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Here are two of my MIDI arrangements, a standard and an original tune.
I use a combination of real-time and step-time entry to achieve the desired
effects. I also use various MIDI controllers and pay close attention to
instrument pitch ranges to bring as much realism as possible to acoustic sounds.
| Born Again à la
Hank (MIDI File - 95KB) |
 This arrangement of Born Again (Shire)
is my tribute to Hank
Levy. Guitar is not the featured instrument
here. In my opinion, Hank was one of the greatest jazz musicians of
the 20th century. He was a composer, and an arranger, but his
greatest joy was teaching. One of his favorite things was the use of
odd time signatures, 5/4, 7/4, 11/8, 13/8, etc. Hank had a knack for
making these complex rhythms swing like common 4/4 tunes. This is my
humble attempt to emulate Hank, treating Born Again in his style.
It starts with 3-4-3-4-3-3-4-4, and varies 3’s and 4’s throughout the
rest of the piece. All the instruments sounds are produced by the
SC-880. It features a sax section, trumpets, trombones, guitar,
bass, and drums. I recorded the majority of the piece real time one
track at a time, but I made significant manual edits to the MIDI file in
the interest of group dynamics. I recorded all four solos (alto sax,
trumpet, flute, and baritone sax) real time using a Godin Multiac Jazz
guitar. Hank passed away on September 18, 2001. It seemed
fitting that the final solo should be a bari sax, the instrument he played
with the Stan Kenton band. |
| Stiff
Breeze (MIDI File - 61KB) |
 This is an original tune. The alto sax
carries the lead and takes a solo. There's also an overdriven guitar
solo. Accompaniment includes rhythm guitar, piano, bass, and drums,
as well as a couple of trumpets and a pair of trombones. I'm playing all
the parts (one at a time, of course). The solos were done real time (as were
the other parts, but I did substantial tweaking to the other parts to help
the individual back-up musicians perform more like a team). |
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