Analog Buildup

The Jewel Of The Lyre or Vega is the fifth-brightest star in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye with a magnitude of 0.03. It is outshone in brightness only by Sirius, Canopus, Arcturus, and Alpha Centauri. Throughout history, Vega and its constellation Lyra have been called the jewel, and with its surrounding stars, Vega depicts an ancient stringed instrument, the lyre. In Arabic tradition, Vega is connected to a predatory bird, either an eagle or a vulture, and the star's name is derived from the Arabic phrase 'the swooping eagle.' This is echoed in some versions of the Greek lyre story, which also involve an eagle. 

This song is part of the project Analog Buildup.

Special thanks to Gabriel Rever for his timbales work.

The Jewel Of The Lyre

In August 1877, Asaph Hall of the U.S. Naval Observatory conducted a systematic search and discovered two satellites, or moons, of Mars within a few nights of each other. Hall named the moons Phobos and Deimos, after the two sons of Mars who were his chariot attendants and constant companions. However, this was not the first time that the existence of these moons had been theorized. Almost three centuries earlier, in the early 17th century, astronomer Johannes Kepler had also proposed the idea of two moons orbiting Mars. This was due to a secret coded letter received from his colleague Galileo Galilei. Both Galileo and Kepler were influential figures in the field of astronomy, and their contributions are still celebrated today. 

When Galileo sent his coded letter, Kepler was eager to solve it and feel validated in his theories about Mars. The letter was written in Latin and contained a word puzzle for Kepler to decipher. Despite his best efforts, Kepler's interpretation of the code was not entirely accurate. He rearranged the letters to read 'be greeted, double-knob, children of Mars,' and believed this confirmed his theory. However, the actual solution to the puzzle was a playful joke from Galileo, not a scientific revelation.

This song is part of the project Analog Buildup.

Special thanks to Percussionist Reinaldo Ocando for his work on the bongos.

The Children of Mars

I wrote this contemporary jazz piece after watching Rick Beato's wonderful interview with Keith Jarrett. This features Ric Fierabracci on bass, Larry Salzman on percussion and Mannuel Trabucco on soprano sax.

Looking To Allentown

I wrote this piece after watching the BBC's documentary about the Silk Road. This features vocals by Marriam Zeeshan and Dumindu Dassanay on the Indian flute.

Glowing Lamps Of Bukhara

This started as a small synthesizer electronic piece but it wanted to be a larger number so now it is. This features Mannuel Trabucco on soprano sax.

This piece is written about the discovery of the star Earendel (Star WHL0137-LS). Earendel is located in the constellation Cetus and was discovered in 2022 by the Hubble Space Telescope. Earendel is the earliest and most distant known star, at an estimated distance of 28 billion light-years. It's estimated that the light detected from Earendel was emitted 900 million years after the Big Bang. Earendel is a massive B-type main-sequence star more than twice as hot as our Sun, and about a million times more luminous.

This piece features Mezzo Soprano Dimi De San.

Our First Glimpse Of Earendel

This piece is about the constellation Ophiuchus. Ophiuchus one of the 48 constellations discovered by Ptolemy in the 2nd century. This constellation depictions a man holding a very large snake, he is a snake charmer. Rasalhague (in Arabic means “head of the snake handler) is the brightest star of this constellation.

Mannuel Trabucco on soprano sax
Dumindu Dassanay on the Indian wooden flute
Andy Warner on fretless bass solo
Remi on percussion (Shamanic drum and Tibetan cymbals)

Head Of The Serpent Charmer

“There is nothing permanent except change.” – Heraclitus.

The music industry (like many things) has changed greatly since I bought my first 45 record (Green Eyed Lady) at my hometown record shop in 1970. It would be very easy to lament over these changes (and I have.) However, with change comes new opportunities, and thanks to websites/apps like Soundcloud we musicians and composers have the opportunity to to be heard as never before. So thank you Soundcloud and thank you for visiting my page. - Jim Combs

Bio
* Born 1959
* From Southern New Jersey, USA
* Instruments: Guitar (jazz & classical), Bass, Piano, Voice 
* Influential LPs/music (not all and in no specific order): Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire, Miles Davis - Nefertiti & Sketches of Spain, Larry Coryell – Spaces, Weather Report - Heavy Weather, Pat Martino – Consciousness, Return to Forever  - Romantic Warrior,  Chick Corea - The Leprechaun, Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow,  Frank Zappa - Zoot Allures, Santana & McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender, ELP – Trilogy, Genesis - Wind and Wuthering, Yes - Close to the Edge, David Sancious - The Bridge, Be Bop Deluxe - Sunburst Finish, Ambrosia - Somewhere I've Never Traveled, Journey – Journey,  Rite of Spring & Petrushka – Stravinsky, Don Quixote - Richard Strauss, La Mer - Claude Debussy, Pavane pour une infante défunte & Daphnis et Chloé – Ravel, Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta - Bartok ,  Andrew Lloyd Webber - Jesus Christ Superstar, Jerry Goldsmith - MacArthur, The Omen, Planet Of The Apes (1968), Isao Tomita - Snowflakes Are Dancing & The Bermuda Triangle.

Analog Buildup

Jim Combs - Composer, Keyboardist and Guitarist