Dream Weaver

Thanks for everyone's feedback so far. I really appreciate the comments, and it's great to hear that you all are enjoying it so much. Those who guessed that it was just recorded on one mic are right--it was done with a Zoom H2 recorder in a rehearsal space at the University of VIrginia. It was the end of the semester and we were fitting this in between exams and people going back to their respective homes, so we just did what we could. I would LOVE to get everyone back together again to rerecord this, and will definitely look into doing so... in the meantime, I think I'll do some more arrangements so I can get a number of things recorded in one session. Unfortunately, that may mean that actual good copies of this won't be released for a while, but I'll do my best to get everything done quickly. I do want to explain some things behind the arrangements: - First, this is a jazz arrangement, so yeah, there's a lot of "extra" stuff outside of the themes. I'm not going to post a music theory lesson here or anything, but for those that understand, the form of tune is pretty long and I (playing sax) didn't hold back as to how many choruses I took when soloing. If I remember correctly, I play two choruses and the guitar player does one (maybe two? I don't feel like listening at the moment... I'm actually writing this before going to sleep, heh), which makes it pretty long. Per people's suggestions, I'll cut it down when I rerecord it. - In regards to Proto Man: My idea was to take the really clean, simple feel of the theme and turn it on its head, thus the collective improv approach and the raunchy sound. The theme is straight from a minor blues scale, and the soloing is developed with the blues in mind. It's supposed to highlight the theme, the feelings one may have when the theme is heard, and the ass-kicking that persists when Proto Man is on the spot, resolving to the kind of a lingering emotions that one may have when he's off the scene. Not that this will change anyone's opinion on whether or not s/he likes it, but maybe it will make more sense if you imagine those things while listening. - I'll make sure the ending turns out better in the future, haha. It definitely isn't the greatest...

I'm not sure what you mean. Are you talking about the tone? The instrument choice? The scoops? The fact that it's solo?

And as promised:

Hey everyone, I arranged the Proto Man and Gemini Man themes for jazz small group and performed the tunes live at my college senior recital in Charlottesville, VA. Unfortunately, I didn't get the show cut, but I did have a small session afterwards so that I could get a copy of it. This version of it is a little different than it was at the show... I had to use a different drummer and he, not knowing exactly how we had played it before, makes it more rock-oriented where it was originally locked in with more of a latin feel. Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think... I'll post again later with a downloadable copy. myspace.com/gwjazz