Chasing the Sun Trivia:
Notes on each song and the styles involved:
1. Spirit of Adventure
High energy contemporary jazz-fusion. This starts with chanting and a stomp-clap beat to set up the “exotic” feel of the album. The sax, guitar and bass playing a busy unison line followed by a catchy melody. This is a fairly bright tempo and is supposed to make a strong statement. The melody moves through a few twists and turns, but ends up being pretty fun and accessible... Notice the REAL B3 organ! Reminiscent of The Yellow Jackets, The Brecker Brothers...
2. Open Throttle
Contemporary Blues (16 bars instead of 12 bars)
This features Tenor Sax joined by Guitar lead. Reminiscent of the group Steely Dan with the sound of guitars, rhodes piano and lots of brass in the background. The tempo is fairly bright, but the groove makes it feel more laid back. The feel of this is a bit like driving a great sports car. The power and speed are underneath you and it just wants to be “let go.”
3. Tropic Breeze
This is a very light hearted (Brazilian) samba. It starts with flutes and clarinets setting a sophisticated but playful tropic mood. This features the Tenor Sax, acoustic guitar, and an extended solo by the piano. Scene: Mixed drinks on the beach. Fun-loving and absolutely no agenda, other than to enjoy. Reminiscent of Spyro Gyra.
4. Spice of Life
“Second Line* ” New Orleans shuffle. Features a swing or shuffle 16th note feel. (especially on the snare drum) Fun! Party! Think of a club on Bourbon Street in all it’s glory, lots of diversity, excitement and lots of spice.
5. Doing My Own Thing - This is an A-cappella piece with 5 saxes, playing by themselves in a fashion similar to Doo-Wop, but without words of course. There is no bass or drums, but the saxes cover everything just fine. The lowest instrument is the Baritone Sax and the lead instrument is the Tenor. I picture a 5 man group standing on a busy corner in Detroit, just jamming by themselves...
6. Chasing the Sun
This is a medium tempo, romantic samba (“Pagode” styled samba) made popular in Brazil. This is a very "visual" piece that can bring a wide array of images to mind and has a spirit of exploration and mystery....It is lushly orchestrated with a hint of James Bond.
7. A Higher Plane Intro - tenor sax and piano do a bit of “testifying”
8. A Higher Plane
This an upbeat Gospel piece. It includes piano and organ, lots of horns, lots of people joining in. This style came from church music of the South, and was inspired for me by my work on BET’s 2007 Celebration of Gospel Music, where I got to play with legends in the Gospel world. This is powerful music meant to lift the spirit!
9. High Velocity
This is very much in the style of Disco music (Late 70’s) Notice how the kick drum hits 4 quarter notes in every bar (4 on the floor). Scene: Strictly high energy dancing! Typical of the genre, it goes on for quite a while - so keep dancing!
10. Crawfish Pie
Based on an improvisation of the groove from “Spice of Life”. I asked the rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass and drums) to “jam” on 1 chord using the groove of “Spice of Life”. I didn’t tell them how long to play or when or what to play. I later wrote the short melody and then recorded the horns. This is in a style more like New Orleans Parade Music where much of what you hear is not written, - featuring clarinet, trumpet, trombone dixieland-style improvisation on a simple melody.
11. Sambarosa
a more traditional samba groove featuring flute and electric piano instead of the usual guitar playing the rhythmic harmony. The drummer starts this piece by using one hand and hitting the snare bare-skinned, and in the other hand he plays the snare with a brush.
12. Stowaway
Based on an improvisation of the groove from “Darwin’s Voyage.” Again, I asked the rhythm section (piano, bass and drums) to “jam” on the groove of “Darwin’s Voyage.” I wrote the melody on top of the improv and featured several kinds of ethnic flutes. (pennywhistles, ocarinas, bonsuri)
13. Undercurrents
Ballad which features Sax with fretless bass playing the first melody. The piano starts with a repeated figure (ostinato). This is a dark romantic piece that breaks into a funkier groove for the chorus. Scene: The Ocean’s depths contain a whole world of life and subtle energy. Many shades of blue and a world of dark beauty.
14. Darwin s Voyage
afro cuban 6/8. This features the soprano sax and piano. This was originally conceived as a piece for orchestra. The piano has many parts to cover. This piece uses a rhythmic device called a hemiola. The result is that you can feel this by counting in either 2 or 3 (... actually 4 and 12) - both are happening at the same time.
Darwin journeyed around the world as a relatively young man and saw amazing sites, which he wrote enthusiastically about in “Voyage of the Beagle”. He spoke of traveling by land across Africa and seeing a sea of animals which amazed them all. Their guide, however complained that there were far fewer animals than years before!
____________________
*"Second line" (explanation from Wikipedia) is a tradition in brass band parades in New Orleans, Louisiana. The term is also used for an associated traditional dance style. Music is an important part of most public events in traditional New Orleans culture. Processions with music include the periodic parades of benevolent societies, social aid & pleasure clubs, such as Zulu, other Carnival krewes, and of course the famous funerals with music, often called "jazz funerals".
The "first line" of a funeral consisted of the people who were an integral part of the ceremony, such as the members of the club or krewe, or family and friends of the deceased. Usually brightly coloured items such as beads and feathers were offered to the "second line". The "second line" originally referred to people who were attracted to the music. Traditionally such people would follow behind the "first line." (In the final decades of the 20th century it became more common for some such onlookers who joined the procession to mix in or even get ahead of the band and first line, behavior considered a social faux pas by older New Orleanians.)
To follow such processions because one enjoyed the music came to be known as to "second line" or to be "second lining." As music is traditionally participatory, not something one listens to without moving, uninhibited dancing at processions also came to be called second lining.
Today, "second line" types of dances are held independently of funerals.
____________________