154 posts tagged with jazz.
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But Not For Me
Hope to revisit this one day-- piano by the talented Wang sisters: http://www.youtube.com/user/lipatti [more inside]
Nuts on the Go
Hi! I was trying to calibrate my microphone in an iso booth (okay, okay, a walk-in closet) and my hyperactive puppy was all like "NO! PLAY WITH ME! HEY! I AM NUGGET! HEY!" So I took him in the closet with me, sang a song to entertain him (he sat quietly, tilting his head, possibly terrified), then set it to music. [more inside]
Go Gadget, Go!
A jazzy version of the Inspector Gadget theme song. Apologies in advance if it gets stuck in your head. [more inside]
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Yes, it's Disney, with some nice jazzy guitar as background courtesy of Adrian Holovaty...I tried to add a few touches of my own, I hope you enjoy.
Say It (Over and Over Again)
I'm a big fan of Frank Loesser's lyrics and Jimmy McHugh's melodies, so I decided to add a few to my repertoire. When I'm learning new songs, I record myself a capella to see how my voicings are sounding and what I need to work on. It's bare, but I thought this turned out kind of sweet.
Heavy Boy
Possibly the geekiest use of "Nature Boy". [more inside]
That's All
I'm jumping back into music with both feet right now, so here's another rehearsal recording for your listening pleasure. This sweet tune was introduced by Nat King Cole back in 1952. You young whippersnappers probably remember it from elsewhere though. Sigh. [more inside]
Mean to Me
Back to practicing new repertoire with my freakishly adorable guitarist Barry. Yay! Sooo, here's a pretty straight and peppy little version of an old standard tune by Fats Waller. [more inside]
Mnemosyne (It's autumn in the country I remember...)
A tango-influenced setting of a hundred year-old poem by Trumbull Stickney, "Mnemosyne" is the title track of our new CD, recorded by Ljova and the Kontraband (music by Ljova, sung by Inna).
Mnemosyne is the Greek goddess of memory, and this is a song of nostalgy and of memories that turn color like autumn leaves yearning for rebirth with a vibrant song in the spring....
We've long been looking forward to sharing this song with you all.
[more inside]
Israel/Hit the Road Jack
Forgot to upload this last track from my friend Matt and I. Instrumental, two acoustic guitars. [more inside]
Cephalopod
How many times have you asked yourself, "Where are all the jazz tunes about squid?" [more inside]
Take Five
Another one from my friend Matt and I. Instrumental, two acoustic guitars. [more inside]
I Do It For Your Love
A Paul Simon cover from the same session as Bob-omb Battlefield. Instrumental, two acoustic guitars. [more inside]
Misty
Solo guitar. One quick and dirty take, recorded with the windows open. [more inside]
Attack of the Pasta Party Pirates
An original song by my old band, Selected Letters. Alto Sax, Oboe, Violin, Guitar, Bass, Drums, and a good mix of tight arrangement and improvisation. I miss this band a lot, but it was great while it lasted.
Wave
When I Fall In Love
I started singing back when I was darn near tone deaf and had the breath control of someone recovering from a pool accident. I think I've gotten better, so I'd like people who don't know me to have a listen. [more inside]
piltdown part 7
jazz tune. also, "jazz" tune. [more inside]
404
And now for something completely different... this is a somewhat experimental instrumental track featuring pulsing soft noise, soft organs and a distorted xylophone, fake sitar, and off-key distant "singing."
Misty
Some jazz noodling on that classic standard Misty. My friend Steph on the alto sax, me on the piano.
Breaking the Rules (Rough Cut)
Country/jazz. acapella. An open letter to Amy Winehouse. Super Mario Galaxy. [more inside]
Original Recipe
This is a recording from Ground Zero in Troy, NY. I played a solo show for about 50ish people and a stuffed pony.
Hopeful Hopeful
A big ol' composition kind of song. Just a little bit like "post-rock" I guess. As before but this time with multiple takes, stereo, and fun little stuff scattered all around. It's also my first project using Logic Pro, which seems to rock
workshop
Rehearsals : three tunes that we (a big band) were to play on stage in a small jazz festival in Millau, Aveyron, southern France.
could of
kinda jazzy, kinda not. this is where my highschool extra curricular activities run into my highschool punk band...recorded alone. fake drums. some mixxing creds go to my lil drummer bro...(family link!)
The Hoarse Whisperer (Parts 1-4)
Got together with a friend a while back to jam, and we ended up deciding to try and record something for the first time. Our goal of creating music failed. Thus the project Tverrbjelker was born.
Blackout (John Scofield cover)
Just me and my friends making music in the basement. This is a live studio cover of John Scofield's Blackout.
satin doll
Another excerpt of a previous too long post. Tired of playing over improvised and random changes, I brought the Ellington tune to Olivier. I played the rhythm track, he played the melody, then I managed to play a solo. Hope you like it.
"All The Things You Are," solo acoustic guitar
My favorite jazz standard, done as a solo acoustic guitar piece. Apologies for the audio clipping at 2:02.
(For some reason, the MeFi audio preview is playing it in a lower key and slightly slower; I'm not sure how to fix this, so I'll leave it as is.)
real book
Hi, This is not what you can call a song : rather a collection of recordings pasted together. As in the Real Book, some standards are included. But this track also includes sounds taken from the real world, like a street scene, or rehearsals. It is a deliberate effort to try to match apparently unrelated recordings, from different sources. The Real Book, paradoxically, features charts for some idealistic land. Here, I wanted to use sounds both from the inside (music) and from the outside (raw field recordings) to see how ironically they are related and to provide some contrast. What you're about to hear : a saxophone playing Don Quichotte, a late night Dulcinea, two versions of a standard, and guitar comments.
Caravan (rehearsal)
The Smoke Alarm Sessions, cont'd. I've been learning Caravan. I love the way Ellington did it a lot. Nowadays so many people play it very straight ahead, & I think that gets boring. So we experimented. At first Barry tried to put a funk beat behind it, but I'm not sure about it. On the second chorus I was thinking that since I've been to Egypt I should use that as inspiration to experiment with different melodies. I think in the future I'll probably take that a lot further, I kind of liked the feel. So, we'll see.
If I Had You
4/10/07 rehearsal recording in LA. Trying out some new repertoire... well, new for me. This adorably sweet little song was written in 1928. I decided not to put any kind of modern spin on it, but to just sing it slow and straight. (Guitar by the always adorable Barry Zweig.)
Don't Go To Strangers (piano/vocal rehearsal)
Another 2006 rehearsal recording... cleaned up but obviously very rough still. Don't Go To Strangers was written in 1954 by Arthur Kent and David Mann, with gorgeous lyrics by Redd "Frim Fram Sauce" Evans. Many people have covered it, but Etta James' version is the one that infatuated me to give it a go myself.
Gorgeous piano work provided by the perpetually kickass Tamir Hendelman
After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It (piano/vocal)
Another 2006 CD rehearsal. I love timeless lyrics... and this 1920 tune by Irving Berlin captures human nature perfectly. It was repopularized by an arm-swinging Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The Nat King Cole Trio did it better though.
Piano fabulousness by the astoundingly talented (and now Grammy Nominated!) Tamir Hendelman
Piano fabulousness by the astoundingly talented (and now Grammy Nominated!) Tamir Hendelman
Love Me or Leave Me (bass/vocal)
Ok, so here's my spin on another old song. This Walter Donaldson/Gus Kahn composition was first featured in Florenz Zeigfield's 1928 Broadway musical Whoopee, starring Eddie Cantor & Ruth Etting, who took the song to #2 on the charts. In 1955, Doris Day starred in a biographical movie about Etting called "Love Me or Leave Me" & her updated rendition became a giant hit. Flash forward to 1967... Nina Simone turned this hokey old Ziegfeld tune into a completely reworked masterpiece of piano & voice (download link is at bottom). My own version (heard best live, I think) is definitely inspired by Nina's, but it could never compare to hers -- I just do my own thing & try to make it my own a bit. It's a fun song to do... audiences seem to love it. Incredible basswork once again provided by bass God Chris Conner.
You've Changed (guitar/vocal)
This is a very rough recording (of quite possibly my favorite ballad ever) from a rehearsal in LA a year or so ago. I was working on possible CD repertoire with jazz guitarist extraordinaire, the oh-so-adorable Mr. Barry Zweig. (Written in 1942 by Bill Carey & Carl Fischer, You've Changed has been beautifully recorded by Dexter Gordon, Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Kay Starr, Diana Ross, Charlie Shavers & Eva Cassidy, among others.)
Coffee Time! (a capella)
This song was originally written in 1945 by Lennie Hayton for the soundtrack of the Minnelli/Astaire MGM musical Yolanda & the Thief. Since I just started drinking my beloved morning latte again after giving it up for 2-3 months, it felt appropriate to do a little joyful a capella singing to the world for no real reason whatsoever. Oh, if only I could set up a 5 piece band in my office... sigh.
Cry Me A River
Happy Sunday, hive mind! Well, I haven't been performing jazz much since moving to the Bay area. I'll confess, I've missed my musicians in LA (see song title) & just haven't found my niche/comfort zone up here yet. For a while, I was commuting down South to work on a CD but it got to be too difficult... so my musical life has been in limbo & this year I REALLY hope to change that. If you folks say you'd like to hear more mp3s, I do have some. And hey... if there's someone out there who would seriously like to collaborate with (or hire) this chick singer... I'm all ears and open to advice. I also take requests! :)
I miss singing for people...
(Incredible basswork courtesy of the fab-u-lous Chris Conner, my dear friend)
The Dark Room
I have been composing this piece for quite some time now and I am happy with the current result uploaded here. It's a fun, jazzy, bopping track with overdriven drums, horns, and a surprise guest named "Flute". Enjoy.
Gaia - Praxis - 02 - Mainframe
BlatantSelfPromotionFilter: This is the second track of my band's debut album. The best description I can give is that it's a jazzy flavor of progressive metal. Please enjoy. www.gaiamusic.net to hear more.
Clint Eastwood Jazz
Not really jazz, not really anything Clint would like. But it does blend the Spighetti Western sound with a mellow jazz bass. It's just for fun, I hope you like it.
Smackbillie
I was in Amsterdam in 1995 and found an old Billie Holiday bootleg CD. Years later I found an interesting sample on there and imported it into the totally awesome audio program....SoundEdit16. Stretched it, pulled it, squished it, doubled it and looped it. This is the end result in all of its 16bit glory. I originally released this under the name Skycraft. By "release" I mean I burned 10 copies in 1999 and gave it to Ray at The Quaker Goes Deaf in Chicago and a bunch of friends. 10 Blank CDs cost a lot back then.
heir to the would-have-beens
i just finished moving my pile of equipment from the garage into the house for winter, and to celebrate i did a special mix of the latest song from the project mentioned here to share with y'all.
Heat Me Up!
Ljova would love to see your interpretive dance of this. (Please post YouTube links!)
Feed Off
Another song by my ex-band, again with me on trumpet. Mellow soul/funk.
Spacetalk
A Van Winkle side project, Kurt Kostokos on guitar and drums, and Dave Appelbaum on keyboards. Definately of an exploratory sonic nature...
Meat And Crackers
Me on keyboards with Van Winkle (bass, drums, electric guitar)
They Felt Like You
Lounge jazz. That'll do.
Autumn Fell
Blues Lounge Rock - from my band's 2006 demo.
Impossible Edge
Done when I was at school a couple of years ago and had access to players. That's me on flute and bass (not at the same time–haven't mastered that one yet!).