Creative Minds’ Music’s Musings

This post’s title: Indigo and Other Shades of Blues is my attempt to achieve an unusual contextual juxtaposition.

There is a long story and associated history that describe “why the blues are called the blues.” I previously thought that “the blues” had some connection to the color, blue. I wondered why the blues are not called “the reds” or some other color-reference. During my research for this post concerning Duke Ellington’s song, “Mood Indigo,” I discovered my misconception of what the color, indigo-blue actually is. I found that there are several different colors that rightfully claim to be Indigo.

My arrangement of Mood Indigo features an introductory and final chorus that are intended to approximate (OK, imitate…) Duke Ellington’s 1933 arrangement. Recurrent piano noodling and rhythmic chords are Synthogy Ivory’s Italian Grand. Both choruses feature an instrumental trio with two muted trombones and accompanying saxophone (and, sometime alto/bass clarinet). This particular voicing with the trombones higher in pitch than the saxophone, is characteristic of several Ellington arrangements. The chorus trombones, sax, and acoustic bass instruments are all produced by instruments from the Garritan Jazz And Big Band Sound Library. A Garritan alto clarinet verse follows the introductory chorus. The next verse features Yamaha MU100R VL (modeled) trumpet and trombone. The final chorus uses the same instruments as the initial chorus.

I have played many other Ellington tunes over the years. Hopefully this will be the first of a successions of recordings of the other Ellington tunes I love.

Named “Stanley Morris Owen, Junior” by my parents, I obviously received my name, “Stan” from my father. However, like many other “Stans,” they and I owe our occasionally ascribed moniker, “Stan the Man”  to the  “Stan, the Man,”  Stanley Frank Musial, who left us on January 19, 2013.

While I lived in St. Louis (1995-1998), in the same city as the great man, I conceived the idea to arrange a photo of us shaking left hands (I, like him, am a lefty). However, that dream, like so many others, came to an end with his passing in January.

Through Mr. Musial’s long public life, he consistently treated everyone with such honesty, kindness, respect, and humility — that there are no recorded negative stories or remembrances of him.

Alesis Ion Synthesizer

During his baseball-playing days, Stan the Man learned to play the harmonica. He is reported to have occasionally whipped-out a harmonica from his pocket to lead teammates in rousing renditions of Take Me Out To The Ballgame during the seventh-inning-stretch. When I learned this, I decided to arrange, perform, and record this tune.

My arrangement features synthesized imitations of two harmonicas, tuba, snare and bass drum, bells, and a quasi-electric-piano. As a challenge for myself, I decided to program all of the instrumental sounds using my smallest, most modest instrument, my Alesis Ion (pictured).

Like most of my audio-video projects, I produced the video to accompany the music (rather, than vice-versa). The images are ones I found online. Seemingly, I have been flying below the radar w.r.t. “fair use” of such images. I hope you enjoy my tribute to “The Stan, the Man.”