Jazz Inside: Could you discuss your new recording Art Of The Song, Vol. 1 with which you collaborated with Derek Lee Bronston – and how the initial germ of an idea and compositions – which include originals and covers ranging from Rodgers and Hart to Radiohead – evolved into the completed artwork for release?

Mark Rapp: While both of us are very steeped in the jazz tradition, we also have a wide palette in terms of our tastes and repertoire. This has come to define our musical relationship over the years as we often play songs from other genres and styles at our jazz gigs with great response from our audience.

Derek Lee Bronston: For me as singer/songwriter, leader and co-leader, also of rock bands, playing tunes from a variety of genres is very much just a natural extension of who I am artistically. I like to think of what I play as ‘Creative Americana,’ which to me incorporates jazz and ranges from John Coltrane to Johnny Cash. The important thing is to find my vision in what I’m playing and always try to just maintain my personality on any song – so approaching Cole Porter is not really different to Radiohead, other than the tune itself.” As far as Art Of The Song goes, we tried to pick a set of songs, both original and covers, that could (1) give us an arc to the CD and (2) feel like a cohesive experience. We have a very defined sound and whether approaching a jazz standard or a rock anthem, we deliver a mood, sound and feel that is very much about us as a group rather than two jazz musicians trying to be eclectic.

Download the PDF here:
http://www.thesongproject.net/TheSongProject_JazzInsideMag.pdf

Download the complete mag here:
http://jazzinsidemagazine.com/

JI: This Volume 1 of Art of the Song, is noteworthy because it is created as an industry first “applum” as you’ve named it. Could you discuss how this app is unique?

MR: It was the first of its kind in its model of music distribution and presentation. This is an entire multimedia experience presented and distributed solely as an iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch application – not individual mp3s through the iTunes store.

DLB: “The Applum” is meant to hearken back to the days of vinyl when music was experienced more as a whole album, unlike today’s digital – “singles driven” music. It is intentionally simple, functionally. We tried to keep it focused on the music and the accompanying art as opposed to a laundry list of functionality that technically could be included in an iPad app. We worked together with a designer and photographer named Sean Mosher-Smith, who has done album covers and photography for everyone from Lenny Kravitz and Steve Coleman to Iggy Pop. And we also worked with the Brooklyn design + tech company, theConspiracy, a company made up of musicians that work with many artists on application development and design. “The Applum” is meant to be played in its entirety and is accompanied by liner notes, personal notes from both Mark and myself on each song, and the ability to share it via Facebook, Twitter and Email.

MR: Derek Lee programmed the entire app himself. He’s a guru app developer – an advantageous skill to have in this day and age.

DLB: And Mark is a highly-skilled web developer as well, which has also been a great asset for us.

JI: What challenges have you experienced in developing this app?

MR / DLB: The 2 biggest challenges were to keep it simple and to get it out there.

JI: How are you promoting this app for use by others?

MR: We mainly have relied on social media, as we didn’t have any budget for PR or marketing at the time of release, unfortunately. It’s funny that a year after we created “The Applum”, Bjork started releasing her music in a very similar, if not the same way, and she was being lauded as the first to release music in this fashion. I’ve since tried to contact the writers of the various music and tech magazines to make them aware of what two jazz guys did an entire year earlier. But I’m not surprised they’re not responding or acknowledging this fact, since we didn’t have the money to pay them, as Bjork and her label did. But with that being said, we’ve still had around 5,000 downloads of “The Applum”, just from our meager efforts, so we’re happy and consider it a very successful model that we’ll continue to innovate and improve.

JI: What kinds of intellectual property protection have you set up to ensure that you are properly compensated with royalties involving licensing?

DLB: We used a service called Limelight by Rights Flow [songclearance.com]. They actually sponsored us in this regard and took care of all the filing and maintenance.

MR: They’ve been very supportive of our endeavors and we’re always doing social media posts with them. As far as compensation on our end, so far it’s been from the monies made from the App Store.

JI: How did your association with Derek Lee Bronston develop – in both the area of music and development of software and digital ideas?

MR: Musically, I’ve always enjoyed Derek’s playing. His approach is unique and reflects my vision and ideals of improvisation. We both believe in expressing the song, presenting the emotion and creating a visceral vibe and atmosphere first and foremost. This is our primary goal and agenda. We’re not interested in a “blow
fest” and overly technical or flamboyant playing. Sure, sometimes a song or emotion needs a burst of pyrotechnics, and we practice so we can execute those needs of a given moment. However, individualistic masturbation, playing licks and patterns is not our focus. We strive for a group sound with depth, soul, and understated intellectualism steeped in raw human emotion. As for our efforts in the tech sector, when I first moved to NY, I was looking for a way to make good money while giving myself the freedom to hustle for gigs and practice. Derek Lee was making great money, coding web sites from home and practicing and gigging. As long as the web site was built by the deadline, you can code whenever you want – night and day. He inspired me to learn about HTML, CSS, Javascript, databases, etc. It is an infinitely valuable skill for a musician to have – to design, build and maintain your own web site and create unique, fun web apps without having to pay or depend on someone else to do it. For example, this year for Christmas, we built a web app that allowed users to create their own holiday slideshow accompanied by our version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with snowflakes falling down your computer screen. If we had to pay someone to build this, it would have cost a few thousand bucks.

DLB: Tech is something that has always interested me and, on a certain level, I like to think of myself as a structuralist. Music has structure, software has structure, language has structure, life has structure. In a moment of creativity, an inspired thought or a beautiful melody line comes out. The language that informs that thought or line makes it work within the structure you’re dealing with. So, although the experience of code and music are really very different experiences, the process of utilizing them has parallels. I get inspired by ideas – some are tech, some are musical. On a practical level, we can put both together by making apps and websites, but on a creative level, I find they both help the other in subtle ways.

JI: Talk about your association with Derek Lee Bronston and the development of the Song Project.

MR: Derek and I met circa ‘98 in New Orleans, and we’ve been playing off and on since he moved to NYC in the early 2000’s. WWOZ and the great “NO” clubs were so great to each of us and actually Derek hired my Quintology rhythm there. I moved to NYC in early 2000 and Derek kind of took me by the hand .

DLB: In 2007 I did an Americana country record called “Empty River” which charted in the top 10 Americana charts, while Mark went off and toured with his organ trio band. Then, Mark invited me back into The Mark Rapp Group for the tour of his Token Tails CD, where we sold out Joe’s Pub, The Blue Note twice, and were then invited to play Newport Jazz Fest by Jason Olaine, who continues to be a great friend, fan and part of our musical family. Then Mark moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 2009 for a few years and during that time we started to collaborate and develop a duo concept via Email/Skype/ Twitter. It began as a recording project where we would post a new song each month and develop an online following.

MR: But then in the spring of 2010, we did a handful of shows in NYC which were very well received, and broke open more musically defined
concepts for us. While both of us compose in a variety of genres, we are improvisors at heart and those few shows really defined the
sound, direction and possibilities of this project. Later that summer, we did a short European stint and unexpectedly, after a chance encounter with a producer in Geneva, ended up recording our first CD on that tour.

DLB: The recording is essentially derived from a 6 hour live session with minimal overdubs. For example, we laid down trumpet harmonies or a second guitar accompaniment. That was the start of a snowball effect that has led us to sold out shows at the Blue Note in NYC, playing the Blue Note Jazz festival, Carnegie Hall and a number of very well received short US Tours.

JI: Talk about the sounds and communication which you two are striving for.

DLB: With this project we are really trying to explore the art of the song, both on an improvised and arrangement level. One of things that have attracted Mark and me to each other’s playing is that both of us really care about composition and space. As improvisors we’re both always striving for fluidity. For myself, what makes a great improvisor is the ability to deliver memorable melodies and musical ideas on any tune or musical structure.

MR: We’re first and foremost interested in telling a story and presenting authentic and impassioned emotional statements. We’re not trying to be overly technical, ultra-modern or ostentatious in our performances or recordings. We’re trying to get to the crux of the moment, the juice of the song, the essence of the feeling and do it with a
group sound – a singular voice made up of multiple instruments – like an orchestra or big band, but within the context of an intimate duo, trio or quartet format. We strive to paint an aural picture with depth of meaning and intimacy, so that no matter what, listeners know that they are experiencing something real and authentic.

JI: Could you provide a glimpse into how you discovered your passion for jazz and the people and or opportunities that opened the door for your immersion and development in the music?

DLB: For me it was John Coltrane’s “First Mediations,” which I discovered when I was 19, that led me to really explore jazz fully. I had been exposed to fusion and a certain amount of jazz, but stumping on to Coltrane took me into a 10 year feeding frenzy of listening, practicing and developing on the guitar.

MR: I was introduced to jazz via the recordings of Miles Davis and Chet Baker. From there, it was a slow progression to fully realizing what it was I was hearing. What I did immediately hear was a trumpet doing some very cool things and being a vehicle for “in-the-moment” expression. I then discovered and latched on to everything Wynton Marsalis recorded, I snuck backstage at his concerts, met him and his band and through those interactions, was led to study at the University of New Orleans where Ellis Marsalis was chair of the music department.

JI: What kinds of challenges and benefits to your artistic endeavors did you experience in the academic environment in New Orleans?

MR: Living in New Orleans was invaluable. That city has soul – period. Players there play from their gut. They play with fire and intensity. I was surrounded by everyone from Kermit Ruffins, Marlon Jordan, Nicholas Payton, Clyde Kerr, Jr, Irvin Mayfield, Ellis, Jeremy Davenport, Brice Winston, to the brass bands and so, so many others. Couple all that music in the streets and clubs & managers who continue to be so supportive, like Jason Patterson at Snug Harbor, with amazing, down home food, Abita beer, crawfish boils, etc. with the amazing teachers at UNO like Ed Petersen, Harold Batiste, Steve Masakowski, etc. – wow – words cannot describe it. It was such a fertile time. The city and its people were so open to all kinds of music from klezmer to trad-jazz to rock-n-roll to country… all of it. It was all going on and being wellsupported. And that is the thing about New Orleans
and studying in New Orleans, you get a severe balance of intellectualism and soul. Cats from New Orleans play with soul and heart and can back it up with knowledge of theory and harmony.

DLB: I studied Anthropology at the University of Michigan and really didn’t interact with the Music Department till I was just leaving Ann
Arbor. That last year in Ann Arbor really had an influence on me musically. In my immediate peer group were amazing players, Craig Taborn (piano), Gerald Cleaver (drums) and Andrew Dahlke (sax) whom I played with in U of M’s Jazz Combo and subsequently learned a lot from. Although the scene wasn’t huge, being next door to Detroit gave us access to a lot of great music and players like Rodney Whitaker, Tani Tabal and Regina Carter etc.. I went on to study guitar shortly at The Center For Creative Studies in Detroit and not long after, set out to NY. Having never set foot in NYC before, I ended up crashing on Andy Dahlkes’ studio floor after arriving with no apartment and the money to barely pay one month’s rent, until I got myself sorted out.

JI: Talk about what you’ve learned about leadership from one or more of the jazz artists with/for whom you have worked.

MR: I’ve rarely been a sideman, as I’ve always done my own thing, written my own tunes and arrangements, and presented my bands. But what I’ve learned is that communication and clear intentions are key. Also, you should be aware of your bandmates’ strengths and give them the space to let them flourish. Be open to new ideas, learn from each other and don’t try to do everything yourself. That last one is something I’m getting better at. And have fun on the bandstand!

DLB: I played with Cecil Taylor, Billy Bang, and the drummer Clifford Barbaro’s bands in the mid 90’s, often as a sideman to Mark, and a number of rock bands. I’ve led my own jazz quartets, 2 rock bands and more recently my own solo project (which I’d have to categorize more as country). Each experience was very different – some chaotic, some focused, all great learning experiences and a plethora of music. Ultimately, people all have imperfections and different communication styles. For me I prefer to let the music do the talking.

MR: We have a very exciting show at Joe’s Pub on Thursday, January 26th at 7pm. We’ll have a few special surprise guests as well to add to our sonic palette. Our new manager, Suzi Reynolds, has come onboard 1000% and is pushing us hard. She was introduced to me by one of the drumming greats, Steve Johns, shortly after a gig we recently played at Sculler’s in Boston.

DLB: What does the future look like for TSP? We are constantly evolving, writing and working towards the next thing. We had a great year: Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note twice and many other great experiences. And now we’re really psyched to be one of the first bands in the newly renovated Joe’s Pub and we’re hoping to see all of you there! Come say hi. We want to know who you are and get to know our fans. We’ve been lucky enough to start working with a great team of people that are helping us advance on a business level. Among them is SARAR, a great fashion brand on Madison Ave., who has endorsed us and opened up lots of new doors and audiences for us. We’re also deep into planning the next recording. The exact details are being sorted out now, but you can certainly look for The Song Project – Vol. 2 in 2012, and keep an eye on our website, thesongproject.net, for updates, details and some inside info. There will definitely be more groundbreaking technology associated with this release than ever before, so stay tuned. We’re excited about it all. Musically we’ve grown as a group and grown our audience. This new recording will be an extension of that; beauty with an edge.

MR: Lots of great new things are happening – so stay in touch with us at facebook/ thesongproject, on twitter at thesongproject, and online at thesongproject.net. We want to hear from you!!…what you like, how you like “The Applum”, and who knows, send us your favorite requests and you just might hear them at Joes Pub. See ya there!

This is a fun web app Derek and I put together for you. http://xmas.thesongproject.net/

CREATE YOUR OWN SLIDESHOW
You can create your own holiday slideshow by uploading your images and easily share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

FREELY DOWNLOAD AND SHARE THE MP3
Derek and I recorded a short version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the true spirit of how The Song Project began. Derek recorded in Brooklyn and as I’m in SC, I recorded the trumpet here. Derek then mixed the tracks on his way to London and voila! We created a sweet recording that we hope you enjoy.

Go on, make your slideshow, put your computer in full-screen mode and you have yourself a customized version a la the Yule Log DVD – ha! Hey… Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

WEBSITE
http://xmas.thesongproject.net/

SEE USER CREATED EXAMPLES

APAP 2012 SHOWCASE
Look for The Song Project’s APAP showcase with Gail Boyd Artist Management
Sunday, January 8 at 1:15pm & 3:30pm
Yamaha Artist’s Studio
689 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor (Band and Orchestral Atelier)
New York, NY 10022
(Entrance located on the north side of 54th Street, between Madison & Fifth Avenues)

RELATED POST
http://blog.markrapp.com/selected-christmas-tunes/
“In preparation of holiday events, I arranged a handful of Christmas tunes… a free 17-page pdf download…”

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=175428805844922

http://bluenotejazzfestival.com/2011/03/sunday-jazz-brunchmark-rapp-and-derek-lee-bronston-the-song-project/

The last show for The Song Project offers support to Shelter Health Services who provides free healthcare and health education to homeless women and children through its walk-in clinic located within Mecklenburg County’s largest women’s shelter. Mark says, “What is living the music, living your art, if not making it a tangible experience for all by having a way for us to reach out and effect lives. The pleasure in helping a struggling family, the rewarding smiles… all of this makes the music and night more meaningful and way more fun.”

What is an applum? The Song Project released their debut CD in an untraditional manner and one that takes advantage of iPad’s technology. “It is a complete modern album where you experience the music, award-winning photography, artist notes and more,” explains Derek Lee Bronston. The Applum is coined and created by theConspiracy, a Brooklyn based tech+design company, in partnership with the digital music company Paved Earth Music. It is a free download on the iTunes App Store.

With SCBT as mobility sponsor, a unique model of distributing their music, supporting the communities in which they play, not to mention their jazz interpretations of AC/DC, Radiohead and Tears for Fears, The Song Project is not your everyday jazz group.

Show dates include:

Wednesday, March 30 – Davidson College Jazz Workshop (Davidson, NC)
Thursday, March 31 – The Lazy Goat (Greenville, SC)
Friday, April 1 – The Speakeasy (Columbia, SC)
Saturday, April 2 – Brown Street Jazz Club (Greenville, SC)
Sunday, April 3 – Petra’s Piano Bar (Charlotte, NC)

About The Song Project

www.thesongproject.net

About South Carolina Bank and Trust
www.scbtonline.com

About Shelter Health Services
www.shelterhealthservices.com

For further information, contact Mark Rapp: info@markrapp.com

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Their industry first product they coined as the “applum”—iPhone App + Album (where digital meets vinyl)—is innovating the way music is distributed and offers the music consumer a rich and rewarding experience. This applum, their debut CD entitled “Art of the Song, vol. 1″ is presented elegantly with the iPad. It offers stunning images by an award-winning photographer (each piece complimenting the applum’s tracks), the music itself, stories behind them and more, and is packaged in a freely downloadable app via the iTunes App store. The tracks themselves can also be transferred from the applum to your favored media device.

Don’t miss … 2 GREAT DAYS OF JAZZ IN THE HARLEM SUITE … on the 4th Floor of the NY Hilton. We’re playing 2 showcases on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 1pm and 3pm. Please also stop by the Allan Harris Productions Booth #433 in America’s Hall 1 to pick up a Press Kit on us, The Song Project.

The Song Project, co-led by Mark Rapp (trumpet, didgeridoo) & Derek Lee Bronston (guitar, vocals), explore the “art of the song” both written and improvised. From sparse interchanges between guitar and trumpet to grooves lined with raw vocals, they extend jazz into its own genre with interpretations ranging from Miles Davis to Radiohead to AC/DC.

If you are unable to attend, but would like to receive our Press Kit, do not hesitate to contact us and we’ll send one out right away.

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Support for the Song Project is provided by Limelight, a service of RightsFlow. Limelight is the simplest way to clear cover songs. You can easily secure the necessary mechanical license to cover ANY SONG for U.S. distribution for your digital, CD or ringtone release. Visit www.songclearance.com

[divider]

APAP 2011
website

New York Hilton
website
1335 Avenue of the Americas
(6th Ave & 54th Street)
New York, NY 10019

Rapp and Bronston will hit the road with support from South Carolina Bank and Trust, who will provide one of the company’s SCBT-logoed Volkswagon Beetles, for the pair to drive for the SC/NC leg of the tour. Daily video, photo and status updates will be available at: www.thesongproject.net/follow/

Show dates include:
Tues, Sept 21: Greenville, SC
Wed, Sept 22: Boone, NC
Thurs, Sept 23: Rock Hill, SC
Fri, Sept 24: Charleston, SC
Sat, Sept 25: Columbia, SC
Sun, Sept 26: Greenville, SC – Euphoria Jazz Brunch!

More info here: http://www.facebook.com/markrappmusic?v=app_2344061033

Rapp says, “It’s very exciting to be working with SCBT. They’re an amazing bank – one of the good guys that still take care of their customer’s best interests. And I’m impressed by their foreword thinking by getting involved in cobranded efforts with artists who are out there creating authentic, impassioned music and supporting festivals that give back to their communities. Very cool stuff.”

While on the road, the duo will be spreading the word about Euphoria, the four-day food, wine
and music weekend that takes place in Greenville, SC September 23rd through September 26th.

The Sunday Jazz Brunch presented by SCBT is a New Orleans-style brunch buffet featuring dishes from a variety of local restaurants and live jazz music from acclaimed Jazz musicians. Restaurant participants include Soby’s, Cupcake Couture, Greenville Hospital Systems, Great Bay Oyster House, Carolina First Center, Coffee Underground, Greenfield’s Bagels, The Lazy Goat, Soby’s on the Side, Devereaux’s, Sticky Fingers, Westin Poinsett.

The Culinary Cookoff presented by Greenville Hospital System, held during the Jazz Brunch, pairs local and guest chefs to compete in multiple sessions of entertaining and educational live cooking demonstrations, finishing Euphoria on a truly high note.

The team pairings this Euphoria add a “theme” into the competitive mix. Cook-off #1 pits “Team Girl” against “Team Boy” and Cook-off #2 is a multi-generational challenge involving two local chefs and their children.

Cook-Off #1: 11:30am

Chef Michael Kramer & Chef Andre Jones VS Chef Vicky Moore & Chef Teryi Youngblood

Cook-Off #2: 1:30pm

Chef Rodney Freidank & Son – Ryan Freidank VS Chef Patrick Wagner & Daughter – Savannah Tranter

To view the full schedule of events, including the Sunday Jazz Brunch and Culinary Cook-off details and times, please visit www.euphoriagreenville.com/schedule.

Tickets on Sale now.

Individual and Multi-event Package tickets are on sale now at www.euphoriagreenville.com/tickets. Prices range from $45 for individual event tickets to $795 ($695 advance sale prior to July 31) for a full-weekend VIP all-access pass.

Euphoria seeks to present a first-class, multi-day event for food, wine, and music lovers that raises significant funds for charities while also promoting tourism and enhancing the reputation of Greenville, South Carolina as a premiere culinary and performing arts destination.

While Euphoria exposes local, national, and international visitors to the high quality of music and culinary arts being performed in Greenville, South Carolina, it also exists for charities.  Euphoria is organized and presented by Local Boys Do Good (“LBDG”), a non-profit organization exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  All net proceeds from Euphoria are distributed by LBDG through direct grants to other charities – mostly in upstate South Carolina – that focus on providing sustenance to those in need (food, hunger, and health), educating (through music, performing arts, or otherwise), or supporting children. Its inception in 2006, LBDG has received more than 100 grant applications and requests and given more than $100,000 in grant funds.

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About Euphoria
For more information please contact Gina Boulware at gina@table301.com or Taryn Scher at
taryn@tkpublicrelations.com or visit www.euphoriagreenville.com.

About The Song Project
For more info or to schedule interviews with the artists, please call (718) 569-7980 or e-mail at
info@pavedearthmusic.com or visit www.thesongproject.net

About South Carolina Bank and Trust
For more information visit www.scbtonline.com

The Story

Bewitched “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” is a show tune and popular song from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey and is one of the most loved songs of the Great American Songbook. It is a classic and revered Jazz Standard that has been recorded by the best, most loved performers and musicians.

thoughts::Mark

I’m still blown away how our recordings sound so “in the moment” and there’s no reason anyone would ever guess we were thousands of miles apart when we recorded each of our parts. This truly is a fascinating and fun project. I hope you enjoyed Song 1, our duo version of “Thank You” from my debut record “Token Tales.” Song 2, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” has been sung by everyone from Barbra Streisand, Doris Day, Carly Simon, Sinead O’Connor to Ella Fitzgerald. And man, after hearing Ella’s version of this beautiful, beautiful song, why would I ever think of playing it on the trumpet?! It is a wonderful song and after much consideration, Derek and I decided to go after it for the Song Project. I wasn’t brought up on the Great American Songbook, nor have I ever tried to be a Jazz Standards player per se. I’ve always done my own thing, played my own music, wrote my own tunes and so, it was a welcomed challenge to present this amazing song – especially within our exposed, warm and minimal orchestration. Once we started, it flowed so well. I hope you’ll agree, it is an eloquent, rich and very expressive version. Thanks and enjoy!

thoughts::dlb

People who think of me as primarily an aggressive guitarist might be surprised by the fact that I love such a sweet sounding song, but it’s true. The first time I played this song was with a great singer and improviser Donna Jewel in the mid 90′s (couldn’t find a hyperlink, but trust me she rules). Since then, I’ve always had a thing for it. I really thought this was a good for Mark and I, and had the idea of the 2 simple contrapuntal acoustic guitars working against his great sound. We just tried to keep it simple and stick to the concept of blurring the lines between improvisation and composition. Hope you enjoy it.

The Story

Blue in Green It has long been speculated that pianist Bill Evans wrote “Blue in Green”, even though the most famous recoding of the piece on the album “Kind of Blue” and most jazz fakebooks credit Miles Davis only with its composition. In his autobiography, Davis maintains that he alone composed the songs on “Kind of Blue”. The version on Evans’ trio album “Portrait in Jazz”, recorded in 1959, credits the tune to ‘Davis-Evans’. Earl Zindars, in an interview conducted by Win Hinkle, said that “Blue in Green” was 100-percent written by Bill Evans. In a 1978 radio interview, Evans said that he himself had written the song. Evans said “The truth is I did [write the music]… I don’t want to make a federal case out of it, the music exists, and Miles is getting the royalties.” Either way, for all of us, it’s a beautiful tune and we’re honored to present it.

thoughts::Mark

As a trumpeter being intimately aware of Miles Davis’ haunting sound on this tune, it was a challenge artistically not to try and re-create or fall back on what another artist once did. Even though they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and it certainly would be a formidable feat in and of itself to be able to imitate such an incredible and soulful sound Miles Davis achieved, one of the ideals in regards to Jazz, is the idea of being yourself and presenting your own unique voice, and therefore, I’ve opted to leave the harmon mute and trumpet packed away, and played this arrangement on the flugelhorn and went after my own sense of phrasing and harmony. It also greatly helped that Derek envisioned and developed a fantastic unique soundscape on which to play (be sure to read Derek’s explanation below). I think you’ll really dig the background vocals and the overlapping harmonized horn building to a climactic ending. It was a wonderful experience to work on this tune and I really hope you enjoy it.

thoughts::dlb

This has been one of my favorite tunes for years, and I play it in a variety of musical settings. For me, from an improviser’s standpoint, I always like listening to how a player interacts with a known song structure. I often think you can tell a lot about a player’s personality as you can easily hear what they bring to the song when there’s an established context to compare it to.
It’s always interesting to see how these arrangements evolve as Mark and I record them. When I laid the initial tracks I was hearing a Radiohead vibe, a la ‘OK Computer’ in terms of sound, mashed up with Miles Davis’s ‘Bitches Brew’. In the end I think we defined it quite a bit differently than that (ultimately making it our own), referencing 70′s ECM (or The Jesus and Mary Chain, depending on your point of view). The track became more lush and less rock influenced than I had initially heard it.

In terms of process, it feels like we have started to define a method that allows us to be organic and improvisational within a structured environment. Instead of orchestrating a recording where I’m trying to achieve something really specific, I keep the arrangement open enough initially to give Mark the space to influence it and push the track in a direction I may have not have thought of. In a way it’s like comping with pro tools. But, enough talk, enjoy it and thanks for stopping by.

The Story

My Funny Valentine “My Funny Valentine” is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms. It is now a jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. Make that 602 artists now! From Roy Hargrove, Chet Baker, to Miles Davis this is arguably a trumpeters tune to croon and we really enjoyed putting our voices on it.

thoughts::Mark

We originally created this recording for a cobranded experience with O’Brien Estate Wineries out of Napa California. The piece is so hauntingly beautiful and rich, we felt it deserved another opportunity to be heard within the context of our ongoing Song Project. The blending and intimate connection of the guitar and flugelhorn are undeniable and the colors and mood it creates are impassioned. I hope you dig the nuances and the flavors of this, our “My Funny Valentine”. I suggest playing it through warm sounding speakers, with candle-light and a glass of red wine.

thoughts::dlb

I fell in love with this song listening to the famous Miles Davis recording of it and have never let it go. In our version we really just tried to focus on the bare bones melody and its haunting quality. I hope you like it.