In the most honoring memories of the legend J. Cash who (from above) may excuse my humble try.

Original written by Trent Reznor. Cover performed by J. Cash.

Hurt (Cover - J. Cash)

It's been a while since I put out a jazz tune so I decided to put out this standard by Gershwin played on my nylon string. I had a look at a few different examples of sheet music for this one. Interestingly there seem to be quite a few variations of the chords. One of the beauties of jazz! I used the chords in a cool old songbook I bought at a garage sale. The tune was written in the 1930s so I reckon the songbook is as old as 1940s. 

A simple chordal representation of the tune. Hope you enjoy!

Summertime (by George Gershwin)

Old references and maybe too 
sentimental…uh

Winger and Cage

Want me to pick two?
Eah, Nicholas Cage has made a lot of rubbish, but sometimes he’s good
Debra Winger made an impact on Shadowlands
But I’m still waiting for a character that will stir up my ordinary life
 
Movies are grand but they fade to black
Life keeps rolling and it won’t cut back
A hero’s arc or a villain’s delight
I’m stuck in the credits of a quiet night
 
Maybe it’s not on the silver screen
Maybe the drama’s in the in-between
A stranger’s smile or a storm in the sky
Something to make me feel electrified
 
Nicholas Cage with his wild-eyed grin
Sometimes he flops but sometimes he wins
Debra Winger left her mark on the screen
But where’s the spark to wake my routine
 
I’m still waiting for the plot to unfold

Winger and Cage

M-Old Men Fighting

Back to celebrating great Americans, this time we set out to honour three of them at once. 
Robert "Bobby" Sharp, who wrote this song, Ray Charles, who first recorded it in 1961, and finally Joe Cocker who's 1987 cover probably became the most well known rendition.

Guitar by my son Gideon.
We hope  you'll enjoy our take on this classic.

Unchain my heart (Bobby Sharp - Giddy and Rob Jam)

Cast of Characters:

Cgmaness – https://open.spotify.com/artist/0RmKLMyiXe4eVeXa032MDV?si=pJS46q9cRDmArzLu-g_3qQ – Chris – acoustic guitar, composition, production, and mix
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken– drums
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 – Warwick four string fretless bass 
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- piano and lead synth
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark – VST cello, strings, clarinet, flute, and synth pad
Nyla K-- @user-162163879 -- vocals and lyrics
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen–  Gibson Earle Scruggs banjo

This song started as many of our best do, with Chris coming up with it on his acoustic guitar. He shared it with the rest of us shortly after, and we were all very excited to tuck into it. 
  Ken was fist at the trough for this one, adding his jazzy, expressive drums. Josh came in as soon as he had a beat to work with, adding his signature fretless bass to the mix. Not long after that, JJ broke out the hauntingly melodic piano and Shine On You Crazy Diamond timbred synth you hear throughout. 
  Once it had a good structure to it, Mark came in and added the dynamic cello swells that open the song, some subtle strings, the melodic clarinet and flute, and a bit of synth pad near the end to spice up the soup a bit. He also had the great idea to ask Nyla to add some vocals, which she did in her typically dynamic and expressive way using her original lyrics. Last, but definitely not least, we convinced Stephen to add some of his perfectly mood-setting banjo. 
  Once it was all in the can, it actually sat for several months before being revived by Chris, who also did the production and mix, expertly, as always.
   This song is an example of Eclectic Collective coming together to bring another one of Chris' brilliant songs to life. You should check out his new albums on Spotify, which you can find by clicking the link next to his name in the credits. 
  Also, this is our first time collaborating with Nyla K. We wanted to find a way to include her talents on this one, and her vocals here are magical. You can hear a lot more of them on her page if you follow the link next to her name in the credits, too. We hope you enjoy listening to this song as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Original lyrics by Nyla K: 

I once overheard 
a hushed up conversation 
'tween the fishes coming home 
and thank god for a holiday
yea
making the bull frogs sing for joy
as they awake
yea
...and this... is what they had to say

Spanish moss and bullfrogs
cattail cotton in the wind
yea...
and won't U take me to the river
yea...
take me on down to the river
and U better not say....


Better Not Say (The Eclectic Collective)

Memories

Special thanks to Cecilia for her a cappella ...of which I modified the tone in order to fit perfectly with my arrangement and atmosphere

EQUALITY FOR ALL.  🎧

Night on Earth (Rehearsal)

on your mark

get ready to

cannonball

into the blue



after swimming

sparkle all around you

catch the sound

breakers breaking



stop the boat

get ready to

pick a spot

to slip into



after swimming

as the sunlight bakes you

summer sips

on a sand dune



after swimming

after swimming

come swimming

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

image by Leandro Crespi via Unsplash

After Swimming

OFTEN (demo) (Prod 33KS)

Hi, I'm Rob.

I'm a singer, well you figured that out by yourself if you listened to my music....
I'm also Welsh, so what can I do?

I love music, so listening to all the great talent here on SoundCloud - whether it's raw or refined - is an immense pleasure. Thank you all for that.

I hope you get some joy out of listening to me.

Due to some health issues I'm not always capable to listen to your music, interact as much as I'd like to or reply to your comments in a timely manner. It doesn't alter the appreciation I feel for each and every one of you. Please bear with me.

Unchain my heart (Bobby Sharp - Giddy and Rob Jam)

Robert Llewellyn