This composition, "I Remember Wes", is, of course, a tribute to the ground-breaking electric jazz guitarist, Wes Montgomery, with a little a Jimmy Smith -- the equally great Hammond B3 electric jazz organist -- thrown in, and arranged in a style inspired by the late arranger, conductor and composer, Claus Ogerman.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1321235&content=songinfo&songID=13554517

****** Song Summary *************
Key = Am , Tempo @ 130, Meter = 4/4
Soloist is saved with the song : Organ,Soloist Bossa Ev 140 (1660)
Style is _BOSSAN.STY (Bossa w/ Nylon-Electric Guitar &)

RealTracks in style: #921:Bass, Acoustic, Bossa Ev 110 (Neil Swanson)
RealTracks in style: #925:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Bossa Ev 110 (Miles Black)
RealTracks in style: #708:Guitar, Nylon-Elec, Rhythm Bossa Ev 140 (Oliver Gannon)
RealDrums in style: BossaBrushes: a: Sidestick Brushes b: Sidestick, Ride (Craig Scott)

Melody: Acoustic piano played in octaves by me and rendered as electric jazz guitar through Edirol VSC software synthesizer.

“Comping” electric piano: Acoustic piano played by me and rendered as electric piano through Edirol VSC software synthesizer.

Soloists at bridge:

Oliver Gannon, #707, Guitar, Electric, Soloist, Bossa, Ev. 140, Bluesy (32 bars)
Mike LeDonne, #1660, Organ, Soloist, Bossa, Ev. 140, Jazz, Latin (32 bars)

“Comping” duet at end:
Mike LeDonne, #1657, Organ, Soloist, Bossa, Ev. 085, Bluesy, Jazz, Latin, Double-time (14 bars)
Pat Martino, #2184, Guitar, Electric, Soloist, Bossa, Ev. 140, Bluesy (14 bars)

String arrangement:

Slow strings, tremolo violins, violin section, and violins spiccato rendered through Edirol Orchestral software synthesizer.

Ensemble cellos rendered through Miroslav Philharmonik.

Loren

A lot of work went into that very impressive piece. Nicely produced and played - very well done indeed.

Peter

Very impressive piece of work! Loved everything about this from start to finish, very effective the way you build things up towards the end.

Very cool piece. Very cool vibe. Well done

Loren,

An excellent listen start to finish.

You obviously put a LOT into this!

Excellent mix. I really liked how it "kicked into high gear" towards the end.

Nice.

floyd

That is tremendous. Loved the detail information on how you put it together.

It's somewhat easy to throw together an arrangement with BiaB, loops, etc. and hope it works. But this composition is so obviously well thought out and arranged to give the listen the impression that all of the participants have been working together for years.

The effort that it took to pull this off is impressive and a great example of what BiaB in the hands of a creative and talented musician can offer. And, man, did that organ ever close the show.

The summary word that comes to mind is "classy."

Enjoyed it.

J&B

Great work on this, bluage I love the atmosphere and vibe this one gives off. Very classy sounding, and very groovy. The arrangement is superb!

Thanks for sharing

"PeterF"...

"...a lot of work..." that also was a lotta FUN!

Thanks for listening and commenting!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Dear "Deryk"...

You spell your name is a unique way .

Band-in-a-Box truly rose to the occasion on this composition. In fact, I believe that the program is revealing surprising things to me. The RealDrums in particular seemed to respond to my arrangement in much livelier, more dynamic and realistic way.

Thank you for listening and for your encouraging comments, "Deryk"!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Hey, there, "floydjane"...

I am especially gratified by your comment on the mix. Whatever you heard in it that pleased is the direct result of the advice I have received on the subject in past posts from folks such as yourself, and...

"guitarhacker"..."Jim Fogle"..."Charlie Fogle"..."IslandSoul"..."Noel96"..."90db"..."rharv"..."funkycornwall"..."Tobias", and surely some other "User's Forum" members whose handles I can't recall right now, but they know who they are!

Thank you for listening and commenting so kindly!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Howdy, "Scott C"...

I think you should be rewarded in some way for providing feedback to so many "User's Forum" members. I see your handle on practically every song that's posted there. It's a kind, generous and selfless thing to do, which humbles me (truly), and makes me even more grateful to you for taking the time to comment on "I Remember Wes."

Thanks a big, fat bank, "Scott C"!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Dear "BlueAttitude"...

The "build-up" towards the end was actually the most exciting thing to develop in this version of "I Remember Wes."

The piece was composed and rendered in MIDI format wa-a-a-a-y back in 2005, and then was shelved, more or less, until about a year ago when I imported the MIDI files into Band-in-a-Box. The improved sound and "musicality" of Band-in-a-Box" is what inspired me to develop the ending.

Thanks for listening so closely, "BlueAttitude"!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Dear Ms. Janice & "Bud"...

Whoa. Your comment on "I Remember Wes" was so perceptive that it was uncanny in its accuracy!

What you said about "...to give the listen(er) the impression that all of the participants have been working together for years." -- well, that is EXACTLY what I wanted to achieve with Band-in-a-Box in this version of the composition.

I wanted it to emulate the style of slickly produced jazz-music-with-orchestra albums featuring big name musicians that proliferated in the late 50's, 60's and early 70's on record labels such as Verve and CTI.

But even more than that -- and this is where your insight was so surprisingly "on point" -- I wanted it to sound like what you would see if ever you were lucky enough to be present at a jazz album recording session: musicians with distinct personalities playing to, and for each other, in a groove that they knew and loved.

Ms. Janice and Bud, you got "it", what I was trying to create. Thank you both for opening yourselves up to the music and returning such meaningful and much appreciated feedback.

Most sincerely and respectfully,

LOREN

Hi Loren,
I like this jazz piece with bossa rythm.
I know there is a lot of work behind this !
The result is here ! Congratulations. Christian

Melody: Acoustic piano played in octaves by me and rendered as electric jazz guitar through Edirol VSC software synthesizer.

very nice, you captured that Wes sound to my ear.

What a great arrangement! everything shines

The Allman Brothers must've been influenced by this sound

that's a new discovery for me

i enjoyed this very much

Kenny

Hi Loren,

This is like the finest materials put in the hands of a master craftsman. I'm a huge Wes Montgomery and George Benson fan and you brought Wes back center stage.

Everything is impeccable. The accolades this deserves are endless. And that ending and last minute and half are as sweet as it gets. Totally loved this! Exponential kudos ...

Alan & Di

Loren, I can only echo what has been already said. A great deal of work has gone into this and the ending is spectacular. The mix sounds great. I really enjoyed my listen, Tom

Hi, Loren !:))


This is outright superb
playing and mixing !
I´m outright awed at
this display of craftmanship !

Cheers
Dani

Wonderful composition! You artfully recreated the sound impeccably.

And the riffs both guitar and organ were so spot on I forgot I was listing to MIDI.

Thanks for that info. I was sitting here puzzled thinking that was not a guitarist playing guitar. I was going to ask the question, but thought maybe my ears ain't that good. Being a guitarist and a big Wes fan I guess I may be overly critical. But on the other hand I loved the organ and keys... thanks for sharing.

Indeed,this is a tremendous piece of work Loren. Ditto to all said here!

Mike B.

Hey, there, "Music Student"...

You ain't bein' "overly critical" on that account, nossir!

MIDI doesn't lie, and nothin' no-where and at no-time will ever replace the musical heart and soul of a true instrumentalist -- but, by golly, it sure is a heap o' fun trying to fake it !!!

Thanks for giving it a listen.

Sincerely,

LOREN

Dear "cubanpete"...

Thanks a box of fine Havana's for putting "I Remember Wes" on your turntable!

Sincerely,

LOREN

"Chris37"...

From one "jazzhead" to another, I'm grateful that you were pleased by the "result".

Thank you, sir!

Truly,

LOREN

Dear Kenny, a.k.a. "44kfl"...

Yes, Mr. Montgomery would probably be on the list of many guitarists' greatest influences, for sure.

I appreciate your comment about the arrangement. Claus Ogerman was my idol in that area of music composition. His arrangements were as emotionally exciting as they were musically pleasing to listen to. Check him out on the Web, and especially his collaborations with songwriters such as Antonio Carlos Jobim and instrumentalists such as pianist Oscar Peterson and vibraphonist Cal Tjader.

Thank you for remembering Wes with me!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Dear Al and Ms. Diane...

Once you go "Wes", you'll accept nothing "less", right?

As I mentioned to "BlueAttitude" who also commented on the ending, it was the musicality of Band-in-a-Box's interaction with my input (melody, chords, etc.) that inspired that ending, which was not a part of the composition in its original MIDI format.

So, I've discovered two more jazz fans on the "User's Forum", eh? Well, as they used to say back-in-the-day, "All reet, you hepcats. S-s-solid!"

Thank you so much for your comments. Ms. Diane, I promised I'd continue to pray for your improved health every day, and I'm not giving up on that effort any time soon...

From the heart,

LOREN

Dear "tommyad"...

Hey, the really cool thing about echoes is that they sound as nice as the source!

I'm grateful for your comments on the mix -- the schooling of which I received in this and other forums on this site -- and also on the ending.

Thanks, "tommyad"!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Dear "dani48"...

Well, sir, after listening to "Nose to Nose" (the title is as irresistible as the song!), it is abundantly obvious you know quite a bit about "craftsmanship", so I am honored that you perceived some amount of it in "I Remember Wes".

Thank you for tuning in, "dani48"!

Gratefully,

LOREN

"gruverider"...

What a cool "handle" you got there!

Glad you liked the composition, sir, and you can thank Mr. Oliver Gannon, Mr. Pat Martino, and Mr. Mike LeDonne for the guitar and organ pleasures you experienced, respectively!

Thanks for giving it your attention, "gruverider".

Sincerely,

LOREN

Dear Loren,

Just the collaboration of Wes and Jimmy Smith on Verve records!
The atmosphere is reproduced tightly.
Claus Ogerman is one of my favorite arranger.
But with the name of Wes, I rather remember Don Sebesky.
In any case such a thing is not a problem and this is a very very good work.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Sincerely,

Shigeki Adachi

Very nice piece of work! A suitable tribute to one of my favorite guitarists as well.

Great job!!

Dear Shigeki...

Yes, Don Sebesky wrote some great charts for Wes Montgomery on the "Down Here On The Ground" album, I believe. He also wrote a quite comprehensive text on arranging, the name of which I can't recall right now.

If I had to cite the actual album on which Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Ogerman collaborated on that had the sound and style I was attempting to reproduce, it would be the "Bumpin' On Sunset" album on the Verve label. Mr. Ogerman's string arrangement was gorgeously "cool" and sublime on the title track.

Thank you, Shigeki, for listening to "I Remember Wes" and also for your approving comments!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Dear Mr. Snyder...

It would probably be safe to say that Wes Montgomery was a favorite of an entire generation, surely!

Thank you, sir, for listening and the "thumbs-up"!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Loren, this is wonderfully put together. Anyone who enjoys jazz should really like this. Very enjoyable. At about the 4:00 mark this really gets interesting. Great work. Thanks, T

This is really masterfully written and presented.

You captured an era of marvelous music and reproduced it in your own style, but with great authentic character.

Going back for another listen.

Dear Mr. Bliss...

For me, composing music is very much like writing. You have "something to say", you find the most expressive (and hopefully interesting) way to say it, and then hope that whoever hears/reads what you created "gets it".

I'm glad you "got it", sir!

Thank you for taking a ride with me on the "way-back" machine!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Hi, there, "VideoTrack"...

I really appreciate your comments.

I agree with you on your point about "an era of marvelous music" as presented and performed by musicians such as Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith, and countless others in the "jazz" idiom".

What "jazz" means to me most is freedom of expression, but tempered by discipline. In their solos, each performer may improvise to the limits of their musical imagination, but after his/her "flight" is over, each one agrees to "do their part" to send the next soloist aloft.

You might say their combined efforts are a fine example of pure democracy at work!

Thanks, "VideoTrack", for your complementary insights. I hope you enjoyed your second listen!

Sincerely,

LOREN

Most enjoyable.
Rob

...as was your kind reponse, "Rob4580"!

Thank you, sir.

Sincerely,

LOREN

Hi Loren,

Wow! This is...



You certainly know how to achieve excellence in the realm of 'sophisticated music'.... and your arrangement and production sparkle with musicality. Everything sits beautifully with everything else and the sound is crystal clear and gleams with clarity.

I absolutely loved the musical journey that you took me on. I had no idea that you were such a highly accomplished jazz pianist.

You've DEFINITELY got to post more often!

I'm heading back for another listen now.

Thank you for starting my day in the best way possible (it's a bit after 6 am here right now).

All the best,
Noel

"Noel96"!

You're alive! Where ya' been, my musical friend?

Thank you for your enthusiastic comments on "I Remember Wes." However, you're giving me wa-a-a-y too much credit concerning my pianistic skills. My own contribution to the composition performance-wise was two-fold: the melody (rendered as an electric jazz guitar), which I performed using only one hand because there was no harmonic accompaniment and the notes were only quarter or eighth notes that were easy to play at that tempo; and then, the comping piano rendered as an electric piano.

Your delighted response to what you heard is probably as good an example as any concerning the way BIAB's realistic RealTrack accompaniment makes non-instrumentalist's such as myself sound better than they actually are. But, hey, if it sounded that good to you, I'm happy it pleased you so!

I don't post often 'cause I'm terribly, terribly s-l-o-w -- like "molasses in January" -- as my dear, dear mother Edith used to say. I can't (or won't) release anything until it sounds as close as possible to what I hear in my head as I'm composing it, and for me, it just happens to take a long, l-o-n-g time...

Any old way, I'm glad it made you want to listen to it more than once!

Most sincerely and respectfully,

LOREN

P.S. Actually, I'm working on a bossa nova duet with the same woman who sang the lyrics for "How Do You Know (When Someone Loves You)?", my last post before my collaboration with Shigeki Adachi, "Coffee Time" -- and she's as picky as I am!