"Through My Eyes" (Edit.: Mastered with iZotope Ozone 11 on December 4th, 2023)

This is a partly improvised "smooth jazz" or "lounge" track made as a humble tribute to my - for the most part American - collection of the wonderful musical adventure called smooth jazz that has given me so much over the years (maybe also the term "Westcoast music" could be relevant here). 

I shall call this track "Through My Eyes" because it kind of tries to capture and present something about the American smooth jazz tradition - as seen through my eyes. 

This track was loosely inspired first by Mr. Keith Jarrett's two wonderful songs, "The Good America" and "Country" which both express an enormously positive and hymn-like feeling, and second by Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 3 in F Major, III. Poco allegretto (Op. 90), the beauty of which has been "haunting" me for many years (and maybe also to some extent by Mozart's Symphony No. 40, I. Molto allegro, and Schubert's Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished", I. Allegro moderato, etc.).

I have not found out much about the origins of the two Mr. Jarrett's songs but in a recent interview he talks about them and rightly describes - if I understood correctly - the song "The Good America" as almost like a prayer. I also got the impression that both of these two Mr. Jarrett's songs kind of represent a view of America. 

I have also gotten inspiration here from the music of one of my all-time favorite jazz bands Spyro Gyra and from all the wonderful music that Mr. Carlos Santana has provided to the world. Last but not least as a source of inspiration I shall mention the music of Mr. Burt Bacharach (especially his breath-taking song "Bells of St. Augustine"). There is again also a bunch of other classical and popular music and jazz lurking on the background as a source of inspiration. 

The instruments and plugins I have been privileged to use here are once again my old workhorse Korg SGProX digital stage piano (master keyboard), Yamaha Montage 8 synthesizer (CFX Concert) and the wonderful instruments from Scarbee (Rhodes, EP-88S), Native Instruments (Abbey Road 80s Drummer), the UVI SonicPass and Arturia V Collection. The drum grooves, fills etc. are from the 80s Drummer and edited by me.

Through My Eyes

Paul was singing it (first time) on a funeral, Beate Wehrsdorf at the organ and  me playing clarinet.
Painting made by Paul

Ave Maria live, featuring my son Paul and Beate Wehrsdorf (organ)

YOU’RE THE SON OF A GUN AND A FATHER OF A SON 
I CAN TELL BY WHAT’S BEEN TOLD TO ME
LITTLE FRED IN HIS BED IS DREAMING OF A TREE
YOU ARE 40 YEARS AHEAD COS FRED IS ONLY THREE

CAN YOU BALANCE A PLATE ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD JAKE
SITTING ON A CORNFLAKE I HEARD YOU COULD DO SO 
CAN YOU HAVE A BIG BREAK WITH A VIDEO AD JAKE
AND MIME AMERICANA WITH YOUR BASEBALL HAT

A GHOST WRITER OR  A MUSE OH OH
WHO IS PAIGE SUPPOSED TO BE? 
FROM WHAT I READ IN THE NEWS OH OH
SHE COULD BE BOTH COULD’NT SHE?

JUST A WORD FOR JULIENNE WHO SEEMS A DEDICATED FRIEND
ET À TOUS LES GENS QUI T’AIMENT ET QUE TU AIMES AUSSI
ON RÉCOLTE CE QUE L’ON SÈME TOI TU AS SEMÉ DES AMIS
HENCE YOUR LIFE IS WHAT IS MEANT TO BE


GOULIES AND GHOSTIES AND LONG LEGGETY BEASTIES
THAT GO AND JUMP IN GEORGIA JAKE
I KNOW THAT’S WHAT YOU GO FOR THE AMERICANA LORE
NO WONDER SINCE YOUR FAMILY
WERE QUILTERS, FOLKLORISTS, PAINTERS, WINE MAKERS
ALL BEAUTIFUL DREAMERS
SOMEBODY TOLD ME SO
SO IN THE NAME OF ALL THE TURTLES IN THE WORLD
I WISH YOU MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY
HAPPY RETURNS
MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY
HAPPY RETURNS
HAPPY HAPPY
IT’S THE TREE OF LIFE
HAPPY RETURNS

HAPPY RETURNS (Lyrics) Song for Jake

Just Before To Leave

Honey 
I want to see another sky
Next to you. Close to you. 

Honey
I want to see another sky
Just before
To leave.

Air 
I want to breath another air
From your roots 
From your bark 

Air
I want to breath another air 
From your leaves
From your limbs 

When the river passes
blood carries on
Blood of our sweat
and from the grass
bleeding grass
rocking grass
That elevates you and immerses you.

Honey
cut the grass
that doesn't leave me
like the fog, that thick fog 

Honey 
Cut the roots 
That doesn’t leave me
Like the frost, freezing frost 

See you give birth
our pain
Just before
To leave.

Just Before To Leave

here is a link to the music video for the curious
https://youtu.be/KMl0QjZ3GM8?si=XS1ZBm20tEvklkTG


Alchemy and Stones
By David Husted

V1

Your an alchemist shaping my world
metal and leaf, herbs and fire
Your the pestle to ground the root
To shake my truth, without gun powder
   
ch                      
We were lost you see
Shattered stones with a strange alchemy
You're my mystic key reaching down deep into the
heart of me

V2
And the stones of philosophers
The secrets of flowers golden
The halls of wise, the dreams that lie behind
The paradise we long for

ch
We were lost you see
Shattered stones with a strange alchemy
You're my mystic key reaching down deep into the
heart of me

Rock Bridge

Ch Quiet

You're my mystic key reaching down deep into the
heart of me
                
V3

You take my cynical, my rigid , my narrow mind stiffening
You mix me it in your crucible, release internal conflicts
I'm tired of being wrapped up in my revolutions
Un-dress me take me inside your peaceful evolution

Your peaceful evolution
Your peaceful evolution
 

Ch  
I kind of think I might 
I kind of think I might 
I kind of think I might 
I kind of think I might

Love You

------------------------------------------

I have a new song release scheduled for 13 DEC 24 called Alchemy and Stones. 

In one of my past song journal entries my word of the day was amalgam and I threw in the word alchemy for good measure.  During the lyric building process for this song my brain seemed to be still heavily steeped in the essence of these words. They were percolating through my thought streams. Much of the lyrical content contains imagery associated with this chemistry of the past and its mythic symbols. Our messy world provided additional ingredients that fell into the steaming crucible and began to round out this song into its final state.

There were four different songs that fed my creative spark and development process.  They were the following:

Spoon: Wild
James McMurtry: Canola Fields
Fruit Bats: Waking Up in Los Angeles
Taylor Swift: Anti-Hero

Deep bow of gratitude to all these artists.  My primary reference for the arrangement was Wild and it had the deepest structural influence on the song. The McMurtry song helped me hit on an idea for the chorus melody that seemed to stick with me and I liked his vocal delivery and cadence. The Fruit Bats was really not used at all but I loved the ohhhs in the chorus and wanted to find a way to emulate the laid back ease of them in my song.  However, my particular song style, tempo and arrangement just never allowed an entry point. The Fruit Bats song did keep the juices flowing though so that is why it still receives honorable mention in this write-up.

Finally, the  song by Taylor Swift: Anti-Hero did have a role in my song believe it or not.  If you listen to one of the synths you will hear a gated pumping sound courtesy of an Auto Pan and a Phaser-Flanger Plug-in. I really should thank a Music Producer named Ill Factor for teaching me the sound design process here. He demonstrated the technique in a YouTube video. Pretty cool.  As I have said before, I learn something new in every new song I build.  It is always deeply enjoyable for me. I also appreciate you for leaning in and listening. I wish you all the very best.

Thank You

Have a Great Weekend,  

Dave
davidhusted.com

Alchemy and Stones

Step into the Athanor

Cast of Characters:  

TexMex Shaman–@texmex-shaman –Stephen– acoustic guitar, electric guitar solo, mix, production, and mastering

J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- Yamaha Genos 2 piano solo 

K2 and the Three [and the Four] -- @k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums

Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1– Warwick 4-string fretless bass, piano, mandolin, and vocals

This is an old Jerry Jeff Walker song from a live album that Josh's dad played countless times while driving around in his his old pickup truck while he was growing up. Josh decided this year's musical gift to his father would be a recording of this song, which his dad has always loved. When he asked his bandmates in the Eclectic Collective to help him with it, they all generously and enthusiastically agreed to do so.

  Josh began the song by laying down the piano you hear throughout. He then added the bass before asking Ken to lay down the drums. Ken learned the song very quickly, and added perfect drums to it. Stephen then added his solid foundational guitar. Then, Josh went back in and added the mandolin before singing the whole thing. Before it was done, however, Josh tapped JJ to add the piano solo after the first chorus, which he did with grand style and flourish.

  Once it was in the can, Stephen was kind enough to mix and master it in his always professional manner. 

  Josh is very grateful to his bandmates for helping him give the gift of music to his dad once again this year. His dad has alwasy supported him with his music, from the time he was a little kid, and is very proud of his musical skills to this day. We hope you enjoy listening to this

Pickup Truck Song - (Eclectic Collective)

Here’s a side project that our friend Brian Young (Wull) composed, performed the music and produced. A few years back Brian asked us if we would add vocals and Nat and I came up with this recording. Brian later released a modified version. We wanted to keep this version as well and hope you’ll enjoy it. Our thanks to Brian for inviting us into this beautiful composition that features his terrific guitar work to which we greatly enjoyed singing along. The words were authored by “NewBeginnings” (Jimmy Osborne) DUPoetry.com, but you’ll hear some minor changes made to best fit with Brian’s music.
Cover art based on a photo by Jeffry S.S. (Pixels) and banner art based on a photo by TotumRevolution (Pixabay).

I know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Jimmy Osborne

Standing in the pouring rain
Soaked to the bone in sorrow,
I met a fellow mourner’s pain,
Along this road to no tomorrow.

She was drowning in defeat,
She braced this raging storm alone,
But she had the cutest little tweet,
I knew I had to take her home.

So, I took that bird beneath my wing,
And nursed her back to perfect health,
Then, one day I heard that angel sing
Perched so bravely upon her shelf.

Her wings no longer wet and cold,
Her broken heart no longer cried, 
With feathers no longer too stiff to turn,
I asked that beautiful bird to fly.

Underneath the misty glow of streetlamps,
Kissed by the lovelight in her eyes,
We lay locked within this fleeting dance,
Until the peeking sun began to rise.

With a final glance, and a simple kiss
We said our last goodbye…
Forever planted on her gentle lips,
Beneath that vibrant crimson sky.

The Caged Bird Sings

The Caged Bird Sings (with Wull)

Fourth single from our upcoming album, Tales from the Lost World. Check out the music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jssvVA-DZJo

llari I. Rantala (I-la-rI) - Vocals, Bass Guitar, Tambourine & Lyrics
Kari Karhumaa - Synths, Keys & Drum Machine Programming
Composed by SÿntaxxËrror.
Produced by Ilari I. Rantala (I-la-rI)
Art & Logo by Ilari I. Rantala (I-la-rI)
© 2025 SÿntaxxËrror. All rights reserved.

The Dawn

a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process😂 a "yabba" session🤭🤘

YabbaDoNow😂(Right-thru)improv live session

Coming Home (2025)

Spitfire Audio - Fragile String Evolutions - Pad Waves

Pad Waves

Two song writers, two kindred spirits... that found each other by pure happenstance and great fortune, to collaborate and create music together.
To see our separate artist pages, please click on the following links:
Nat Daniels   https://soundcloud.com/natdaniels
Craig Durgy  https://soundcloud.com/durge

The Caged Bird Sings (with Wull)

Daniels & Durgy