This song probably took the longest to complete out of any I have written-- about two years (not that I spent every waking moment on it). The lyrics were changed about three times. I couldn't figure out what it was about. I'm still not sure. I just like the title a lot. And Reni's background spoken word was supposed to sound like beat poetry at a microphone in the 1950s.  I like how it ended up sounding like someone left a tv on in the background. It came out kind of trip-py overall.

Ultraviolet

This song was inspired by Duke Ellinton's "Prelude to a Kiss".. or maybe it's "Chelsea Bridge" I can never keep titles straight. Anyway I wanted the melody to climb higher and higher and when you think it was done climbing it would finally climb even more, then resolve by gently floating down again. Those random hits are inspired by Mingus' big band. The ending is just layer upon layer of sound. Reni's spoken word is meant to remind you of a beatnik poet reading. I've never heard such a versatile voice!

If'n

Over Love is practically a lullaby.  I wrote it in a very peaceful state of mind and it's only two chords.  I'm into weaving a lot of different melodic lines together over a relatively static harmonic background.  "In the nighttime sky you may see somebody flying to their first connection" is my favorite line that kind of sums up the things that people who are in love will do.

Over Love

This song also came to me when I woke up from a nap. I had kind of an exhilarated feeling and I wanted the hook to capture that. It does. It's about someone coming out. I remember my 4 year old listening to me play it on the piano while i was hammering it out. My scat/piano part came out great in one take I was quite proud.

Do You Think It Matters

I wrote this entirely in my head while taking my kids to the park one day. It was a lot more vampy in my head compared to what it actually sounded like when it was finally played. It's a mix of exotic lounge, jazz, and trance.  Reni did a great Astrud Gilberto imitation.  I wrote the words on the plane while waiting for take-off from Boston to Pittsburgh.

Raining

This tune was supposed to be sung by Carey but I ended up taking it. It's about taking any kind of punishment over being alone.. I almost think it would work as a country song.  Anyway, I put a kind of slowly repeating squeaking sound as an effect-- it was a clip of the recorder solo.  I liked it because it reminded me of a lonely squeak coming out of a playground swing in a deserted schoolyard on a cold, cloudy November day.  The actual recorder solo is overdriven and sounds crazy!

Long As I'm Not Lonely

This is supposed to be a feel-good pop song about someone with a crush putting the object of his affection high up on a pedestal.  He's being given advice by someone older who has been in his place before.. It kind of reminds me of the Billy Joel song "Second Wind," in subject matter, although the music is a lot more gospel-ly.  I also like how the B section of the song kind of tangles up into a dead end, and then the A section starts up again.

Easy To Fall

Living And Dying A Life (M)

Jazz pianist, singer, songwriter, cabaret artist, animator.

ip kane

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