I’m gonna be joining one of the rockin-est bands in the US! Beginning Feb 10, I’ll be the saxophone player for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. I’ve been hanging around these guys for years, and have worked with all the members of SSJ in other projects. I’ve finally gotten the opportunity to do it for real, and I AM PSYCHED! Keep an eye on my schedule and please come out and say hello.

What Child Is This

I first became interested in random harmonic generation when I heard some early computer music while in college. I found it interesting and unique in that while it was unpredictable, when the programming was handled in the correct way, the resulting “music” – if randomly generated sound can be called that – had the potential to be mesmerizing. In 1987 Michael Brecker released his album “Michael Brecker” and one of the hallmark sounds on that disc was his use of the EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) and synthesis to create an amazing palette of sounds. One of the most interesting things he did was to use a feature of the Oberheim Xpander module to randomly rotate through a series of harmonies. It works something like this:

The Xpander had a setting called “Rotate Mode” with 6 voice polyphony. Michael was able to turn that into an amazing harmonic tool by creating two zones on the synth, one with two “static” voices set to re-trigger and one with four rotating voices in rotate mode. I have recreated this functionality in Logic’s environment with many additional features and expansions on the original idea.

More in depth information is available here.

From nytix.com summary:

Memphis boasts one of Broadway’s most dynamic characters, Huey Calhoun, a guy who is going nowhere until his love of “race music” – combined with his brash style and quick wit – makes him the most popular radio personality in town. Both his ego and his refusal to acknowledge the barriers of a racist society threaten his relationship with a black singer. Though David Bryan’s score is not nearly as strong as the real rock ‘n’ roll and blues music of that era, it is enjoyable and includes some standout songs; Joe DiPietro’s book, with the exception of a few predictably cheesy moments, is generally smart, funny, and well-constructed; Christopher Ashley’s direction is superb. Overall this is an exciting original Broadway musical with a good look, a hot band, an engaging story, and an excellent cast of performers to bring it to life.

There are links to many resources around the web, tutorials on programming and extensive information on the Logic environment and creating custom performance environments for use with the EWI. Stop by and check it out, there’s something useful for just about everyone.