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Here's one from a couple of years ago that I remixed and tried to clean up. The original had very little stereo separation, I don't have the original, individual tracks anymore, so I tried splitting the two track mix-down that I have. It's better but not a full separation. Also, there was a ton of background noise on the original. I got rid of most of it, but there's still enough you can hear it a bit. Ackkk! At 1:17, the track skips very briefly and it sounds like I completely missed a note. I didn't - really! I uploaded it three time and got that same affect. Who knows! The mysteries of cyberspace!

Thanks for the listen.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=276329&content=songinfo&songID=5998913

Alan

Very enjoyable tune! Nice playing, sounds good to me!

Hi Alan,

Very smooth! I could listen to this all day. You have a remarkable talent. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Ricki

Alan
That is just so cool, I absolutely love it. The guitar and piano are just singing ... man I love this song ...
you know I am a big fan and boy do I am never disappointed .. no exception here ... wonderful my friend.

gotta put this one on my radio station

Dan

Hey Al!!

Of course, I was immediately attracted to your title -- and your corresponding avatar ain't so bad either!

So listen, I'm going to go out on a limb here. I think you're the most talented and pure musician that I am aware of on this board. From the simple standpoints of composition and instrumental acumen, you're technique is incredible. Yet the best part is you make it sound EASY!

I too will be adding this to my song list -- could loop it and listen to it all the live-long day.

This must be such a marvelous outlet for you with the personal issues you're contending with. I do hope Helen is feeling well, and that perhaps if Pineyfest comes together, we can all finally get together and celebrate life...

In the meantime, keep playing!!

Beth

Very enjoyable. Its absolutely amazing to me how someone (you) can make something so complex sound so smooth. Great listen.

Nice Alan,
I may still be tapping my toes in Owensboro tomorrow.

Have fun,
John

Alan,
You are becoming predictable.lol.I predicted that this would be another great one by you,and you did not disappoint me.ANd I will be totally honest here.I have never before in my life been attracted to this style of music and I believe that I have said before,that I always felt songs needed words.You have definitely proved me wrong there ,and I find myself becoming quite a fan of this style of music.Its kinda opened up a whole new world to me,musically speaking.It's awesome Alan.

Sincerely,Michelle

Hi Alan,

This sounds very unappropriate.. like it should with that title! Love the clean guitar you've got going here, sounded great, wonderful style! Like a young Chet Atkins! Very catchy - a shame about the pops'n clicks, though.

Probably would make it very difficult to place, and ruin your rep, but I would think there are ways to fix it? Easiest is probably to rerecord.

Beautiful composition, Alan. I've always loved jazz and yours is so great! The playing is fantastic! It's so wonderfully composed, Alan. I had a real pleasure of listening to your yet another great work. Thank you so much.
Kindness regards,
Nadia

Bob,

Glad you like it. Thank you very much for saying so. I do appreciate your time and your comments.

Alan

Hi Ricki!

Thank you so much. You are always so kind with your comments. To the degree that I am talented, I enjoy sharing it with my friends and peers.

I have thought about recutting this from scratch. But, I'm not sure, though. I do not have the original b/g tracks; thus I would have to rewrite all of them, too. I've not yet convinced myself I want to do that! Gald you like it as is. Thanks!

Alan

Hi Ricki!

Thank you so much. You are always so kind with your comments. To the degree that I am talented, I enjoy sharing it with my friends and peers.

I have thought about recutting this from scratch. But, I'm not sure, though. I do not have the original b/g tracks; thus I would have to rewrite all of them, too. I've not yet convinced myself I want to do that! Gald you like it as is. Thanks!

Alan

Dan,

Good morning! And thank you very much for your always kind words. I truly do appreciate them. I've always enjoyed Jazz but have had very few opportunities to play it...other than to amuse myself around the house.

Radio station, eh? That works for me! Thanks again!

Alan

Hello Beth!

Careful now...that's a pretty weak limb you're climbing onto! You break pretty easily...so don't let it drop you to the ground.

In all honesty, I do think I am a very good musician and composer. However, best on the boards? I don't know. I think I would at least put Mike Caro (Sub-Studio) and Mike Dunbar a little higher on the list...and probably a few others. But your opinion on that sure puts a big smile on my face! Thank you very much!!! That is certainly one of the nicest and most welcomed comments I have received in many moons. Thank you again!

I make all of my music available as free downloads at Soundclick. I do it for a couple of reasons, although many others do not. First, I seriously doubt there's anything I put up that anyone is going to want to steal...particularly in the low-grade mp3 format I post them. Second, it is so darned easy to copy anything, musically, from the Internet. So, if anyone would want to steal my music (pity them!), they could do it anyway with relative ease.

As far as making it sound easy...sometimes it ***IS*** easy. Other times not so much so. Some pieces just fall together as though they were custome designed for my particualr musical skill set. Other times, I have to beat myself silly (that doesn't take long) to get anything that's even marginally close to what I was hoping for. Another thing is that I am not afraid to try something new or different. I sometimes mix more than one genre characteristic into one song. Usually it works and I have something that sounds a little different than what's out there. As an example, if you selectively and carefully mix percussions from Salsa and Merengue, you can get a very full-bodied Latin beat that is sio danged awesome. In fact, I'll post one pretty soon with just that combination in it.

Helen is holding steady after a slight regression. But, that's how her life is going to be as long as she is still with us...a reptitive cycle of regression followed by a longer plateau of holding staady at that regressed level. We've learned to deal with it. It's pretty tough sometimes; but so are we. Thank you for asking.

Here's wiahing you a speedy reovery from your recent surgery. And you be nice to JJ. I'm sure he's a great guy. Luv and hugs from St. Louis up to the Boston area.

Alan

Bater,

Thank you very much. I do not reasd or write music appreciably, thus everything I do is from gut feeling. I rarely play the same song the same way anytime I play it because I play by ear. Sometimes it really is easy. Other times not so much so. But thanks a bunch for the kind comment! All the best.

Alan

Good Morning, John.

Glad it got that foot tappin'. Just don't let it tap too hard on the gas pedal and get the attention of the boys in blue!

I assume you mean Owensboro, KY. My ex-wife is from Owensboro. She is NASCAR driver Darrell Waltrip's first cousin. His mother and my ex-wife's mother are sisters. I visited him at his hopme back in the 70s when he still lived in Owensboro. Nice guy!

Take care and be safe. Thanks again!

Alan

Michelle,

Hi there! I am so delighted you like this...particularly after you said you had not previously cared much for this style of music. Personally, I like just about everything except Gansta Rap, Scrfeamo and Grunge. Well, the fat lady singijng opera kind of gets on my nerves. it;s not the music...it's that piecing high-pitched voice. It makes me think the severe storm warning sirens are blowing! I do like some of the Urban and Hip-Hop music. But Gansta Rap doesn't do it for me.

I'm glad this song opens your mind to another gnere. This kind of Jazz...Swing Jazz...can also have lyrics. But knowing my vocal limitations, I stay with the instrumentals. Most folks with functioning ears appreciate that!

Thank you again for the kindess in your words...and for the plesure of reading your writing. All the best. I have a hard-fast stance on reading and writing: "I can read writin' and I can write readin'. I just can't read writin' that's written rotten." Bye!

Alan

Magne,

Thanks ofr the glowing words about my playing and my style. I appreciate it very much. However, I do believe Chet Atkins mnight be turning several different directions in his grave with that particular comment refedrencing him! I kind of picture my Jazz playing as something similar to Al Caiola or Tony Matolla. And, as far as I know, I don't have a millilitre of Italian blood in me. Lots of Welsh and German, though. No Scandanavian either...damn!

I would recut it except I no longer have the backing tracks and I would have to rewrite them, as well as the lead part. I'm not sure I want to do that.

Thank you again for the nice words and comoliments. All the best to you.

Alan

Nice work Al, you certainly can play stuff well. You almost make jazz accessible.

Dude

Nice job Al. Did you play the keyboards and fiddle as well as the guitar?

That is jazz that I can enjoy. Players like John McLaughlin are over my head so far I don't find it musical, but this song is just right.

Keep 'em coming.

Hi Alan,

Now that's cool man.
Wow you must be happy to be able to play like that, very super cool.
Thanks for the entertainment this evening, you rock.

Calvin


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewart

Hi Al,

Very nice guitar work and solo. The midi instruments could use a healthy dose of "dequantize", cuz the quantized sound doesn't sound so good with jazz. The other think is that the guitar "swings" a little, giving more weight to the odd numbered eight notes (1,3,5,7), and the other lead instruments don't.

If dequant is not an option in your sequencer, can you "mouse" them "away" from the beat a little bit, say, in a "piano roll", then just re-apply, say, 75-90% "eighth note quant" or "eighth note swing quant"...

Other than that, this is quite enjoyable!

Mike

Al,

What Mike said...I think he's speaking a foreign language above me there. I love swing jazz and I thought the guitar in this was outstanding. I also thought the piano was great too. The bass line underneath it all impressed me as well. I can understand why you've been in such demand for all these years. Impressive stuff.

Al,

I don't listen to much jazz, but I know when I like a piece of music - this is great, and I love the title. You've matched music and title very well.

Great song.

Best,
Jennifer

Hey Al, very smooth! I can dig it!

I'm sure there are some movie scenes waiting for this one somewhere.

Best, John

I'll be back later to reply to everyone I've not yet answered. I have a world-class toothache right. See ya later.

Alan

Hi Al,

This is only the second song I've heard of yours so far, but wow! Very nice. I enjoyed it very much!

Brian

Hey there Al,

You crank them out faster than I can leave feedback!!! You must eat wheaties for breakfast!!!! lol!! Bless your heart....you are something else! Sooooo very talented. This is a "jazzy" little number you've come up with here. I really enjoyed listening to it.

Kind wishes,
Gail

Hey Al,

Very smooth mate. That's some very clever playing. Both keys, and guitar wise. The good thing about jazz is, ya get to play all the classy joints, get wll paid, and free drinks to boot. I don't know why, but I always associate it with 5 star hotels, swimming pools and rich people. Wanna play my next pool party ? ( not that i'm rich, but I can throw in a BBQ steak and a free beer )

That's an enjoyable listen, and we'll forgive you for fudging that one note at 1.17

cheers, niteshift

Nadia,

Sorry for the tardy reply. I haven't felt very well the past couple of days and haven't haven't been around JPF except fpr a very quick peeks a couple times.

Thank you for listening and for your lovely commwents. I am delighted you enjoyed it. I like playing this kind of music. But over the past couple of years I have been incessantly bombarded with requests to put music to others folks' works as well as taking on a few more by my request. I've not had a chance to do a lot of original music.

Thank you again for the kind comments. Wishing you well.

Alan

Mark C.

Hey, Dude...thanks! I think Jazz is pretty much a "You like it or you don't". There's not a lot of ambivlence. Glad it at least caught your interest enough for a good listen. I do appreciate it a lot.

And, I'll be by to hear a couple of yours real soon. I'm never sure what to erxpect when I click onto one of yours. I like that suspense! Rarely am I disappointed. Till then!

Alan

Colin,

Sorry for the late reply. Please see my explanation in my reply to Nadia if you care to.

Glad you liked it. As I told Mark C., for most people Jazz has little ambivelence...you like it or you don't. I like it. But I agree with you about McLaughlin and most Free-style Jazz. the best way I can describe how it comes acroos to me is that it seems to wonder endlessly, rarely, if ever, going to a central theme.

But, I am glad you liked this one. Thanks for letting me know!

I played the lead and rhythm guitars and one piano track. I am a very mediocre keyboardist on my best day. I originally did ther bass line but fropped it because I liked the acoustic sound better than my electric, even though it's synth. It's just a better fit. I've never ateempted to play an upright acoustic bass. Now, Mike Dunbar can make on those babies smoke all day long!

Thanks again, Colin. Al the best.

Alan

Calvin,

Howdy, my friend! So glad you stopped in for a listen. And glad you like it a bit. I do enjoy playing the guitar more than I could begin to tell you. I've picked up a few decent licks over the years.

I rock? That's a different genre, I think. All the best.

Alan

Mike,

Please forgive the tardiness in my reply. Long story, short: I've not felt well the past few days.

Ya know, over the past two years, from the time I opriginally did this, I never once noticed the emphasis on the odd number count. When you mentioned it, it was so danged obvious! I guess that's the difference between a decent composer like me and an excellent one such as yourself. I don't know about anything esle, but...you're pretty danged smart when it comes to music. When Mike Z. speaks...I ALWAYS listen. I've learned quite abit by doing that. Thanks!

I'll look over your suggestions again when I redo this one. I printed them off and stuck them in my folder. i appreciate all of that.

Wishing you all things good!

Alan

Hi Wendy,

I'm very happy that you like this one. This is fun stuff to play. It gives a little more freedom to each member of the group but yet maintains a constant base throughout. Swing Jazz has always been a favorite of mine. Thanks so much for your very kind words. All the best.

Alan

Jennifer,

Hi! And thank you for dropping in to listen. Glad you liked it a bit. I enjoy Swing Jazz a lot. I've never had much of a chance to play anything but Contemporary Country and Southern Rock until the past few years. When I was still with the band, we played 23 - 28 nights a month.

Thanks for dropping imn. Enjoyed the visit! All the best.

Alan

John,

Good evening. Thank you for the kind visit. When I can clean this up a little more, I am going to submit it to a music library and see what happens. Glad you liked it6. And thanks for letting me know! Take care. Wishing you well.

Alan

Hi Al

Golly gosh, this Aussie girl would love to be their watching you perform this, Wozah, I love listening to your great talented works. Yipee! EXCELLENT!

Aussie fan

Michele

Nice one Al! I guess your hand must be getting better. I thought the fiddle part was a nice midi addition. Good early Sunday morning (and anytime) tune.

Kevin

Nice work Al. I would LOVE to hear this performed live. Hi energy.

Keep it up.

Mike

Hi again Alan. Thank you for your reply. Sorry to hear about your tooth ache and also that you are find it difficult to do your stuff, I'm afraid you are so good and that's why you will always have many, many requests. I know though you'll find time for your own music and it's always a great treat to hear your work.
Kindness regards always,
Nadia

Michelle,

How's my favorite Down Under girl doing? It is always such a pleasure to hear from you! Thanks so much for dropping in on this.

I'm glad you like it. I've always enjoyed Swing Jazz. Hopefully I'll record another one or two before the year is over.

Thank you so much for your constant kindness and warm words. You are a very bright star shining in JPF's sky. Thanks for being here and for being who you are! You're a real sweetheart! All the best to you.

Alan

Kevin,

Good Sunday afternoon to you! And thanks a bunch for the listen. Appreciate the kind words.

I actually recorded the guitar track almost two years ago. The original recording had almost no stereo separation and sounded garbbled. I just tried to clean up some of the b/g tracks and give it a little more separation. I got rid of most of the b/g noise and there is more separation. But, for some reason, whenever I post it I get that "glitch" at 1:17. I've posted it to three sites and it shows up in all three of them. But, on my own mps, it's not there. Has to be something in the coding when I cleaned it up. Who knows!

I'm hoping to be able to play this good again in a week or so. Ben willis and I want to put a project together as soon as we can. He's been waiting ion my hand for a couple of weeks. It's getting better very quickly. The problem is hiolding the pick. I tore the muscle that allows your thumb to grip. On simple tunes, I do okay. But when the tempo is fast, I end up dropping the pick because I have no "down time" between the riffs to reestablish my grip on the pick. Thus, it falls from my hand in the middle of the riff. All I need is that half second or so and I'm okay. But on the faster stuff, I don't have the mini-break between notes to reset my grip.

Take care, my friend! It's always good to hear from you. wishing you well.

Alan

Michael,

Hi! And thanks a bunch. Actually, I'm pretty stoic when I play. I think I'm a pretty good player, but I am very reserved in my physical presentation. The lead singer in the last band I was in made this comment a number of years ago: "If you were even half as much fun to watch as you are to listen to, you'd have it all." But, I'm glad you like it. Thanks for letting me know. take care and be safe.

Alan

SO fine! This is a fantastic piece, Alan, bright and dynamic.

What a talent.

Donna

Nadia,

And hello again to you, as well.

My hand is getting better. Hopefully I'll be able to start working a project I have promised Ben Willis sometime later next week.

As far as all the projects...I could refuse them if I chose to do so. So, it is by my own volition that I have that type of schedule. By collabing and doing work on new music, I am always learning something new and improving my skills. So, there is a pay-off above and beyobnd the obvious.

Short of Hard Rock, Free-Style Jazz, Grunge and Screamo, I will try to work with someone else in almost any genre. I grew up playing nothing but Country music...literally. For 35+ years I played in a Country band. Country is mt first love, musically...both the traditional and contemporary sub-genres. But, I have always enjoyed almost all genres of music. I got so tired of hearing "If it ain't Country; it ain't music!" Those folks are entitled to their opinion. But, in my opinion, they are blindly shutting out somany other wonderful genres/styles of music. Country will always be my most treasure music to listen to and to play. But, I thoroughly enjoy many other genres as well. So, helping other folks in so many various styles and genres has made my playing so much better. And I can take a lot of what I have learned in other genres and apply to Country muasic as well.

I feel there is very little bad music. Rather, there is a lot of music played/performed badly.

Thanks for the wearm comments and kind visit. Stop in anytime. the light is always on. All the bestl.

Alan

PS: What part of the UK do you live in? I've been to England twice. I flew into Gatwick both times and went Mildnhall and to Burtonwood. Burtonwood is near Warrington in Lower Lancashire. I have a dear friend who is an Upper Lanc. Once I got used to the traffic on the opposite side of the streets, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

ADD

I live in West London, Alan, not far from Heathrow. We had thunder and lightning in the morning and it's not warm. Still, I love it here.
Nadia
P.S. All I can say is that all your collaborators are really lucky to have you. You bring amazing shine and high professionalism in everything you are creating.

Donna,

You are so kind! Thank you very, very much.

I thinkj it is a very good song and that I played it pretty decently. the quality of the recording, although better than the initial effort, still suffers significantly. Since I no longer have the original background tracks, I would have to rewrite all of them as well as redo the lead guitar part. However, if I ever have the time and inclination to do so, I will redo this one from scratch. It is one of the few I would o as such. I just like this song enough that I might do it anyway.

Wishing you the best!

Alan

Nadia,

Thank you for your sweet follow-up!

Both times I went to England, I had the option of flying into either Heathrow or Gatwick. I chose Gatwick becasue it's smaller airport and everyone with whom I spoke said they had always had a smoother experience at Gatwick. Both times at Gatwick went quite nicely for me.

My David family is from Wales...Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire. Another line comes from Bristol, England. I am related to David Branson, who owns Virgin Airlines and a lot of other wealthy endeavors. He is from the same Branson family for whom the Country Music center in Missouri is named after. His line remained in England.

Branson, Missouri is named after Reuben Branson. Several of my family members married into that family.

I guess I've bored you, and a lot of others, with all that family stuff! Take care!

Alan