The Musical Diary of Greg Scheer

A new recording by Paul Langford, this time a ballad called “Upon Reflection.”

The tune grew from the four-note motif that begins the song. The motif itself is stable, in that it outlines a D major chord, but unsettled, because it lands on an F# against a C major chord. This four-note theme–and the tension it creates–reappears in different guises throughout the tune. Perhaps the most striking use of the motif is where it extends up and up until finally landing in a completely different key for the B section.

But enough musical nerdities!

I love what Paul did with this piano ballad. I asked him to channel his inner Bill Evans for this demo. Specifically, my instructions were, “I’m imagining Bill Evans, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a whiskey on this piano, playing to a mostly empty bar after his band has packed up and gone home. This one’s for him alone–a wistful improvisation with rays of hope; tender and inconclusive, like life itself.”

I have not verified whether the recording included cigarettes and whiskey, but Paul’s Bill Evans is on point!

You’ll never guess when I wrote this song…

Yes, on July 3, 2022, I sat down at the piano and banged out this jazz tune. I really can’t remember the details. Maybe I was writing a tune for one of my Euro Bistro gigs? In any case, I know I completed the song quickly because I only put a specific date on music if it goes from idea to completion in one day. On the other hand, the file is named “a_third_of_july-1.1,” so I must have returned to it at some point to make revisions.

Wow. This is turning out to be a boring blog post!

I guess all you need to know is that Paul Langford transformed this from leadsheet to demo with style and class. He really captured the without-a-care-in-the-world lightness that I intended for the song.

This tune has been a long time in the making. It began its life in May of 2022 as a bass line reminiscent of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon.” (Though the actual bass line went missing somewhere along the way.) Then it was an AABA head that was too complicated. Then it became an AAB head that was just right. Then the recording of the just-right version had technical problems that kept it from playing here on the blog.

Now, three years later, Paul Langford has stepped in to save the day, recording this bang-up demo of the song. Paul brings out its slinky smoothness, with an underbelly of funk. What do think? Would it sit nicely between tracks by Yellowjackets and Spyro Gyra?

Another collaboration with Paul Langford creating the demo, I named this song “Lightness” because it feels like it doesn’t have a care in the world. I know, I know, I lose all rock-and-roll street cred with a song so nice, but even the most fraught musician has to have moments of ease, right?

And frankly, happy music is hard to write. It’s so easy to fall into cliché and sentimentality. While “Lightness” certainly has a lot of sweetness to it, there are also some harmonic twists that, in my opinion, keep it from being mundane or cloying.

Hey, wait a minute… Why am I apologizing for writing a pleasant song?!

Last year, at Christmas time, I was working on a slightly off-kilter, upbeat blues tune. About the same time, Outside Pocket was playing an event in Lansing called “Silver Bells in the City.” The two things merged to become “Silver Bell Blues.”

The sad news is that I didn’t get a good recording of the song from that event. Further sad news is that I can play a fast blues on bass, but am hopeless on piano, guitar, or any other instrument that would lead to a listenable demo.

The good news is that my old friend Paul Langford possesses those talents in spades. Here is a demo of “Silver Bell Blues” with Paul playing everything. I love how it turned out. Look for more collaborations with Paul in the future!

Here’s a little gem left over from 2023’s recording session with Steve Talaga. You might remember that Steve and I pounded out demos of over a dozen songs in an afternoon. I tell you that to make sure your expectations are sufficiently low.

In this particular case, we recorded Mr. McJudgypants live on piano and electric bass, and then I went back later and added drums and electric guitars. So, if in some spots, you wonder what has happened to Steve’s impeccable timing and groove, I can assure you it is no fault of his. He was playing to a rhythm section that didn’t yet exist!

Now, a more pressing question: Who is Mr. McJudgypants? The sheet music says that he is the son of Mr. Green Genes. Hmm… Though his true identity remains shrouded in mystery, I will say he reminds me a lot of my younger son, Theo, who has a knack for asking rhetorical questions in a way that lets you know you’re on the wrong side of right.