trying something different
see version #1 for lyrics etc

you are not alone version #2

April Tango

I've been trying to make Jazz music by electronic means for a while now. It's been pretty hard.

So much about the ethos of Jazz is dependent on the traditional notion of musicianship: a group of people in a room, trading improvised passages. So much of its tradition is shaped by virtuosos. The thing is, even though I play 'real' instruments, I don't play them well enough and also (and this might be strange to admit) I don't even like playing them that much. I started playing the saxophone when I was 15 and then went for 20 years without playing, I got back into it last year, but I don't really enjoy the process. So I sold it. Now I have a clarinet (because it's quieter, cheaper and sweeter), but I also got a wind synth.

Yeah, the wind synth is not the same, but it's close enough for what I want, it allows me to literally breath some emotion into what I play without it being loud or overly hard to intonate and I have a lot more fun this way. This track features me playing the wind synth.

But another part of Jazz is the collaboration. So I invited the amazing producer and guitarist @ubo-music to contribute some jazz guitar improvisation and that changed everything. It brought a totally new life to the piece.

Overall, the process was: write a very repetitive pattern for the keys and the bass, then use that to play the virtual sax. I sent that to ubo, who send back this guitar part. Based on his part, I then re-recorded a big chunk of the sax parts. After that, I went back and played the keys again to add flourishes and variations, same for the bass. For the drums, I used Superior Drummer and made a bit of a collage of midi parts (I love doing this, it's like sampling, but for midi.)

In the end, even though nobody played together, I hope it still feels organic and if it does, it's because we did collaborate and traded passages, only they didn't happen in realtime.

Honestly, it's strange calling it Jazz. I have so much respect for the roots and traditions of the genre, but it has also evolved so much since the early days in New Orleans that I think I'm entitled, just like everybody else, to bastardize it in whatever way I see fit.

Jazz III (feat. ubo)

COOP Lyrics

His is about some dude on a beach....😉 

Lyrics;
People looking for me
in some other place
FBI on the news
Have you seen this face?

There's no TV'S here
Just sand and some waves
And my beard's getting long
Cause I haven't shaved

I'm on the run
Reclined in this chair
Just a guy with some time
And lots of money to spare

Got my feet to the sea
Umbrella for shade
Cold drink in my hand
Yeah, I've got it made

Some dude on the beach
Nobody cares
A guy on the run
could be anywhere

A notorious criminal
Daredevil I hear
Biding his time
Til the coast is all clear

I used to play by the rules
With the suit and a tie
Regular citizen
Real stand up guy

But after some time
The air got too stale
And my colorful world
Began to grow pale

So I took a leap
On a cold rainy night
And just disappeared
And I'm still out of sight

Yeah, I'm on the run
Reclined in this chair
Just a guy with some time
And lots of money to spare

Just some dude on the beach
Nobody cares
A guy on the run
Could be anywhere

The sun's burning hot
And I've got a fresh tan
I'm living the life
Of a real wanted man

I used to play by the rules
With the suit and a tie
Regular citizen
Real stand up guy

Got my feet to the sea
Umbrella for shade
Cold drink in my hand
Yeah, I've got it made

Last Not Least/ The Way That It Works

Walkin' in Pa's Footsteps