering warm-up gem with the usual virtuosic musicality they're both known for. While for their latest LP „Turqouise Turtle“ on Apollo Records they pooled together individual tracks, this remix is their first proper collaborative effort so far.

Werkha's take incorporates the original rhythm but adds a breath of fresh air with deep jazzy keys and ecstatic MIDI synth stabs. While it starts smoothly, inhaling the vibe of the original, the remix evolves into a peak-time banger that could tear the roof off of any party at the right moment. The distorted percussive elements give the track a breaky attitude and expose the London roots of the Glasgow-based producer.

White Sedan (Glenn Astro & Hodini / Werkha Remix)

White Sedan (Original Mix)

THE OFFICIAL SOUNDCLOUD ACCOUNT FOR AHMED SIROUR

Well, after having many tracks on Soundcloud, include various remixes that were up for years without any issue, SC started throwing strikes at me left and right, even with those I had proof I had permission to post, but they decided to take down my former page: (at)22music, inclusive of the thousands of wonderful followers who've joined me over the years.

So now I start back from the very beginning, the ground up, and hopefully many of you will find me again as well as newcomers who are hearing my work for the first time--and this time it will only be MY original work (or remixes that are verified)! lol Either way, I hope you take yet another journey again with me as I push the envelope with even more music, more positive vibrations, and more influences from around the world as I infuse my travels into my sounds...

"Midnight, Melanin, & Manhattan (a score for Ivy)"

Ahmed Sirour