another older track I'd like to try to expand on some day. Just didn't have the playing chops at the time of recording it. Still don't  :O)

This track was also used (temporarily) as a middle section of an alternate, slower and extended version of ‘Jazzy Ditty’, one of my favourite tracks. But I hope to eventually replace it with something that fits better. 

Artwork is a variation I did (added guitar strings) on a well known Matisse print.

Comments always appreciated, but don't feel shy to give critical feedback - always trying to get better!

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here's some pictures I took: www.flickr.com/photos/mark_boucher/
my best photos on 500px (safe site): 500px.com/p/mrmark?view=photos

Belle Curves Blues

Tonight

Inspired by Maurice Ravel's Ma Mère l'Oye No.3 Laideronnette - Imperatrice des Pagodes 
Compare: https://youtu.be/ihRt2hmBGcQ

Imperatrice des Pagodes

Living My Best Life In The Simulation / Silver Bella
Vocals and Lyrics:
SilverBella
https://www.looperman.com/acapellas/detail/23452/living-my-best-life-in-the-simulation-main-vocal-by-silverbella-87bpm-rnb-acapella
Paploviante:
Bass, Music Composing, Mix, Picture and Mastering
Lyrics:
Manifesting like a queen
My life's a movie scene
Come and check out all my cars
Living large like the stars

Anything I want I can make real
Pulling my future from the quantum field

Yeah, I'm living my best life in the simulation
I could get out but I don't want the complication
Just admit that this is the perfect situation
The simulation, the simulation
The simulation, the simulation

If I want to watch a show
I flick a switch on my remote
When the Knicks are on the floor
Then I'm sitting centre court

Worked my way to the top of my field
That's how I pay for all of these ideals

Yeah, I'm living my best life in the simulation
I could get out but I don't want the complication
Just admit that this is the perfect situation
The simulation, the simulation
The simulation, the simulation
The simulation, the simulation

They said why don't you try one of these red pills
Well, I tried but all I got from them was chills
To be wide awake you gotta have the skills

And things don't get any better than this
I'm living life of pure bliss
No, things don't get better than this
I'm living life of pure bliss

Things don't get any better than this
And if I had a word, I'd say pure bliss

Yeah, I'm living my best life in the simulation
I could get out but I don't want the complication
Just admit that this is the perfect situation
The simulation, the simulation
I'm embracing the simulation
I'm embracing the simulation
I'm embracing the simulation
I'm embracing the simulation

I need an all-inclusive trip to Mexico


Living my best life in the simulation

I'm proud to present a collab with Mathieu Torres . I had the chance to add some smooth sax licks to his brilliant composition "Rosewood" !
I highly recommend the solo version on his channel: https://soundcloud.com/mathieutorresworks/rosewood-solo-version-collaborative-alternative-version-with-jorg-s-on-saxophone-in-description
Check out his Channel: https://soundcloud.com/mathieutorresworks ... and his links to bandcamp and youtube !

Rosewood / MATHIEU TORRES feat. joerxworx

A little song I wrote back in September of 2023. Inspired by a beauty, who made me think of the Proverbs 31 woman. She brought this song to life, and pretty neat that her birthstone was a ruby. I even bought her a pair of ruby colored shoes. This song will always be very special. It's amazing how those little moments can hit and unexpectedly ignite a song late at night. I love those moments, cause that's what I strive to always remember. She took that picture of me on the Steinway. I hope you enjoy this live recording I did very late last night. Thanks so much for listening:) 

Ruby

I was so lonely
Thank God I found
The perfect girl
Oh in such
A dark world
She's more precious
Than the rarest ruby
In all of the world
Oh how she loves me
She's my world

I'm never letting her go
I'm never letting her go
Everyday I'm gonna show
How my love will always grow
I'm never letting her go

And I've never been so happy
She's my favorite sound
Through all my nights and days
I love to hear
The way she prays
She's more precious
Than the rarest ruby
In all of the world
She holds the key
To another world

I'm never letting her go
I'm never letting her go
Everyday I'm gonna show
How my love will always grow
I'm never letting her go

I'm never letting her go
I'm never letting her go
Everyday I'm gonna show
How my love will always grow
I'm never letting her go

And she's more precious
Than the rarest ruby 
In all of the world
I'm never letting her go 

All music written and recorded by 
©Daniel Colter Valentine

Ruby (Original song live)

Taken from the 'Beyond the Veiled Horizon' series of tracks

https://soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/beyond-the-veiled-horizon-series

Dee Zee and Mr B YouTube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/@DeeZeeandMrB
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This track is is part of an ongoing  SoundCloud collaboration with accomplished keyboard player and Prog Rock enthusiast Dave Zeitlin.

Be sure to check out more of his music here :- @dee-zee

Dave had worked on an outline track for this with fairly ominous chords building into the actual storm section. It did sound quite stately rhythmically and in my head I could hear more of a driving pulse to reflect an oncoming storm and the storm itself.  The addition of more of an Eastern pulse utilising Darbuka and Rik in the early part and Davul in the ending added the feeling I was looking for. 

Some orchestral brass was added to the start of the storm section which gave it a bit of majesty and I also added a bit of string ensemble too.  I've often used the 'Eduardo Tarilonte', Shevannai vocal VST library in my music. The pure tones of 'Lara Ausensi' are perfect to add an element of mystery to a piece like this. 

Oud (a Middle Eastern short-neck lute) and Ney ( Persian End Blown Flute) add melodic interest and colour to the early part of this track. Use is also made of a Kanun (Qanun) a Middle Eastern stringed instrument, a type of zither.  This appears just before the storm hits. 

Dave had already supplied a solo section and I added some early electric guitar that morphed into more of a supporting riff when his solo started. It worked well that I could bring together electric and synth at the end of the storm alongside a final slightly dissonant chord on the brass. 

The overall piece is very much a weird hybrid of Eastern influences, Prog Rock and Orchestral instrumentation. I think we managed to capture some energy in this piece ... I  hope others think we did too. :-)  

Instrumentation

End Chords - Dee Zee
Lead  Synth - Dee Zee
Main String | Brass Chords - Dee Zee
Echo Chords - Dee Zee
Early Fx - Dee Zee
Piano Chords - Dee Zee
Block - Dee Zee
Timpani Pattern - Dee Zee 

Chris Hein French Horn Ensemble - MrBouzouki
Chris Hein Low Brass Ensemble - MrBouzouki
VSL Epic Horns - MrBouzouki
Chris Hein String Ensemble - MrBouzouki
Shevannai Vocal Library - MrBouzouki
Darbuka - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Rik - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Electric Guitar - MrBouzouki
Oud - MrBouzouki
Ney - End-blown Flute - MrBouzouki
Kanun - MrBouzouki
VSL Timpani - MrBouzouki
Albion Orchestra (Phasing Octadrone) - MrBouzouki

Into the Sandstorm - in collaboration with D Zeitlin

For my sixth birthday for weeks and weeks I begged my dad for a dog
But my dad didn’t think I was responsible enough and he was also kind of cheap
But I kept asking him constantly and finally he broke down
He gave me a little cabbage plant growing in a Styrofoam cup

He said if you take good care of this cabbage plant
Next year I’ll consider buying you a dog

I named him Charlie and I planted him in the flowerbed in the front yard
And every morning I’d go outside, and I’d feed him water and fertilizer
I’d update him on what was going on inside the house
And as far as cabbages go Charlie was a patient listener

Every night before I went to bed
I’d stick my head out the window and say goodnight to Charlie.

Our friendship was more than one of those passing fads
And every day Charlie grew until his head was bigger than my dad’s

And I guess my dad must have noticed too because one crisp autumn afternoon
Me and Charlie were sitting in the flowerbed listening to a baseball game
My dad came outside, and he said to me, it’s time for you to become a man

He reached down and he ripped my best friend Charlie out of the ground
For a couple of seconds, I could see his little roots gasping for soil 
Then we took him in the house and we cleaned and we gutted him

 And I swore that would be the last time I’d ever have a personal relationship
 with a vegetable of the cruciferous type
And as we sat around the table, eating our cabbage soup
It occurred to me I was so glad my dad hadn’t bought be a dog

I dedicate this song to Charlie because he made such a big impression on me
Those months we spent together made me so happy.
I go down the produce aisle at the grocery store.  I see those cabbages and it makes sad
I’m glad for the time we spent together.  Sorry it had to end up so bad.

Charlie (Cabbage Song)

The latest from my buddy MJ-Brewer.  We've done a few together now, the most recent being our version of 'Jingle Bell Rock' this past Christmas and his original song “Hope” with Rekha - Iyern [Fe]  He wrote this one while stuck in traffic I believe, and that's where this daydream begins. This is a SoundCloud only pre-release and the song will distribute on major streaming platforms on June 13th. 
MJ-Brewer - composition, bass, lyrics, vocals
TMS - guitar, drum programming, mix



Lyrics by MJ-Brewer

Tall trees and trailers are on my memory
Huntin' dogs and bullfrogs, that sounds pretty good to me
But I'm stuck here I'd kill for a beer while this traffic is killin' me
Time to pack my bag and get back to the country

Now I'm gonna be late because of this interstate
My gas doesn't burn for free
I can hardly wait to get out of this place
And have trees and trailers around me

What can I say, just another day for me
What can I say, just another day for me
I like cane poles and fishin' holes, swimmin' in the creek
A trot line, a jar full of shine, as long as it's not too sweet

But I'm stuck here I'd kill for a beer while this traffic is killin' me
Time to pack my bag and get back to the country
Now I'm gonna be late because of this interstate
My gas doesn't burn for free

I can hardly wait to get out of this place
And have trees and trailers around me
What can I say, just another day for me
What can I say, just another day for me

I like dirt roads with just a few homes
No sign of police
The city lights, the nightlife, a little too much for me
But I'm stuck here I'd kill for a beer while this traffic is killin' me

Time to pack my bag and get back to the country
Now I'm gonna be late because of this interstate
My gas doesn't burn for free
I can hardly wait to get out of this place

And have trees and trailers around me
What can I say, just another day for me
What can I say, just another day for
What can I say, just another day for me

Trees and Trailers w/ MJ-Brewer

Cast of Characters:
Didier Burli-- @didierburli — acoustic guitar, main vocals, composition
Llanpsych–@llanpsych –Tez– Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, mix, and production
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums, percussion 
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Roland Phantom organ, Roland piano, Paul Reed Smith cutom SE electric guiar, Warwick four string fretless bass, vocal harmonies
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen– Tom Anderson custom T model electric guitar

This song began with Didier coming up with it on his acoustic guitar. However, when he first sent it to Josh, he had played electric guitar, bass, keys, and drums on it, because he is a very talented multi-intrumentalist. This song passes the stool test, though, which is the question of whether it sounds good with someone just sitting on a stool with a guitar, playing and singing it. So, when we asked him to give us a version that we could add to, it was already a great song that he sent us with just him singing over his acoustic guitar. 
  Tez was the first one up on this one, adding the fiery fills throughout, as well as the co-solo at the end. Ken entered the fray next, adding his rock solid, dynamic drums. Once the drums were down giving him something to play against, Josh added his fretless bass to the song. Being very excited about this one, he also added piano, organ, and eventually the lead guitar solo at the end. He also went in and added all the vocal harmonies throughout. Stephen then brought up the rear with some really cool textural guitar throughout. 
  Once we had it in the bag, we asked Tez to produce and mix it for us, which he did in his usual expert fashion. 
  This is our first song with Didier, but we hope it's just the beginning of his new inclusion into the Eclectic Collective family. He has a lot of great music on his page, which is worth checking out, too. We hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Original lyrics by Didier Burli:
I wish I could stay awake but I need to sleep
Thunder is on it's way but I don't hear it
I don't fear the ghouls, and I don't fear the creeps
And with this dancing zombie, I don't know what to do with it
And I just get too much information....
in the middle of the night, when everything is silent....

(chorus) And the noise rises up
From all those things, that mankind does, that makes you want throw up

(chorus) And the noise rises up
From all those things, that mankind does that makes you want dream of

(chorus) And the noise rises up
From all those things that makes you scared of

(chorus) And the noise rises up
From all those things that mankind lost

And I just get too much information....
in the middle of the night, when everything is silent....

The Noise Rises Up-Didier/Eclectic Collective

BILL BAREK - GUITAR
GIOULI - BASS
TASOS - DRUMS
CHRISTOS - VOCALS , LYRICS

Breathing in a sea of violence,
Dealing with my fate with a consiouss eye,
Swimming by my anger to silence,
Its a stepping stone to what you shall live,
Met you in a day of weakness,
That i am alone with nothing to quest,
Give me now your only forgiveness,
Make me feel blessed that i found you now,
Swimming all my pain in your madness,
Swimming just above the thought of your hopes,
Playing all around with your sadness,
Can't you feel in this role that am not alone ,
Travelling in your sea of badness,
Shore to shore sacred by my holy oath,
Do you want to feel my godness,
Do you want to feel my breath in your core.

ONE BREATH

Songs with a twinge of humor (and some a bit more serious).  
I do not use AI to create my songs. 
https://linktr.ee/joe.stroffolino
Recently I have had the urge to pick up my guitars (Taylor 114ce and Fender Squire) and I have been trying to use more guitar in my songs.  
My go to .vst plug ins are  EZkeys 2, EZ Bass and  EZ drummer 3) and my DAW is Logic Pro 11. 
I welcome your comments and enjoy listening to all the great music on SoundCloud. 
All songs are originals and copyrighted.

Charlie (Cabbage Song)

Joe Stroffolino