The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer: Recent Episodes
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Psalm 50 puts humanity on trial. In the first section, God, the almighty Judge, calls heaven and earth as witnesses to hear a just verdict. In verses 7-15, God addresses the faithful. Essentially, God says, “You’re doing pretty well, but remember that I want your hearts, rather than just your sacrifices of bulls and goats.” In verses 16-21, the wicked do not fare as well. God sees their hypocrisy–that they know God’s word, but take every opportunity they have for theft, adultery, and deceit. The final two verses are a summary of the chapter.
Instead of getting lost in the specifics of the Psalm (when was the last time any of you offered a bull as your offering?), I wanted to translate the heart of the Psalm for today’s worshiper. My distilled version is something like this: 1. Court is in session, and you’d better listen! 2. Offerings are fine, but God really wants your heart. 3. Don’t be a hypocrite. 4. Offer God a sacrifice of love. All of this is wrapped in the refrain, “Hear the word of the Lord”; it’s a common refrain in the Psalms, but in this case it has legal overtones: “Hear ye, hear ye, the judge will now speak and you need to pay attention!”
Musically, the song has a bit of a Medieval vibe–an SATB hymn, but robust and energetic. The most interesting thing to me is that it is unclear what key the song is in, even to me! The key signature is two flats, and the song starts on a Bb chord, but various phrases center on different key areas: D, Gm, G, and Eb, with a final chord of C. It makes sense to my ear, but I’m not sure how I’d analyze it if I had to!
Hear the word of the Lord.
Come, hear the word of the Lord!
-
The mighty God of all,
has summoned heaven and earth;
has gathered all humanity
into the court of the Lord.
Come, hear the word of the Lord! -
Do I, the God of all
need lavish sacrifice?
The only offerings I desire
are hearts that beat with love.
Come, hear the word of the Lord! -
For I can see your hearts,
even when they hide deceit.
You know my law, but live your life
as if I don’t exist.
Come, hear the word of the Lord! -
Salvation comes to those
who hear and do my word,
who offer pure and thankful hearts–
a sacrifice of love.
Come, hear the word of the Lord!
Two of my favorite pianists from Church of the Servant were planning to lead a service together, and they were looking for arrangements of congregational songs for four-handed piano. How could I say no?
If you take a gander over at my main website, you’ll find several arrangements of “Come, Holy Ghost/Be Not Afraid,” by Ray Mills and Bruce Benedict. But I didn’t recycle any of those for this arrangement. Instead, I wanted something entirely new, built from the ground up for two pianists at the same keyboard.
It is certainly a challenging arrangement, but I think it’s challenging in a good way.
You’ve already heard the recording, but I couldn’t resist posting this video that just came out. Moments like those captured in this video make me incredibly grateful to be able to be a musician, and grateful that I can be a small part of these children’s musical and spiritual formation.
Truth be told, I cried a little as I watched the video. But I wasn’t the only one! Go to 1:25 where you’ll see another man overcome with emotion. It’s kind of sweet.
I have had the good fortune of working with Wendell Kimbrough numerous times in the past decade. Our most recent collaboration dropped today. “It Is Good” is an artful musical portrayal of creation, with vocals shared by Wendell and Fernando Ortega.
I wrote the string arrangement, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out!
I thought some of you might be interested in “how the sausage is made,” as it were. The string arrangement process began with Wendell connecting me with the producer, Dan Wheeler. Dan gave me all the files I needed (rough tracks, click, etc) and conveyed the style they were looking for and how it would complement the rest of the recording. In this case, we went through five drafts before we were all satisfied. You can hear version 5 in this mock-up I created, using Dorico/NotePerformer audio of the strings layered on top of Dan’s rough mix.
A multi-string player recorded all the orchestral parts, and then I waited for Fernando to contribute his vocals, Dan to work his mixing magic, and Wendell to release the song to the public. You’ll notice that the final version doesn’t include my awesome-sauce string introduction. Yes, I was sad it was left on the cutting room floor, but I was surprised Wendell went for it in the first place. And, frankly, the final release is much more radio-ready than what I envisioned. (Though I am still holding out hope that they’ll include it on an album release!)
Here in Blogsville, I’ve set many difficult Psalms to music. They’ve included Psalms of depression, rage, retribution, and acrostics. But Psalm 45 is difficult in a new way. It is a Psalm for a royal wedding.
With apologies to The 45,
a band with a great vibe and a cool logo.It begins with an introduction, notable as the only Psalm to include the poet’s voice. (“I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”) Next is a section extolling the king’s virtues (“You are the most excellent of men… All your robes are fragrant… Daughters of kings are among your honored women…”), followed by a section about the queen’s beauty and instructions on leaving her family behind. Finally, a concluding section anticipates this royal marriage leaving a lasting legacy.
While beautiful, it poses difficulty for the congregational songwriter. It is not really about God; it is music for a wedding ceremony. Additionally, it is a wedding from a culture that extols a man’s power and a woman’s beauty. Those ideals may make for a good wedding, but not a great hymn. Yes, one can turn the Psalm into an allegory for Christ and the Church, but that feels like a cop out.
I decided to cast this as the wedding of heaven and earth, as it were. The king of Psalm 45 is certainly a foreshadowing of the Messiah, who will come to usher in a new age of heaven on earth. The queen could be interpreted as the earth and all its treasures. And their wedding could be seen as the consummation of a new age of lasting peace and justice. Yes, that is a lot of poetic license, but it allowed me to remain faithful to the Psalm (with a verse for each section of Psalm 45–introduction, king, queen, legacy), while creating a song that could be sung in a worship context.
Behold the majesty
of God’s redeeming reign!
-
My heart is stirred by a noble theme;
my pen prepares its verse.
My lungs are full, my tongue will sing
the king of heav’n and queen of earth.
Let all the people sing: Chorus -
The nations fall before your throne,
your splendored majesty.
Anoint your realm with peace and joy;
may justice claim the victory.
Let all the people sing: Chorus -
May all the beauty of this world
be offered to your reign,
to weave a cloth of heav’n and earth
that flows into eternity.
Let all the people sing: Chorus -
Oh, may this union never end,
expand from land to sea.
May justice, joy, and righteousness
remain this kingdom’s legacy.
Let all the people sing: Chorus
Carlos Colón has been a big supporter of my music over the years, as well as a good friend. For a recent concert, he commissioned an arrangement of Wendell Kimbrough’s “Mary’s Song” for 2-part children’s choir, piano, string quintet, and oboe. It turned out beautifully, as you can hear from this recording.
Random photo of Austin, because that’s where this arrangement was performed.
I began going to a yoga class this year. As you probably know, breathing is an important aspect of yoga. It’s amazing how disconnected we modern humans have become from our breath and our bodies. So I often take a few minutes during the day to concentrate on the rhythm of my inhalations and exhalations, trying to be in the moment and simply be.
Musing on how fundamental our breathing is to our being led me to compose a piece for string orchestra called “Breathe.” It is based on a repeating 20-measure chord sequence over a spoken incantation of “Breathe in. Breathe out.” It is written in the lineage of compositions like Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight”–pieces that are based not on melodic theme or harmonic movement, but on the shape and intensity of the instrumental timbres. It is not at all as easy as it sounds–it’s more like sculpting than traditional composing.
Expect to hear it played by St. Sinner Orchestra in the near future. For now, listen to the demo above or Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” below
“The Dungeon” might sound a little dark for a jazz song. Fear not! It is simply the name of a restaurant we played at last week, an inaugural performance which I commemorated with a new tune. Unfortunately, I didn’t capture the premiere performance on video. Fear not! We played the following Wednesday at Tulip City Bar & Grill in Holland, and my wife recorded it.
Enjoy Outside Pocket (Gary Mccourry on sax, Steve Talaga on piano, Evan Follmar on drums, and me on bass) performing “The Dungeon.”
A few years ago, I was asked to arrange Wendell Kimbrough’s song, “O Rejoice in All Your Works,” for wind ensemble for use at Calvin University’s commencement. It was used again this year, and the sound and videography are top-notch.
What’s that? You have a wind ensemble and would like to include the song in your university’s commencement service? Well, just saunter over to www.gregscheer.com, where you can download it for a mere $35!
For this song, I teamed up with long-time collaborator Kate Bluett. Psalm 22 is one of the most poignant of all the Psalms, in part because Jesus cried it from the cross. Because of this, most settings of the Psalm are sung from the perspective of Christ’s passion. (Which works incredibly well for a text that was written centuries before him.)
But when I proposed the collaboration to Kate, I explained that I was looking for something different: I wanted it to be sung from the perspective of someone who has suffered abuse. The thing about the Psalms is that they can give voice to emotions too difficult for us to articulate. As the country learns how a club of powerful men systematically abused vulnerable young women for decades, it seems a fitting Psalm to give voice to the voiceless.
-
My God, have you abandoned me,
or don’t you hear me call?
I bear what no one seems to see,
but don’t you see it all?
Then why do you sit silently?
O you who heard your people’s plea
and in their anguish set them free,
now let your mercy fall! -
For I am trampled as a worm,
rejected and despised,
but though my foes hold me in scorn,
on you I have relied
You held me first when I was born
and kept me safe in days before.
Oh, do not leave me so forlorn–
draw near and save my life! -
My enemies surround me now
and here I stand alone.
Where were you when they stripped me down
and numbered all my bones?
My heart sinks down into the ground–
My God, where can your help be found?
Someday the powerful will bow,
but now they stand like stones. -
My foes are wolves, and I’m the deer
who’s hunted by their horde.
Do not forsake me, but draw near
to me and all the poor.
O God, be with us in our fear,
and show your power for us here.
Someday our children yet shall hear
the kindness of the Lord.
You’re likely familiar with Freud’s theory that the psyche is structured in three parts: the Id, Ego, and Superego. The Ego is the you you think of when you think of you. The Id is your animal nature: the part of you that wants immediate gratification with food, sex, and violence. The Superego is the angel sitting on your shoulder reminding you to have patience, plan ahead, or take the high road.
What you might not know about Freud’s theory is that the German words he chose were everyday words, rather than Latin: Das Es, Ich, and Über-Ich. That is, “The It,” “I,” and “Over-I.”
From Jekyll and Hyde to Nick Lowe’s “The Beast in Me” to St. Paul’s “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do,” people have been trying to figure out what this thing is that rears its ugly head when we least expect it. Freud would call it The It.
With that in mind, I wrote “The It and I.” The song laments the shadow side that accompanies us all our days. Neither the song–nor I–have come to any conclusions about this ugly part of ourselves. Make peace with The It, my friend–It is you.
*1. The It and I.
The It and I.
By night or in the day,
I cannot get away;
my shadow never leaves my side.
The It and I.
-
The It and I.
The It and I.
I feed it or I starve
this beast inside my heart
and yet it seems he’ll never die.
The It and I. -
The It and I.
The It and I.
Why won’t it let me be?
Oh, will it ever leave?
Or will it hound me til I die?
The It and I.
I’m starting to believe it’s me.*
This jazz-pop tune has been languishing on my hard drive for months. A few things kept me from finishing it:
The first was that the recording simply wasn’t gelling. I imagined the song to be an understated, funky tune driven by electric piano. As you know, my keyboard abilities are woeful. I just couldn’t get my fingers around the complicated chords and extensions in a way that pushed the recording forward.
The second reason it remained dormant for four months was my doubts about how good it was as a composition. I liked the angular melody above simple chords and the sudden shifts into new tonal areas every 8 or 16 measures. But did it have a spark?–that je ne sais quoi that I want for each of my songs?
Finally, I felt insecure about releasing a song about my insecurities. We all want to curate an image of ourselves that makes us look good. Even a song about being bad can put the protagonist in a positive light: “I’ve changed for the better,” “I was wronged but heroically rose above it,” “I’m a tragic genius or a mysterious bad boy.”
One of my commitments here at my musical diary is to forego the posing and the polish, simply releasing music in its raw form. The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer: what music looks like when it wakes up in the morning!
How did I overcome my deficiencies, doubts, and insecurities to finish the song? First, I moved away from my mediocre piano playing to my less mediocre guitar playing. Eventually, I’ll record this with a real pianist, but for now, the repeated electric guitar quarter notes get the job done. I also put the bass way up in the mix; play to your strengths and all that. I had left room for a solo in the middle of the song, but once again decided I wasn’t up to the task. Instead, I found a graduation speech from Jon Batiste that addressed the very kind of musical outsiderness that the lyrics talk about. It was encouraging to hear such a fine musician discuss the resilience it takes to be your own person and how rejection can strengthen your vision. Thank you, Jon! I ended the song with a rising chorus of harmonies–simple, but cool.
So there you have it: a song that has overcome adversity to make its way into the world. I don’t know if it will be a colossal failure or a runaway hit, but it’s part of the exploration that is invaluable to my growth as a composer.
How many times am I going to try
before I just give in?
How long can I find
the strength to begin again?
How many doors have I knocked on
and still not been let in?
How long will I stand
on the outside looking in?
Where can I find the keys to this gate?
What do I have to do?
So far I haven’t had any luck.
I haven’t got a clue.
So I knock and I call
and I pound and I shout
and I do it again and again.
And I scratch and I dig
and I walk all around
and I’m looking for any way in.
Oh, I knock and I call
and I pound and I shout
and I do it again and again.
But it’s always the same
and I always end up
on the outside looking in.
A friend sent me this lovely Chinese communion song and a literal translation by a missionary/translator. There is no better way to procrastinate than to translate, arrange, and record a new global hymn, so I set to work!
The key to translating a song is to get the spirit of the song, rather than just the words. Is the song highbrow or heartfelt? What is the rhyme scheme in the original language–or is there one? Is the music simple or complicated? All these questions come into play when “transplanting” a song from one culture to another.
“One with the Lord” is a simple chorus with no surprises or sophisticated nuances. And yet, in its simplicity it is lovely and immensely singable. You’ll notice that the lyrics are all in first person. I’m not always a fan of “Jesus and me” communion songs, but I’ll make an exception for this authentic expression of personal prayer. One of the difficulties was that meter is 6.6.6.4. With lines that short–and distinct breaks between each line–it’s hard to fit all of the Chinese lyric’s meaning into so few English syllables. In cases like this, I always choose singability over correct grammar.
I would love to hear from anyone who has sung the song in its original language or know where the song originated!
- Christ gave himself for me–
body and blood for me.
The bread and cup I see
come from our Lord.
Christ broke the bread of life,
poured out salvation’s wine.
I eat and drink and I’m
one with the Lord.
- I have been crucified.
My sin is dead in Christ.
And yet I am alive–
alive for God.
I am made new in Christ.
Darkness gives way to light.
Christ has become my life.
Glory to God!
Psalm 26 is like the prayer version of Psalm 1. Whereas Psalm 1 states “Blessed is the one…” (who does not walk, stand, or sit with the wicked), Psalm 26 makes it personal: “I do not…” (sit or associate with evildoers). On the one hand, it is not flattering to hear someone extol their own virtues. On the other hand, the Psalmist is praying an honest prayer many of us have prayed: “God, I really try to do the right thing–please save me from the trouble I’m in!”
What drew my attention most as I poured over Psalm 26 is the final verse: “My feet stand on level ground.” Many Psalms talk about God putting them on solid rock, but only this and Psalm 143 use the phrase “level ground.” It echoes the words of Isaiah 40: “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” To me, the image says that God is making a way, clearing a path for us. I like that.
This “level ground” image seemed to ask for confident, relaxed music. I chose a 6/8 gospel groove which allows for a bit of crooning while still having some twists and turns that keep things from getting schmalzy. I especially like how verse 4 shifts harmonically, mirroring the impassioned cry for mercy, then returns to the level ground of the final chorus.
You have set my feet upon steady ground.
I am standing firm in my refuge strong.
Let the saints join in, let their praise resound.
We are upheld by our God.
-
Uphold me, O God, for I’ve trusted in you.
Test me, for my faith has not faltered.
You know me, and my heart is forever true. Chorus -
Uphold me in your love, for I’m living in you.
You’re faithful and you keep me from evil.
It beckons, but you always have led me through. Chorus -
Lord, cleanse me again and your wonders I will tell.
I’ll praise you in the midst of your people,
proclaiming your great love where your glory dwells. Chorus -
Lord, don’t leave my soul to strangers
who scheme throughout the night.
Lord, redeem me, keep me blameless,
have mercy on my life! Chorus
The World Council of Churches recently put out a call for musical settings of The Nicene Creed for their 2025 conference which will commemorate the 1700 years since the gathering at Nicea that produced this creed.
How could I say no?
I composed a setting of the Apostle’s Creed years ago but have never tackled the much longer Nicene Creed. Writing a song based on a text like this is daunting: there are no metrical patterns or rhymes to guide the music–just words.
I started by composing a very simple refrain of “We believe” to be sung before and after each section of the creed. This gives a congregation an easy way to engage the song right away. Each section–God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit–uses the verbatim text of the creed.
To shape this prose text into something singable I utilized lots of melodic sequences that are easy to follow even upon first hearing–this is no time for clever melodies with wide intervals! Music coherence is achieved by chains of harmonic progressions that give the music forward motion and repeated harmonies that give the ear some structure. Even though the setting is based on repetition and simplicity, I was able to throw in some interesting twists and turns that keep things fresh.
Who knows? Maybe this will be my big hit. I’m sure no one expected Malotte’s “Lord’s Prayer” would be so successful!
We believe in one God,
the Father, the almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Unlike its neighbors, Psalm 40 (“I waited patiently”) and 42 (“As the deer”), Psalm 41 has no memorable catchphrases or popular songs based on it. But that doesn’t mean it should be ignored!
Psalm 41 is a prayer for healing. It seems even the Psalmist believes the illness is due to sin. The dire circumstances cause the Psalmist to pray fervently, trusting God to forgive and heal. Unfortunately, others use this as an opportunity to kick him while he’s down. You can almost feel the Schadenfreude as enemies wait for him to die, cheerfully gossiping and expecting even the Psalmist’s memory to vanish. Even his friends take part in the hate-mongering. Still the Psalmist trusts, announcing a miraculous restoration even on what appears to be a death bed.
My setting of the Psalm focuses on the weak: “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.” This strikes me as very similar to Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” God has always sided with the poor, the weak, and the outsiders. Psalm 41 indicates that God will care for those who help the weak when they experience their own time of need.
- Have mercy, O my God!
I’ve sinned, but you can heal.
My enemies encircle me
to watch me disappear.
Blessed are the weak,
and those who care for the weak.
God will care for them in their time of need.
God bless the weak.
God bless the weak.
-
I hear them whispering now:
“He earned this grave disease.
He’ll never rise from where he lies.”
And even friends agree. -
But you, my one true friend–
you’ve heard and will restore.
You’ll raise me up in power and love
and keep me evermore.
Blessed be the One
who hears our deep lament.
Eternal, everlasting God:
Amen. Amen.
As you may know, the St. Sinner Orchestra has a new CD coming out. As I contemplated ways we might promote it, I reluctantly considered an unboxing video. For those of you who have been sequestered in a cave without access to TikTok, an unboxing video is exactly what it sounds like: a video of someone opening a box. Usually, the box has a shiny new tech product inside, but sometimes the focus is on clothing, toys, or games.
As much as I loathe these totems to consumerism, I decided to play along. At St. Sinner’s CD release concert on July 27, I will not only unbox the new CDs in front of a live audience–I will sing a brand new unboxing theme song, accompanied by the orchestra.
“How does he do it?” You ask. “How does he turn the mundane into art?!” A better question might be why I do it… While you’re pondering that question, you might want to peruse the long line of odd songs I’ve written through the years.
*Unboxing video,
unboxing video,
we’re gonna open a box!
Unboxing video,
unboxing video,
come on, let’s open a box!
Let’s open a box!*
I’m a huge fan of Chet Baker, especially when he sings or performs with orchestra. One of my favorites is a mopey ballad called “Everything Happens to Me,” written by Tom Adair and Matt Dennis. It hilariously bemoans the unrequited love of the unluckiest person in the world: “I’ve telegraphed and phoned / I sent an Airmail Special too / Your answer was ‘Goodbye’ / And there was even postage due.”
I pick up a little of that vibe in my new song, “But I Do.” It all started with a musical phrase that suggested the lyric, “You don’t, but I do.” From there I spun the tale of a melancholic pessimist who is either lying awake thinking about the latest catastrophe or anticipating the next one. The only solace for our hapless protagonist is that living a life of angst and disappointment is more interesting than the lives of those who are confident and content.
So get your mope on with “But I do”!
-
Do you have sleepless nights?
Well, I do.
Wake up still in a crisis?
Me, too!
After all these years, you’d think
that I would have learned.
But every day I seem to sink
from bad to worse.
Oh, aren’t you lying awake
like I do?
Maybe you don’t,
but I do. -
Have you figured life out?
Well, not me.
You’re so sure of yourself,
well, we’ll see.
You exude such confidence,
such charm, and such poise.
You’ve got the brains and looks, for sure,
but you’re boring.
Maybe perfect’s a tad annoying.
But maybe that’s just me. -
No one wallows in angst
like I do.
Morose or just being frank?
Well, you choose.
If I walk the sunny side
of the street it will rain.
I try to see the glass half full,
but empty’s winning.
You don’t wait for the next shoe·
to drop, too.
Well, you don’t, but I do.
Forever ago, Outside Pocket played a show for which Olivia Vargas was the opener. The week of, she posted a video of a new song she had written for the concert. I had hoped to surprise her with a companion tune–something that echoed the bluesy feel of her new song–but I just couldn’t bring things together in time for the show.
That draft has been sitting in my idea folder for months. After a few false starts, I finished the song today. I’m still not sure what to think about it: It’s instrumental, but not jazz in the traditional sense. I could hear it being performed by a jazz/blues sax player backed up by a gritty, groovin’ Soul/R&B rhythm section. But I didn’t have that at my disposal today, so I recorded the demo with electric guitar, Rhodes, nylon string guitar, bass, and programmed drums.
And yes, the opening riff is from Three Dog Nights’ “One Is the Loneliest Number.”
I was surprised to discover I hadn’t set Psalm 63 to music yet. Perhaps I shied away because I thought the competition would be fierce for a Psalm like this; it is a Psalm full of beautiful sentiments that fairly beg to be sung:
“I thirst for you.”
“My whole being longs for you.”
“Your love is better than life.”
“I sing in the shadow of your wings.”
Interestingly, there are relatively few songs based on Psalm 63 given its popularity:
“Step by Step,” made famous by Rich Mullins
“O God, You Are My God Alone” by the Iona Community
“My Soul Is Thirsting” by Michael Joncas (my favorite)
As I sat down with the Psalm, I was immediately struck by its yearning tone. There is a strong sense of longing throughout. Too often, our faith is fueled by duty, guilt, or habit. It is refreshing to hear the Psalmist expressing faith in such a passionate way. I decided the best musical style to portray this passion would be jazz. Jazz has juicy chords and unresolved melody notes that make it a rich emotional palette. In fact, in the first 6 bars, the melody is made up almost entirely of notes that don’t match the chord. This creates a sense of longing that never quite resolves. I know this elusive quality will make the song hard for congregations to sing; it may be more appropriate sung by the music leaders only.
- You, O God, you are my God.
With all my heart I’m seeking you.
My thirsty soul, it longs for you.
I have beheld your glory.
My life is filled with your love.
With every breath I am singing.
My hands, I am lifting.
I’ll never stop praising you.
- For you, O God, you are my God.
Throughout the night I dwell on you.
And though I sleep, I dwell with you.
I shelter here in the shadows,
secure beneath your wing.
I cling to you for my safety
from all those who hate me.
I’ll never stop praising you.
- For you, O God, you are my God.
With all I am, I rejoice in you.
O God, my joy is found in you.
This is the second “slice of life” song co-written with Tammy Moody. This time Tammy turned to Philippians 3:13 for her inspiration: “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on…” One of the things I especially like about the lyrics are that you wouldn’t necessarily know the song was based on a scripture–it works on its own as a song about a down-on-her-luck woman who chooses to look forward in hope rather than backward with regret.
I was really excited to write the music for this one because I got to channel my inner Los Lobos. That is not an everyday request! It felt good to plug in my Strat and get out my tambourine to create a jangly roots rock recording.
- glancing back,
you saw tuesday standin’ there
peering out the opened red door
on the right
empty candy wrapper held
cigarette-like, tight
turned around
only reminders you got
turned around
failure is followin’ you
turned around burnt out cinders
there is nothin’ left for you
- glancing back,
you saw tuesday standin’ there
lips pursed thin and folding
in to the slightest smirk
dancing bony fingers
tap on your new plaid skirt
turned around
only reminders you got
turned around
failure is followin’ you
turned around burnt out cinders
there is nothin’ left for you
turn it down, this noise inside my head
tell me now is any of it true?
Lord, turn it down, down,
the noise inside my head,
shoutin’ there is nothing left for you.
- glancing up ahead
and sunday’s standin’
there you look straight at chaos
stop starin’ at the ground
tune inside is hummin’ girl,
don’t look back now
in front of you
only reminders
in front of you
mercy is waitin’ you
in front of you God’s hot embers
there’s a fire lit inside of you
Tammy Moody and I have been collaborating for quite some time. Much of our past work has been on hymns, but recently she has begun to stretch into new areas. Her newer texts are still inspired by scripture, but instead of paraphrasing them, she distills them into images and slice-of-life vignettes.
In this song, she turns Mark 10:14 (…“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these”) into a scene in which a girl experiences the uninhibited joy of catching fireflies at night. I especially like the way here-and-now light of fireflies in her mayonnaise jar connects to the countless stars in the night sky.
When Tammy sent me the lyrics, she referenced The Wailin’ Jennys as the music style she heard in her head–simple, honest, beautiful folk music. I hope I captured a little of their inspiration like our song’s protagonist scooped up fireflies in her jar.
-
in her hand, a firefly
at her wiggly toes, a jar
mayonnaise jar that mama washed
to hold sparklers from the sky
tiny holes poked in its lid
so her treasure wouldn’t die
so her treasure wouldn’t die
firefly -
little hands twist loose the top
sliding lightning storm inside
held it high above her head
spinning with a giggly bop
summer’s sticky night litup
face as sweet as soda pop
face as sweet as soda pop
firefly -
skipping, rhyming free and wild
let the children come to me
wonder, joy jump double dutch
twirling, twirling all the while
every twinkling firefly
lights the stars in heaven’s smile
lights the stars in heaven’s smile
firefly
firefly lights the stars in heaven’s sky
Psalm 31 has a place in Holy Week worship because Jesus quoted it from the cross: “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” Though verses 9-13 give a glimpse into the terror of the cross, much of the Psalm focuses on trust in God’s deliverance with images like refuge, fortress, trust, and (safe in your) dwelling. It ends with the admonition: “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” It is a great comfort to me to know that I can meditate and hope in the same scriptures that Jesus recited in his time of deepest distress.
I asked Kate Bluett to work with me on this Psalm and she wrote a lovely setting of the text. It captures not only the heart of the Psalm, but also the structure, from plea for help, to description of affliction, to final words of hope.
Kate had mentioned to me her surprise at how triumphal the Psalm is, given its place in the passion narrative. I assumed this triumph would manifest itself in a rousing, sturdy melody. Instead, I found myself writing a flowing, confident tune that is full of quiet courage.
-
In your shadow is my refuge–
let me not be put to shame.
In your righteousness, my shelter–
listen and make haste to save!
In your name, what joy to hear it,
all my trust, O guard and guide.
In your hands I place my spirit:
O God of truth, redeem my life! -
I have not served gold or idols;
no, I place my trust in you.
You who see my pain and trials,
surely you will see me through.
Though my days wear out in sorrow,
though my years wind down in sighs,
still you hold all my tomorrows.
O God of truth, redeem my life! -
See my brothers and my sisters
turn away from me in fear.
Every day I hear their whispers;
shame surrounds me everywhere.
Yet I trust in you forever–
yes, your light on me will shine.
They forget, but you remember:
O God of truth, redeem my life! -
In your goodness to your children,
I sit down as to a feast.
In your presence I am hidden,
safe from all my enemies.
Though I said in fear and hurting,
I was cut off from your sight,
yet you heard me in your mercy:
The God of truth redeemed my life!
On Thursday, I’ll lead an assembly called “Help Me Write a Jazz Song” at a local elementary school. I’ll tell them what a composer does and what it takes to write a song. Then I’ll tell them about my plan to release a jazz album for children named Just Kidding. I’ll play them a few songs I’ve already written, then enlist their help finding subjects they’d like to hear songs about. Finally, we’ll take one of their ideas and start writing a song.
illustration courtesy of https://www.wannapik.com/In preparation for Thursday, I’m feverishly finishing some song ideas that have been hanging around for far too long. Case in point: “Brush Your Teeth.” This delightful little ode to oral hygiene includes the word “gingivitis” and a melodica solo. Pretty much a slam dunk by any estimation.
- Brush your teeth.
They are the only ones you’ve got.
Brush your teeth.
You think it’s hard, but it’s not.
You might think it hurts,
but dentures are far worse!
Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth.
- Brush your teeth,
‘cause gingivitus is a drag.
Brush your teeth.
You need to listen to your mom and dad.
‘Cause, when you brush and floss
your mouth feels like a boss.
Brush your teeth, brush your teeth, brush your teeth.
As I explained in a previous blog post, Kate Bluett’s rendition of Psalm 28 was so good that it needed two musical versions to bring out the nuances of the text.
I named this hymn tune “ROCKY” because of its sturdy musical feel and the references to God as the Rock in the text. It made sense that the other tune–so shifty and slippery–should be called “SANDY.” I still can’t decide which I like better. ROCKY is muscular and to the point, and likely easier for congregations to sing. SANDY is more sophisticated musically but may be more suited to a soloist.
I will let you decide. Feel free to leave a comment explaining which is your favorite and why.
-
My God, the Rock on which I stand,
I cry to you in need.
My refuge, see me lift my hands:
Do not be deaf to me!
Not silent as the stony ground,
unmoving when I cry:
Into the pit I shall go down
if stone-like you stand by. -
Do not cast me away, O Lord,
with those whose tongues are sharp,
who speak of peace and long for war
within their hardened hearts.
Give them instead what they deserve,
and tear their evil down.
Let them and all their wicked works
lie scattered on the ground! -
But you, O God, are stone and strength;
our refuge never fails.
You bear us up the breadth and length
of all our days and cares.
Blest be the Lord who heard my cry:
my strength, my shield, my Rock.
Oh, let my song rise up on high
to praise the might of God!
I asked Kate Bluett if she would be willing to write a new Psalm text on one of the Psalms I haven’t yet set to music. She came through with skill and style!
Psalm 28 is a three-part prayer. It begins with a plea to help the righteous, continues by contrasting the fate of the wicked, and ends with preemptive praise to the God who saves. Kate follows this structure in her beautiful rendition of the Psalm. Notice how she teases out the image of God the Rock, as opposed to the stony silence of a god who doesn’t hear people’s prayers.
I actually wrote four tunes for Kate’s text as I tried to imagine how to bring the song to life. I quickly threw out two of them, but I simply couldn’t decide between the other two. The first (this one) is a jazzy melody that never quite comes to rest in relation to the chords. This gives the song a mournful, prayerful character that brings out the pathos of Kate’s text. The other tune (wait for a separate blog post) is more rustic and forceful, which gives the song confidence in the midst of a trial.
-
My God, the Rock on which I stand,
I cry to you in need.
My refuge, see me lift my hands:
Do not be deaf to me!
Not silent as the stony ground,
unmoving when I cry:
Into the pit I shall go down
if stone-like you stand by. -
Do not cast me away, O Lord,
with those whose tongues are sharp,
who speak of peace and long for war
within their hardened hearts.
Give them instead what they deserve,
and tear their evil down.
Let them and all their wicked works
lie scattered on the ground! -
But you, O God, are stone and strength;
our refuge never fails.
You bear us up the breadth and length
of all our days and cares.
Blest be the Lord who heard my cry:
my strength, my shield, my Rock.
Oh, let my song rise up on high
to praise the might of God!
In honor of Judah Guerra’s inaugural Jazz Jam at the Rez, I wrote a little tune called “Judah’s Jam.” As you can hear from this video, he assembled a stellar group of musicians who slayed it all night long!
I obsessed about the tune all weekend long, thinking I should do a major re-write, but it went so well that I think I’ll just leave it as is.
After a long absence (from blog posting, not from composing), I am back with a series of new jazz tunes. You may be aware that my jazz group, Outside Pocket, just came out with an album titled Grace Notes. But … Continue reading →
Sorry I haven’t been posting regularly lately. Sometimes the music business gets in the way of the music itself… I’m back with a new Psalm. This draft has been in my idea folder since 2020 when I read that Psalm … Continue reading →
I had an idea for a jazz tune: it would be a minor blues in A minor, but instead of heading to the D minor chord as its next move, it would move down to a G minor. [I know, I know, what an exciting life I live with all these important decisions.]
Well, I had it pretty much done–I had even named it “Mode Blue”–when I began playing around with the chords and found myself writing a completely different tune over the same harmonic sequence. The new tune was equally fetching. I couldn’t decide between the two.
But wait… Something began to change. The new tune started to feel different. It didn’t want to be a minor blues swing at all! It wanted to be more of a smooth jazz tune. Who was I to argue? Since it was no longer a blues, I named it “Blue Turned Green.”
Maybe someday I’ll record “Mode Blue” and put the two songs side by side so you can decide which one you like better.
In Psalm 17, the Psalmist is being pursued by enemies and calls to God for help. The six-part Psalm includes an initial appeal for God to hear, a proclamation of innocence, a petition (save me!), an accusation of the wicked, another petition, and a final word of confidence that God will save.
Psalm 17 is not really for adults only,
but your kids probably won’t like it very much.While I’m sympathetic to the Psalmist’s plight, the bulk of the Psalm is taken up with the Psalmist explaining to God just how good he is (“If you try my heart…you will find no wickedness in me”) and just how bad the enemies are (“They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly”).
Samuel Terrien claims the song is chiastic (a mirrored text joined at the most important verse) focusing on verse 7, which he translates as: Make a miracle of love! That phrase became “Show me the wonder of your love” in this new song, and became my way into the entire Psalm. Once I had the refrain, I built around it with a six-part structure that mirrors the original.
And there you have it, your new favorite musical rendition of Psalm 17!
- Lord, listen to my cry.
Hear me, O God of might.
Don’t let me suffer defeat.
You know I’ve always tried
to walk the path that’s right
and keep my heart from deceit.
I call on you, O God who listens,
hear my honest plea.
If you don’t save me, no one will.
Come rescue me.
Come rescue me.
Show me the wonder of your love.
Save me when I’m pursued.
Make me a miracle of trust.
Let me find me refuge in you.
Let me find me refuge in you.
- When I from danger flee,
God, hide me in your wings.
Only your strength keeps me safe.
So many enemies
are all surrounding me,
ready to pounce on their prey.
Rise up, O Lord, and overthrow
the ones attacking me.
God, prove your power. Prove your love
and set me free.
Come, set me free.
Show me the wonder of your love.
Save me when I’m pursued.
Make me a miracle of trust.
Let me find me refuge in you.
Let me find me refuge in you.
Show me the wonder of your love.
Let me look on your face.
Fill me with your holy light.
And remain with me all my days.
And remain with me all my days.
A few months ago, I accompanied my wife to Detroit. She attended training for a new job while I stayed behind as a “hotel husband.” Since I had only a bass to work out my musical ideas, I gravitated toward ideas that were playable on that majestic, yet cumbersome instrument.
I called this song “Americana” because it has so many echoes of classic American folk tunes and their roots. It is expansive like “Oh, Shenandoah,” pentatonic like “Were You There,” and bears the same four starting notes as “O Danny Boy.” It is not jazz in the traditional sense, but as you can hear in this recording it lends itself well to improvisation.
Shenandoah Valley
I’ve been reading Faith, Hope, and Carnage by Nick Cave. I highly recommend it. In a series of interviews with Seán O’Hagan, Cave discusses his artistic process, the death of his son, and the way his faith has changed and grown in recent years. I’ve found it immensely inspiring.
Even though neither is “orthodox,” Cave leans toward Christianity and O’Hagan leans toward agnosticism. This makes for some interesting dialogue. At one point, O’Hagan pushes against Cave’s superstition about life’s mysteries, to which Cave responds “Perhaps it is a kind of delusion, I don’t know, but if it is, it is a necessary and benevolent one.” I love that line, and immediately wrote down the phrase, “A Beautiful Delusion.”
You may remember that I’m on a quest to write jazz with deeper lyrics than the typical themes of romance and unrequited love. I thought “A Beautiful Delusion” would be a perfect fit. One of the things I love about the way this song came out is that the first verse could actually be a love song in which a suitor tries to woo a love interest: “You think I’m crazy, but if you listen to your heart you’ll know that we could be lovers.” But verse 2-3 move on to “if you listen to your heart you’ll know there is too much mystery, beauty, joy, and pain in life for humanity to be mere configurations of carbon responding to the world via the chemical soup bowl known as our brain.”
While the lyrical subject is heady, the music is simple and pretty. In fact, when we played it instrumentally at our weekly restaurant gig, a patron rushed up and asked the name of the song. She thought it was a tune from a musical!
Lest you think composing and performing music is always serious, I’ve included an outtake from Thursday’s recording. Even though Ed and Susan are great musicians, there are always snafus when reading a new song. Below is our false start, a conversation about how the song should actually begin, and the successful restart of the song. When I say, “Don’t talk!” I’m not being misogynistic. I’m kidding Susan because every time we record a song she’ll lean over to me and say something during the recording. But even my stern warning didn’t work; you’ll hear on the full recording that she turns to me and says, “So pretty!” at 1:58. I guess the recording could be interrupted in worse ways…
- A beautiful delusion–
maybe that’s all it is.
An innocent confusion–
that there might be more than this.
A beautiful delusion–
that’s all it is to you.
And though you may be right,
is it your heart or just your mind
that can’t believe it’s true?
- A beautiful delusion?
Look all around, you’ll see
a thousand aching beauties,
a million mysteries.
A billion stars are shining.
You catch your breath with awe.
When your heart wants to explode
with all the longing in your soul,
it doesn’t seem delusional at all.
- Ineffable illusion,
a faint remembered dream,
a sorrow for no reason,
a joy inside a pain.
Questions that search for answers
and hearts that yearn for love.
Oh, how do you explain
the little magic of each day?
Maybe this delusion’s enough.
From my Psalm 15 study notes:
I’ve got to admit: it’s almost depressing reading Psalm 15. Not only is it works righteousness, but it sets the bar impossibly high. Who may dwell in God’s sanctuary? No one…
I believe that if we’re going to take God’s Word seriously, we have to begin with what the text actually says. Too often, we’re quick to explain away something as allegory because we don’t like its primary message. (Song of Solomon, anyone?). Having said that, we also need to dig beneath the surface if we’re going to let the Spirit speak to us through scripture.
Psalm 15 initially struck me as a spiritual checklist for those who want to be close to God: be blameless, speak honestly, don’t take bribes, and hate the wicked. I thought to myself, “How in the world am I going to write a song based on this Psalm?” Perhaps recast it as a confession? (“Forgive us for not living up to these godly traits.”) Or answer the question “who may dwell?” with the answer “Jesus–the only truly perfect One.” “How can we dwell? Only through Jesus.”
In the end, I decided to turn the Psalm into a prayer of devotion. The chorus is a prayer of aspiration, “Lord, may I dwell with you?” and the verses pray for the strength and guidance to live the godly life outlined in the Psalm. The music is in a simple, Taizé-like style, with verses chanted over the chorus. This also allows the chorus to be used independently as a scripture song, focusing on the deeper message of the Psalm: a desire to dwell in God’s presence, knowing God as a refuge and our true home.
Lord, may I dwell with you?
Lord, may I dwell with you?
Lord, may I know your refuge, my home.
Lord, may I dwell with you?
1. Who may remain in your presence?
Who may live in your holy place?
The blameless, the righteous, and those who speak truth.
Lord, may I dwell with you?
2. Lord, may my tongue speak no ill;
let me do my neighbor no wrong,
pay no heed to the proud, but honor the just.
Lord, may I dwell with you?
3. Lord, help me keep my word.
Let me be generous and honest.
Keep me secure in your perfect will.
Lord, may I dwell with you?
I’m posting this Psalm two days after the Superbowl, which has given people 48 hours to register their disgust at Rihanna’s halftime show. Clutching their pearls and a bag of chips, they have declared it indecent. Perverse. I really don’t have an opinion about that. (Except maybe you shouldn’t be watching the Superbowl if you’re that easily offended.)
I just realized I’m posting Psalm 14 on February 14. Happy Valentines Day!At first blush, Psalm 14 seems almost as catty as the Rihanna haters. The Psalmist comes out swinging, calling the godless “fools,” “abominable,” “perverse,” and “evil.” Ouch. However, this vitriol is not aimed at random unbelievers (or entertainers who sing suggestive songs), it is reserved for those “who eat my people as they eat bread” and who would “confound the plans of the poor.”
This is a good lesson for those who would engage in culture wars. God gets angry, but not with people who simply don’t believe. No, God gets angry with those who harm the ones he loves–especially the poor. And beautifully, we don’t have to get angry or fight these people; we just have to run to God for refugee.
RiRi, I’ve got your back. I just hope one day you’ll stand under God’s umbrella (ella, ella, eh, eh, eh)*
In times of disbelief and doubt,
corruption and alarm,
the Lord looks down from heaven
to judge the human heart.
The strong devour the innocent
like gluttons gorge on bread.
O God, have mercy on the weak–
give refuge, once again.
We wait for you, our Savior,
to rescue us, once more.
Restore us to your favor;
renew us in your joy.
Renew us in your joy.
*Sorry. I couldn’t resist.
Whenever I get the chance to work with Kate Bluett, I jump at the opportunity. She has a knack for writing hymns that are fresh and insightful, yet draw a worshiper’s attention to the subject rather than the words.
In this case, I told her I would welcome any new Psalm songs she’d like to send my way. Within three days, there was a new rendering of Psalm 108 in my inbox. As I told her in my reply, anyone who rhymes “thrum” and “done” is okay in my book. (Please, let’s call a moratorium on God/sod, sin/within, and died/crucified!)
Since this is a Psalm of morning praise, I wanted the music to be bright and airy. The melody leaps and dives like a brisk ride through a hilly landscape at sunrise. The harmonies float under the melody until finally coming to rest in the interlude. It is a short, simple song, but beautifully satisfying. (If I don’t say so myself.)
-
O God, my heart is ready
to rise and sing your praise.
My soul in you is steadfast;
my song will wake the day.
My pulse reverberating
your name in every thrum,
so I will tell the nations
the wonders you have done. -
For I have seen your mercy
that towers to the skies,
and I will know your justice
at last when you arise.
But is my hope now fading?
Shall I not see your love?
O God, my heart is waiting:
When will you shine above? -
The earth is but your footstool,
and heaven is your throne:
Then save your earth from misrule,
whose hope is you alone!
When human strength is helpless,
our hearts turn back to you.
O God, come and defend us
who triumph in your truth!
There are many, many ways to set the Psalms to music. Some of the most popular choices include metrical, responsorial, and verbatim Psalm settings. Each approach has its merits and I try to use a variety of approaches from Psalm to Psalm and sometimes even mix and match within a Psalm. What I really want is an approach that honors the original Psalm text–including its form–while making the song understandable to the common churchgoer.
When I began working on Psalm 11, I quickly ruled out a word-for-word lyrical setting. Some of the Psalm’s meanings are obscure (scholars can’t agree who is suggesting that the Psalmist flee like a bird, for example), some of it is archaic (arrows are not high on my list of fears), and some is vitriol that probably shouldn’t be included in group singing (“the wicked…he hates with a passion; fiery coals, burning sulfur, and scorching wind will be their lot”).
The Psalm’s primary message seems to be that there are a lot of scary things out there; even some of what you thought was a firm foundation is no longer reliable, but God is still in control. I decided to use verse 4 “The Lord is in his holy temple” as the primary chorus image: “Our God is still on the throne.” From there I fleshed out the verses using as many of the images in the original Psalm as I could. I’ve included a side-by-side comparison below so you can see how the original Psalm was transformed into a song.
VERSE 1
When my heart tries to sing
in the shadow of your wings,
but my fear’s all I hear:
fly away, fly away.
And when doubt fills my soul,
feel I’m losing control,
and even friends want to know
why I stay.
CHORUS
Our God is still on the throne.
We are not alone,
for God sees us, God hears us;
we are not alone.
From the heavens, our God reigns,
and his children see his face.
While the ones who’d do them violence
fade away, fade away.
Oh, our God is bringing justice, holiness, and love.
Our God is still on the throne.
VERSE 2
When the night closes in
and the shadows grow thick,
and I don’t know what dangers
await.
When the foundations I had
start to crumble where I stand.
And everything feels like sinking sand.
One of the keys to composing is filling a need. Break up songs? Dime a dozen. Songs about Toothpaste? There’s plenty of room there for newcomers. Settings of Psalm 23? Yours needs to be better than the hundreds of well-loved versions that have already been written. But if you set Psalm 7 to music, yours might be the most popular, simply because the competition is so thin.
The same is true with jazz. When working on a new song, I try to write something that will fit the musicians well while filling a gap in the existing repertoire. For example, our violinist loves to play Hoagy Charmichael’s “Georgia.” It’s an irresistible song that lets her get her fiddle on. It also fills a need in a lot of setlists: songs in “two” that bridge the gap between upbeat swing and full-on ballads. But you can only play “Georgia” so many times.
Goodbye “Georgia.” Hello “Charlotte”!
“Charlotte” is close to Georgia on the map and it’s similar to “Georgia” in musical style. Though it shares the easy swing feel and opening rising minor third of “Georgia,” it quickly parts musical ways. Some of the traits that make “Charlotte” “Charlotte” are the syncopated rising lines that end each phrase of the melody and a few sudden shifts in harmony, especially in the B section. Those shifts tripped up the musicians during solos because the song was brand new to them. I have no doubt it will become second nature when “Charlotte” takes its rightful place in the pantheon of jazz standards.*
*That was a joke.
“Sehnsucht,” is the German word for “longing.” It connotes more than a garden variety longing, though. It carries the deeper sense of longing for something that is out of reach or a longing that can’t even be put into words.
I decided to name the song “Sehnsucht” because the melody is built on a series of non-harmonic notes that give it a deep sense of yearning–of reaching but never quite arriving.
This recording has all the background noise and botched notes you’d expect from sight-reading a new song in a restaurant, but hopefully you can hear the longing in this jazz ballad despite the racket.
Here we are, starting the year off right with a new song!
I was away in Detroit with my wife this week. She was training for a new job, so we decided it would be fun to work during the day and vacation at night. I didn’t expect to compose anything while I was away. My plan was to catch up on business and bass practice. (The hotel guests and staff were probably surprised to hear the sound of a string bass coming from one of the rooms!)
Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman’s hotel husbandThe fact is, though, that when I play I usually end up writing something, too. In this case, I jotted down some ideas for a simple jazz tune. I was inspired by listening to Oscar Peterson’s Night Train. The songs are so simple but are a wonderful launching pad for the musicians to solo. I began to think of the many great jazz tunes that are short and simple–Solar, Blue Bossa, All Blues, etc–they are no more than 16 measures long but they pack perfection into such a tight frame.
While I wouldn’t call “Hotel Husband” perfection, I was pleased that it was compact, coherent, and (dare I say) quite a pleasant tune.
You may be wondering how I got the title “Hotel Husband.” You’ve heard of a “stay-at-home dad” or maybe a “house husband” of a working woman. Jen decided that coming back to me in our hotel room made me her “hotel husband.”
One final song for 2022.
An Indonesian friend introduced me to this setting of Psalm 23, which he’ll use in his ordination service. It’s simple, lovely, and has some interesting melodic twists and turns. Since I was learning it anyway, I decided to translate it into English so that those of us outside Indonesia could enjoy it. This wasn’t as easy as it sounds, because Indonesian uses many more syllables than English to say the same thing!
While there are many Psalm 23 songs to choose from, this one has a gentle spirit that cuts right to the heart of the Psalm. The song really helps us feel the complete trust the sheep feels for the shepherd. It makes the metaphor personal, so we can offer the words of Psalm 23 as our own prayer.
I’m not a particularly legit jazz musician. Yes, yes, I gig and know more or less what I’m doing (though I don’t/can’t always do it), but I don’t have a ton of jazz street cred: I don’t have thousands of tunes memorized, blistering bebop solos, jazz degrees, or time spent on the road paying my dues.
I have no illusion that I’m a modern Charlie Parker or Duke Ellington. Instead, I see myself more in the tradition of Vince Guaraldi, Claude Bolling, or even Dave Brubeck–slightly off the beaten path, experimenting at the edges of the genre.
My latest experiment is “A Quiet Conversation.” It is a breezy little thing that starts with a simple melody. But wait! When the first melody comes around again, it is now in conversation with a second melody. Like any good counterpoint, both melodies sound complete on their own, but when combined they sound even better, commenting on each other like any good conversation.
While the composers mentioned above may only be footnotes in the history books of jazz, they all composed melodies that have been heard and loved by millions. That would be okay with me.
Note: The first recording is a demo created by Band-in-a-Box with synth flute and clarinet solos played by yours truly. If you want to hear the same piece played by two real bassists (both me) click on the second recording.
Sometimes a great title is just too good to resist.* In this case, my wife and I drove past a billboard that mentioned Stollen, the German answer to fruitcake, and I immediately knew I was destined to compose a jazz Christmas song entitled, “Stollen Moments.”
A Moment of StollenThis destiny was fulfilled a few days later when I produced this song. Like “Stolen Moments,” the jazz standard to which it pays tribute, my song begins with a four-chord riff. (But my song is in C major, rather than C minor–Christmas is supposed to be a happy time!)
A further confirmation that I was destined to write “Stollen Moments” was a shopping trip to Aldi on a recent vacation in Freiburg, Germany. As you can see in this picture, I encountered genuine German Stollen, sold in the days leading up to Christmas. Those luscious little loaves fairly cried out to me, “Compose us a theme song!”
*Oh, the house is quiet, all the kids in bed,
wondering what the morn may bring.
So we’re cuddled here, eating Santa’s snack
in the glow of the Christmas tree.
The only gift on my Christmas list,
the only present that I need
are these times with you– they’re my wish come true
and my only Christmas dream.
All these Stollen moments with you
make my Christmas dreams come true.
Every season is grand, you and me, hand in hand.
Oh, how I love these Stollen moments with you.*
*See, for example, “Night and DayQuil.”
One of the great joys of composing is when a fine musician performs one of my pieces in a way that really makes it come alive. In the case of this recording, there were three fine musicians: Hunter Morris on violin, Kathy Johnson at the piano, and Chris Martin on cello.
This was the prelude at a recent Baylor University Advent service, and I couldn’t be happier with how it sounds!
If you need a last minute instrumental piece for your Advent or Christmas services, you can find the music at www.gregscheer.com. The original was written for violin. I recently completed a version for cello solo.
A few weeks ago I had a cold that kept me down for nearly two weeks. It was so bad that I even canceled a gig! I never cancel a gig. I was downing DayQuil and NyQuil faster than a … Continue reading →
One friend describes me thusly: “Not as funny as he thinks he is.” Perhaps. But I totally crack myself up. The latest iteration of “Greg Scheer, comedian for an audience of one,” is the name of my latest jazz tune: … Continue reading →
Last night’s new tune is a vibey, vampy tune that’s great for improvising. That’s the thing about jazz: it’s not just about writing a catchy tune; a jazz tune is also a launching pad for soloing. You can have a … Continue reading →
Spinal Tap’s song “Big Bottom” is a classic. And classy. But as a bass player, I feel the world needs more songs featuring the bass, not less. Enter “Big Bottom Blues.” Similar to Miles Davis’ iconic “So What,” the bass … Continue reading →
Today’s jazz offering is “Slowly.” It is a song about approaching a new relationship cautiously after being hurt in love. Of course, what do I have to say on this subject that hasn’t been said more eloquently and succinctly by … Continue reading →
It all started with a bass line played into my phone. It was a deep enough groove that it merited further attention. I began filling out those initial four bars with a bona fide melody and an ABAC form. Voila! … Continue reading →
In honor of my birthday*: a song about getting older and slower. The song is something of a musical pun. One of the standard song forms in jazz is “Rhythm Changes.” This form uses the chords from Gershwin’s “I’ve Got … Continue reading →
Now that my weekly gig at Euro Bistro is back after a summer hiatus, I’ve returned to the discipline of writing a new tune each week. Don’t worry: I won’t be so OCD about it that I ignore life’s other … Continue reading →
Now that my weekly gig at Euro Bistro is back after a summer hiatus, I’ve returned to the discipline of writing a new tune each week. Don’t worry: I won’t be so OCD about it that I ignore life’s other … Continue reading →
It’s not often that I pen something happy. I mean, just happy, with no twinges of melancholy, conflict, or nostalgia. I’m a content person, generally, but enough of a realist to understand that light needs shadow to have any meaning … Continue reading →
It’s not often that I pen something happy. I mean, just happy, with no twinges of melancholy, conflict, or nostalgia. I’m a content person, generally, but enough of a realist to understand that light needs shadow to have any meaning … Continue reading →
It may seem like I haven’t been composing lately. Don’t you worry, I’ve just been composing things that are too difficult for me to record by myself. But I’ll try to scratch together a few recordings in the coming weeks. … Continue reading →
February 2022 proved to be too short to achieve my goal of 14 Psalm collaborations. (You can hear a concert of the 12 songs I completed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBiORFbDulE) However, I’m trying to make things right by completing two more songs … Continue reading →
Charles Wesley originally titled this text simply “Morning Hymn.” Indeed, the text is filled with images of morning, light, and day. Of course, Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, is praised as the true source of all light. Even … Continue reading →
I first collaborated with Linda Bonney Olin in February of this year. Our setting of Psalm 8, “How Often in the Deep of Night” was part of my 2022 Psalm Collaboration project. I’m now coming back to some other texts … Continue reading →
I was talking to my boys yesterday about the mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo. I admitted that lately, I’ve become callous to the whole process: some troubled person murders multiple innocent people, the whole nation acts shocked, and then … Continue reading →
I continue playing my bass each week with a jazz trio at a local restaurant and I continue to write new songs for said trio. I try to do something different each time: a different style, mood, or tempo. Sometimes … Continue reading →
I continue to explore jazz, this time with a healthy dose of classical composition technique. “Trio” is so named because it’s written for 3 players and in “3” (3/4 meter). More interestingly, the three players play a 3-part canon. Player … Continue reading →
“Iguana” began its life as a bass line. I wanted to write a groove-oriented jazz tune like Herbie Hancock’s iconic “Chameleon.” (“Chameleon”…”Iguana” Get it?) The bass line soon morphed from a dirty funk into a smoother, jazz fusion groove with … Continue reading →
As I was planning Easter services, I stumbled across a hymn text by Barton W. Stone called “Behold the Love, the Grace of God.” Stone is better known for his part in the Stone-Campbell Movement (also called the “Restoration Movement”) … Continue reading →
Update: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com. Collaborator Naaman Wood was in the middle of grading midterms and wasn’t able to get me a final version of Psalm 9/10 until February 27–the day before my FAWM … Continue reading →
Update: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com. Psalm 62 famously begins with the words, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.” The Psalmist goes on to describe the many difficulties experienced … Continue reading →
Update: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com. I’ve co-written with Adam Carlill three times previously. What I love about his Psalms for the Common Era is that the texts scan so well. “Scanning” is how well … Continue reading →
Update: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com. Almost exactly one year ago, Hunter Lynch and I released our first song together. Now we’re back at it with something very different. Hunter sent me a lyric based … Continue reading →
Update: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com. It is always a pleasure to work with a text by T.L. (Tammy) Moody. She has a knack for finding fresh ways to express herself, or in this case, … Continue reading →
Update: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com. Psalm 77 is an interesting case study in lament. It begins like many lament Psalms: “I cried out to God for help.” It wistfully remembers the good old days, … Continue reading →
My fourteen Psalm extravaganza continues with a new text by Charles Freeman. Charles chose Psalm 146, an exuberant Psalm of trust and praise. When I sat down at the piano, I immediately heard Black Gospel. I wanted this song to sit comfortably between Andraé Crouch’s “Bless the Lord” and James Moore’s “Taste and See.”
One of the things that has been different about this month’s collaborations is that I’ve had to communicate my vision for a song while it’s still in the draft stage. Whereas my workflow is ordinarily scribble, revise, ruminate, refine, notate, record, and edit notation, this time I often need to let the text writers hear the direction I’m taking the music so they can make adjustments to the lyrics. My piano playing is atrocious, but I’ve still tried to play and sing the rough drafts. So far all my collaborators have been gracious, assuring me that my piano playing could be worse. I will spare you those recordings, but I thought you might be interested to see what my musical chicken scratch looks like. Below is the first draft of “Praise the Lord!”
Praise the Lord!
O my soul, praise the Lord!
O my soul, praise the Lord!
I will sing praises to God my whole life long.
Praise the Lord!
-
Put no trust in mortals,
you’ll find no help there.
Breath departs, laid in earth,
and all their plans just disappear.
Seek the God of Jacob,
hope in God your Lord.
The One who made the heavens and the earth
is faithful evermore,
is faithful evermore,
our God is faithful evermore! Refrain -
God is bringing justice,
feeds the hungry, too;
and God sets prisoners free–
behold and see what God will do!
God restores our vision,
lifts the broken high;
and with the ones who live in righteousness,
the Lord will abide,
the Lord will abide,
with the righteous will the Lord abide. Refrain -
God cares for the stranger,
hears the orphan’s call;
widows find a faithful friend
in God, who is the Lord of all.
Our Lord reigns forever,
Zion’s God on high;
now let the praise, the praise of our Lord
forever be our cry,
forever be our cry,
God’s praise forever be our cry! Refrain
When I host songwriting workshops, I often advise writers to choose a hymn they like, write new music for the text, then write a new text for the new tune. Voila! An entirely new song! This is a great way of priming the songwriting pump.
I followed my own advice on this song. I found Isaac Watts’ setting of Psalm 7, “My Trust Is in My Heav’nly Friend” at hymnary.org. It is a good text, but I couldn’t see myself singing “Tho’ leagu’d in guile their malice spread, / A snare before my way: / Their mischiefs on their impious head, / His vengeance shall repay.” So I set to work re-tuning and re-texting his hymn.
It must be said that Psalm 7 is not an easy sell. It is, as Watts described it, about “God’s care of his people and punishment of persecutors.” The Psalmist makes some pretty explicit suggestions about how God might bring vengeance on enemies. But it is also full of vivid language like “save me or they will tear me like a lion” and “he who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.” So, while this is unlikely to be my big hit, I think my Psalm 7 song does a good job of letting the text speak. Or as I like to say: This is not the best song you’ve ever heard, but it’s probably the best Psalm 7 song you’ve ever heard.
- My only hope is in the Lord;
I refuge in my God.
God save me from those hunting me
like lions seeking blood.
If I had brought this on myself
I would not call your name,
but I’ve done nothing to deserve
their anger or my shame.
Arise! Arise! Arise, O Lord!
Arise! Arise! Arise, O Lord!
- Arise, O Lord, and stay their hand
or I will be undone;
for only you can judge the heart
and keep me safe from harm.
My strong defender is my God;
my Savior is the Lord
who judges every human heart
and wields a righteous sword.
Arise! Arise! Arise, O Lord!
Arise! Arise! Arise, O Lord!
- Their ripened rage gives birth to wind,
for God has changed their plans.
They find themselves ensnared in traps
that they themselves have set.
But I give thanks to my good God,
whose righteousness prevails.
I sing the praises of my Lord,
whose love will never fail.
Arise! Arise! Arise, O Lord!
Arise! Arise! Arise, O Lord!
With ten more Psalms to go in as many days, you would think I would have my nose to the grindstone. I do. But I also can’t resist chasing a rabbit trail or two. In this case, the rabbit trail is a new jazz tune we tried out last night at Euro Bistro.
Earlier in the week, I was drinking my afternoon coffee when this little opening lick popped into my head. Pretty soon I was spinning it out into different pitches and keys until it became this delightfully twisty little song that would be at home surrounded by jazz standards like “Have You Met Miss Jones.” Indeed, Euro Bistro patrons didn’t seem to think anything was amiss when we snuck this new tune in one of our sets.
It’s hard to believe I’ve never written a song based on Psalm 23. (Unless you count this and this.) Perhaps I felt it was such low-hanging fruit that I moved on to other Psalms, or maybe there are so many beautiful Psalm 23 songs that I felt I didn’t have anything to add.
In any case, FAWM 2022 and a beautiful text by Michael Morgan were the push I needed to write my own setting. And while I don’t expect it will ever displace “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” in anyone’s heart, I’m still pleased with how mine came out. It is simple, using a pentatonic scale in the melody and unadorned harmonies. This serves Michael’s modest, beautiful text well.
1. God is our shepherd, so faithful and sure,
whose care and affection forever endure;
boundless in giving, God meets every need:
streams to refresh us, and pastures to feed.
2. Lord, your great spirit our souls will restore;
your vow is to ransom, and ours to adore.
Paths of contentment, vales of despair,
we will not waver – salvation is here!
3. Fed at your table, and warmed by your face;
blest with sweet oil and redeemed by your grace;
goodness and mercy are ours for always;
heaven is filled with rejoicing and praise!
I’ve collaborated with David Diephouse before (80, 107, 148) and am glad to be co-writing a new Psalm setting with him. This one, Psalm 69, comes with an origin story of sorts. David writes:
I recall hearing my mother relate a family legend about her grandfather, who was a trawlerman on the Zuider Zee. One day, his boat got caught in a sudden squall that left it capsized. While waiting to be rescued the crew kept up their spirits by singing the opening lines of Psalm 69. The story may or may not be partly apocryphal, but I like it.
I love to hear stories about how people have used the Psalms in everyday life. It’s easy to see why a person adrift in the sea would recall the lines of Psalm 69, because they are the cry of a person drowning. In the Psalm, it is an emotional drowning, fighting a flood of sorrow, betrayal, and fatigue. I wanted music that could bear the weight of the emotional variety: desperation, vindication, and hope, ultimately gravitating toward a minor melody with a rugged rhythmic foundation. I would love to hear it sung by an early music consort. For now, enjoy a demo recorded by the Greg Consort.
- Have pity, my God: I am drowning in sorrow.
I’ve cried out to you, can you hear my desperation?
The flood presses in and the waters keep rising;
I’m weary and see little hope of your salvation.
Out of the depths of my pain you will raise me,
God, you will answer when nothing can save me,
My gratefulness I’ll proclaim,
Singing praise to your name,
to your glorious name.
-
I feel so much hate, all my friends have betrayed me;
I hear how they scoff when they see that I am fasting.
You see my great need, all the pain that besets me.
Oh, show me your grace, for your love is everlasting. Refrain -
May all who have wronged me know shame and contrition
And tremble and faint when they feel your indignation.
Demand from them all they have earned for their thieving;
Ignore their laments when they see my vindication. Refrain
All those who have known you find healing and wholeness,
Your deeds are resounding through all of your creation,
And heaven and earth, every mountain and ocean,
Will join your redeemed in a mighty celebration. Refrain
Like many Februarys, this month I will be taking part in FAWM: February Album Writing Month. This year I will be meeting the challenge of writing 14 songs in 28 days with the help of 14 lyricists who will contribute renderings of 14 Psalms, inching me ever closer to my goal of writing a song on each Psalm.
This first collaboration is with Linda Bonney Olin, who has contributed a beautiful setting of Psalm 8. One would think that the Psalm 8 well had long ago run dry, but Linda has written a text that is full of child-like wonder, bringing a new sense of awe to our hearing of the Psalm.
I have supported this ethereal text with music that floats, seemingly untethered from a tonal center. Though the song’s key is (more or less) D major, the very first downbeat is a G chord with an A in the melody. From there this nebulous shifting of harmonies continues into a (more or less) C region before a sudden change of course leads us back to D major. Interestingly, when the song lands back in D it sounds strangely unresolved.
-
How often in the deep of night
have I in silence gazed
at twinklings on the edge of sight
and stood, O Lord, amazed!
Beyond the slice of universe
that mortal eyes can see,
creation vast and so diverse
shines forth in majesty. -
So high are you, O Lord, our God,
above all humankind!
Our finite minds are overawed
by marvels you designed.
Yet you have given humans charge
of what your hands have made.
To tend your creatures small and large,
this trust on us you laid. -
You wield supreme authority,
yet you are kind and fair.
We too, Lord, in humility,
must act with gracious care.
We honor you when we respect
all beings’ sacred worth
and, as your stewards, we protect
the glories of your earth.
Update 2/4/22: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.
The latest in my ongoing exploration of jazz Psalms is what is known as a responsorial Psalm. This is a form of chant in which the bulk of the Psalm text is chanted on a chant tone, a single note which continues until the phrase of text is finished and closes on a cadence. This allows for texts of varying lengths and a song that follows the Psalm very closely. The chanted verses are usually sung by a cantor (a fancy word for lead singer) and then the congregation sings a short refrain in response. (Hence, responsorial.)
This is way more complicated to explain than to sing.
This song uses the traditional Roman Catholic chanted text for Psalm 143, intended for use in funerals. The refrain is a singable melody over a ii-V-I jazz harmony. The verses work like a regular chant tone except that the musicians vamp under extended chant sections and add a quick turnaround between each phrase. Once again, I’ve made it more complicated than it sounds. Just take a listen.
O Lord, hear my prayer.
-
O Lord, hear my prayer; hearken to my pleading in your faithfulness;
in your justice answer me.
And enter not into judgment with your servant,
for before you no living man is just. [R] -
I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all your doings; the works of your hands I ponder.
I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like parched land. [R] -
Hasten to answer me, O Lord;
for my spirit fails me.
At dawn let me hear of your mercy,
for in you I trust. [R] -
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your good spirit guide me
on level ground. [R]
Boomer and Joe, the original stupid things Sometimes people ask me how I come up with ideas for songs. It can happen in a variety of ways: sometimes I’m working with a text that suggests a particular melody; other times a particular series of chords proves fertile for development; I’ve even been known to write songs based on wrong notes I played trying to learn another song!
But in the case of “Stupid Things,” my dogs were my musical inspiration. They must have been doing one of their trademark stupid moves like wanting to go on a walk so badly that they can’t stop jumping long enough or me to put their leash on. I exclaimed, “You are stupid things!” and a song was born.
Update 1/21/22: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.
I’ve collaborated with Naaman Wood before and together we produced one of my favorite Psalm settings. So as I pushed ahead on my goal of setting the whole Psalter to music, I decided to get in touch with him to see if he’d be willing to write something new. After a bit of arm twisting, he produced a beautiful rendering of Psalm 2.
The great thing about Psalm 2 and Naaman’s version of it is that it untangles the claims of earthly and heavenly power. In a political climate where many believe God to be on their side–or that they’re fighting on behalf of God–this Psalm lets us know that our constant wrestling for power is all for naught. God, and only God, stands above us as the ultimate power. It is only in God that we can find true refuge.
-
The restless nations rage, and people plot in vain.
The earthly kingdoms fight against the Holy One.
You sit above us, Lord, and mock our foolish ways,
“A king I have enthroned upon my holy hill.” -
You say unto the king, “Today you are my Son,
And I will give to you the nations of the earth.
Your iron rod will break the peoples of their rage,
And shatter all their plans like pots of earthenware.” -
Be wise, be warned, you kings and powers of the earth.
Obey the Lord above and tremble at his word.
How blessed are all of us whose shelter is the Lord.
Update 1/25/22: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.
I continue to experiment with the intersection of Jazz and Psalmody. Will my experiments prove fruitful? Who knows. But I’ve learned that experimentation–play–is an important part of music growth, so I’ll continue to follow this path to see where it leads.
In this case, it led to Psalm 13, the loneliest of Psalms. It begins with the famous words, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” Many people have set this Psalm to music, so it’s unlikely that anything I will say will be entirely original. In my setting, I cast the “enemy” named in the Psalm as depression. The clues are all there: endless sorrow, feeling forgotten, emotional turmoil–even the lethargy and over-sleep that often accompanies depression. The Psalmist poignantly prays to be seen: “Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.” Certainly, we’ve all felt some of this at some point.
Musically, I accompanied this sad Psalm with a descending chromatic melody, mirroring the emotional plunge that depression brings. The opening melody is also a large hemiola, with 3-note “how longs” against the 4/4 meter. It’s not the easiest song to sing; I’m not entirely sure how well a congregation would do with it.
As you listen to the recording, you may wonder “Who are those fine musicians accompanying Greg?” They are all virtual instrumentalists! This is my first foray into using Band-in-a-Box as part of my demo process. I would say it worked exceedingly well. (Now if we could just do something about that singer!)
How long? How long? How long, O Lord?
-
How long will you forget me?
Will you keep turning away from me?
How long to drown in sorrow?
Lord, will tomorrow bring no relief? (refrain) -
How long until you see me,
until you save me from endless sleep?
How long until your light shines
and hope fills my eyes? Lord, rescue me! (refrain) -
I trust in love unfailing;
of your salvation, my heart will sing.
How long to lift God’s praises?
I will proclaim: you’re so good to me! (refrain)
Update 1/25/22: Sheet music for this song is now available at gregscheer.com.
Any regular follower of this blog knows that I am on a quest to set every Psalm to music. A quick perusal of recent blog posts reveals that I’ve also been writing a series of jazz tunes for my trio to play at our weekly gig. This week, I combined those two seemingly different compositional threads: Voila! A jazz Psalm!
To tell you the truth, I don’t know what inspired me to combine Psalmody and jazz. It’s not my original idea, to be sure. Frankly, jazz is a performance music–and a virtuosic one at that. In my estimation, it adapts poorly to the demands of congregational worship music, which focuses on group singing. Nonetheless, I thought I’d give it a try to see if I could bring these disparate contexts together.
The lyrics of my Psalm 141 setting are a straightforward metrical versification. To that, I’ve added an optional Intro/Outro/Chorus. If I were leading this in a congregation, I’d likely have them sing that simple eight-measure phrase only, leaving the (more complicated) verses to a soloist until it became familiar. Of course, I didn’t lead it in a congregation; I led it in a bar. And that’s just what this recording sounds like.
1. O Lord, I call to you, please hear me;
may my prayer like incense rise.
And may my lifted hands, imploring,
be to you a sacrifice.
Oh, sanctify my lips
to sing the praise you’re due.
Though evil offers fare so sweet,
my heart will feast on you.
2. I count it as abundant blessing
to receive a saint’s rebuke.
For if it keeps my feet from wandering,
I will gladly hear hard truth.
For evil will fall down,
its power overthrown,
and all its might will turn to dust
that’s plowed into the ground.
3. My eyes are fixed on you, my Savior.
My help comes from you alone.
In you alone I find my refuge;
guide me safely to my home.
For danger marks my way
and evil lies in wait.
I safely pass while they are snapped
within the traps they’ve made.
I have a confession to make: I hate Christmas music. There. I’ve said it.
I don’t know if this hatred grew because I’m a liturgically-leaning worship director who dislikes the way the Season of Walmart displaces the Season of Advent. Or the sickly sentimentality of most popular Christmas music. Or the soundtrack of Yuletide dittes that accompanies the binge/purge cycle of consumerism that begins as quickly as the Halloween decorations are put away. Who knows? But I’m not a fan.
You can imagine my dismay as the last three weeks of my jazz gig turned exclusively to Christmas repertoire. Yikes. But I’m a good sport and have played along. This week, however, I was overcome by a strange desire to compose a Christmas song of my own. What?! It’s true. I sat down at the piano and an hour later there was “One More Christmas Song.”
My goal was to write a song that could sit comfortably next to all the other standards we would be playing. Indeed, I borrowed liberally from existing songs. You’ll hear echoes of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “The Christmas Song,” and “Jingle Bells.” Not bad for a 16 measure song!
Do we need one more Christmas song?
Do we all need to sing along?
We need tidings of good cheer
that will last throughout the rest of the year.
It would be so glorious
to sing of peace on earth
and bring a message of good will
to all whether near or far.
Yes, we do need one more Christmas song!
This jazz tune was a long time in the making. It started its life as the 4 bar phrase that begins the song. I developed it into a full song and named it “Sprite Lee” because it was (wait for it…) sprightly. With time, however, it grew more and more complex, with shifts in and out of the key and weird phrases of uneven length, rendering it virtually indecipherable.
When I get lost in the musical weeds, I always think of Occam’s razor, which can be paraphrased as, “the simplest explanation is usually the best one.” In music, I take that to mean, “cut away the frills and doodads and get to the point.”
And that’s just what I did. I soon had hacked it down to a simple AABBA form that is delightfully tuneful and memorable. Since it was now an entirely different song than the previous version, I needed a new title, too. I chose: “Simple Lee (The man who shaved with Occam’s razor).”
Note: The trio was sight-reading this, so you’ll hear B naturals (instead of B flats) in the first time through the head.
When I was a kid, I had a 45* of the song “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” The song is written by Joe Zawinul and has been performed by everyone from Cannonball Adderly to Queen Latifah. I can’t find the exact version I heard on that record all those years ago, but the song is etched in my musical memory.
Above are some examples of grace notes as they appear in music notation. They’re the little notes that are squeezed between the “real” notes. I decided to write a song inspired by the thick Gospel groove of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” The tune was originally called “Grace, Grace, Grace” (you see what I did there?) but as I entered the music in Dorico and clicked the little button labeled “grace notes” to make a secondary melody smaller, I realized that “Grace Notes” was a much better name.
The harmonies in this song are much simpler than my other jazz tunes, instead concentrating on a catchy melody and knee-deep groove. On this recording, you can hear Steve Talaga on piano with a groove so far in the pocket that he’s counting change in his sock!
*Editor’s note to young people, a “45” is a small record that used to be the only way to hear hit singles.