Saturday, November 06, 2004
How fast time flies when one is having fun!
I go to Wilfred's house to jam with him. It's been ages since we last did that in the recital room at TJC, where it was a welcome respite from the stresses of studying - or cramming - for the exams. I think it has almost been a year. We are going to play his songs, which I miss! Wilfred has got this composition style that is almost John Denver: simple chord progressions (but he surprises you at times with harmony that arrives unexpectedly, such as the A, B, C, D chord progression in "Liberation", which truly reflects the spirit of going free in music); memorable tunes and virtuosic guitar playing, such that when I play on the keyboards with him, I prefer to play a sustained harmonic backing as not to overshadow his rhapsodic accompaniment writing.
Wilfred's dad introduces a lot of new singers and music groups, and we play CDs on the hi-fi set. There's Westlife, Roger Whittaker, Boney M, Elton John, Nat King Cole, Kenny G and a guitarist whose name I cannot remember. I particularly like Roger Whittaker, who sings ballads, much like what Fei Yuqing does in the east. There is one song which has two extreme contrasts. The front is urgent and alert with thumping quavers, while a horn dovetails the end of each line sung. Suddenly, the music becomes legato, and we have the lush strains of the ballad. However, I don't really like the accompaniment of "Leaving on a Jet Plane" sung by him: it is much too happy and fast, like you trying to imply that, thank god, I'm leaving my wife or lover for some place where I'll probably keep a mistress.
The themes in Boney M's songs are, well, just weird. They are the people who sang "Rasputin" - quote "Ra-Ra-Rasputin / Lover of the Russian Queen . . . Ra-Ra-Rasputin / Russia's greatest love machine" ("Rasputin"), or this song called, "Ma Baker" with its arresting opening declaration: "Freeze, I'm Ma Baker!" Hmm how could the man who led the monarchy to a state of mishap become a perverted, sort-of-modern-day kind of pimp? Well, he was perverted though . . . As for Ma Baker, I don't really know who that character is . . . not if that song was meant to be an opening theme for a show of sorts. Not to forget humour and some puzzlement: "She's crazy like a fool / Why bother Daddy Cool?" ("Daddy Cool") These two lines repeat themselves continuously throughout the song. The group does have nice ones. I can't remember the title - I'll try to find it and write it in.
I discover a new love for Elton John's ballads - and those rather sensible songs, as compared to "Crocodile Rock" and those sorts. I shall try to find the recording for "The Last Song". It has very meaningful lyrics, of which I studied almost two years ago with Colin Tan when he came to teach us practical criticism using the lyrics of pop songs. Wilfred and I also play "Candle in the Wind". The preferred version is the 1997 one, which he sang at the funeral of Princess Diana. It is accompanied by solo piano; the earlier one dedicated to Marilyn Monroe had a rock flavour to it; I find it rather inappropriate for the sombreness of the occasion.
I nearly forget to mention: this beautifully written soprano saxophone solo, titled "Morning" or somewhere along these lines, played by Kenny G. The opening part of the theme has a very nice chord progression. Kenny G could have written a saxophone concerto: I consider him the Paganini of the saxophone. His writing includes a lot of ornamentation, and as the theme repeats itself, he creates variations that are richly decorated and very virtuosic, with lots of running notes up and down the range of the instrument.
It is only 11:30pm when I finally leave his place; in fact I nearly forget to go, having listened to so much and so varied music. At the prompting that I may miss the last bus and find myself stranded, I finally depart, my mind brimming with enlightenment.
¶ 11/06/2004 07:37:00 pm I go to Wilfred's house to jam with him. It's been ages since we last did that in the recital room at TJC, where it was a welcome respite from the stresses of studying - or cramming - for the exams. I think it has almost been a year. We are going to play his songs, which I miss! Wilfred has got this composition style that is almost John Denver: simple chord progressions (but he surprises you at times with harmony that arrives unexpectedly, such as the A, B, C, D chord progression in "Liberation", which truly reflects the spirit of going free in music); memorable tunes and virtuosic guitar playing, such that when I play on the keyboards with him, I prefer to play a sustained harmonic backing as not to overshadow his rhapsodic accompaniment writing.
Wilfred's dad introduces a lot of new singers and music groups, and we play CDs on the hi-fi set. There's Westlife, Roger Whittaker, Boney M, Elton John, Nat King Cole, Kenny G and a guitarist whose name I cannot remember. I particularly like Roger Whittaker, who sings ballads, much like what Fei Yuqing does in the east. There is one song which has two extreme contrasts. The front is urgent and alert with thumping quavers, while a horn dovetails the end of each line sung. Suddenly, the music becomes legato, and we have the lush strains of the ballad. However, I don't really like the accompaniment of "Leaving on a Jet Plane" sung by him: it is much too happy and fast, like you trying to imply that, thank god, I'm leaving my wife or lover for some place where I'll probably keep a mistress.
The themes in Boney M's songs are, well, just weird. They are the people who sang "Rasputin" - quote "Ra-Ra-Rasputin / Lover of the Russian Queen . . . Ra-Ra-Rasputin / Russia's greatest love machine" ("Rasputin"), or this song called, "Ma Baker" with its arresting opening declaration: "Freeze, I'm Ma Baker!" Hmm how could the man who led the monarchy to a state of mishap become a perverted, sort-of-modern-day kind of pimp? Well, he was perverted though . . . As for Ma Baker, I don't really know who that character is . . . not if that song was meant to be an opening theme for a show of sorts. Not to forget humour and some puzzlement: "She's crazy like a fool / Why bother Daddy Cool?" ("Daddy Cool") These two lines repeat themselves continuously throughout the song. The group does have nice ones. I can't remember the title - I'll try to find it and write it in.
I discover a new love for Elton John's ballads - and those rather sensible songs, as compared to "Crocodile Rock" and those sorts. I shall try to find the recording for "The Last Song". It has very meaningful lyrics, of which I studied almost two years ago with Colin Tan when he came to teach us practical criticism using the lyrics of pop songs. Wilfred and I also play "Candle in the Wind". The preferred version is the 1997 one, which he sang at the funeral of Princess Diana. It is accompanied by solo piano; the earlier one dedicated to Marilyn Monroe had a rock flavour to it; I find it rather inappropriate for the sombreness of the occasion.
I nearly forget to mention: this beautifully written soprano saxophone solo, titled "Morning" or somewhere along these lines, played by Kenny G. The opening part of the theme has a very nice chord progression. Kenny G could have written a saxophone concerto: I consider him the Paganini of the saxophone. His writing includes a lot of ornamentation, and as the theme repeats itself, he creates variations that are richly decorated and very virtuosic, with lots of running notes up and down the range of the instrument.
It is only 11:30pm when I finally leave his place; in fact I nearly forget to go, having listened to so much and so varied music. At the prompting that I may miss the last bus and find myself stranded, I finally depart, my mind brimming with enlightenment.
