I was driving home from work in the Winter when a light snow was blowing over the avenue.  I recorded the first line to my phone.  We had just lost our senior pastor.  A bleak time, but I also had no doubt where his soul landed.  

Over the course of the next few days, the word honeysuckle kept popping into my head, for some reason, so I did somewhat of a "word clash" & put the two ideas of honeysuckle & rain together.  This song speaks to the juxtaposition of sadness (rain) in losing a loved-one & the happiness (honeysuckle) in the hope of seeing them again in heaven. 

Later, I wondered if honeysuckle had anything to do w/ Kenya where our pastor & his family had served as missionaries before coming to our church & sure enough, there is a connection & it grows there.  Guess that may be why the honeysuckle also kept popping up in my head.  A couple times I had to pull the car over & write down the lines that were coming so fast.  I'm also not sure why I kept thinking in a folksy, bluegrass feel, which is not my normal default, but that's just how it worked out.  

I gave the lyrics to Dr. Ken's Widow, Faye Hubbard at the funeral & later a CD of the song for their family.

Honeysuckle Rain (for Dr. Ken Hubbard) words & music by Dann Zehr music by Ron Alley c. 2010

“Sliding to the Picardy” words & music by Dann Zehr c. 2015 
Here's my tribute to the non-profit, a cappella group, Nashville Singers. 

I got the idea for this song when I was still observing at their rehearsals in January 2015, and there was a "Picardy third," in one of the pieces.  Being a new song, part of the men raised the third, but part of them stayed on the minor and just laughed about it.  Well, I thought it was funny and enjoyed the group's camaraderie so I got the idea for "Sliding to the Picardy" from that.  I've heard several jazz artists who have written tributes to other jazz artists, so in my own, limited capacity, that was the impetus behind this.  

Also, since the group raises money for music scholarships in the Middle Tennessee area, I thought it would be fun to use as a tool to illustrate some music theory.  If you listen, do me a favor & crank it from the outset so you can hear the first chords.  They're symbolic coming from "all over town" since the members also come from different parts of Nashville.

Notes:

* I threw structure out the window & made it somewhat  through-composed vs strophic (if I'm remembering those terms correctly from college?), w/ exception of the A & B sections' repetition.  Generally, each section after is melodically different.

* This is somewhat of a "music wonk" song & for those familiar w/ music theory terms, but can also be a love song.  For instance, the average listener not knowing the theoretical term "Picardy Third" may picture "The Picardy" as a hotel or restaurant where the couple is walking in the snow, rain, etc.  

* Tribute to an artist (e.g., as "Birdland" was to Charlie "Bird" Parker / "Hearing Take 5" by Michael Franks was a tribute to Dave Brubeck / "Berimbau" & "Velez" by Kenny Rankin were tributes, etc.)

* "North Star"/ main idea = "Harmony" - most phrases are different ways to say the concept of "harmony" (e.g., "general consensus of sound).

* "Tonal" painting - (i.e., onomatopoeic treatment of words/terms such as "from all over town" "Picardy" "tessitura" "two or nine" "six or seven" {"Sixth of Naples” = “Neapolitan Sixth" which is the major chord a ½ step above the tonic}) 

* Incorporates parts of the Nashville numbers system which I thought appropriate given the name of the group.

* Brief nods to Manhattan Transfer's versions of "Mystery" & "Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square."

"From all over town" paints that idea where the tenor part goes from to top to mid-range, bass goes from bottom to mid-range to meet tenors in the middle, musically illustrating coming from "all over town."

I sang all the parts myself & they were recorded by my Friend, Joey Hodge.

I also made a short video of the track here:  http://web.photodex.com/view/7p68b2x4

Tribute to Nashville Singers

Sliding to the Picardy

"Sliding To The Picardy" words & music by Dann Zehr c. 2015, vocals by Dann Zehr

I wrote this music for some friends & their young daughter who was battling a rare disease, in an effort to raise funds for her treatment.  Her Mom wrote down descriptive thoughts about Allie & I fit them to the music.  I also recorded more BGVs than are represented here, along w/ jazz flute by my friend Joey Hodge, but I can't find that recording (I love a good jazz flute!).  Thanks to the enormous talents of Joey Hodge (strings, percussion, various sounds & producer), David Cox (bass), Jamie Smith (drums) & Lloyd Boner who ran the board one Saturday morning while we recorded.  I played piano & sang.

"Allie's Song (Watchin' Her Laugh)" words by Jennifer Kinsey, words & music by Dann Zehr c. 200?

"All around me / Are the sounds my eyes see / When I hear You calling me
Every sky, a new way / You show why my eyes say / They will dwell in Your Majesty" - 
These lines I literally wrote as I was driving to another songwriter's group meeting on a Saturday morning so I could at least have some feedback on something.  I liked the thought of mixing the senses together interchangeably because it reminded me of a technique the Poet E.E. Cummings might use, who I had recently read at the time.  The leader of our songwriter's group who is a great musician himself, loved those lines & encouraged me to keep going w/ the rest so I wrote each of the four verses focusing on each of the four seasons.  

The "Dogwood Cross in Spring / Brings its offering" speaks to the Legend of the Dogwood Tree, which blooms every year around Easter, the flowers of which are in the shape of a cross, indented on each petal to symbolize a nail print as well as reflecting the color of Jesus' blood.  Also, I used the word "Croon" as a nod to the old days of the 1930's & 40's which would have been Cummings' wheelhouse.

"Gods Hues of Sound" words & music by Daniel Macklin Zehr copyright

"Infinite" is another result of a songwriter's club "assignment" to write a song based on one of the attributes of God.  I chose "Infinite."  Yeah, good luck w/ that one!  

My Dad told me something when I was a child about God that I have had in the "DNA" of worldview ever since.  "God always was."  Wow!  He never began because He's infinite!  Try to think back as far as you can go, years before you were born, years before the world began (whenever you think that was)...AND THEN KEEP GOING TILL YOU NEVER REACH THE BEGINNING!  While it makes sense to me that we are "finite" but He is "infinite,"  I still can't comprehend it which is why I asked questions like "How do I explain eternity?"  That's okay, though, because what kind of God would He be & why should I worship Him if I could fully understand Him?  Not much of a God, IMHO.  That's why it's called "faith" & not "reason" or "logic."

“Infinite” words & music by Dann Zehr copyright

This song came as a result of a self-imposed songwriter's group assignment to write a love song, in this case one to God, WITHOUT using the word "love."  I think the words on this take some extra thought on the part of the listener.

"My Words" words and music by Dann Zehr copyright

I've been a fan of Steely Dan & Donald Fagen's music as well as Michael McDonald's lead vocals, BGVs & his era of the Doobie Brothers for most of my life, so as a Christ-follower, I thought it might be interesting to try my feeble attempt to hear what that might sound like w/ Christian lyrics.  My Catholic brother heard the lyrics & thought they were kind of like a "mini Mass" in a nutshell, so...cool!  Bonus!

"Clouds of Your Majesty" words & music by Dann Zehr copyright

For years I have heard of the idea that God inhabits the praises of his people.  While I believe the Bible teaches that in general terms, at least a few passages come close to saying so specifically.  2 Chronicles 5:13 & 14, Zechariah 2:10 & Psalm 22:3.  
If this is true, that God inhabits our praise, I thought of the word "Dwell" as a synonym for "inhabit" & wondered anthropomorphically if our praises made God "comfortable" as we think of comfortable.  Like "comfort food" I think there can be "comfort music" too, so mine is probably old school, early '70's pop & gospel that Andrae Crouch & the Disciples were doing in gospel, or the Spinners, Stylistics, Delphonics, Manhattans were doing in pop.  So, I wrote my idea of "comfort music" for the Lord & it's a long song, too...in case He wants to "Dwell." :o)>

“Dwell” words & music by Dann Zehr copyright

I was traveling w/ three of my friends in the early to mid-1990's singing in 20 different states 15--20 times a month and one night we were driving back from someplace & I asked a couple of the guys to try this little ditty I had written with me.  We were listening to the band "Adam Again" at the time & I heard some female BGVs that were kind of funky so they inspired me to do something similar.  Haven't heard that Adam Again song since, though & I wish I could remember the name!  (I actually just looked it up on Spotify & I think it's from their 1988 release "Ten Songs from Adam Again" & I think it was either the song "Beat Peculiar" or "Trouble With Lies.")

"Eyes on the Prize" was also mainly inspired by the Hebrews passage (Heb. 12:2) about "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - (NASB).  I tell this to my kids because Jesus will never fail them.

Eyes on the Prize words and music by Dann Zehr copyright

I thought of this idea on the National Day of Prayer.  I thought of that Scripture ("For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless." - 2 Chronicles 16:9 ESV) & the idea of the Lord's eyes running "to & fro" or "scouring" over the whole earth for those whose hearts are devoted to Him, (NET) fully committed to Him (NIV) & it was my prayer that day,  My thought was to have our church choir sing it, but we never got around to it.  Players include David Cox (bass) Robert Russell Jr. (drums) Joey Hodge (keys) and me on vocals.

Scour The Land - Words & Music by Dann Zehr c. 2010

Labor Day, 2020 - My sister Brenda & I recorded this at her house this morning in Indy before we drove back to Nashville.  I just used the GarageBand app on my iPhone 7+ in her living room.  I wrote it a couple years ago in November of 2018 on my way back from their house after dropping my Wife Ashley off for a week to help with our Niece Rebekah‘s wedding.  I always loved old songs about Autumn & I love hearing her play, I just wish we lived closer!  

“Autumn Goodbye“ 
Words and Music by Dann Zehr, Music by Brenda Britton c. 2018 

Burnt sienna dreams 
Light up November 
Marigold brushes 
Paint the hues of a blue sky 
Leaves, leaves falling like embers 
after we say goodbye 
after we said goodbye

Empty now the fields
So is my heart, dry
Harvested silos 
Weep for me as I pass by
Leaves, leaves falling like embers 
after we say goodbye 
after we said goodbye

Bridge 

Autumn in November 
Smiled a Hoosier sunshine 
Paints its palette umber, gold and blue grass 

South for me, north for you
Till we meet again I’ll think of you and hues of...

burnt sienna dreams lighting November…

Autumn Goodbye

Dann Zehr

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