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I'll kick off the bar again this month with a few tunes of mine.

First off is 'One Two and Three' which I have been playing around with for a few months.

One Two and Three

Next up is 'New Lifetime' , I posted the improvisation (jazz) section last year with the ending removed, a few were interested so I have included it here, the ending recorded using midi and a Yamaha SY35 synth about 25 years ago, for the time I think the sounds are pretty decent. (jump to 3:40 if you just want to listen to the ending)

New Lifetime

And just for fun here is one from the archive , this is a tune called 'Truthfully' and I can say truthfully I have no idea why. In this one a band turned up to the Bar and played some elevator music :-)
Again all recorded using midi and the Yamaha SY35 synth. Production is basic by todays standards but it was 25 years ago and I had no idea what I was doing lol.

Truthfully

Thanks for listening

Jazztpt - One, Two and Three Not a waltz as I was expecting from the title, but very, very pleasant music. I could sing along the words "One, two and three" with the first notes of the melody. The piece is lacking a lyric. EDIT: Oh, I just realized your composition must be written in 6/8 time, at least the way you are playing it sounds like that.
New Lifetime Very jazzy and freely played. A new lifetime... Isn't that what we all want?
Truthfully Very good elevator music, indeed. I would love to hear this tune when I take an elevator next time.

I recently recorded a couple of pieces by the Korean New Age composer Yiruma, I find quite nice with his treble oriented, slightly syncopated style. Here is my latest work from yesterday. I am playing this piece a little faster than Yiruma himself, trying to let it sound less “cornball”.

Yiruma, Maybe

Jazztpt, you piano playing is really expressive (since your main instrument is tpt?) You show three very different faces with these three. I like your runs and melodic sense,
Wish you would EQ these, though. One Two Three especially as it is something new.
Pianist685 don’t know this composer but I bet he would be pleased with your playing. Very light and adept.

My contribution...

https://soundcloud.com/michael-levy-387395070/bluebird-boulevard

Thanks Constantin and Mike for your comments.

Constantin - 'Yiruma , Maybe' a charming and sweet piece with I must say, impeccable playing. Very nice indeed.

MIke - One of my favourites of yours , melody and rich harmonly with some lovely voicings. I am impressed how you maintain interest throughout your pieces.
In this one , at times I was hearing Greensleeves, was it based on that at all?

Thanks for the tip on EQ, no idea what it does but I will look into it :-)

Lush Life -- Billy Strayhorn arr Nelson Riddle

Here is the first of three more submissions from the Linda Ronstadt/Nelson Riddle collaboration, covering some of the finest standards from the Great American Songbook. "Lush Life" has to be one of the most harmonically complex songs ever to make it into the standard repertoire. Apparently Billy Strayhorn wrote it in his early 20s, although it didn't make its mark until Nat King Cole recorded it in 1949 (and evidently, Strayhorn didn't like the arrangement that Cole used). Note how Riddle starts with a highly dissonant, harsh introduction that gradually morphs into the opening recitative. He otherwise IMO provides a pretty straightforward treatment of the song, but wow -- what changes!

Skylark -- Hoagy Carmichael arr Nelson Riddle

The second from the Ronstadt/Riddle collaboration is "Skylark", by Hoagy Carmichael -- IMO, one of the really underrated songwriters from the 30s and 40s. The bridge is just so exquisite harmonically; it rivals Jerome Kern's elegant writing in that regard. And Riddle provides both a wonderful introduction and conclusion to the song, IMO perfectly capturing the melancholy of the lyric.

You Took Advantage of Me -- Richard Rodgers arr Nelson Riddle

The final number from the Ronstadt/Riddle collaboration is more up-tempo in nature -- and there weren't many of those in the mix; they strongly gravitated to the torch song element of the American Songbook. "You Took Advantage of Me" is from that utter treasure trove of Rodgers and Hart standards from the 1930s. The musicals aren't much remembered any more, but the songs sure are!

Tim - really excellent rendition of this delightful song which I didn't know and had never heard before - and this caught me totally off guard because I thought I had heard almost everything by the great team of Rogers and Hart over the years...

I went to YouTube to check out versions and Linda's was there and it's a good one, and so is Ella's, but my favorite is one by the often underrated Rosemary Cloney from 1960 in an arrangement by Riddle which is great listening...

Also, Wiki tells me this song was composed in 1928 for the musical "Present Arms" (later a movie). The lyrics of the bridge seem just a tad risque for the time (or maybe not):

I'm so hot and bothered that I don't
Know my elbow from my ear
I suffer something awful each time you go
And much worse when you're near...

So, thanks much for the introduction - my own submission to the Bar this month will be another great Rogers and Hart classic song from a 30s musical, "My Funny Valentine" (as soon as I get it recorded satisfactorily).

Michael – Bluebird Boulevard A very nice, contemplative improvisation. The cloudy sunset photo seems very appropriate to the song. Wow, you have hired a whole church choir for just some short background passages.

Tim – Skylark A very tender tune, I have never heard before. And an appropriate complement to the other Carmichael song (Stardust) I posted last month. Not meant as a criticism: but could it be your piano needs some tuning?
Lush Life The arrangement is very artful, indeed, somewhat dramatic at first, impressionistic throughout the theme. I am tempted to call that “classical music” instead of “jazz”. If my memory serves, we had a rendition of this song already in an earlier Piano Bar, maybe by Riddler (not Riddle).
You took advantage of me Great, fantastic! It put me in a good mood. This Riddle arrangement you are playing is marvellous. In fact, unlike Handyman, this is the only tune of your bunch of three that I know, though I cannot remember whose version I have heard before and when.

Jazztpt,
I must confess that this style of jazz is very new to me and I find it difficult to understand its structure. I keep seeking to hear repeats of melody or motif but the music evolves as if alive! Your playing is great and I applaud your improvisations.

Ian

Pianist 685,

Very dreamy and evocative music superbly played.

Ian

IosPlayer,
I very much enjoyed all of your bluebird-boulevard up to 1:30 but then you introduced what I can only describe as "jangles". Your call of course but it made me slightly nervous.

Ian

Tim,

First thing I noticed was that in Lush Life if I'm not mistaken you have had your piano tuned? Well maybe that was the second thing as the intro had indeed very dramatic chords! What a great number and so many different recordings.

Skylark and You Took Advantage of me are in my favourites list to listen to and play. You did them all proud.

Ian

Here are the first two of my April pieces. I cannot play the kind of jazz I've been hearing here lately but it has prompted me to try some blues.

Careless Love

Trouble In Mind

Ian

Can someone confirm that they can open my two pieces without having to log in to box.com? I can do it from my desktop running Chrome browser, but my Android tablet is asking me to log in first.

Ian

It’s fine Ian. Will have a listen tomorrow.

Jazztpt,
thanks,
Ian

Here's another of the many great Rogers and Hart tunes - this one is from the 1937 hit Broadway musical "Babes in Arms", which was later made into a movie starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.

Lorenz Hart was considered by many as one of the finest lyricists ever, some putting him in the same elevated class as Cole Porter. His lyrics were invariably witty and clever, as shown by this excerpt from "Valentine":

...Your looks are laughable, un-photographable
Yet you're my favorite work of art.

Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?
...


My Funny Valentine

Beemer - two songs new to me , great relaxing listen for a Thursday afternoon with a cup of coffee. By the way you don't need to play any sort of jazz, just play what you want.