get some jazz beats

hello friends,

it’s been a while since i last wrote here, but do not despair, musical movements are continuously taking shape… so after a period mostly dedicated to collaborative work  (which has been very productive, with several albums and compilations released in the past few months, see previous posts), i decided that my own work and compositions had taken the back shelf for far too long.

i have so many project files with sketches, nearly finished tracks, ideas thrown around, i did not know where to start…

so to ease myself back into the swing (of things), i reacquainted my horn to the house mike, and i tell you, the luxury suite at nexTTime studios is sweet as ever.

two new pieces will perfectly accompany your summery meanderings. i posted these on soundcloud, so don’t hesitate to hit me and show some love, if you like it…

 

i decided to begin with my latest creation, which went like this. well, it was a warm day and…

ok, it’s not gonna be a once upon a time story, but there IS a happy ending, i promise.

bored with scales and having finished my practice routine, i wanted to play along to some track and have some fun. i discarded the youtube jazz scene and wanted to up-beat it. this is where live comes in.

sax in one hand, hitting some keys with the other, here goes a couple of chords. sax doodles ensue and i just had to get some ballzy bass in there. ain’t loops great. no, not really, but this one just hit the spot and man, i’m riding the wave so here goes, on the fly, some basic jazz kit ride along.

and it’s grooving down here with an added 808 kit, some pitch and granulation on the sax, even some spectral space-sines processing (that shadow the sax lines). i could swear i just heard an apparition from the great north, it’s like molvaer woz ere.

 

you know, i’m spoiled with much interesting and experimental music and so i have a very low threshold for cheese. and techno is right there with the cream of the cream. but take a listen, 4/4 can be fun AND interesting at the same time. i dunno, somehow it made some sort of sense at the time.

ain’t live great. spinning beats on the fly with one hand… and i got myself a track. a little sculpting and reshuffle later, i revisited the sax, keeping some of the processing, striping it right down, for a driving yet light feel. and the living is easy…

the phrase from plato, picked up by foucault, is one i keep referring to. the Techne Tou Biou is quite central i would say. and it resonates with me. with my current routine, practice and thinking processes – which include music and meditation – the perfect blend of science, art and spirituality just hits the spot. Techne Tou Biou refers to a science and craft of living. guidelines to a happy experience of our time on earth. this is where the buddhist teachings come handy. and well, it is common sense, logical principles that come up in many cultures.

so i think that this piece is somewhat fitting for a highly charged title. there is an easy-going complexity and beautiful depth in simple forms that touch on the concept. i hope this is how it feels anyway. do let me know!

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following on the excitement, i revisited an older track. i had drums, bass and keys laid out. this is a format i have been using for a certain type of compositions. simple structures. realistic lineup. no frills. just an excuse to lay down some sax.

the live setup and software instruments is not my sound of choice, but it’s something more immediate than the finer work that goes into electroacoustic pieces. so for the times when i feel like playing notes, when i crave for beats, when i’m in the mood for some jazz cuts, this is the place i go. it’s quite a departure from abstract extended techniques and fancy electronic processing, but it still is my sound. and as you would expect, any of the tracks i produce are just not going to fit into any of the usual boxes.

i have many hats. none of them fit. but if you want some jazz, if you want some hip hop, electronica, improv, of whatever resonates, i hope you’ll dig this. it is indeed a meeting of opposites, an impossible combination, and it is seriously fun. had to be an ‘oxymore’.

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so put on your red shoes, here’s some rainbow sax to tickle your dancing feet.