Rainbow Skies (from the 2022 Album, "What Was Can Still Be") went through several name changes and mood swings since I first composed the song in 1972. It was originally written as a solo vehicle for jazz great Gene Bertoncini, whose guitar I wrote for several times during the Arranger's Workshop Sessions at the Eastman School of Music. The next year, it was transformed into the second movement of a suite for Studio Orchestra called, "Divina Luz" and performed on that year's Arranger's Holiday concert. That version was a slow ballad featuring solo piano. One more time as "Slow Flight to Alpha Centauri," a rock ballad for the quintet I had while living in Grand Junction, CO in the early 80's before creating this last version with its final title, as a jazz samba for vocal and combo. Sometimes, you can get a lot of mileage out of one idea!

Composition-wise, it is one of my best pieces. Rhonda L Thomas did a fabulous job, giving it life through her golden voice, and I played Fender Jazz Bass and Fender Rhodes electric piano on it. Once again, John Pierce gave a stunning performance on guitar solo, followed by myself on the Fender Rhodes. The instrumentation was pretty straight ahead, as it was only rhythm section and vocal. The drums and congas were virtual instruments, the rest live.

This composition marks one of the only times I attempted to write a set of lyrics (and definitely the only one that will be released as a vocal). I wanted to have the listener immediately get a sense that in order to deal with the madness of the world (like some of the insanity we are dealing with at present), all we have to do is go into our own imagination and create something more charming. 

Composed & arranged by Tony SingingEagle.
Rhonda L Thomas – Vocals
Tony SingingEagle – Fender Fretless Jazz Bass; Fender Rhodes Electric Piano; Shekere; VST Drums & Percussion.
John Pierce – Guitar
Copyright © 2022 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC# QM-EU3-22-05826

What Was Can Still Be

Rainbow Skies

Algunos Cambios Menores (from the upcoming 2023 album "Twice Around") is my nod to Stan Kenton's charts of the early 1950s. Jazz and all its various styles is timeless, never "dated." The title is Spanish for "A Few Minor Changes" (definitely a composer's joke). I wanted to write something to allow me to stretch my wings as a writer: the intro goes through several different feels before settling in on a slow Cuban Bolero featuring the lead trumpet for the rest of the arrangement. It is scored for 5 saxes, 5 trumpets, 4 French horns, 3 trombones, 2 bass trombones, 4 rhythm, and 5 Cuban percussion.

Composed and arranged by Tony SingingEagle. Produced by Mark Blumberg.
All VST instrumentation performed by Tony SingingEagle.
Copyright © 2022 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC# QZ-FYZ-23-29763

Algunos Cambios Menores

"Last Minuet in Yorkshire" (from the upcoming 3rd album "The Way It Is" releasing Late 2023) is simple tune but written for two separate groups that, in my mind, try to show off their respective musical skills to each other. A 17th century chamber orchestra with harpsichord plays it as a minuet, while the big band plays it as a jazz waltz. Eventually, after trying to upstage each other several times, they join together as a full studio orchestra.

Composed, arranged, performed, and produced by Tony SingingEagle.
Copyright © 2023 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC# QZ-TAX-23-78624

Last Minuet In Yorkshire

"Twas a Simpler Time" (from the upcoming 3rd album "The Way It Is" releasing Late 2023), a simple jazz composition written for big band and strings. It is meant to remind us of a time gone by where the skills needed to compose and perform music were much more than the "cut and paste" approach that is so common today. (I tolerate this century, but I do not enjoy it!).

Composed, arranged, performed, and produced by Tony SingingEagle.
Copyright © 2023 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC# QZ-TAZ-23-58904

Twas A Simpler Time

"Guerrero" from the upcoming 3rd album "The Way It Is (Héčhetu)" releasing Christmas, 2023), is quite a departure for me as a seasoned jazz composer – because this one is not jazz! It is a cinematic journey about a warrior and his quest to find himself. Written for and performed by a 75-piece virtual symphony orchestra complete with metallic percussion, this one promises to take you with him on his journey.

Composed, arranged, performed, and produced by Tony SingingEagle.
Copyright © 2023 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC# QZ-TB6-23-36280

Dedicated to my brother, Fermin

Guerrero

"Flamenco Electrico" is the final single from my upcoming 3rd album, "The Way It Is (Héčhetu)" releasing Christmas, 2023. This piece borrows heavily from jazz, fusion, and traditional Spanish Flamenco. I wanted to have the arrangement/orchestration very different from what I usually do, in that it is performed by an all 'electric band' similar to jazz fusion bands of the middle 70s. Classic keyboard/synthesizer sounds include Minimoog, Arp 2600, Yamaha GX80, Roland Juno 106, and Oberheim OB-X – and of course the Fender Rhodes Electric Piano. And just for good measure, I added a small Flamenco dance group to the percussion/ryhthm section. Ole!


Composed, arranged, performed, and produced by Tony SingingEagle.
Copyright © 2023 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC# QZ-TBB-23-41256

Flamenco Electrico

The soundtrack for a short promotional film I scored and recorded in the studio back in 1978.

Once In a Lifetime

This is a live version of my original jazz composition, "If Only," performed in concert, Rochester, NY, August 1976.

If Only (Live)

Yesterday's Tomorrows (from the 2022 Album, "What Was Can Still Be") was originally called "California Dreamer," I wrote this piece when I first moved to California in the mid 90's. I renamed it "Yesterday's Tomorrows" (meaning TODAY) because the original title sounded way too much like a certain sunshine-folk-rock-pop song from the 60’s. The style for this one was always meant to be a sort of Latin/fusion feel. I wrote the melody to incorporate unexpected twists and turns and harmonized it all with highly altered jazz chords with upper extensions. The piece was always intended for orchestra, but I opted for a small group this time, relying only on strings and woodwinds to compliment the highly electric sounding rhythm section. The lead is covered this time by flugelhorn, alto flute, and vibes. For the solo sections, the Fender Rhodes electric piano takes over; we also hear from the alto flute, and finally amplified acoustic guitar. I scored the piece for small studio orchestra as follows:
Flugelhorn, Alto Flute
4 Bass Flutes | 2 Oboes | 2 Clarinets | Bass Clarinet
Guitar | Fender Rhodes Electric Piano | Electric Bass | Drums
Percussion (Shekere, Congas, Rain Stick, Mark Chimes)
1st Violins (5)
2nd Violins (5)
Violas (4)
Cellos (4)
In a way, this piece served as a callback and homage to Don Sebesky who arranged for many notable jazz artists in the 70's on the CTI albums produced by Creed Taylor. It is a little more laid back than some of my other pieces but has a lot of the melodic and harmonic richness that I like to incorporate into my compositions.

Composed & arranged by Tony SingingEagle.
Tony SingingEagle – Fender Jazz Bass; Shekere; VST Studio Orchestra.
John Pierce – Guitar
Copyright © 2022 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC #QZ-HN4-24-53441

Yesterday's Tomorrows (2024 Remix/Remaster)

Wannabe (from the 2022 Album, "What Was Can Still Be") was composed and arranged in 2015, as my first attempt at writing a super-fast bebop piece for big band. Centered around Cherokee changes, it gave me the opportunity to write some solid ensemble sections, using different "melodic harmonization" techniques, i.e., passing chords or micro-progressions within the basic chord progression, in order to have more interesting sounding lines. For the melodic lead, I wrote for flugelhorn and alto sax. This chart was scored for jazz ensemble, as follows:
5 Saxes | 4 Trumpets | 3 Trombones | Bass Trombone |Guitar | Piano | Bass | Drums

The title has a triple meaning for me. First, having borrowed the basic chord structure from the jazz standard, Cherokee, I thought it only fitting as a title. Second, a bit of native humor because among our tribes, the term wannabe means a non-native who wishes they were one of us and usually tries to pass themselves off as such, most often citing a great-grandmother who was supposedly a Cherokee "princess." Sorry, but we do not have royalty in our tribes and never have had. And lastly, a reference to personal aspirations. I have many musical influences, one of them being Sammy Nestico who penned many of the charts for the Count Basie Band. And yes, you guessed it: I always "wanted to be" as good a writer as he.

Composed & arranged by Tony SingingEagle.
All VST instrumentation performed by Tony SingingEagle.
Copyright©2022 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC #QZ-HN4-24-53444

Wannabe (2024 Remix/Remaster)

Regeneration 2020 (from the 2022 Album, "What Was Can Still Be") is very special to me for several reasons. At this point in my musical journey of more than 50 years, I consider this piece to be my Magnum Opus. At a runtime of more than 16 minutes, it is a symphonic jazz concerto in 3 movements, each movement originally having been written as a standalone song.
Mvt. I - originally called "Life Celebration," composed in 1982.
Mvt. II - originally called "Melissa's Theme" and written for a short film in 2008.
Mvt. III - originally called "The Baião," composed in 2001.
The full orchestra intro was taken from motifs in the 3rd movement, while the ending is something very special to me. From the final acoustic piano solo in 6/4 and out, the thematic material was borrowed from my teacher, mentor, and friend, Rayburn Wright. His composition, "Regeneration – Concerto For Jazz Quartet, Rock Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra" was composed in 1972, as part of a pops concert with the Rochester Philharmonic, as a feature for Dave Brubeck, his trio, and his son's rock group, New Heavenly Blue. I wanted to arrange this short section not only as an ending for my concerto, but also as a way of finally thanking Rayburn for all I learned from him, which I never had the chance to do (he passed in 1990).  The title of my piece is not only a further nod to him, but also a reference to my own current state in late 2020, as I was literally regenerating–physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. So for me, this piece literally represents the trip of a lifetime.

Regeneration 2020 was scored for full Studio Orchestra as follows:
Piccolo | 2 Flutes | 2 Oboes | English Horn | 2 Clarinets | Bass Clarinet | 2 Bassoons
Soprano Sax | 2 Alto Saxes | 2 Tenor Saxes | Baritone Sax
4 Trumpets/Flugelhorns | 4 French Horns | 3 Trombones | Bass Trombone | Tuba
2 Guitars | Piano/Fender Rhodes Electric Piano/Mini Moog | Electric Bass | Drums
Percussion 1 (Orchestra Bells, Marimba, Vibes, Chimes)
Percussion 2 (Tambourine, Congas, Mark Chimes, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Gong, Timpani)
Brazilian Percussion (Triangle, Agogo Bells, Tumba, Bata)
Harp
1st Violins (8)
2nd Violins (8)
Violas (6)
Cellos (6)
Basses (4)

Composed & arranged by Tony SingingEagle.
Thematic material used as ending Composed by Rayburn Wright, ASCAP.
Arranged by Tony SingingEagle and used with permission.
Tony SingingEagle – VST Studio Orchestra.
Copyright © 2022 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
IRSC #QZ-HN4-24-53442

Regeneration 2020 (2024 Remix/Remaster)

This was to have been the main theme for a feature film (phycological terror genre), but the entire project fell through. So, I decided to expand it and release it as a single. Very atmospheric, this piece.
Composed, arranged, performed, and produced by Tony SingingEagle.
Copyright © 2024 Aspen Danse Music, ASCAP. All rights reserved.
ISRC #QZ-K6N-24-59209

Don't Look Behind You

I have been a “music arranger for hire” for over 50 years. Bachelor of Music with a Composition Major (MSU, 1977). Five summer sessions at The Eastman School of Music (Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media program under Rayburn Wright and Manny Albam). In 2020, I decided it was time to start recording and releasing my own (backlog of 25+) compositions. My style is mainly Jazz in its many sub genres, scored mostly for Jazz Ensemble and Studio Orchestra. My main goal is not to “make it big” either reputation-wise or monetarily. I simply want people to hear my music and, perhaps, be affected by what they hear in a positive way—and maybe even share it.

Tony SingingEagle

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