Sometime during the early part of 2000, I thought it would be a good idea to lay down some tracks of my tunes. I also decided to use my acoustic guitars.
My Takamine 6 sting and 12 string guitars. Since I was able to play bass lines and rhythm at the same time, the recording became Me Myself and I. I called my friend Marty Dunayer, who owns Musecat Recording Studios, and explained what I wanted to do. We set a date and the first hour I recorded the rhythm parts and in hour two, I recorded the melody and the improvisations.
My biggest concern was that the time stayed constant. It was not an easy thing to do, but fortunately I did it. it. I also thought you seldom hear a 12 stringed acoustic guitar play jazz.
Within the next few weeks Marty mixed it and I gave him the OK to master the recording and it has been sitting on my shelf since then.
Since the Pandemic I haven’t been able get back in the studios to record again, so I searched my files to see what I have that can be re-mastered and released. What you are listening to are compositions I wrote between 1976 and 1995.
1. Samba De Domingo: Written as a fun tune to play with the modulations from A minor -Bb minor to D minor. (12string rhythm)
2. Brown Eyes: I wrote the melody first and then years later I named it. I thought Brown Eyes was a good name since there was Soul Eyes and Infant Eyes. It took me 20 years to write lyrics to the tune. (two12 stringed guitars)
3. Gentle: I love Bossa Nova’s and this spilled out. (Two 12 string guitars)
4. Inside Out: was written in 1975. Hoping I could record it on my second Blue Note Record, but the powers that be thought I should go a different commercial route. (Two six stringed guitars)
5. The Color of Her Eyes Are Gray: I wrote this for my then fiancé, Carol Mennie, who has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen (two 12 stringed guitars)
6. Angela was written for a friend who tragically died in a car accident. Since then, Randy Johnston recorded it as an instrumental. My wife Carol recorded it as a vocal and two years ago I recorded with my Argentinian friend, Juampy Juarez, on a recording called Freedland. (12 stringed guitarrhythm)
7. Be Op Be Op Be Ah: I wanted to write a Be Bop tune but with a different, more modern set of chord changes. (12 string solo)
8. Ballad for Carol: The first jazz ballad I wrote for my wife around 1996. (12 stringed guitar plays lead)
9. Sometime Samba I got the idea from Roger Kelloway. He composed a tune for me on Blue Note called Sometime Boogie. I thought it would be a great idea to do one as a Samba with bridge going into a jazz swing. (Two six stringed guitars).
I think it shows my audience that I can play any type of jazz. Most of my fans are used to my outside approach. This is not outside at all. I have composed new music for at least 4 recording. Before the pandemic hit, I was ready to record my group The Westside Improvisation Group (WIG) but it was canceled. Because of the pandemic I have written lots of new music for my different groups and hopefully we will start rehearsals in November and start recording soon after. My first recording will be with guitarist, Jack DeSalvo for Unseen Rain Records. This will be our second recording as a duo. Both Jack and I are bring three-four tunes to the recording. I am always trying to evolve. I think the old me (pre-pandemic) has evolved to a new me. I play a little differently than I did a few years ago. That’s easy. I have a roster of musicians who understand what I want. They are all good readers and great improvisors. It is not good. A lot of players hustling to get gigs and there are very few gigs that pay. I only make money when I go on the road or out of the country and because of the pandemic, that ended. But maybe in 2023 I will begin to perform again,- an interview with me said Dom Minasi.
1. Samba De Domingo 04:49
2. Brown Eyes 06:41
3. Gentle 07:06
4. inside Out 06:46
5. The Color of Her Eyes Is Grey 05:45
6. Angela 05:08
7. Be Op Be Op Be Ah 06:25
8. Balad for Carol 06:22
9. Sometime Samba 05:33
