I wrote this song partly in Bucharest, this summer.  I guess it must draw from the music which has been inspiring me the most recently - Flamenco, and Balkan Music, particularly Romanian and Moldavian music. I realize there is also some evidence of the Argentinian and Colombian music I played when i was in New York. I wrote it on guitar, but wanted to arrange it for more instruments because I definitely wanted to play a solo on the viola.  

Beside Basarabia

Zaatari - A song from Milo and Roland Satterwhite, about a spider living in the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan. A song dedicated to Ahmad Loubani, and anyone who has lost a home. 
www.facebook.com/rolandsatterwhitemusician 
https://youtu.be/QYkeNQKIpnA

LYRICS
as beautiful as any fruit
a wild weed, pulled like a tooth 
from the sand, by the hand of a child, deadly

deadly to the spider who 
spins his web in Zaatari, at the edge
of the Champs-Élysées where the refugees play

and nearby a woman cries
for her daughter, but the child is fine
she's crouching where she hides
and with her fingers snaps silk lines

the spider feels the web he's spun
gradually come undone
but in the sun’s heat
he's too weak to weave a new one

عنكبوت وحيد حزين
اتخرّب بيتو المسكين
بس نار الشمس مش رح بتدوم
عمرها لتصل لغيوم


the girl calls out so her mother can hear
to spare her any more fear
while the warm wind moans over white tent homes

and as they embrace, the spider finds a hiding place
a place that could be the end
if he does not find strength again

little girl you did no wrong
but soon you'll understand the songs
your mother sings, when she's sad
remembering the home she had

little spider your home is gone
you don't know how you'll carry on
but life is sweet and silk is strong
the sun won't burn for long


عنكبوت وحيد حزين
اتخرّب بيتو المسكين
بس نار الشمس مش رح بتدوم
عمرها لتصل لغيوم


بنعمرها عن قريب

Zaatari

I wrote new lyrics, because the old ones didn't inspire me, but the melody did. 

I play the instruments - viola, violin, archtop guitar, double bass, bass drum, snare. 

Above the water I'm floating in the sky gravity has seemed to disappear the light in San Lucar helped me lose my fear the wash of ocean waves was like a lullaby whispering stay so now i'm floating home with this old new song

Stella by Starlight (Old New Song)

an old cole porter song i recorded years ago, and it came back recently, nudged  me to do a new version. my version from 2008 is here: https://youtu.be/Rp_SP86B03c?t=30s

Every Time We Say Goodbye

All I Want....it's very simple, really. 





All I Want

you are beautiful.

Song by Roland Satterwhite
with Pietro Fornara, Bass
and Mima Millo, Voice

See the Video here:
https://youtu.be/iCoeImknzsk



You Are Beautiful

Lazy Bird

I know it will take some giant steps, but lets bring sexy back to jazz.

It'll Take Giant Steps, But Let's Bring Sexy back to Jazz

I wrote these songs over the course of 3 years.  The picture on the front of this CD case is a still from the "A Little Bird Was Listening" video, and the picture on the back is a still from the "The Room I’m In Is Beautiful" video. Please watch the videos at least once. The songs were conceived together with the videos. If you like this music, you can keep tabs on it at facebook.com/rolandsatterwhitemusic, or benedekrecords.com. All music on this album was written and performed by me, except the drums on Get Back On, played by Franco Pinna. Please don’t take yourself too seriously, and if you feel like it, check out the band Django Lassi. If I were thanking anyone on this CD case it would be them. Beautifully mastered by Kris Verex @ Highwood Audio Mastering, Berlin. (www.highwoodaudio.com)

A Little Bird Was Listening

Secretly

Get Back On

It's Okay That You're Gone

Darling

Roland Satterwhite (vio), Laurent Humeau (guit), George Donchev (bass) performing at Engel's Cafe in Berlin on January 25th, 2016, opening the weekly acoustic swing jam.  
"J'attendrai" by Dino Olivieri

J'attendrai

https://lucidculture.wordpress.com/tag/ptolemys-guitar/

Sixty Five

Room By Room

George Washington Bridge

Improvisation #1

Louisa

Pennies From Heaven

Improvisation #2

Indian Ocean

Angelina

Improvisation #3

Mama Says: 
Get your Roots in the Ground!

watch live version:
https://youtu.be/YxGnza5aDv0

Roots in the Ground

Viola Improv at Stef's Kultur Bistro

Middle of the Grey.  inspired by this photo, taken on 23.7.16 at around 10:30pm on weisetrasse in neukölln.

Maike Gaca sings with me. 

here I am in the middle of the grey
all the other birds have flown away
when I woke up today I wanted to fly
instead I got hit by a bus and died

I was only four months old
in bird years that’s like sweet sixteen

I wanted to live and and I wanted to love
and build nests out of twigs and fluff

I wanted to see the beauty of spring
skipping through the branches and learning to sing

having babies and watch ‘em take flight
with their tiny beaks and big appetites

but none of this will ever happen now
because of a bus that run me down

because of a driver who was on the phone
looking for an imaginary pokemon

looking for a color in the middle of the grey
looking for a color in the middle of the grey

looking for a color in the middle of the grey
a little bit of color in the middle of the grey



Middle of the Grey

highlife inspired track. with special guest Regis Molina saxophone.

Tolyqyn is: 
Roland Satterwhite, Viola, Voice
Tal Arditi, Guitar
Kuba Gudz, Drums

Tolyqyn - "Ditch" - Live @ Artistania

excerpt from our first gig.

Tolyqyn is:

Roland Satterwhite, Viola Voice
Tal Arditi, Guitar
Kuba Gudz, Drums

Tolyqyn - "Human Beings Are Amazing" - Live @ Sandmann

looks like the leader of the free world 
might meet with the axis of evil 
they both got a nose for show biz 
and this is an episode not to miss 
a lot of people think they’re both no good 
but maybe some good will come of it 
cause human beings want the same things 
and everyone likes happy endings 

but I don’t wanna bear witness no 
I know what makes me flourish 
I'm gonna throw away my smart phone 
soon as I gather my courage 

so can someone do it for me 
watch the movies for me 
praise the idols for me 
mourn the fallen for me 
pray together for me 
stay together for me 
fight the battles for me 
weep with sorrow for me 

i just wanna look down on the ground 
and see my shadow walking 
and feel like the world is big again 
out under the stars 
listen lovers, hear my cry 
I cannot be an anchor 
I cannot share a vision 
until I recover mine 

I don’t believe in aliens 
already having been here 
but if we manage to expand 
one day we may befriend them 

so can someone do it for me 
watch the movies for me 
praise the righteous for me 
and reach the children for me
pick the idols for me 
sing the gospel for me 
fight the battles for me 
and weep with sorrow for me

Do It For Me

I'm a Canadian/US Musician living in Berlin.  I have a rock band Tolyqyn, where i sing and pluck the viola. I also freelance as a violinist.

Roland Satterwhite

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