Warm summer day on the ocean in Castine, Maine
Summer breeze
This is my arrangement of “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts. I've been working on it during record-breaking cold just after a blizzard! (I'm finding it therapeutic). This tune is considered by Rolling Stone to be #13 of the “Best Summer Songs of All Time”. I play saxophone, flute and synths, and mixed/mastered. I used the Partido Alto groove for the verses.
Sounds: The verse uses Partido Alto loops/samples from Celso Alberti, fretless bass, jazz guitar and Rhodes. In the second verse I use a new device called Humana in the DAW I use (Reason) which has great samples of the human voice. The last verses are solos- first tenor, then synth (Rhodes put through a polyphonic arpeggiator), and finally flute for the outro. The chorus has a more traditional dry swing drum loop, a “low simple sub” bass, a guitar sound called “Vollenweiderustica” and a synth called “Shoals”. The contrasting, more tranquil sounds in the bridge are synths called “Ambient Bamboo” and “Cinematic Justice”. The Rhodes accompanies, and there is an Udu sample.
Ascent
This is an original tune and I play alto saxophone, flute and synths. The idea was to move (generally) in upward motion with melody and harmony, hence the title.
Sounds: I used a fretless bass for the A section and a grittier one behind alto solo. My drummer is Mark Guiliana (well, loops!). For synths I used a "Rich Voice" pad and a "Sentient Tech" sound put through an arpeggiator behind flute., and there are other synths to add interest in other sections.
Strasbourg-St.Denis
Sounds: I use Propellerhead Reason for my DAW- jazz guitar, finger bass, and I got these cool Omar Hakim drum loops for Christmas- so they were my inspiration to do a funky arrangement of this tune. Some synth sounds were new for this version of Reason, a vibes sound and a Latin keyboard.
I Remember You
My quirky arrangement of the Schertzinger-Mercer tune, "I Remember You". I play flute and synths- other sounds are midi.
Sounds: I went for a "retro" feel, so the synths have names like: "Cheese-o-matic", "Beatle Times", "Radiophonic Ghost", "Ocean on Mars" and "Big 60's Brass". It starts with a displaced 4/4 feel which is repeated later, then the tune is in 5/4. I think I've been watching a little too many old Twilight Zone episodes- the ending is a spaceship taking off...........