Collaborations

As this is called ‘Wordlessly’ I’ll try to keep this brief. http://soundcloud.com/progrockdan1 approached me with this beautiful and unusual piece and I had his melody going around in my head for months with several sets of lyrics on different themes but I found myself drawn to this almost wordless version. http://soundcloud.com/progrockdan1 loved this but felt a female vocal would give more of a sense of dialogue and suggested https://soundcloud.com/lamara-marie, who brought a whole new dynamic to the piece. Behind the scenes, we ended up in a 3-way philosophical debate on the role of communication within relationships. Our communication was far from wordless.

I’d like to thank Dan and Lamara-Marie for their help and inspiration in this experimental journey. Please check out their clouds and also leave a comment if you have time.

All Music, Arrangement and Mix - http://soundcloud.com/progrockdan1

Additional Lyrics, Lead and Backing Vocals - https://soundcloud.com/lamara-marie

Lyrics, Lead and Backing Vocals - Me

My love and I, 
Have found the way 
To express, 
Our love, 
Wordlessly.

Wordlessly (collaboration with ProgRockDan1 & Lamara-Marie)

This is our latest installment in the Songs of the Sea series.  
https://soundcloud.com/oorlab/sets/songs-of-the-sea

As usual we wanted to do something a little different. A few months ago I started with an idea for a song in 7/4 time.  I have written a number of songs using various time signatures (as well as a couple utilizing multiple Time signatures).  It was hard to play in 7/4 time I kept wanting to add the 8th beat and make it 8/4.  With some work I finally felt the rhythm.  Dick added some parts that helped get it all smooth.

As usual we did a little research to get a theme for this song.  We found that 7/4 time is common in Middle Eastern music.  We did some more research to identify a singer that could help create the Middle Eastern flavor we desired.  Here is a link to the video:
youtu.be/Kjbb9D3U_aY

We were lucky to find Hossein Ragheb.  We sent him the song and he agreed to participate in the project.  The result are the excellent Farsi vocals on this song.  I hope you enjoy this addition to the Songs of the Sea as much as we do.

Sinbad & the Whale

Sindbad and the whale started out as Dan floated the idea to use a different time signature: 7/4 and a Middle Eastern
feel. Off course we then quickly arrived at the legendary Sindbad from the Thousand and one nights fairytales.

&#1607;&#1586;&#1575;&#1585; &#1608; &#1740;&#1705; &#1588;&#1576; / Hezar-o-yek shab

In our version Sindbad comes to an island, but discovers that it is actually a whale.

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/burton/richard/b97b/complete.html#section714


The Book of
The Thousand Nights and a Night

Translated by Richard F. Burton -1885

Here are the lyrics in Farsi (Persian) which Hossein has written based on the story:

دوباره سندباد
به دریا میره
سفر در کشتی
از این جزیره
به اون جزیره

تا میرسه به
جزیره ای که
آروم نداره
آروم نداره

چه وقت خوابه
نهنگ بیداره
به قایق برگرد
وقت فراره


Here is a translation of the Farsi lyrics:

Sinbad, once again,
Goes to the ocean
Travelling on a Ship
From this island
To that island

Until he arrives
On this odd island
Which is not still
Which is not still

It's not time to sleep
The whale is awake
Go back to the boat
It's time to escape

You can find Hossein’s excellent music here:
https://soundcloud.com/hossein-tunes

You can find Dick’s wonderful music here:
https://soundcloud.com/oorlab



Sinbad & The Whale (with Hossein Ragheb and Dick Vestdijk)

Dick and I have been on a journey to create Songs of the Sea.  You can find the other songs of the sea here:
https://soundcloud.com/oorlab/sets/songs-of-the-sea

You can find the video here:
https://youtu.be/dRx4Qx4d3wg

I approached Dick about doing a song about the East India Company.  We discussed it for a while before heading off on the journey to create this song.  There is a lot of controversy around this company.  All is not glory and good.  In the end we decided it is like life, you have to take the good with the bad.
 
Here is a synopsis of what Wikipedia says about the East India Company:
The United East Indian Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie; VOC), referred to by the English as the Dutch East India Company, was established as a company in 1602.  The Dutch government granted it a 21-year monopoly on Dutch spice trade. It is considered to be the first multinational corporation in the world.  It was the first company to issue stock.   It was a powerful company with quasi-governmental powers.  It could wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, make its own coins, and establish colonies.

The East India Company  is famous  as the first public shareholder company actually started out as a bunch of adventurers, possibly pirates. The English, Dutch and Portuguese sailed to the east to find America but, while fighting amongst themselves, reached the South East Asian island empire of nowadays Indonesia. There they stumbled upon civilizations that were in many respects more advanced than Europe in the 1500's. But in one aspect the Europeans had maps and instruments to navigate around the globe. The Chinese also had some maps and knowledge of navigation - but they kept it a secret. The Europeans shared more of their knowledge amongst each other. This song describes the journeys of the soldier-merchants of the East India Companies. Coffee, tea, pepper - we owe a lot to these sailors.

To learn more about the East India Company:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_India_Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company

Lyrics:  East India Company

Sailing & Searching
across the sea
for spices, slaves and lemontrees.
As long as the wind
is my friend
I can reach that distant land

Across the equator
sooner or later
we all will be working
for the East India Company

I give you one 
If you give me two
make a profit for the crew.
Coconuts for stock & trade
As long as the market is being paid


From Amsterdam to Lissabon,
to Zanzibar and on and on
Fighting and trading
without a care
we'll venture out 
to where we may dare

You can find Dick's music here:
https://soundcloud.com/oorlab



East India Company (with Dick Vestdijk)

Video clip : https://youtu.be/RH0fMgkFl2E
Please visit my fellow musicians music:
https://soundcloud.com/progrockdan1
https://soundcloud.com/mark-hoogslag
https://soundcloud.com/kellie-rowley



The idea of doing a song about Brendan the navigator came from Dan back in June 2015. We tried different tunes and lines - at one time we had four different ideas about either Brendan's homecoming, Brendan's boat (Currach), Brendan's liberty  and Brendan's brother. We could  have done almost a whole album around this Irish Sailor-Saint. One of the ideas got a Caribbean angle and turned into the Island of Light.

But the Brendan idea never got off the ground until we got Kellie singing along and Mark Hoogslag on board with his flute.  So in the end we made a traditional sounding folk song featuring mandoline, violin, mouth harp, flute, budhran and bass, darbuka and Kellie's and Dick's vocals.

So who was Brendan? Did he actually live, and if so did he manage to reach America in the 6th century, in a boat made of leather?

Just like other Celtic figures from that time (Arthur) Brendan's historical background is a bit sketchy. His date of birth and death are given with some certainty (c. 484 – c. 577) but other than that the tales are like legends. His journey is first mentioned in the Navigatio sancti Brendani abbatis, of which at one time 125 manuscripts have been counted, scattered across Europe. Debate about which is the oldest manuscript is still going on among Brendanologists.

In our text we came up with a ficticious brother of Brendan who stayed on land while his brother went to sea. The land-brother worked in the forest that produced the mast that the sailor-brother needed to travel.

Picture from Flickr - https://flic.kr/p/fCUHha - part of a manuscript depicting Saint Brendan on the back of a whale.

Brendan's brother


Come sail with us to distant lands
to seek out unknown shores
we aim beyond the mighty waves
where no one's gone before

Brendan can you tell me,
when we'll be turning back
this journey feels like ages
and we are loosing track

The season's right to catch some wind,
we leave from the bay of Clare
our boat is filled we things we need
so join us if you dare

You went out from the Bay of Clare
and took a Western course
The forest tells me your mast is strong
that can stand the mighty force


waiting for the sun or waiting for the rain
coming down from glaciers 
or up from the flattened plain
Brendan I am your brother 
don't forget me yet
the wood that will carry you, 
came from the forest bed

I am his son and so are you
I travel through the woods
while you have chosen for the sea 
I hope it brings you good

our father he is waiting still
on any news from us
the tales of all this travelling
will arouse his wanderlust

Brendan's brother (featuring Kellie Rowley, Mark Hoogslag & ProgrockDan)

This was created to pay tribute to David Bowie.

You can find the video here:
https://youtu.be/6O8JRSHv2X0

You can find the album Songs of the Sea on Bandcamp.
https://oorlab.bandcamp.com/album/songs-of-the-sea

As a group Dick, Mark, and I had already worked on several Songs of the Sea we decided to combine the thoughts.  We identified a suitable tribute in Bowie's journey from the US to Japan on the Oronsay March/April of 1973.

Information on Bowie's maritime journeys can be found here:
http://cruiselinehistory.com/david-bowie-with-a-fear-flying-sailed-on-many-liners-and-cruise-ships/


Mark J. Bennett - backing vocals and lyrics
Dan Lockhart - guitar, bass, chords
Dick Vestdijk - vocals, lyrics, other instruments.

Lyrics:

was it love of sailing
or fear of flying
you took this ship
the man who fell to earth

Oronsay
On the Oronsay
to the rise and fall

Was it stardust
quicksand from which
dreams are woven
or fear of losing
your wits
the man who sold the world

was it a way
in your eyes
or in the papers

Oronsay
On the Oronsay
to the rise and fall

did you dine
at the captain's table
across the pacific
and follow the sun
come back again
to where you begun

reborn
as a Blackstar

Oronsay
On the Oronsay
to the rise and fall

Dine at the Captains table is reference to a film from 1959 in which the Oronsay was portrayed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Captain's_Table

Songs of the Sea can be found here:
https://soundcloud.com/oorlab/sets/songs-of-the-sea

You can find Oorlab music here:
https://soundcloud.com/oorlab

You can find Mark's music here:
https://soundcloud.com/markjbennett



Oronsay (Tribute to David Bowie with Oorlab and Mark Bennett)

Comments & ideas for collaborations appreciated. 
Instruments: violin, mandoline, acoustic, bass and electric guitars, harmonica, tin whistle, darbuka, sansula, roland synthesizers. 
Recording with Cubase Elements 11 

Recommending these inspiring musicians: 

https://soundcloud.com/the-plugs ;  https://soundcloud.com/pleudoniem ;  https://soundcloud.com/markjbennett ; 
https://soundcloud.com/dan-lockhart ; 
https://soundcloud.com/julsy ; 
https://soundcloud.com/houckjt ; 
https://soundcloud.com/tante-meli .