117, 12" Flush With Cash 1 track released January 2007 **

Joe finally came back from the cruise contract after playing nothing but lounge schmaltz, but he did have his air ticket money for me in cash. We met and had breakfast in Escondido and then went to our usual location at the drum studio to lay down upright bass and drums. An avant garde approach to the whole album again as one cut.

I had my bow and Joe was ready with brushes and mallets. It came out as planned; very quickly and very avant garde. Joe took it really out with a style that was free of bar lines and tempos. The guitar reinforced the time in the bass part, and this is how I wanted to inaugurate 2007, with expressive acoustic-stylings on the upright with most daring approach possible.

The title seems almost inappropriate. What does this abstract music have to do with cash? The title sounds like something from the rap genre. But that is part of my humor.

Most 'jazz' artists would title an album like this with very one-dimensional congruence, like 'Out of Time', 'Timeless', 'Crazy People Music' etc. But if these are methods and approaches one plans on using for more than one album, one must be a little more oblique.

Being flush with cash means not that one wants not to brag or represent at the club; it means one is free to do what one wants regardless of what others may think. What a luxury.

Grant Clarkson - EUB, guitar
Joe McDonald - drums

By Grant Clarkson and Joe McDonald.
Recorded January 6, 2007 Licitysplit Studios
Copyright 2007 Grant Clarkson


118. 2 12" Double Entendre 12 tracks released June 2007 *****

Originally this double album was to be titled "Hibernation" because at the close of '06 I was exhausted, and the composition I wanted to do was to be soothing, spacious and slow. The slow tempos were a good idea; it is generally more difficult for musicians to play with control, precision, and feeling at slow tempos. Further, I was very inspired by the great classical composers, listening to KUSC and XLNC and appreciating the combination of visceral serenity and cerebral stimulation of that great tradition after a year full of grooves and excitement.

Once again the drum machine was the first out really to set up the tempo map with no fills or changes, this time as a double album with a total of 12 tracks - 3 per side. The plan was possibly to make it a solo bass album, finally removing the drum tempo guide. I honestly don't remember if the bass part for the entire double album was done in one take or in separate sessions. This portion of records is always hard for me to remember because it's in the early stages when I can't be sure if I'll end up keeping the take or even the concept or not. But the whole double album segues constantly and I can't hear any edits, so its possible the bass part for the entire 80 minutes was cut in one pass. Thus far, it was looking promising. So despite my inclination to 'hibernate', the music being developed needed to be more than just a solo-bass album, and the combination of the difficulty of the music and my need to slow down greatly extended the incubation of this project.

Upon listening to the drum and bass tracks with a full ensemble sound in mind, the ultimate concept and theme for this double album started to emerge. I remembered a lecture series given by Leonard Bernstein I had seen on video called "The Unanswered Question". Therein Lenny brilliantly posits his thesis about the meaning and development of Western music over the last 250 years. The titles of the tracks, and even the title of the album refer to this lecture series, and the theme of what I was going for is my attempt of extending, or at least reflecting that thesis.

Briefly, Bernstein's thesis is that from the early 18th Century to the mid 20th Century, music and indeed all the arts have been innovating towards increasing 'semantic ambiguity'. In music this innovation has been recognized in part by increasing harmonic and formal complexity; moving away from diatonicism and ultimately coming to what Bernstein calls 'the poetry of earth' wherein even what is unprecedented is still universal. But more than just mere complexity, the great composers innovated the language of music to signify extra-musical meanings, paralleling according to Bernstein, Chomsky's linguistic theory of poetry incorporating and surpassing the structures of prose and tending towards universal and innate meanings. These videos are great fun and I recommend them to anyone interested in music theory.

So how could I reflect or extend that thesis? Only in some very basic ways that rather than validate Bernstein's thesis (don't think I'm trying to one-up Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky etc. for one moment - I know that is ridiculous), I'm just paying tribute to a few shards of it that I personally relate to. For instance, when I saw the first couple lectures, I thought Bernstein was almost old-fashioned with his preoccupation with harmonic resolution. Modern jazz and avant garde players and composers take alot these things that were once revolutionary as second nature. But harmonic ambiguity is something that I have explored and developed in my composition for a long time. Seeing it explicated so well by Bernstein using the greatest composers ever as examples was very inspiring and even encouraging.

As one who composes primarily on the bass, I have long emphasized a way of composing that bypasses chords. It is almost invariably by way of chords that diatonicism is determined. Chord symbols in jazz charts for instance always provide a key signature. a specifically major or minor tonality, and inevitable 1,3,5 voices present against a determined tonic. Typically the way this type of writing introduces more complexity or ambiguity is by having more chords changing faster or more dissonant intervalic relationships, either laterally as chords change through time or vertically as chords are extended or altered. Ornette Coleman recognized the inherent limitations of this approach, and by eliminating the chordal mediator introduced a kind of vertigo and relativity between the bass and the top line; said top line residing simultaneously in the role of melody and harmony. But even he is not what I would consider to be the ultimate practitioner of trans-chordal playing. I suppose no one person ever will be be or could be. What is heard here on Double Entendre is what might be called in the jargon, not non-chordal, because there is polytonality, or atonal, because there is no twelve tone or some such anti-scalar system; so perhaps we could call it trans-modal - modulations that themselves are ambiguous because they do not originate from a diatonic modality, and therefore there is that Coleman-esque relativity but on a polytonal level. Alright already - enough of that stuff.

So the Rhodes part was very difficult for me. It took a whole day to do each side. Alot was edited out and then what was absent and what remained informed the guitar part, wherein each song took a whole session. Then I decided it needed percussion to add variety and an organic quality to the drum parts. The first guy flaked after waiting weeks to schedule his session. The next percussion session was excessive and was aborted. So I used digital percussion and achieved just what I wanted. That took I think two sessions.

The next decision in the crafting of this double album ended up being as central as the whole Bernstein thesis, and that was not leaving these compositions as exclusively my own performances, but rather bringing in different guest artists to put the final feeling on each cut, which were casted according to instrument. This helped to add variety to double album that segues all the way through and otherwise would have no change in instrumentation from title to title. Each one of these sessions - Mitch Manker on trumpet, John Rekevicks on tenor sax, Lenon Honor on flute, and Joel Piller on vocals, was just the right experience. In some cases I talked too much trying to explain the concept in advance of their takes (harmonic ambiguity, blah blah blah) but mostly they were free to be themselves, which worked out beautifully. That is my general approach; call the right cats for the right tunes and you shouldn't have to tell them too much about how to play.


Side A
Work and Escapism
Judicious Recklessness
Wolfgang Misses Contanze
Side B
The Magic Flute
Espoused to Aesthetics
The Question of Sincerity

Side C
Poetry of the Earth
Ambidexterous Ambiguity
Delights and Dangers
Side D
Theodor Adorno
Art and Artiface
Subjectivity and Chromaticism

Grant Clarkson - drum programs, bass, Rhodes, guitar,
electronic percussion
Nate Souders - alto sax. John Rekevicks - tenor sax.
Joel Piller - vocal.
Lenon Honor - flute. Mitch Manker - trumpet.
All compositions by Grant Clarkson.
Recorded January - June 2007 Licitysplit Studios
copyright 2007 Grant Clarkson


120. 12" Down From the Clouds 7 tracks released July 2007 **

The tepid enthusiasm I have for writing the liner notes for this record reflects the feeling I have for the record itself. The concept was simple enough; easy simple summer music that would be spare and quick to create without any guest musicians. I was back on to analog tape because Double Entedre was still occupying the entire hard drive and I wanted to find a way to archive the master tracks before clearing the slate. At this time, Double Entendre has been archived and the next album will be back on the digital deck.

Analog seemed acceptable because the technical demands for this album were to be modest, but even so I did not end up relishing the analog format due to the inherent limitations in terms of number of tracks, the less precise editing, and the deterioration factor that comes into play when one strives for detail and perfectionism. But on this I did very little striving for detail or perfectionism. Every layer was done in one take. Some of the piccolo bass was edited out. The first two songs ended up not making the album.

What I had in mind was some pretty and spare melodic ideas that would be easily digestible and accessible; once again in the tradition of being somewhat antithetical to the prior album. I suppose it is somewhat antithetical to Double Entendre, but the songs ended up being more funk oriented, with the top layer more in the vein of jazz soloing than hooky melodies. The ostinados did lay out simple and spacious harmonic terrain, and so in the end it is more jazz and dub than the pretty contemporary instrumentalism for the mainstream and had planned on. But it does have the spacious and less cerebral aesthetic appropriate to an enjoyable summer.

Side A
Dandyism
Musical Vanity
Tropical Equivocations
Side B
Sebatical
Down From the Clouds
Affix a Narrative
Thoughtless Words

Grant Clarkson - drum progammes,
bass, keyboards, piccolo bass,guitar.
All compositions by Grant Clarkson.
Recorded July 2007 Licitysplit Studios
copyright 2007 Grant Clarkson


121. 12" Nothing to Say 2 tracks released July 2007 **

Unlistenable solo bass art-crap - for bass nerds only.

Side A
Nothing to Say part one
Side B
Nothing to Say part two

Grant Clarkson - bass
All composition by Grant Clarkson
Recorded July 2007 Licitysplit Studios
copyright 2007 Grant Clarkson



122. 12" Of Late I Think Of Bexleyheath 8 tracks released August 2007 ***

This is the album that should have been my first on the laptop, with software such as Logic. Instead it was done in a similar way as 'Intangibles' - all electronic sounds and all played by hand. With music such as this, very much based on ostinados, to play it all out by hand rather than arranging synthetically in a software platform has come to be, by today's standards, arcane and unorthodox.

In this instance there is no upside to this deviation from orthodoxy. Being that music is simple and repetitive, and stylistically in the idioms of contemporary commercial soundtrack or downtempo dub it should have all of its human artifacts scrubbed clean as the market is accustomed.

If there were not any worthwhile ideas herein, it would not matter. But most of the songs, as repetitive as they are have ideas that would lend the tracks to potential commercial application, cut into two minute, one minute, or 30 second clips.

Hypothetical commercial considerations aside, the tunes are coherent and catchy. This record was remarkably easy to compose and record - done quickly layer by layer. The horn section parts ended up being one of the essential thematic elements, in addition to the simple grooves that de-emphasize harmonic movement. Again similar to intangibles, the funkiness of the sounds themselves are central to the compositions.

The title is derived (not again!) from the synthesis of a Twilight Zone episode and the name of Kate Bush's current home town. Of late I thought of Bexleyheath because I needed the help of Kate's artistry to help with some of the things I was going through at the time. The inspiration this time had to do a personal disposition, found significantly through interviews seen on You Tube. It is the thought of staying sweet, kind, polite, focused, and creative in spite of prying inquisitors. You see, she and I share this determination to make our own records. The relative simplicity of this record and the gauzey synth sounds also reminded me of Aerial.

The other element is "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville", the one-hour TZ episode about the tycoon who, in going back to his roots finds the track muddier then he remembered. This time and this album reflect a movement up to a cleaner and better place, and some of the places along the way I have of late considered not as desirable to relive or revisit as might have once imagined.


Side A
South of the Capital
We Go Driving
Full Ensemble Rehearsal
We Tire of the City
Side B
New Shoes
Vector Graphics
Could Be In A Dream
A Home Full of Priceless Junk

Grant Clarkson - drum programmes, keyboards
All compositions by Grant Clarkson
Recorded August 2007 Licitypslit Studios
copyright 2007 Grant Clarkson


123. 12" Acoustic Images 8 tracks released October 2007 ***

The goal on this record was to portray some timeless and familiar tunes as simply as possible featuring the acoustic upright in the studio. Originally I thought to portray these tunes in solo bass.

Then the thought was to have it in two basses with arco melody parts. I did perform all the heads this way but there were two problems. One was that I was not able to play the melodies in the upper register for all but one or two of the tunes. The other problem was that the tone achieved in my arco parts was not pleasing enough to make the cut. A worthwhile exercise for my own bowing development justified the effort, if not inclusion in the final mix.

So I went ahead and played heads on the fretted electric, with the upright still as the featured soloist. The upright was recorded direct off the pickup. Next time I'll use just a mic in front of the bass. With the fretted electric, these sessions revealed alot of squeakiness in the upper register so after this the Pedulla got a much-needed fret dressing. It was great finally to record some of these old tunes like Stardust, Moonlight Serenade, and Moonglow.

Side A
Autumn in New York
Stardust
Elsa
Billies Bounce
Side B
Moonlight Seranade
Old Devil Moon
Nature Boy
Moonglow

Grant Clarkson - Acoustic bass, Electric bass
These arrangements by Grant Clarkson
Recorded September - October 2007 Licitysplit Studios
copyright 2007 Grant Clarkson


124. 12" Dojo 4 tracks released November 2007**

Dojo is Japanese for 'lesson'. This album is inspired by the book, 'Zen Guitar'. The book sat around for a while because I didn't think I'd be particularly interested in a book for guitarists. Once I started reading I loved it. It is not just for guitarists but all musicians, full of great 'dojos' about good musicianship. Each track on this albums a meditation on a particular dojo.

'Ichigo Ichie' means 'one time meeting' - basically an experience that will never happen again; perfect for improvisation. 'Suki' means 'interval' or 'gap'. 'Mi Zai' means 'not yet' and finally 'Kokoro Ire' means 'inclusion of the heart's spirit'. These were the four meditations behind these tracks, all on solo fretless electric bass.

Side A
Ichigo Ichie
Suki
Side B
Mi Zai
Kokoro Ire

Grant Clarkson - bass
All performances by Grant Clarkson
Recorded November 2007 Licitysplit Studios
copyright 2007 Grant Clarkson


125. 12" Off Hand 10 tracks released December 2007 ***

The main innovation on this record is the debut of MIDI technology on the fretted electric bass, though this was the last instrument to perform for the record.

The first thought for this album was to finish 2007 on a funky note. A highly digital (but not all digital) album, the drum grooves were in service of an 'off-hand' bass performance on the fretted Fender Jazz, once again with the whole album layed down in one take and segueing the whole way through. After playing so much upright lately, it was fun to get into the staccato potential and immediate & stark but bright fundamental of the Fender.

After this was the standard keys followed by guitar layers. For the guitar the Rat and the Analog Delay were the only effects. The keys ran the gamut from melody parts with funky synth sounds to just rhythmic support in the form of organ and piano sounds. By this stage I was getting the impression that this would be a record with the a good gestalt. The simple and rather unambitious premise was yielding a surprisingly sophisticated and satisfying sound.

The MIDI part as the final ingredient was interesting because there were so many sounds to choose from. The first round had to be editing a little of the previous tracks and then casting the appropriate sounds for each song. To play organ, trumpet, tenor sax, vibraphone, synth pads, clavinet, and percussion off the bass was a trip, and I can tell this was an important step into the realm of digital composition.


Side A
Decolotage
Swimming
Three Golden Rings
Under The Covers
Voila!
Side B
The In-World
Two Much
Off Hand
Hands On The Wheel
Miss Boots

Grant Clarkson - drum programmes, bass, keys, guitar, MIDI bass
All compositions by Grant Clarkson
Recorded November - December 2007 Licitysplit Studios
copyright 2007 Grant Clarkson
~~~~~~~~~~~If you would like a copy of any of these CDs, please write me and we can make arrangements. ~~~~~~~~~~~~