"Ok I need details on these songs, your influence, your vision"

This discussion begins with the above quote from my good friend Chadra (Dalan). When she asked me for this info, it occurred to me that I have not articulated these things to my friends and fans. I do in fact have much to say about the influence and vision for each song in the Acid Jazz Project. So let me "get started."


"They could be sound tracks for a movie!!! I am so moved!!!" - CDPW

Part of what the Acid Jazz Project is meant to be, is a collection of songs that can be enjoyed in public, on radio, in movies and on television. A few years ago, I saw the remake of the movie Oceans 11 and I was very impressed with the music used for the background in most of the scenes. I wanted to compose music just as cool and enjoyable as some of the songs I heard in that movie. I wanted a complete CD of music that I could submit to be used in a movie like that. In addition, part of the original inspiration for this project was an album entitled "Neyorican Soul." My wife introduced me to this album and it is a great collection of songs by very talented artists, and it embodies what i wanted to accomplish with this first CD (Part 1 of a trilogy).

So with these influences and others in mind. I set out to record a CD of music that I would like to hear myself. Once my home studio was finalized, I started to lay the tracks for what would be the first of 3 CD's, focusing on the Acid Jazz Genre.


1. Getting Started Part 1 - this song is exactly what it's name suggests, me getting started. This was the first song that I composed and recorded for the project. I had the idea and basic chord progression in my head, so i waited until i had some time to dedicate to recording this track. The day finally came when I was looking after my daughter and she went down for a long nap. I laid the basic tracks in a couple of hours. Originally I wanted this track to have a very similar feel to Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes", combined with the some of the feel of Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig In The Sky". When I played the track back, it actually had a very different feel than I had expected, which I liked even better. Good track. I was on my way.

2. Try Something New - This was actually the last song recorded for the album, but I put it second in the sequence because I felt it followed the opening track the best. Again the title of the song betrays the thought behind it. I wanted to try something I had never done before. I had been listening to a song called "You Got The Love" by the group Confection. I think this song is as close to a perfect track as you can get. The music is right on target. One of the things I like most about the track is the use of synth bass. I had always wanted to compose a song with synth bass in it. I modeled the song after the sound that Paul Hardcastle might have used in his prime. After some long mixing sessions, the song came out as good as I could have asked for.

3. The Construct Part 1 - this is another movie inspired track, at least initially. I am a big fan of the Matrix trilogy. In the original movie, there is a scene where the lead character (Neo) is taken into a training simulation. Neo was told, "This is the Construct". I liked the way that sounded when I heard it, and I made a mental note of it at the time. Years later, when I began to compose this piece, (which i consider to be the most jazzy on the album), I tried to keep a that title in mind. I composed this piece in stages. I put it together a piece at a time. I literally constructed it. I experimented with several different grooves and bass lines when putting this song together. One of those grooves i experimented with ended up turning into another song all together, so I amended this title with "Part 1."

4. Blue Minor 7th - this was one of the earlier compositions on the album. As a guitarist, I wanted to have some evidence of the standard blues progression on this project. But I didn't want to just do the same old thing that's been done 1000 times before. I wanted a fresh spin on it. So instead of 7th or major chords , i tried the standard blues progression using minor 7ths. It was perfect, it sounded great and opened itself to the type of lead melody that I was very comfortable with. I recorded the basic tried and decided it was best to keep it simple so I didn't add too much in terms of instrumentation. Finally, I knew I needed a good bridge to keep the song from being to monotonous. I am very happy with the bridge I came up with, and I channeled the Brand New Heavies on the bass line in order to stay true to the Acid Jazz genre.

5. Que Tal? - I composed and recorded this album on an Apple laptop. My mac. I mostly used the software that comes with the Powerbook for recording music, Garageband. I wanted to prove that a full professional sounding album can be recorded using nothing more than a laptop and the software it comes with. So when I started to compose this track, I was experimenting with some of the free beats and rhythms that come with Garageband. When I came across a section of latin beats, I was inspired. I had wanted to compose a latin piece since my days of hearing live bands at the Copa Cobana in New York. It turned out to be a great challenge for me, which was good. It took me over a month to compose and record this song and I tried to make it as legitimate as I could. I didn't want to make some fake latin piece or insult the true composers and players of latin music. I put on my Carlos Santana thinking cap while doign the lead, and I think I did a pretty good job.

6. Skate - when i wrote this track, it reminded me of the period in the late 70's and 80's when roller skating was really popular. There was a great spirit of common love for the music and freedom that came with rollerskating. Huge headphones, long tube socks, boom boxes and afros all come to mind when I listen to this groove, so I named it simply, Skate! Try to picture that area in central park in New York where skaters still gather to just skate to the music.

7. Funk 1 (The Construct Part 2) - one of the grooves I experimented with when composing The Construct, was so good on it's own, I decided to turn it into it's own song. As a broken down version of the groove, with a very funky bass line I considered the track to be straight funk. Funk 101 if you will. So I named it Funk 1. Just meat and potatoes, a lesson in basic funk if you will.

8. The Time Needed To Finish - the story of this song starts with the title. I was nearing the completion of the project when I started to work on this song. With a full time job and family commitments, it was difficult to always find the time I needed to commit to this music project. Sometimes it seemed like I would never finish. In the end, I found the time and wanted to ensure that my album had at least one "Slow Jam". I allowed some of my musical influences to come directly into this piece. There is a song by the Eagles called "I Can't Tell You Why" that I have always loved. It has a great feel, great instrumentation and a great melody. I wanted to compose a piece with a similar feel. I even made use of major 7th chords to help create the feel. For the bridge, I used a descending bass line and chord progression reminiscent of the one in the song "Help!" by the Beatles. I was always fond of the bridge of Help with that strong descending guitar line in the bridge. To end the song, I added and extended section of calm, almost loving music. Baby making music as some would say. Initially, I wasn't happy with the mix on this song and considered not releasing it, but it has become a favorite of listeners of the album.

9. Preview to the SQL - I will start with the title on this one again as it has an interesting story. First, I like this idea of opposing ideas living together in the same title. A preview and a sequel are opposites, yet this song was intended to give a preview to the focus of the next album in the Acid Jazz Project trilogy. The spelling of the word sequel as "SQL" is sort of an inside joke for myself and my software developer friends. SQL stands for the Structured Query Language that is commonly used to retrieve data from databases. It is commonly pronounced as "sequel" when spoken aloud. Preview to the SQL. Get it? Musically, there were two songs I was listening to that I wanted to use as a starting point. Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" and Luther Vandros/Change's "The Glow of Love". If you listen to the rhythm guitar of both songs, you will hear a similar style to both. It is distinctive and strong. So I started with the same rhythm, very much in the style of Nile Rodgers. I used a chord progression I used to jam with years ago in my old band. I built a groove on top of that and the rest of the song fell into place. One last note, I wanted a horn solo for the bridge, so I put out a call on iCompositions.com. A good horn player responded to my call. I wanted a Maceo Parker style funky solo, but he gave me more of a Herb Alpert manic solo instead which I ended up liking even better.

10. The Heat (Getting Started Part 2) - this song is the last on the album, but it was actually the second song written. I was so pleased with how Getting Started Part 1 turned out, I immediately started to write another song. After I had the basic tracks, i realized it was basically the same chord progression in another key! Oh no, did I just waste my time? Then I thought, wait, this is my project, I am free to do whatever I want to do on it. If I want to write a song that is the same as another in another key, I can simply name it part 2! I continued to work with it and gave it its own sound. I channel Carlos Santana again on the lead work and it sounded so searing, that I sub named the song "The Heat". I even threw in an acoustic guitar to really give this track it's own character.


"OK A slight chill is baby making music!!!!!!! soundtrack for a scene in a movie of a rainy day...beautiful" - CDPW

Bonus track: A Slight Chill - now this track was created immediately after the album was complete and is only available as a download. It was the result of pure experimentation. I downloaded the trial version of a music recording software package called Magix Music Studio. This package had a lot of pre-recorded music loops that you can use to compose your own songs. I experimented with some of these loops and came up with something I really liked. I was able to mix and save it (unusual for trial software) and I gave it a few listens on my iPod. I realized it was really good. It reminded me of a style and genre called "Chill", but only slightly, so I named the song appropriately.

www.cdbaby.com/cd/rezareeno

I am finishing work on my new album, The Acid Jazz Project (Vol 1).  The album is a conceptual work featuring smooth funky instrumentals with recurring themes in varying styles.  Vol 1 will be the first part of a trilogy that will feature varying themes in the Acid Jazz genre and is desinged to provide an enjoyable experience for listeners.

 

The project will also feature a complete CD of remixes and possibly an acsoutic cd as well.

 

Stay tuned.