TITLES DESCRIPTIONS: 1) “Everything Provided,” bright uptempo. Imagine a world where everyone everywhere loves what you do, giving you everything you need. Katie Campbell, Greg Franklin, Sharmila Guha; with Bill Markus, doublebass; Gene Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, piano. 2) “Still and Silent Figures,” ballad of two former lovers poised and threaded into a mural. Angelo Divino; with electronic strings and flute by G. F. Mlely. Electronic drums by Bob Farrell. 3) “Here We Are,” bossa nova. Existential observation reflected in a night-into-day-into-night sky. Katie Campbell; with Bill Markus, doublebass; Gene Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, piano. 4) “Fat Butterfly,” bluesy song of unnoticed death from fireworks amid the clueless cheers of celebration. G. F. Mlely, piano/vocal. 5) “Cafe Elixir,” uptempo, the perfect place to be if you love live jazz with your coffee. Sharmala Guha; with Bill Markus, doublebass; Gene Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, piano. 6) “The Shepherd,” live concert, uptempo bossa nova memorializing Christ’s last lament. Rachel Gonzales; G. F. Mlely. 10th Biennial Fund Raiser, Crossroads Church, Honolulu. 7) “Rio” Driving uptempo latin, featuring the scat of Katie Campbell and Sharmila Guha; vocalist Greg Franklin; with Bill Markus, doublebass; Gene Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, piano. 8) “Dark Song,” slow dramatic waltz. The anguish of isolate despair. G. F. Mlely, electronic instrumentation, piano/vocal. 9) “Words We Say,” waltz. Allusions amid the homeless. Bonnie Gearheart; G. F. Mlely, piano. 10) “Is There Truth?” Emotively brief, Greg Franklin asks life’s recurring question. G. F. Mlely, electronic keyboard and bells. 11) “We Be,” romantic bossa nova. Katie Campbell; G. F. Mlely, electronic instrumentation; Bob Farrell, electronic drums. 12) “Never Quite Say,” latin. Rejected for reasons unknown. Katie Campbell, Greg Franklin, Sharmila Guha; musicians Bill Markus, doublebass; Gene Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, piano. 13) “It’s Not The End,” uptempo, retro-style tune. Katie Campbell, Sharmala Guha, scat; with vocalist Greg Franklin; musicians Bill Markus, doublebass; Gene Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, piano. THE COMPOSER AS ARTIST by G. F. Mlely If the music that is out there were entirely and forever satisfactory, there would be no point in my making more. WHAT I WRITE AND WHY The music we find necessary to our lives is relative to the times we live in. Being sound, music deals with the very stuff of existence. It can affect the atoms of our beings. So, the music that comes into earshot can become a sensitive matter for each of us. There is also the very modern difficulty encountered when trying to avoid music that offends and abuses - such as occurs on telephones and in super markets. Major points in the art of songwriting are freshness, personal expression, and contribution to the craft, such as can be found in its harmony. Modern harmony is the gathering of disparate elements into balance. Since I’m moved by music that engages in adventurous harmony, it has long been my purpose to follow along this course, to broaden the chordal landscape for songs, along with creating melodic lines that are readily singable by an average voice. A feature uppermost in my composing for a song has to do with the chord sequence and the sudden shifting of tonal centers (keys). Great music, historically, has been created upon one and two chords, staying within a single key. But, standard scaletone resolves and sequences have become, for me and numerous other composers, well, too much standard fare. In much of my creative work can be found these unexpected but logical connections in the sequence of chords. Such are not fancifully chosen. Some of the sequences might seem random, but only according to standard scaletone rules. When chromaticism is brought into the picture, their logic is quickly apprehended and felt, given the listening time new work often requires. And satisfies the reason - to touch deeper, more subtle emotions. Such principles not observed by the composer is akin to a writer having no surprising plot in a story. There is history to this artistic process. A number of composers can be cited. Billy Strayhorn in the 1930s, for one, in “Lush Life”; Charles Mingus in the 1950s, for his pan-tonal foray into the blues with “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.” There are also a number of songs coming out of Brazil responsive to this thread, meeting a standard as in, “The Dolphin” by Luis Eca for one. Not meaning to be an all inclusive list, there was also Lennie Tristano, a teacher of mine, in his efforts in the 1950s and 60s, especially in his teaching, to break free of standard scaletone tonality and resolve. And Bill Evans and the presence of Miles Davis, for instance (still being played) - the influence upon jazz of 20th century French composers. Though not necessarily in the craft of songwriting, I must mention the influence of many film composers. As harmony helps to give the tones in a song depth and subtlety of emotion, greater scope, wider landscape, the music of a song, even if not immediately “hit” material, can be a field of adventurous artistic endeavor, beyond its cash value. COMMERCE AND ART There is this matter of commerce versus art, as though there is always a difference between them. In ancient times mining gold was called an art. So, we can say that art comes of mining the self. Selling a thing is to enter a market of some sort, which means to enter into commerce. Art sells and is, therefore, an item that can be described in modern commercial terms as a widget, an item for sale. A distinction I would make between the two - commerce and art - is in the process of their occurring. When a song is written entirely or in part with a market in mind, that makes it a commercial enterprise. Art, on the other side, is personal - very. Art connects along a line within the artist only, without consideration of its potential to sell or not. It’s a daring enterprise that, by its process, overrides all other considerations. Whether it sells or not is secondary to its creation. For an artist, it comes down to these famous lines: “Unto thyself be true.” But first, “Know thyself.” Why are you writing what you write? Are you an artist or are you a business person? It’s fashionable wanting to be known as an artist. You can also be somewhere in between, especially in the early developmental stages. But, be careful of the Music Industry; that is, if meaning to survive psychologically. If you are an artist, it can kill you. The Music Industry is a utilitarian arena, dominated by bullies of promotion; even bad songs serve their purpose. Business will call, and say, for the money, “write this, write that.” “Why waste waste time making a song that has no apparent market? What good is having it sit somewhere in a drawer?” I can’t satisfactorily answer those questions - either for myself or for anyone else. The JazCraft Catalog is my drawer, I guess. In which case, in this essay’s definition of the term, like it or not, I’m an artist.