linwood Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Both excellent, Carlo. Always amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Well, I didn't actually ask for another W&R, but I'm glad you did it! That's one of my favorite things you've done, Carlo. Very original. The concept works perfectly, the harmonic ideas are all over the place, and I really liked it. He he - thanks Steve, and all the others too. Since I don't exactly love the song, my intention was to turn it inside out. I thought to make a carillon out of it, but while I tried to ridicule it, you all seem to like it! It's a classic... Favorite chord again: may have been the G maj9 at the top of an A section, followed by descending whole tone voicings, which made the melody poignant. Also an Amaj7 under the Db melody note, ordinarily a Bbm or Eb7 chord. Steve, your ear is absolutely disgusting. Not only for accuracy: You picked all that stuff out at first listen. I would need to enter my "harmonically attentive mode" to pickup the chords, and usually it takes me more than one listening. Out of curiosity - do you have perfect pitch? If it was sloppy, I couldn't tell. When the concept is right, nothing else much matters. The one chord I sort of expected to hear slightly differently was the chord on the last highest E melody note - which I imagined might be an extreme unresolved voicing (possibly whole tones) as a climax to all that went before it. Not a criticism at all, but it just led my ear there. Well, by listening to it again, from a structural point of view, you're certainly right. At that 'culmination' point, a different kind of harmony could have worked. My goal, however, was to set a 'circular', barber-pole, Satie-like atmosphere... plus, the harmonies were improvised, so I didn't have much time to come up with something different... The basic starting concept was simple: I started with a minor triad, trying to harmonize everything with minor triads at the distance of a semitone, or a whole-tone maximum. I made up little scales of minor chords... For the second half, I started with major ninth chords (which have a similar resonance to minor chords, at least in the upper register) and allowed myself more freedom in the distance between chord tonics, just to go back to minor triads after a while. And since I had avoided dominant chords for the whole song, I put a bebop dominant cycle in the last phrase. Beautiful. I listened to it once, but I'll listen again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted May 15, 2009 Author Share Posted May 15, 2009 Steve, your ear is absolutely disgusting. Out of curiosity - do you have perfect pitch? Well thanks Carlo, but no, at best, I have 'fickle perfect pitch'. Other instruments don't always register, but with piano it's usually close to perfect. The string harmonics of a piano note make it easier to identify, especially when played in relation to other notes. A chord, like a major ninth, is just a single recognizable sound to me - the inversion doesn't matter. Not the best reader like most of you here, I've had to rely more on ear. I used to stretch my ear training as far as I could, learning classical piano pieces I liked off records by Ives, Ravel, Milhaud, Hindemith, Bartok, whoever. If it was played on piano, I developed some confidence I could 'get to it'. I never wanted to be thrown by a sound and not know what it was. It was useful in the wide variety of improvisational situations I found myself in. (Sorry, in trying to be clear, obviously way more info than you need.) The basic starting concept was simple: I started with a minor triad, trying to harmonize everything with minor triads at the distance of a semitone, or a whole-tone maximum. I made up little scales of minor chords... For the second half, I started with major ninth chords (which have a similar resonance to minor chords, at least in the upper register) and allowed myself more freedom in the distance between chord tonics, just to go back to minor triads after a while. And since I had avoided dominant chords for the whole song, I put a bebop dominant cycle in the last phrase. Interesting details, thanks, which brings up an academic question about approaches I might PM you, to avoid boring everybody in the room. Whether I remember to send it or not - just listening, the pleasure was mine. Quote CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davinwv Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 Yesterday, I went through one of Henry's scores and was reminded of how well he could write melodies, like wine and roses, that would stick with me for so long. I must have first heard it when I was a kid and it's a wonderful melody to me. I figured I'll give him my props , too. Simply stellar, linwood! Right up my alley. I need to do something with the Scarbee Rhodes and post it. Both of mine have been with Garritan Steinway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Welcome back, Dave - and what a coming back! Your version is fantastic. One of my overall favorites in the whole RR, with lush harmonies impeccably executed. I love this concept of "always new but always smooth". You have the right balance between the predictable and the iconoclastic, keeping the listener on his toes but never steering into "whatever mode". The whole thing conveys a feeling of concentration and solitude, like at the end of some amazing adventure. Applause! Two considerations: 1) I would love to hear you solo over these harmonies! 2) It seems that the only way to nobilitate this song would be to totally alter its harmonic structure! All versions posted here sound *much* better than the original to my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephonic Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 That's awesome, Dave F! 1) I would love to hear you solo over these harmonies! 2) It seems that the only way to nobilitate this song would be to totally alter its harmonic structure! All versions posted here sound *much* better than the original to my ears. +1 Quote local: Korg Nautilus 73 | Yamaha MODX8 away: GigPerformer home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linwood Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Yea, Dave! That was great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicsant Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 "Wine & Roses" http://www.divshare.com/download/7401726-91e Excellent as always, Dave. Could you post a chord chart of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted May 18, 2009 Author Share Posted May 18, 2009 Really nice, Dave. Some unique and beautiful voicings in there. Among several others, I liked that G13 on the last E melody. Your version is very harmonically compressed with lots going on - you successfully gave it a new and more profound mood. I guess that's the thing about this song... it's been a standard because of all that can be done with the progression and solos, more than the melody itself. I may try a bonafide reharm of it too, but I think we have a good cross section of approaches already. Just got off a series of grueling gigs on Wed. Fri. and Sat. Saturday alone, I had 3 gigs on an out of town festival, and was outside in the heat from 11AM to 8PM. So if I attempted a reharm of W&R now, it would be all triads. Quote CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Dave, "Wine and Roses" was very nice as usual. Because I'm just learning how to approach Re-Harm with my studies, though just in terms of 'Lock-Hands' (Block Chords), I'm still alittle slow on the up take but making progress. I tried Tenderly and Wine and Roses yesterday. If I get a chance I'll post either one! Good luck with the house man. Your right Carlo does have a way with words! Zephonic -Very nice arrangement and playing on W&R. . . . Tony Quote CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
....... Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 So inspired I have been listening to all the great reharms of wine and roses that I thought I would add my own attempt. Nothing much to say about it really, here it is... http://www.divshare.com/download/7419110-439 I can't quite believe how wonderful doing reharms is for my harmonic sense, it really helps me develop some different ideas. Great exercise for stretching the ears a little as well, and more creative than most ear training. Anyway hope you like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicsant Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 V, I just finished writing out the whole arrangement last night. Unfortunately my scanner is STILL not working. I know this dates back awhile to when I was going to post those F minor examples for Tim Wat. My brother-in-law tried reloading the software from HP and no luck, I'm not sure what to do at this point---maybe get a new computer. In any case it is, along with several others, done and just waiting to be scanned. Thanks Dave. I know you probably don't want to go the "notation software" paradigm...you're probably to busy for that. But Finale has a simplified version which you might want to check out. After you've written out the score in Finale, PDF Creator is a neat free utility which will convert that Finale file to pdf so you can send it out. Just a thought..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangsu Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Really nice playing, everyone. Quote "........! Try to make It..REAL! compared to what? ! ! ! " - BOPBEEPER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 BeeBoss, I liked it, I can just about get locked hands going over these tunes. Sounds wonderful! lb So inspired I have been listening to all the great reharms of wine and roses that I thought I would add my own attempt. Nothing much to say about it really, here it is... http://www.divshare.com/download/7419110-439 I can't quite believe how wonderful doing reharms is for my harmonic sense, it really helps me develop some different ideas. Great exercise for stretching the ears a little as well, and more creative than most ear training. Anyway hope you like it. Quote CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Thanks BeeBoss, W&R was excellent, and good to hear you back on the thread. Some of your reharms have (for lack of better words) an intriguingly somber, almost monastic quality to them which I enjoy. You let W&R exist in its more natural state, while pushing it to a deeper level. I may try another version - I'm hearing something else on it now. The tune is so interpretive, there can be no definitive version of it. Hard to believe W&R would revive the thread. Quote CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Thanks BeeBoss, W&R was excellent, and good to hear you back on the thread. You let W&R exist in its more natural state, while pushing it to a deeper level. +1 Hard to believe W&R would revive the thread. Well, often the silliest songs are those which have more chances to be reinvented... I don't know if I would ever dare touch "Lush Life" or "I Hear a Rhapsody"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 I don't know if I would ever dare touch "Lush Life" or "I Hear a Rhapsody"! Oh man, Lush Life would be utterly ridiculous! I'll 'think' about it... Quote CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 Pardon one last W&R - my other one wasn't a reharm. Just trying an approach somewhere in the middle of all the different versions here. Not as adventurous as some, but there were not many chords left to choose from. I had to manually switch between the piano and Rhodes buttons, so I played it slow. http://stashbox.org/521444/just%20another%20W%26R.mov Quote CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
....... Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Nice one SK, I love those ambiguous harmonies and unexpected chords. There is some serious music happening in there. I tried a different tune out today - Nice work if you can get it but apparently I haven't been trying quite hard enough. Anyway, this is in key of E (mainly to wind up any horn players). I tried to stay quite close to the original sequence with this one. audio is here... mp3 http://www.divshare.com/download/7439749-9dd I even did a proper written part (so I could remember it).... pdf http://www.divshare.com/download/7439628-544 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephonic Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Go Steve! Quote local: Korg Nautilus 73 | Yamaha MODX8 away: GigPerformer home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Steve, another great take on W&R. Everybody, please stop doing this song - I'm actually starting to like it! Beeboss - *very* nice work on "Nice Work"! Bebop cycles to the extreme consequences, with several extra twists. The bridge has a kind of Tatumesque flavor to my ears, and the change of harmonization in similar sections is refreshing. Love the last chord - although, according to your chart, it's impossible to play without rolling it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Thank you all. Steve, another great take on W&R. Everybody, please stop doing this song - I'm actually starting to like it! I'm done! Beeboss - *very* nice work on "Nice Work"! +1 Quote CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 SK, As the Brits say: "Weird and Wonderful"..... lb Quote CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 BeeBoss, Very nice Re-Harm, thank you so much for the transcription BTW. It may help anwser some questions I have regarding Re-Harms in general. You are a gentleman! lb I just went through the first line or so. very cool! differant perspective! Quote CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Dave, The perfect music to wake up to in the morning! Relaxing groove! I liked the blowing choruses a lot! Thanks! Tony Quote CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 Really nice to hear another take on "Dolphin Dance", Dave. I must've missed it earlier. Good feel and lines going on in there. I thought I'd try a dark, obscure Bill Evans' song "Unless It's You." I played it years ago, but never played it quite like this. A billion chord excursion through the cycle of 5ths, so reharm is out of the question. Rough in spots, but it was a challenge. I started out with a vague concept in my head, and just improvised all of it, trying to hang on. I realized it was too fast (it almost killed me) so it ends as a ballad. Probably no one could really like this. For a novelty- "This Is Your Brain On Chords": http://stashbox.org/536075/Unless%20It%27s%20You.mov Quote CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Wow. Loved that SK. Very interesting rhythmically. Sounded like three layers of sound ala Mehldau. Dave F., with your lush chords, Dolphin sounded like a reharm. Quote Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephonic Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hats off, Steve! Funny, that quote of "All the things you are" towards the end. Quote local: Korg Nautilus 73 | Yamaha MODX8 away: GigPerformer home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SK Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 Thanks, Jazzwee and zephonic. And hadn't even realized I quoted that, but I did quote "Con Alma" somewhere. Quote CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevekessler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linwood Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 You two are smokin.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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