Although this isn't quite what you guys are talking about, since a few days I have the idea of somehow getting hold of a top notch big band/jazz orchestra, a singer who sounds absolutely like Sinatra, then arrange "I thought about you" in show big band style and, after a long expectation-building intro, let the singer sing lines like "I shaved my armpit today, and I thought about you".
Just watching the audience during the perfomance would be worth the work for me.
However, that's just me.

Ok guys and girls,
here's my version of Burt Bacharach's "Alfie", which I had hoped to include in the latest KC comp. Unfortunately, only recently I've had the chance to record it with a real piano (Yamaha C3), then I've added a (very) fake double bass at home, courtesy of my K2600. It's in fact preset 41, "String Bass", unedited.

I hope that by listening to it, the reason why I didn't want to record it with a sampled piano will be clear. It's a rather intimate version, suitable for an Evans-type piano trio.
The timing of the bass is a bit out in spots, 'cause I've played the piano part rather freely, so overdubbing with perfect sync was a challenge.

Also, about the recent discussion about just *why* to reharm perfectly good songs... Well, in my case, I see it as an art in itself, like composing, arranging, or improvising. When you do it for a long time, you reach a level where you don't think about the technique anymore; you have a certain vision of the song, and you simply do your best to get it to the audience, and to convey a certain atmosphere that you have in mind.

Alfie

There's a little intro, but it should be very clear where the theme begins. Enjoy.

Edit: I've noticed that in my little computer system, the bass is almost inaudible... (on the system where I mixed, if was loud and clear)
Can you hear the bass? If not, I could remix it with more bass in it. The bass is quite important to anchor the voicings.

Very pretty, Carlo. It draws out the quality of the song in different ways but still in an organic way. Nice.

I could hear the bass fine - it added nicely to the music, but a little fuller bass sound would be even better. What you describe is the way I think of playing in general, if we throw out all the approach terms like reharm/arranging/writing. It's about the music we make, nothing else. In that broad sense, I agree.

Oh, and here's my belated audio response to your "All Of Me." Tongue in cheek - it's all I could bring myself to do with it.

http://stashbox.org/674775/all%20of%20me.wav

Carlo -
Your Alfie is wonderful! Very rich harmonies and inner voice movement.

SK-
Once again, your creativity never ceases to amaze me. ;-)

Great stuff, as usual, guys.

I see only one possible response to this:

OK, here is a new mix of "Alfie" with a little more bass on it. The link in the original post has been updated as well. The harmony should sound clearer now.


Well, that's not possible since I've recorded the bass to an audio track, no MIDI involved... I would have to play another whole bass track, and the first one was tricky enough, with all the free-floating piano playing!

Thanks a lot Roger! (Just today I've listened to your album again)

That sounds a little better - it's very nice.

Nice nebulous key center with the Bbmaj.7#11 chord at the top, and I love that simple Gm, C sus effect going to the Fmaj7 (after the Gb half diminished, 7#11 or whatever you want to call it to the B.) You freshened the tune up, which was no small feat for a tune that was already nice.

Thanks for the grins on the silly "Part Of Me". It was only deserving of one grin icon at best.

Thanks Steve; once again, you've nailed those changes very well. As I wrote it, that section looks like this:

| F#m7b5 B7 | Gm7 C7sus C7 | Fmaj7 Bbmaj7 | Bm7 E7 |
| Fmaj7 Bbmaj7 | F#m7 B7 |

That's the first ending, for coming back to the beginning of the A section.

Edit: Ooops! I forgot the last two bars.

Beautiful version, Carlo!

Steve, maybe time to think about that concept for your next record?

Hmm, a CD with a hundred tracks... 30 second sections of songs I can't bring myself to play all the way through.

I think you're onto something.

I think The Residents had the same idea 30 years ago...

The Commercial Album

Hi guys. Sorry I haven't been active lately. I've been fighting off the flu throughout the whole weekend until yesterday. I need to go back and catch up on some of your reharms. Here's a reharm I did of "Imagine" (not even close to Vijay Iyer's) but I'm kinda torn on it. Some parts I like, and some I'm not crazy about. So, I'll put it up for public scrutiny, and see what you guys think.

http://www.divshare.com/download/9073989-8c8

Thanks,
-Nathan
(ndhjazz)

Check out this kid

No, he didn't!

13 yrs old. Jeesh! Where do I throw my towel?

Eldar had a kid? Unbelievable....

...and in case anyone cares, here's Stevie Wonder blowin' on Giant Steps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYoadikm1sI&feature=related

The kid's an amazing talent - assimilating Chickisms into his lines already. He couldn't have been working on that for more than what - 5 or so years total?

It also a good reminder of what fun he's actually having, which we should always have.

Stevie Wonder is a great pop songwriter/singer, but his playing on Giant Steps would have been good for a 13 yr. old.

Steve,

I wasn't suggesting a musical comparison; I was just responding to one outrageous musical surprise with another.

Nathan, your "Imagine" sounds nice. Maybe I hear a bit of an excessive contrast between the verse, which would be suitable for a folk-rock arrangement, and the chorus, with its more dense and jazzy chords.
Once again, I'd love to hear your reharms in a full arrangement context, maybe even with voice.

You succeeded. I didn't think you were comparing them - I made the outrageous comparison.

This morning I made an arrangement of "What's New". Meh. Somehow I had it better in my mind. I blame it on general morning sleepiness. Even better, I blame it on my youth

So Mo and his Plastic Orchestra give you: "Wuzz new"

http://www.divshare.com/download/9164054-38c

Pretty, Mo'. Nice, sort of slow latin feel.

One minor thing I'd have done differently is set up the key changes to F and C more with chords leading to them, so they "arrive" instead of suddenly appearing as a surprise key change. But you can rationalize that either way - I liked it (except maybe for the end quote )

Hey, thanks for the suggestion. I'll work on the key changes, that's a great hint!

Not even a suggestion, just an afterthought. You did a nice job on it.

Now you're rationalizing.

Here's another 'Name That Tune'. This should be a very easy one.

Part of a solo already in progress. Nothing special, but I tried to play some faux drums on it. I know they sound cheesy, but I felt like messing around with it.

http://stashbox.org/694245/Name%20That%20Tune%20Two.mp3