Hi Forum friends. Here is my latest musical offering.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues
The song started out as a Bob James-style arrangement but as often happens, it developed a life of its own.
The song is based around a 12-bar sequence (plus a bridge) but, the guitar solo chorus (at 2:14) is the only chorus that sounds anything like a 12-bar blues. The rest of the song has a more of a jazz tinge with substitute and extended chords.
THE BAND
The piano accompaniment is mostly my rearrangement of a couple RTs by Miles Black.
The beautiful acoustic bass sounds are from Neil Swainson.
The early drums are RTs from Danny Gottlieb and Ricky Lawson. Franklin (Third) Richardson plays the Swing16 drums from the solos onwards.
The guitar chordal accompaniment is mostly my rearrangement of RTs by Dwight Sills, who also provides the guitar solo.
The alto sax is from RT1056, featuring the great Eric Marienthal.
I created the guitar intro and the melody in the bridge sections in Native Instrument’s Electric Sunburst Deluxe.

Sounds great, Mike. Really well put together.
Regards,
Leon

Nice work with Electric Sunburst, been thinking of picking it up. Loved the Eric Marienthal, good choice. LIvely piece of work!

Something Old, Something new, Something Borrowed, something Blue was a cracker of al LP by Slade.
I missed hearing a voice across this arrangement.
It certainly sounds like a great bed for a swinging blues ballad.
cool stuff.

Hi Mike ...

So dang good to hear a new one from you! And this is terrific - to my ears it borders on Jazz Rock, yet maintains a strong straight jazz feel. But, what the heck do I know?

I do know it was a terrific listen and I liked it a bunch and half. Loved the those moments you gave to the sax. everything sits exactly where it needs to. Excellent in every way ... totally enjoyed my listen.

Best to you. Be safe ...

Alan

Mike,

It is always obvious that you put a lot of work - love and care - into your arrangements and mixes.

That piano sounds great! Bass, too. Everything else, too...

The melodies that weave trough the piece (that you "build") are a treat for the ear.

The way the piano and guitar work together is quite impressive.

A great listen.

fj

I loved the guitar intro and then when the sax kicked in my was bopping.
When the piano went all jazzy, I got the feeling the band had changed.
I get that feeling a few times as I listen.

Everything sounds good, my listening brain is just a little confused as to what's coming next.
I guess that's why I'm not a big jazz fan.

Thanks for listening Leon. Your comments are much appreciated.
Cheers,
Mike

Yeah! I love this.

You had me right from that guitar intro, great opener.

Great arrangement, great mix, obviously a lot of thought went into this and it paid off big time.

Enjoyed very much, well done.

Something beautiful, something nice, something groovy, something excellent hat's what it is. Really enjoyed the listen right from that great intro. Superb solos, too.

take Care,

Stefan

Thanks for listening TuneMonger. Glad you enjoyed the track. I agree about Eric Marienthal. His sound and improvisations add so much to any song.
I can recommend the Electric Sunburst Deluxe - the sounds are fantastic. It takes a bit of getting used to and you have to know your chords if you are using the rhythm/strum part of it. The melody instrument is great too.
Thanks again,
Mike

Cool backtrack Mike. Loved the bass runs. I too would love to hear a vocal dancing across this lovely tune

Hi Mike,

I wrote to Alan instrumentals don't get too much attention from me, but he and some others are the exception. Now I have to add you to my list too! At the start of your song it flashed through my head 'KC and the Sunshineband'! Within seconds, that thought faded like ice in a microwave. But the song has bits of more styles, just like you wrote. That is what makes this song so nice. The way you flutter through the styles, like a butterfly.

Nicely done!
Hans

Thanks for your comments Ray. Though, as I have said before I don't/can't sing.
But if anyone wants to write lyrics to any of my melodies -and sing them - I'm happy to cooperate and/or collaborate.
Cheers,
Mike

Hi Mike,

Wonderfully cool.

What I call "Cafe-Bar" music. Carried me away for 3m.52sec.

Super arrangement, great choice of instruments and a classic mix.

Cheers,
ROG.

Thanks Alan for your kind words. Coming from someone considered to be the king of instrumentals on this forum, your comments are very much appreciated.
Sometimes I feel that instrumentals are not appreciated as much as songs with a great vocal and a catchy chorus. I'm not referring specifically to this forum, but speaking generally.
Thanks again for your encouragement.
Stay well,
Mike

Thanks for listening Floyd. I always look forward to your comments and you never disappoint.
I'm glad you liked Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues.
You're right. I did put a lot of work, love and care into it.
It was one of those songs where I kept going "back to the drawing board" until I got what I wanted.
Stay well,
Mike

Thanks for having a listen Captain. I appreciate your constructive comments.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks Dave. As always, I appreciate hearing from you when I put up a new song.
Glad you liked the guitar intro. I was really happy with the sound.
Cheers and stay safe,
Mike

The amount of talent, forethought and subsequent effort that it takes to produce something like this is above our pay grade. But that does not keep us from enjoying it.

There was a thread somewhere on the forum a while back about instrumental songs vs vocals, etc. We like vocals and instrumentals that have soul. Period. We see no reason to favor one over the other.

In addition to the fine performances the mix has a great open feel with lots of track separation but still the feel
that it could be a well honed live band performing.

Enjoyed it!

J&B

Thanks Stefan for your nice words. So glad you enjoyed your listen.
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks for listening Scott. The bass is by Neil Swainson. I've used him in a few different styles and he's always top class. I especially love his growling tone, especially behind the guitar solo (from around 2min20sec).
Thanks again,
Mike

Thanks for your kind words Hans. I'm glad to be part your instrumental-listening list.
We non-vocalists have to work a little bit harder to capture and keep listeners' attention. It's a challenge we gratefully accept.
Covid-19 sounds a bit scary in Europe at the moment. Stay safe.
Mike

Oh, yeah!! Definitely Bob James. The Bird also played some of my favorite blues that don't sound like blues. There are hints of the blues throughout. Love the arrangement. So much fun to play! Great band and band development. I was so thrilled to see Phil Woods in Biab, too. Keep 'em coming, man.

Janice and Bud, thank you for your very kind words. Praise from you guys means a lot to me as I regard your music and production standards so highly.
Stay safe,
Mike

Thanks for having a listen Marty. Your generous comments are most appreciated.
I'm glad you liked the arrangement. BTW the alto sax player on this track is Eric Marienthal.
Cheers,
Mike

Mike, this sounds really nice! I love that stuff! The arrangement is super! Pure class all the way! Enjoyed it all the way through! Take care! T

Thanks for having a listen Torrey. Your kind words are much appreciated.
Stay safe,
Mike

Mike,
Super arrangement. A lot of small and well thought out elements really came together well. Mix is one of your best, from what I heard on forum. I believe you are ok with observation comments... I thought that drums were somewhat busy at the start. It works, but it is unusual(to me) it seems like the tension buildup is right at start, and then slowly dissolves throughout the tune. Disregard my blathering, nice work!

Misha.

Thanks Misha for your kind and insightful observations. I agree the drums in the first chorus are quite busy but I was aiming for an ad-lib cymbals feel before the more rhythmic second chorus.
My musician son expressed similar sentiments to yours so you're probably right.
Thanks again for taking the time to listen.
Your honest comments are much appreciated.
Cheers,
Mike