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A Visit With George

I put this together earlier today.

A little backstory: As most of the long-time members on the forum know, Di (my wife) had a major, debilitating stroke a few years ago. She's also significantly disabled. She almost died twice over the past 30 months or so (not COVID-19) and her health is very poor. That's why she hasn't sung anything new for the past three or four years. When she was in the hospital the two times after the stroke, the doctors gave her, at most, a 30% chance of surviving. But she did, both times.

Those were some pretty dark days. For comfort, I would go home from the hospital and put on some easy music - often George Benson. Regardless of the state of mind I was in, every time a George Benson song played, it made me smile and gave me a sense of comfort. Those were my "Visits With George". So, thinking back on all that, I put this together. It just felt good to do so.


If interested, this was my approach to creating the song:

I tried to "frame" the guitar by using what I call the "shadow box method". The two rhythm guitars are panned l/r at 28 separation on each side respectively, slightly behind the piano in the mix. The electric piano is panned slightly wider than the rhythm guitars. I then centered the lead guitar and placed it between the rhythm guitars and the EP in the depth of the mix. I then introduced the vibes in the first chorus to fill out and expand the background ambience. I dropped the vibes back somewhat in the second verse and brought them back up in the second chorus.

I created a new chord arrangement for the style (leaving the chord pattern in the chorus about 70% the same as the style demo) added the lead guitar, replaced the drums and bass. I added a small amount of echo/delay to the lead guitar. I tried to mix the new bass track such that it was solid but not overbearing. I placed the new drums slightly more forward in the mix than some Smooth Jazz pieces, but it sounded somewhat better to me as such. This is where all that ended up. About 6 hours of work.

Hope you enjoy it.

Alan



File:A Visit With George.SGU

Key=D , Tempo 75, Length (m:s)=2:59

Style is _LAYBACK.STY (Lay Back Atmospheric Lounge Funk)

RealTracks in song: ~1636:Bass, Electric, JazzFunkBreezy Ev16 075
RealTracks in style: ~1639:Piano, Electric, Rhythm JazzFunkBreezy Ev16 075
RealTracks in style: 3331:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm JazzyPop16thsMark Ev16 080
RealTracks in style: 3329:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm LoungeFunkSwells Ev16 080
RealTracks in song: 2816:Guitar, Electric, Soloist SmoothSoulSlowBrent Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 3765:Vibes, Rhythm PopBallad Ev 085
RealDrums [in Song:NashvillePop16^1-a:Snare, Hihat , b:Snare, Ride

Al, you nailed it from the first note.

Thanks for sharing the story behind your production, this really helps to put the song together even more perfectly.

Music is the universal language. And you have communicated so much in this delivery. Quite outstanding. Everything sits together so remarkably well. "Quite Excellent"

Hello Alan,

I had hoped I might be the first to comment on this marvellous tune you put together in that short amount of time. What the heck, you can't be always the first...

It's Sunday morning over hear (softly snowing), so I have more time today than I had when I wrote my last comment.

Of course I have known about Di's poor health but I had not known that she suffered from stroke - what a terrible fate - as a former SLP I treated hundreds of stroke patients with aphasia in my active years and I therefore know all about the sufferings that are caused by this devilish disease. You know that Maha's and my thoughts are with you - you're both very bravel< managing the neverending consequences.

Having heard some songs with Di as the singer I can only repeat that it's a pity second to none that she is no longer able to delight the world with her infinite talent.

Speaking about talent: You just can't hide yours, too, dude ! What a lovely George Benson tribute that is. Yes, his way of playing is immortal and Brent surely picked it up impressively well (like he seems to be a genious with every style anyway).

Thanks for the interesting info on how you put the mix together and how you exchanged single instruments. As good as those ready-to-use styles may be, it's sgreat that we have the possibility to customize them.

Alan, again so good !!!!!

best regards to Di - take good care of each other and stay safe,

Stefan

Outstanding and well arranged love this super tone and phrases very well done thanks Alan for sharing Eric

Oh ya this is George all the way!

Excellent choice in RTs that were mixed to perfection.

Alan, this is just PHENOMENAL! I love everything about it... the chords, instrumentation, mix, everything!

I share your appreciation for George Benson's music, it calms me the same way it calms you. (Unfortunately, it also makes me want to cut off my fingers with a butter knife, but that's a whole different discussion.)

Thanks for the details about how you approached the project.. that's the sort of thing that makes this forum so useful! I appreciate it when people aren't stingy about sharing their knowledge!

Having been away from the forum for so long, I was NOT aware of Di's health changing events. Please tell her I said "hello" and that I remember and cherish the gracious hospitality she showed me when I visited y'all a few years ago. Y'all have been through some stuff, haven't you? I can't even imagine the strength required to get to where you are.

Keep the music coming, I'm already listening for the next one!

VT ...

Those are some real nice compliments. Thank you very much! Take care.

Alan

Yeah, Benson had a great way to carry you away in a musical cloud!! This really captures his vibe well Alan!! Another instrumental treat!! Take care. Greg

Stefan ...

Guten Abend, mein fruend! Und, Maha auch.

Where I live now, Alabama, there is hardly ever any snow. Where I grew up, near St. Louis, Missouri, we got snow three or four times each year. Sometimes as much as 20 cm. And when I lived in Germany, we got snow often. I lived near Kaiserslautern, then in Pirmasens, and finally in Wuerzburg.

Thank you for all those nice comments! I appreciate them very, very much. You and Maha are so talented. So, when I get such nice words from you, the mean a lot.

And yes, you and I have spoken about your previous career as an SLP a couple of times in the past. Di's cognitive skills are pretty good. It's more her physical issues that are a problem. I have been diagnosed with anomic aphasia. I'm not sure how to say that in German. I often forget what to call common things. Several months ago, I could not remember the word for keys. All day, I had to say "The thing you use to lock a door or to start a car". I was fine the next day. But I have such episodes every few weeks. Oh well, I could be much worse. So, no complaints!

As far as the approach I used to "assemble" the song, I thought other folks might want to know how I do it. Maybe there's something I said that might be of interest to other composers. "Shadow Box" approach is just a word I use to explain how I layer and place the instruments in the mix. I don't think it's a real musical term - just my way of describing what I do.

As always, it's a true pleasure to hear from you. Please give Maha our very best wishes and hope she continues with her recovery as well as possible.

Wir danken dir fur dein Fruendschaft.

Alan & Di

Hi Alan
A superb composition, very reminiscent of George Benson (whose music I also find very soothing). All the very best to you and Di.
Regards,
Leon

Hi Eric ...

Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed your listen. Thanks for letting me know. Wishing you the best ...

Alan

HI Mario ...

Tis always a pleasure when you drop in for a listen and leave a word or two. Thank you very much for the kindness. I appreciate it very much. Stay warm, up there! Best to you, my friend.

Alan

Hi Pat ...

So,. what does one say in response to such a great review/comment? I sincerely appreciate all that! I'm always quite willing to share whatever I can contribute. But my techniques are quite archaic. I don't even use a DAW. Everything I post is whatever BIAB gives me on the chord input page. I do all my editing there. From the chord input page it goes to Audacity for a little touch-up. Usually, just a little EQ adjustment where needed and a little bit of compression. That5's my complete process: drop in a few chords, select a style, find some tracks, save in a desktop folder, send to Audacity, and save as a WAV file in aforementioned folder. DONE!

It was our pleasure to have you as a guest - no, a friend - in our house. We just moved into a new home we had custom-built. It's a lot nicer than the house we had when you visited.

I'll pass on your kind regards to Di. I'm sure she will appreciate it. Wishing you everything good. Take care.

Alan & Di

PS: I have another waiting in the wings ... a 3/4, very slow Rock Blues. I'll post it when this one disappears from the top page and I have all the comments answered.

Hi Greg ...

Many thanks for all that kindness! Sure do appreciate it. And yeah ... that musical cloud has a lot of soft lining. I see him as the contemporary version of Wes Montgomery. Glad you enjoyed the song! Wishing you and yours the very best.

Alan

Hello Leon ...

Many thanks for your very nice comments. They put a smile on my face! And all the best to you, you. Take care ...

Alan

Alan, you are - without a doubt - one of the very most sensitive writers on here. It invariably is a joy when you post something new and I get to listen to it.

I'm so sorry that your wife has the health problems that she has, but am happy that you can turn to music to alleviate the pain. This track is a little pearl that makes the day shine brighter. I am genuinely so grateful that you share these joys with us - thank you and please, whenever you can, keep sharing.

Alan, this is very well put together. You have certainly found the formula for relaxing, calming jazz with a great sound. The mix is outstanding. Back when I played all the time live I would wind down on the drives home with this easy listening type of music. Much different from what I just finished playing. It worked well. This tune would have also worked well. Good one, Tom

James ...

You are so very kind with your words. I sincerely appreciate all you have to say about my music. Di is relatively stable at the moment. But she has left the house but twice since March of last year. Both were medical visits. Thank you for your consideration regarding her well-being.

And yes, music is a cathartic phenomenon. I can immerse myself in it and temporarily let the rest of the world pass on by without interruption.

Again, many thanks for your kindness. Wishing you the very best.

Alan

Really comforting piece, I can imagine those visits. You have created lovely tribute, such a beautiful chording and smooth instrumentation and well balanced mix.

Janne

Thanks very much, Janne. The visits were'nt very pleasant. But, she came home both times, so it's all good. Glad you liked your listen! Take care. Best to you ...

Alan