50th Monterey Jazz Festival
I had already heard the original version of Deb at Roger's studio (I even got to record a version,) so when he chose it for the show, I was pleased. It's a beautiful tune, and the expanded horns make it even warmer. So I built a warm, thick electric piano timbre with strings for the rubato introduction, as it seemed to fit the character of the piece. I was plagued by the mAudio keyboard, which periodically rhrows out full-volume notes instead of what your fingers actually play, and I had to work around that, a rather interesting (in the Confucian sense) challenge.
In choosing songs for this show Roger Eddy asked me if he could send me a rough mix of ballad that he wrote for his lady. When I listened to it I literally cried. I called him right away (still choked up) and he asked if we could perform it. "Are you kidding?.YES" I replied. He immediately wrote a 12 piece large band arrangement.
David "Dasher" Kempton begins the song on keyboards and it sounds like a piano with a symphony. WOW! With the flutes and saxes providing smooth backround, Roger tells his story of a reflection of love. The WAY he tells it though, makes it something we can all relate to when reflecting on the person we each personally love.
Brian Stock's fluglehorn solo reaches from deep within, contributing greatly to this piece. We all wanted to make this song very special and I think it shows. A special song from a special person dedicated to the one he loves, and she is very special indeed.
