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#218813 10/22/13 10:07 AM
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Title & background information: “Goodbye, Cabrini-Green”. The idea for the song came to me instantly upon reading a newspaper article in 2010 that reported on the planned demolition of "Cabrini-Green", a notorious "low-income" housing project on Chicago's near-North side. I had relatives who had lived in other low-rise housing sites in my home town of Chicago. In my opinion, these “projects” were nothing more than vertically-constructed concentration camps for warehousing poor people, so I imagined the residents may have felt some relief at being released from the place, even though they faced an uncertain future as a result of their sudden, involuntary eviction. I wanted the composition, “Goodbye, Cabrini-Green” to invoke a sense of freedom along with a blues-tinged sense of hope for the future.

Tracks recorded by me: The melody track, on a Yamaha Portatone PSR-232 keyboard.

Tracks generated by BIAB: Bass, drums, piano, strings (into which a tenor sax solo was patched, #782, Sax, Tenor, Solosit Jazz Waltz, Sw 140, featuring Mr. P.J. Perry).

Real Tracks used: Real Drums in Song: #24, JazzOlderWaltz^1-a:Brushes, b:Sticks, featuring Mr. Craig Scott.

Other programs used: Sequenced and bounced-down to audio in Cakewalk Music Creator Pro 24; the acoustic bass and acoustic piano were rendered through BIAB’s “Hi-Q” instruments in SampleTank; the melody track was cloned and the two subsequent tracks were patched with a tenor sax and a trumpet from “First Call Horns” virtual brass instruments; applied reverb and compression to all audio tracks with Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio.

Link:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=1321235&songID=12539237

To the folks on the forum who helped me solve a problem I had encountered during the creation of this song -- Noel96, Matt Finley, BarryKJ, cubanpete, VideoTrack, Guitarhacker, MarioD, and Mac – I wish you gents were my next-door neighbors so I could barbeque some ribs, cook some collard greens with turnips and smoked turkey-tails, whip up a macaroni & cheese casserole, and make cole slaw for you! Thank you for your help.

Last edited by bluage; 10/22/13 10:17 AM.

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Hi, Bluage !:))

What a wonderful piece of music !!!!
For a second "take five" came to my mind
but your tune was equally intriguing
and brilliant ! ::))))

I loved it !

Cheers
Dani

Last edited by dani48; 10/22/13 03:58 PM.
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This song has a neat rhythm to it. Very nice listen


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Well done.... yeah, with that menu you listed I wish we were neighbors too. You had me at ribs and collards.....

Glad I could offer some useful advice.

The song is good.

Change is always going on. Sometimes it's good to see blighted buildings torn down but there are lots of memories attached to them.... some bad but many good. It's good to see that this inspired a song.

Well done.


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Blu, That's some big city sound. I like the triplets at the end . Good mix. I enjoyed. Thanks for posting, Tom

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Very nice - an enjoyable listen. It had a "joyful, carefree" feeling, I thought...

Actually wanted it to be a tad longer (you'll seldom hear me say that!)

floyd

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Hi Bluage,

like Dani said, "take five" came to my mind
but your tune was equally intriguing and brilliant.
Very enjoyable listen.

Guenter

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Originally Posted By: boehm
Hi Bluage,

like Dani said, "take five" came to my mind
but your tune was equally intriguing and brilliant.
Very enjoyable listen.

Guenter


+1

Very nice!

Steve


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Hi, "dani48"...

Yeah, "Take Five" is music for the ages, for sure! Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Joe Morello, and Eugene Wright brought something into being that increased not only the appreciation of "jazz" music, but also music in general.

You could imagine my delight when I discovered that BIAB had a Brubeck-inspired style. If there was an international forum on what particular software product had done the most to advance the art and the practice of making music in this world, I feel certain that Band-in-a-Box would have to be nominated for consideration, at the very least.

Thank you for listening and commenting on the song.

Sincerely,

bluage


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Hello, "Scottt709"...

Just about every other song I compose is written in waltz time, regardless of genre. There is something about that particular rhythm that just makes me feel happier whenever and wherever I hear it.

Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts!

bluage


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Howdy, "Guitarhacker"...

Well, maybe someday the folks at PG Music will host a big ol' Band-in-a-Box convention so all of us users of their software can meet, greet, and eat!!!

You're certainly right about "change", and your observation about the memories that are attached to old buildings that are torn down stirs lots of emotions within me.

The neighborhood in Chicago that I was born and raised-up in was so raggedy that it would be described as a slum by most observers. Abandoned buildings and vacant lots that ended up as dumping grounds...sidewalks where you could step on someone's front teeth lying in a patch of drying blood from last night's street-fight, and so on...

But, don't you know that whenever I think about that place, sometimes I have to fight to hold back tears of nostalgia, not because I was miserable growing-up, but because as child I had no idea that it could be considered a miserable place to live! I was happy as a kid eating taffy playing baseball, or "King-of-the-hill", or hide-and-seek, in vacant lots, in alley-ways that reeked of garbage, or amongst those dangerous abandoned buildings. I didn't know any better. I was having fun!

Your comments on the song are appreciated!

bluage


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Hey, there, "tommyad"...

Big cities are great inspirations for jazz and blues music, huh? Bright lights, noises that excite you, with midnight shadows and sounds that put the "fright" in you!

Thank you for listening and commenting on the song!

bluage


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Hello, "floyd jane"...

I'm pleased to know that the song imparted the "joyful, carefree" sound you described.

On a forum for Cakewalk music software users, I came across a post that read: "Music is what feelings sound like." I think the young lady who posted it was right-on, don't you?

Regarding the song's length, since the melody is stated by a saxophone AND a trumpet, I wanted to include a trumpet solo, too, but I am more fond of songs that have brief playing times, like the ones I heard on the radio during the 60's. They came on the air, they hit, they scored, and then they went away, which left me wanting more.

Thanks for lending me your ears!

bluage


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Greetings, Guenter...

Another "Take Five" enthusiast! Me, too. Paul Desmond must be thinking, "I should'a followed it up with a "Take Six, Seven, or Eight...!"

I'm glad you enjoyed listening to it. Thank you for letting me know that you did!

bluage


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Hi, Steve...

The "+1" brought a smile to my face because it reminds me of the way teachers graded their students' work "back in the day"!

Thank you!

bluage


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That is very cool, well arranged and mixed. My first exposure to Jazz was at a Pop Festival in Atlanta in 1969 when Dave Brubeck was mistakenly booked there and played with Janis Joplin, et al. And the crowd loved it...and so did I. Thanks for the reminder. I really enjoyed this and the memories.


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Hello, Janice & Bud...

Holy smoke, what a fortuitous "accident" that was! Dave Brubeck performing along with Janis Joplin? I never knew that.

What did Mr. Brubeck and Ms. Joplin perform together? Was it recorded, or filmed? I'd like to know, so I could watch it, or listen to it.

Concerning your comments about "Goodbye, Cabrini-Green", I'm pleased that you thought it was "cool". That's the sound and the feel of the jazz music that caught my attention as kid growing up during the 60's.

In Chicago, the local NBC station, channel 5, ran a "midnight movie" feature -- mostly grade-B sci-fi and horror films -- on Friday nights. The theme music was a brief clip of "Take Five" that played under the announcer's introduction to the films. I begged my parents to let me stay up late just so I could hear that single, solitary, swingin' clip: doo-doop, doo-doop/doo, doo/doo-doop, doo-doop/doo, doo!

Somewhere I read that Paul Desmond said he wanted his alto sax to sound like a "dry martini". Now, how hip and cool is that!

Thank you for your attention and your comments,

bluage


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Great feel to the entire track, could not keep the images of "beatniks" snapping their fingers in time to the groove out of my mind.

Later,

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Hello, "Danny C."...

Your comment about the "beatniks" made me smile. I wish I had been old enough to be a part of that group when they were in their heyday....step out wearing my little beret, Vandyck beard, turtleneck sweater, a pair of sandals, and a set of bongo drums! It may be a stereotypical image, but it was entertaining in a way-out kind of way.

I visited your fine website and noticed that you operate out of Louisiana. My mother was born in New Iberia and I have relatives in Baton Rogue, Loreauville, St. Martinville, and elsewhere.

Thank you giving a listen to the song, and I appreciate your comments.

bluage


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I love this style of jazz and you did it justice for sure!

This had a great rhythm section. Take 5 did also come to mind, especially during the intro!

Nice chops BTW!


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