Well, It has really been a whirlwind of a year - and it is only March! Let me say that there have been projects that engaged in - musical projects that I have not seen through. To all those, I must apologize. I do plan to continue the projects. Part of it has been a lack of proper equipment. God has provided, and now comes the learning curve. The other part of it has been a creative desert. Have you ever been in one of those? It is a sobering experience to say the least. It is all part of the creative process, though. There must be dry days, and rainy days filled with blessing. But it does not make going through the desert feel any better. Thank the Lord that He makes ways in the wilderness and rivers in the desert!
So now I begin a project that I actually wrote several years ago, and now the Lord has made a way for it to be produced. It is finally time to release it to the world, and I am definitely taking my time to write it. I feel like the music version of Ernest Hemingway's "a movable feast." I want to record and listen and re-record and listen. I am hoping that this track, and the journey to make it, will inspire whomever the Lord gives me to inspire. So now I am listening to three artists that I call "The Greats." Ella, Al, and Sarah. I am listening to Al First for his expertise in vocalese, scatting, and instrumental mimicry. I usually like to keep these fond treasures to myself, but maybe there are others who enjoy taking art and building something new with it.
So, the song is called Yesterday and it is produced by Reuben Kane - an up and coming maestro, in my opinion. It is a very cool stepper song that I want to steep in jazz technique. Back when I was a music major in junior college, I wanted to be a jazz singer. I absolutely love jazz and all of the wonderful colors and feelings that jazz evokes. I love The Greats I have mentioned earlier, and I hope to add a nod to each of them in the song. Oh, about the song...it's me realizing that I love the Lord, and that the Lord loves me too. This kind of love, the human aspect of love toward God, is evolutionary much like a blooming rose. We know God loves us, but the more we trust Him, the more we realize and learn for ourselves the extent of that love. This song catalogues the realization of a love revelation, where the Lord has carried me through yet another hard place, and I awaken to a deeper level of His unconditional, unchanging love for me.
So I start with brother Al Jarreau, where I hear in his voice and vocal stylings the joy of life and love of his craft. I am hopeful that a little of his gift will rub off onto me!
