BE! #10: "Happy Holiday" Vocal Arrangement

First introduced by Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra in 1942 from the film Holiday Inn, "Happy Holiday" is one of the most recorded songs in history. Used frequently as a Christmas track, it could also be used like "Auld Lang Syne" as a New Year's Eve material just as it was used in the film to express a wish for the audience to enjoy throughout the year the rest of the holidays. The song was composed by Irving Berlin in the same year.

Here's an arrangement I wrote last month. I wrote it in Bb key based on Jo Stafford's version. I actually have a home recording of it to which you can listen.

2017Jan16
Four:Fifty-Five PM
Bubble Based Boy

BE! #9: Haikus and Rhythm: "Transition" + Benny Carter

I was listening to Benny Carter's arrangement and recording of "There's a Small Hotel" from January 1937. I heard a part in the track that's quite interesting. It's a transition to the Instrumental Section in which new rhythms of the original melody are featured (referring to the latter). The singer played the new melody very naturally. I wish I could tell you his name but I don't have the information yet. I loved both parts (Transition and Instrumental Section), but what really caught my attention was the harmonic changes the arranger devised. Very clever!

As a reaction I came up with some poetry I've been exploring, the Haiku. I added another term which I want to use as an art form, new series/medium for my art. Not sure if "Haikus in Rhythm" would be a better title but for now I shall name it "Haikus and Rhythm".

This particular entry reads..

Some happy mood change
Then series of dissonance
To resolve this thought

2017Jan05
five AM

More information about the artist (composer/arranger/band leader/alto saxophonist/clarinetist/trumpeter) Benny Carter can be found here, care of the Rutgers IJS Library, Newark, New Jersey.

To know more about this 1936 classic Standard, "There's a Small Hotel", click on this one prepared by JazzStandards.com.

I also featured the same song in my first Mixcloud Entry. It's June Christy's version with the Johnny Guarnieri Quintet from 1949. The musicians are Johnny Guarnieri (piano, leader, possibly the arranger too), June Christy (vocal), Charlie DiMaggio (alto saxophone, clarinet), George Walters (trumpet), Leo Guarnieri (bass, violin) and Frank Paristi (drums).

You can purchase his track by checking out any of the links below:

Benny Carter on iTunes

Benny Carter on Amazon


2017Jan17
Five:Thirty-Three PM

BE! #8: Relativism, David Raksin

This might be the only thing
My only blog entry for this year
Two Zero One Six

As a complement
Here's music from one of my favourite composers
Something from his original score
The Bad and The Beautiful
A track by David Raksin
"Almost Time"

2016Dec31
Cold Winter Morning
Bubble Based Boy

BE! #7: Bubble Based Boy on Fresh Filter

Last year, I got invited to play live on radio. It was the 24th of September, 2014. I played two original numbers and got interviewed by the host, Russ Davis. The name of his show is Fresh Filter. He features mainly artists/bands from the local scene (OPM).

I was also with Deej Rodriguez who accompanied me through the performance on his percussions.

"Seven x Six" and "Google Glass" were part of the setlist. Listen to one of the two tracks right here.
Follow him on the cloud, check out the rest!
soundcloud.com/freshfilter

Thanks for stopping by!


-Bubble Based Boy
2015Dec17
11.26.11

BE! #6: A Piece of Musical Information: Rhythm: So What?

After hearing, seeing and reading through things related to this Blog Entry, I have decided to come up with this short list of what one can do with Rhythm as to give more value to it and ideas to anyone who composes as well.

Rhythms contain Thoughts

Rhythms can be the Actual Thoughts

Bubblebasedboy

20.46.31

17Apr14

BE! #5: "Thoughts For A Conscious Mind"

My Vision in 3 Parts: "Thoughts For A Conscious Mind"

Pretty soon, I will be officially releasing the original stuff of Bubble Based Boy. It will be in Three Parts in the EP (Extended Play) form. The title is based on my piece of music called "Thoughts Are For The Conscious Mind", and the Three-Part form, on my Arrangement in Sequence.

Tracklisting Idea:

EP Release 1
1. A Lightbulb Moment
2. Google Glass
3. Initial Basis for Experiment!
4. Funk Around
5. Same Value
6. Thoughts Are For The Conscious Mind

EP Release 2
7. The Picture
8. New Strings
9. Anonymity Cracks
10. Seven x Six = Forty Two

EP Release 3
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

On the Theme..
Some Written Seeds

Words

Music

On the Rhythm Guitar

(written with an Eye Liner Pencil)

Not Harmonically Sensitive

On the Bridge

One of the Vocal Highlights

 

On the Introduction

Played by Vocals

17Apr14

20.45

WBL!

BE! #4 File Under: "Waking Up To A Picture, A Scene, Consciousness"

I felt that I should post this latest idea of mine as a blog entry which expresses more or less what my View of Reality is, and more importantly I prove it is somewhat Musical, if not entirely as I believe it is. I think this piece will definitely compliment my Philosophy of Life that is why I want to keep track of it by immortalizing it here on my blogspace.

What started this? How did this come to be?

I should mention that, ever since I got involved with the actual experience of Writing, I have gained a sense of enthusiasm that I learned and felt it is Personal. It lead me, currently which is my theme, to wanting to understand the Nature of RealTime. Having learned the basics of Music Theory, it has helped me in capturing my Internal Musical Thoughts more clearly as compared to verbally articulating them and with not enough terms in my vocabulary.

Some writing experiments that I get into frequently are Transcriptions in/on the External World VS Recorded Music/Sounds VS Internal World. This particular entry is a blossomed germ of my regular experiment exercise Transcription on the Internal World.

Not so long ago, February or January 2014, I found myself in a thinking mood that I couldn't put myself to sleep. If I'm right, I was trying to figure out something that needs to be resolved so then I could feel more at peace that I would fall asleep. Interestingly, whatever it is, I wasn't able to record it in writing only until the next day. After my successful sleep, it fortunately resonated as I tried to deliver the message through performance to one of the friends I met lately. And as a reaction to my enthusiasm and curiosity, I played it again but to different audiences, casually.

I remember playing the unwritten idea to myself initially when I was thinking about it. What happened afterwards were all just reenactments of the original beta performance which is when I was in bed, eyes closed, blinking funnily and unusually to sleep.

What is this? What are the things that are involved in this figure that made me consider that it is a Musical Piece?

Visually speaking, Rhythm is present with simple note values and rests: Crotchet, Dotted Crotchet, Dotted Minim, Semibreve; Crotchet Rest and Dotted Crotchet Rest. Tempo is indicated, similar to the speed of the Clock's Tick-Tocks in seconds. Whole idea is presented in 4 Bars. Musical instrument and Color are somewhat indirectly indicated which are meant to exist that way for the purpose of not spoiling the whole presentation.

What are the things that should be kept in mind before trying to decipher what the main message is?
Subjects vary infinitely and uniquely relative to where the player is
Keep an Open Mind.
It is a 4-Bar play.
Ideally the reader is the Musician/Player, the Audience is his Mind.
The whole play may or not work for every audience that they would find it just a silly joke.

What are some other links that are related to this (that I have encountered so far)?
Daniel Dennett's Books/Videos on Free Will and Consciousness
Susan Blackmore's Books on Free Will and Consciousness
Ayn Rand's Objective Reality
Music Theory Basics


15.25
24Feb14
WBL!