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SMILE FOR ME (liner
notes)
:-) paliendo
nieve
A close friend from Argentina was
visiting one winter. While I was showing him the beginnings of this song, a
snow blanketed the neighborhood. With shovels in hand, we cleared walkway
after walkway. He attacked and persisted in the work until I had to beg him
to stop. "But I may never be able to shovel snow ever again!" I
am unable to listen to this song without thinking of time 'paliendo nieve'
was a once in a lifetime experience.
:-) smile for me
I actually wrote this song when I was
about 18, but I could never find a lyrical path after the initial hook. It
never occurred to me, until this project, which perhaps this song was meant
to be instrumental all along.
:-) moxie
I have always been a "groovy
music" guy. I wrote this song starting with the rhythm tracks. I knew
I wanted it to have a certain kick, a certain punch...a certain moxie to
it.
:-) PJs (joan's song)
I wrote this song with a close friend in
mind. For the inspiration and motivation she gave me on this project, I
promised she could pick any song to be "hers" and give it a name.
Without knowing, she knew which one I thought would be hers, which is exactly
what makes her so special. As for the PJs, I think that is simply her
preferred Saturday morning attire.
:-) wishin' you were here
During my road warrior days, I would sit
on my hotel bed wishing my beautiful wife and kids were there. I would sit
and play longing melodies on the guitar. The musical themes of this song
were a part of that ritual, pulled out of the rafters of my subconscious.
:-) lizard eyes
Once I found out (from Joan's
husband...who I am convinced knows everything) that there were lizards out
there that actually spit with their eyes, I felt obligated to write a song
about it...that can't be healthy for the lizard, can it?
:-) casino breeze
This CD perhaps never would have
happened if it were not for the JazzTrax Jazz Festival at Catalina Island.
This song is dedicated to that first moment my wife and I felt the cool
breeze that blew in off the bay, through the open glass doors of the
island's Casino Ballroom, gently cooling the sizzling smooth jazz that hung
in the air. It was perfect.
:-) toad tango
I grew up in a quirky little college
town in California. They took animal rights to a new level when they
actually built a tunnel under a road so that toads could make it safely
from one side to the other. To this day, there is no proof that the tunnel
has ever been actually traversed by the toads. But I know, when no one is
looking, they tango the night away in there!
:-) skipping stones
Sometimes I write music with a very
specific feeling in mind, but I can't remember where the feeling came from
in the first place. When we stumbled on this title, I just about jumped out
of my chair, "That's it!"
:-) evening edition
We have an unspoken tradition of diving
into the evening newspaper as a family, everyone grabbing their favorite
section, putting up their feet for a few moments, and basking in a little
peace and calm. Summers on the front porch are even better with our evening
edition...
:-) double dog dare you
This was the last cut I composed for
this CD. I had 11 songs completed and Joan said, "You need one more
tune, something snappy in 6/8 called "Double Dog Dare You." It
must have been a good call on her part because it quickly became a
favorite.
:-) coming home
I wrote this years ago with lyrics that
never fit the feeling of the song. As I began work on this CD, I dug it out
and decided to fire off another version without the words. I guess
sometimes that less is more.
When thoughts
started entering my head about doing an instrumental music project, I
honestly didn't know if I could pull it off. I don't consider myself a
spectacular guitarist, so the task of carrying an entire CD seemed
overwhelming. More than anything, I am probably more of an arranger then a
songwriter. So I decided to approach the project from the angle of
Randy-the music maker, instead of Randy-the guitarist.
As I began pulling the music together, I had to make a choice: find money
to bring in real musicians, or do everything myself. I opted for the latter
and in the process, discovered an incredible joy in trying to realize the
music in my head through the fingers on my hands. I know that bringing in
my usual players (all far more talented than I) would have polished the
music just so, but I would have lost the joy I experienced through playing
everything myself. I had blisters on my fingers from the bass and bruises
on my hands from the congas, but I was having so much fun, I couldn't stop.
So I dedicate this album to the joy of making music. To the joy of the
smile. To the joy of doing something you've always wanted to do and never
thought you could.
A special thanks goes out to my family for allowing me to disappear down in
the studio, to my wife who lets me find my sanity in my music, to Joan who
knew this project would happen before I did, to Sherman who was willing to
do anything to help (including letting me play his percussion toys), and to
Tony for handing me, as I left Spain, the Spanish-made classical guitar
that I had always dreamed of owning...it was the first time I heard that
guitar that I the fantasy of doing an instrumental CD first entered my
mind.
Also, this CD would have never been possible without the support and
products of TASCAM, Johnson Amplification, DigiTech, DBX, Allen &
Heath, and Mark of Unicorn. They have been my foundation of sound for many
years, and my gratitude to them is immeasurable.
All songs written by Randy Thorderson
All instruments arranged and performed by Randy Thorderson
Engineered and mixed at Crystaline Studios by Randy Thorderson
Art by Joan Crow
SMILE FOR ME
(journal entry)
This CD was unlike
any other project I have ever worked on. Probably because it pushed my
abilities (or lack thereof) so far. I have always tried to progress my
personal skills as a musician on every CD I have ever worked on, but never
at the expense of the client's budget.
Well, the beauty of this project was that there was no budget...no
investment to worry about...no timelines. And yes, the project took longer
than usual, but I didn't care. I just wanted to enjoy the journey!
I wrote a song sometime in 1999 (I don't really remember when). It was the
first time I had ever written an instrumental piece. It wasn't really much
of a song, just a few ideas looped together on the computer so that I could
practice my guitar chops. That song later became 'Casino Breeze'. So
officially, I guess the CD took about a year, start to finish.
I was persuaded by a close friend to whisk my wife off to Catalina Island
and enjoy a few days of the JazzTrax music festival. We saw Peter White,
Dave Koz, and others. It was truly inspiring...not just the music, but also
the fun they were having on stage just floored me. It instantly bolted me
back 20 years when I had my first jazz experience. I just couldn't sit
still.
That was October 1999...once we got home I jumped into the studio and
started writing like a madman. The first 6 or 8 songs came so quick, I
can't even remember in which order they appeared. I do remember that I
would get the basics composed, and then add it to my practice regime. I
would not start working on new material until I had practiced each and
every existing tune.
Once I had a group of songs, I started looking for gaps...looking for a
flow to the songs. I noticed I needed more upbeat feel here, more ballad
flow there. Next thing I knew I had 11 tunes...and they seemed to be pretty
'listenable'. It was suggested later that I add a 12th tune to complete the
set.
Actual recording started the week between Christmas and New Year's. Then
another big chunk of recording was done sometime around our early spring
break. I picked and pecked at the project whenever the mood struck. I
re-worked much of the material several times. I even nuked an entire
recording (Coming Home) because it was a little too slow to finish the CD
with. I erased everything and started again but this time with a quicker
tempo.
This project helped me find a part of me again. I only hope I did the Jazz
genre justice with my simple little tunes...and more than anything, I hope
that people enjoy the music so much that they actually want more!
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