Remembering Tokyo

I wrote this last year for a local film company who was doing a short film, about one hour, about a young Japanese couple in San Francisco who were getting married. They did not know each other in Japan - met in the US after they'd emigrated, separately, from Japan. The hangup was he came from a family of strict cultural tradition and she was from a family who'd loved all over the world. Big problems organizing the ceremony!

So, the production company wanted me to write a song with Japanese roots, to reflect his attitude, but flavored with western and other world cultures to reflect hers. So, I have a Japanese bed with touches of Africa, India and and, to a much lesser degree, Spain (the marimbas). They were happy and so was I when I deposited the check! I did it as a Work For Hire but they annotated, in the credits, I was the original composer.

Everything is midi except the drums, which are barely noticeable (by design). I swapped out some instruments from the original style and reworked the chord pattern.

File:Al - Remebering Tokyo.MGU
Lotus2 style demo
Key=Am , Tempo 92, Length (m:s)=2:57
Style MIDI Instruments are :
Fretless Elec. Bass (36)
Sitar (105)
Marimba (13)
Synth Strings 1 (51)
RealDrums Rumba^3-a:Brushes , b:Sidestick, Ride

'b' substyle patches:
41 Brushes Kit
36 Fretless Elec. Bass
105 Sitar
53 Choir Aahs
13 Marimba,

Alan,

That's pretty cool! A very pretty piece...

Bob

You had me hooked right from the beginning with that haunting melody. Nicely done!

I really like the vibe to this one. I can definitely hear this being in a movie, or perhaps a video game even! It brings a chilling atmosphere - you did really good on this one! Thanks for sharing, Al-David

You captured the vibe on this one for sure. Every portion of the globe was expertly represented.

This is an outstanding instrumental!

This is a keeper.

Al David, a man of many talents,

this sounds great, very melodic

very much world music

very enjoyable

Kenny

A very atmospheric piece you wrote here Al!
We can imagine that it would suit the movie very well indeed!
And it's all midi? Well, that's hardly noticeable.
We also dig the very cool ending.
Great work.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Really cool Alan. Very movie-ish. Sounds perfect for the assignment!



Great job.

Alan, this is such a beautiful piece! The chord changes/melody are very moving. Thanks, Torrey

Hello, Alan

A very pretty tune. Very movie-ish.
Various perfumes are well blended.
Not only Japanese mode but also other world's mode.
Very enjoyable listen.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Al, you certainly captured the feel, the ambiance, and the spirit of what you set out to achieve.

A very beautiful song.

Masterfully sculptured!

Terrific job on this, Alan. Very good listen.

Congrats on using BIAB for generating a bit of cash!

Wow! It's very easy to understand why they liked it so much.

For our ears it perfectly captures the scenario you described.

Midi (other than Midi super tracks) is a mystery to me but whatever you did works so well.

Excellent!!!

J&B

This reminds me a bit of Feudal Japan from the tone! I love the mix of flavours to this one! Nicely done.

Really pretty Al!! Sounds like perfect score music. Didn't know you did instrumentals. Very nicely done!! Take care. Greg

Dear Mr. David...

I have appreciated the special function of music composed for dramatic films ever since I was kid. This piece, "Remembering Tokyo" (what an evocative title!) mesmerized me to the point that I found myself imagining what the visual scheme of the main title sequence might be, based on the melancholy, perhaps even tragic quality of your music.

This is one of the most unique compositions created in B-I-A-B that I've heard on the "User's Forum." Is the film available for viewing in the United States?

Sincerely,

bluage (a.k.a. Loren)

Beautiful piece! very well executed and indeed worthy of a film score.

Mike B.

Thanks a bunch, Bob!

Thanks so much! The melody was intended to be haunting ... so you made my day! Thanks again! Much appreciated!~

Alan

Hi Deryk,

Always a pleasure to hear from you and the other PG Music folks. Haunting with a slight touch of chill is what I was aiming for. Glad it came across that way to you! There was a chilling atmosphere as the two young lovers tried to find a way to a a satisfactory arrangement for a wedding ceremony but ut was getting nowhere fast. Thanks again!

Alan

Mario,

You are much too kind! Thank you so much ... glad it resonated with you.

Alan

Thank you, Kenny! I've always enjoy all kinds of music ... I grew up watching black and white moviies from the forties & fifties and always loved the sound tracks. I appreciate the kind words!

Alan

Hi Rob & Anne-Marie,

Yep, all midi except the low-key drums. And thanks for mentioning the ending ... you have no idea how many I did that before I got what I wanted ... kind of like fanfare at the end! Thank you for the very nice compliments!

Alan

Hii David ...

"Movie-ish" works for me ... that was the intent! I appreciate your feedback and kind words!

Alan

Torrey,

Aw ... thanks so much! I really enjoyed working on this one. I'm delighted it seems to be well-received. And thank you personally!

Alan

Shigeki,

Thank you so much ... I'm delighted you enjoyed it!

Alan

HI Trevor,

Thank you! Your kind words are music to my ears!

Alan

Floyd,

Thanks a bunch! It wasn't lot of money but it made a couple of car payments and a nice dinner!

Alan

Thanks so much, guys! Midi is a mystery to me, too! I just loaded the tracks and farted around with them until I git a sound that I liked. (I like to give technical explanations ... ha!)

Thanks again!

ALan

Hi Ember. It's always a treat to hear from the PG Music folks. That was part of the intent ... Feudal Japan. I'm more than delighted it came across to you. Thansk again!

Alan

Hi Greg,

Thanks! I do a **LOT** of film music. But I don't post them here because most them are done on a different program. In fact, I have an entire album of soundtracks pieces called "Sounds of the City". I tried to capture the nuances of the various aspects of the big city.

Thanks for your kind words!

Alan

Hi Loren,

I apologize for the tardy reply. My wife's health is not good and I've been tied up with that lately. I'm glad you enjoyed the track! I always loved film music ... I grew up listening to the soundtracks of the old movies from the forties and fifties and have been enamored with them since.

The film people are shooting out od town for a while. When they return, I'll ask them about the name of the movie and where it might be seen.

Thanks for your kind words!

Alan

Mike,

You are much too kind ... but I like it! I'm happy you liked it ... thanks for letting me know.

Alan

Alan

See I haven't commented although I listened when it was posted.
So like they all said...and very evocative.

Peter

Thank you, Peter. I'll take "evocative" any ole day. I appreciate your very nice words!

Alan

Hi David,

Wonderful work! I love it.

The Japanese flavor is well expressed and mixed with other countries'. The sitar sound is effectively used in place of the Koto sound.



I know a very similar Japanese couple. In this case, she is from a family of strict Japanese cultural tradition which is very rare today in Japan especially in large cities. She is from the city in Kyushu that was a castle town and therefore still inherits some of the Samurai-age culture. She herself is free from the tradition. They live in Tokyo for long and met there. They got married last year. Their wedding was held in Hawaii.

Hiroshi

Thank you very much, Hiroshi. And that's a very interesting story you told about the Japanese couple. Hawatt ... beautiful! I spent a month in Japan in 1967 - you have a very beautiful country!

Thank you again for your wonderful comments!

Alan

Dear Mr. David...

I am truly sorry to read that your wife is experiencing less-than-good health. Boy, oh, boy, our bodies sure like to remind us who's the boss, don't they?

Well, my late mother, Edith, taught me that you pray for what you really need, and not what you want, so, I am going to petition Our Creator to deliver some quick and lasting relief to your wife from whatever is ailing her.

What is your wife's first name, so I can let Our Creator know for whom I'm asking the blessings?

Most sincerely,

"bluage" (a.k.a. Loren)

You certainly captured a Japanese Feel to this tune.
Nicely done.
Rob

Alan, That sure caught me by surprise. It is certainly a showcase of your versatility. I enjoyed it and congrats on depositing a check. Tom

Hi Loren,

Thank you very much for your kindness and warm thoughts. Her name is Diana. We appreciate your prayers. Her life has been very difficult but she handles with dignity. She's a marvelous singer but in recent months hasn't had the strength to do much of it.

Again, thank you so much! God Bless,

Alan & DI

Thank you, Rob! I appreciate that very much!

Hi Tom,

I think it caught a few others off-guard, also! I truly appreciate the comment about versatility. Although I played lead guitar in several country bands for about 50 years, I've always enjoyed almost all flavors of music. I've had the opportunity to live in and/or visit several dozen countries around the world and have marveled at the variety of musical textures indigenous to each area. I have quite a few of these "World" genre songs but have posted very few as I think the site tends to gravitate to more "traditional" western-world music. I really enjoy putting these together - I get to experiment a lot and come up with some pretty interesting stuff!

Thanks again for the nice words!

Alan

Mr. David...

Thank you for sharing your wife's first name with me. Please let Ms. Diana know that I'm sending up my prayers even as I write this. I hope Our Creator hears them and acts on them quickly so Ms. Diana can step back up to the microphone and belt out some "feel good" tunes about feelin' good!

God bless you for being such an attentive and lovin' hubby. That's good medicine, too!

Most sincerely, and respectfully,

"bluage" (a.k.a. Loren)