Hearts And Minds

A Smooth Rendezvous (Edit: Mastered with Ozone on October 5, 2023)

I am not a professional and I have been very lucky and blessed to have been able to play music using so wonderful instruments as I have in all these songs. With them I have been able to try to mimic or recreate something that once was, something that could be and is "out there"; something that is so clearly and vividly expressed in the music genre often called "smooth jazz" - and in fact in the whole genre of "classical music". So I have wanted to try to demonstrate these amazing instruments, how I love them all and also how I feel playing them. This track maybe conveys some of that affection and the feelings to You and I hope this maybe would bring some joy or happiness to You, even for a brief moment.  

A minor partly improvised "song" (or maybe a basis for improvising) that also demonstrates once again the richness, beauty and potential of the Rhodes electric piano (which to me is maybe one of the world's most beautiful instruments) and hence also the Scarbee EP-88S. This was played by me with my old loyal workhorse Korg SGProX digital piano using the following sounds: 
- Scarbee EP-88S (Rhodes Mk I electric piano),
- Bass and Lead: Lounge Lizard EP-4/Insomnia sound pack,
- Strings: UVI Orchestral Suite/All String Ensemble Vel.

The drums and drum grooves come from Native Instruments Abbey Road 80s Drummer (with some adjustments and additions made by me and with a LinnDrum snare layer added with the UVI Drum Replacer).

Sorry about the large quantity of drum fills... I am an ex drummer (the quality of the fills of course is astounding bc they are from the 80s Drummer). I also am not a jazz musician so the lead lines in this piece truly are not very sophisticated; instead I tried to concentrate on the chords and chord progressions.

This track was inspired especially e.g. by 1) Mr. Bill Evans' song "We Will Meet Again"; 2) by my great hero Mr. Jeff Porcaro, who could easily record this kind of a drum track at one take (using his right-hand sixteenth-note hi-hat); 3) by Mr. Chris Rea's song "The Mention of Your Name" and 4) by a relatively large bunch of popular and classical music and jazz. Of course also everything Mr. Robbie Buchanan does and plays keeps inspiring me continuously.

A Smooth Rendezvous

"Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" (I am lost to the world) is Number four of The Rückert-Lieder (Songs after Rückert) a collection of five Lieder for voice and orchestra or piano written in 1901 by Gustav Mahler, based on poems written by the German romantic poet Friedrich Rückert.

piano - Helen Roberts
vocal - Robert Llewellyn

We hope you'll enjoy our rendition!

Lyrics:

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen,
Mit der ich sonst viele Zeit verdorben,
Sie hat so lange nichts von mir vernommen,
Sie mag wohl glauben, ich sei gestorben!
Es ist mir auch gar nichts daran gelegen,
Ob sie mich für gestorben hält,
Ich kann auch gar nichts sagen dagegen,
Denn wirklich bin ich gestorben der Welt.
Ich bin gestorben dem Weltgetümmel,
Und ruh’ in einem stillen Gebiet!
Ich leb’ allein in meinem Himmel,
In meinem Lieben, in meinem Lied!

English:

I am lost to the world
With which I used to waste much time;
It has for so long known nothing of me,
It may well believe that I am dead.
Nor am I at all concerned
If it should think that I am dead.
Nor can I deny it,
For truly I am dead to the world.
I am dead to the world’s tumult
And rest in a quiet realm!
I live alone in my heaven,
In my love, in my song!

Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen (Rückert Lieder No 4 - Gustav Mahler)

Well, this song needs no introduction, you know it, and probably like it. Written by Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman in 1983 it's become an all time classic, and my son Gideon has taken it upon himself to write a new arrangement, and to play and/or program all of the instruments.
Backing vocals were contributed by my wonderful friend Karen (Kiki) Jackson, so all I had to do was to sing lead.

We hope you'll enjoy.



*To Fiona - mother, best friend, wife - 1974-2014.  Always.

Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper Cover - Giddy, Kiki & Rob Jam)

Horns of Forever

Mes Pensées

Al Vacío (Collab)

Had my lovely acoustic piano tuned recently so felt like it was time for some song writing there. 😊❤️

Thanks to my lovely BF Sander for this wonderful mastering job. @wane-of-summer for his fabulous music 😊🎶❤️🎵🎼🎹

Hearts And Minds

Mark Hughes

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