FEATURE
1. WE
BE (voc)
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A
song in distinct parts, strings & woodwinds, jazz piano & bass,
leading to the sweet voice of Katie Campbell. Basically a bossa
nova introduced as a ballad by a statement of the theme from the piano
and bass. The sample does not give away the
strangely magical effect of the entire piece, which defies the
categories one is required to choose from Soundscan's list. The
sample is from 3 excerpts of the piece. It is
romantic. Produced at Bo-Fra-Biz studio.
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2.
BATTLE HYMN
OF THE
REPUBLIC
(solo piano)
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The
classic
song gets a modern jazz re-working, from the highly acclaimed
"Re-Entry" cd release on JazCraft (JzC101)
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3.
MISTRESS OF
THE TREE
(voc)
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Something
of a seasonal piece, a
love song at Christmas
time, sung by G. F. Mlely to his wife, Billie-Kalua, whose collection
of ornaments
reveal
family history told on the tree. Produced at Studio 101 and at
Bo-Fra-Biz studio.
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4.
EVERYTHING
PROVIDED
(voc ens)
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Imagine,
the world is your
oyster, anywhere you go, doing what you love - singing, dancing,
playing, acting - and getting everything you ever need. Ready,
get set...
From "Life Death & Jazz," Mlely's musical theare
work-in-progress.
Sung by Katie Campbell, Greg Franklin, Sharmila Guha, and on
instruments, Bill Markus, bass; Gene Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely,
piano, words & music.
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| 5. THE
POND (spoken word
& sung) |
While
the music of "The Pond" is pretty much in the jazz category, the words,
more poem than lyric, concentrate upon a pool of water in a maintained
wilderness, its reflections drawing upon parallel reflections of life
in the observer's mind.
Yet another song defying the categories that must be chosen from
Soundscan's list. Spoken word, instrumentally performed, and then
sung, it was originally written in 1970, its lead- and vocal-sheets
published as the front page of an alternative newspaper of the time, in
Seattle, now recently produced and recorded in the Bo-Fra-Biz studio,
for release in
JazCraft's Catalog. G. F. Mlely, besides composing the music and
writing the words, arranged, instrumentally performs, speaks the
spoken-word and, finally, sings, the song.
ASIDE: this is the first song of Mlely's, completed in its composition
and lyric, the melody having come to him entirely in a dream staying
in his head for weeks until he finally wrote it down. A poem he
had written, apart from the melody, fit the the melody
precisely in its syllables, to become the lyric.
Somewhere along the way, he lost the written piece, as well as memory
of it, for nearly 35 years, when it suddenly came to mind recently,
staying with him until he finally scribed it down again, modifying a
tiny
bit of the harmonic sequence, and then going into the studio for
what is now become part of JazCraft's Catalog.
It is dedicated to the memory of his first wife, Linda, now
deceased. Produced at Bo-Fra-Biz studio.
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6.
THRENODY
FOR AN
UNBORN CHILD
(solo piano)
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A
mild opening belies the
dramatic development, a musical marker of tragedy. Featured in
the long running New York stageplay "How The Cookie Crumbles," produced
by the Xoregos Performing Company, choregraphed and directed by Shela
Xoregos. OUTSIDE THE BOX!
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7.
NEVER QUITE
SAY
(voc ens)
|
Ever
had that feeling of being
socially rejected for reasons unknown? It just never...
Singers telling the story are Katie Campbell, Greg Franklin, Sharmila
Guha, and musicians are Bill Markus, bass; Gene Stone, percussion; G.
F. Mlely, piano, words & music.
From "Life Death & Jazz," musical-in-progress. DEMO
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8.
NEVER QUITE
SAY
(solo piano)
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On
Mlely's "Re-Entry" cd
release, this performance was originally recorded for the TV Series,
"Jazz Piano With G. F. Mlely." An instrumental version of the
song from his musical theatre-work-in-progress, "Life Death &
Jazz," this performance can also be seen on YouTube: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrlX5LaK8xI>
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9.
I CAN'T
REMEMBER
WHY WE SAID
GOODBYE (voc)
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Fixed in place upon the muralled walls of memory, the
why of goodbye lost. A ballad
sung by G. F. Mlely, with orchestral accompaniment.
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10.
DARK SONG
(voc)
|
Strings
express the anguish of
the existential despair expressed in the lyric. Originally on an
unreleased cd ("Pan In His Afterlife") and currently from "Life Death
& Jazz," a musical theater work in progress.
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11.
A LITTLE
NIGHT WALTZ
(voc ens)
|
Think
Hieronymus Bosch in San
Francisco with goblins out at night on halloween. From Mlely's
musical theatre-work-in-progress, "Life Death & Jazz."
Features the voices of Katie Campbell, Greg Franklin, Sharmila Guha,
and musicians Bill Markus, bass; Gene Stone, percussion; and G. F.
Mlely, piano. DEMO
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12.
A LITTLE
NIGHT WALTZ
(solo
piano)
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Solo
piano version of the song,
inventive, swinging (as a waltz can be), surprising turns of
phrases...
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13.
A LITTLE
NIGHT WALTZ (trio)
|
An
up-tempo instrumental trio
take on the song, with some variation. The title tune from the
album, "A Little Night Waltz," (JzC105) that features Bill Markus,
bass; Gene Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, piano & composition.
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14.
FAT
BUTTERFLY
(voc)
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Unseen
death resulting from a
national celebration - what fireworks can do. G. F. Mlely,
piano & vocal.
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15.
FAT
BUTTERFLY
(solo piano)
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Piano
version of the song, kind
of bluesy, swingin', interesting chord sequences. G. F. Mlely,
piano.
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16.
BY THE EDGE
OF A SEA
(voc
ens)
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Waltzing
at the edge of an
ocean, blending with the elements - sand, sun, sea, clouds, the squeeze
of a green from the pine of a tree... Featuring Greg Franklin, Wren
Taylor and ensemble. DEMO
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17.
RIO
(solo piano)
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A
very latin play, solo piano
work by G. F. Mlely.
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| 18.
HERE WE ARE
(voc) |
Existential observation of the
changing sky night and day, on an island in the ocean, easy-listening
music vocalized by
Elizabeth Tatum, orchestrated, arranged, and produced at the Bo-Fra-Biz
studio.
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| 19.
HERE WE ARE
(voc) |
The existential song performed on
piano and sung by G. F. Mlely.
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| 20.
HERE WE ARE
(voc) |
The song sung too briefly by Katie
Campbell. A demo production, with Bill Markus, bass; Gene Stone,
percussion; G. F. Mlely, piano. DEMO
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| 21.
STILL AND
SILENT FIGURES
(voc) |
Gone yet ever not: “Where’s the
girl now, said she loved me... Now we’re still and silent figures”
threaded onto walls we leave behind. Produced at Bo-Fra-Biz
studio, sung by Angelo Divino.
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| 22.
WHEN SHE
LEFT
(voc) |
The loss of lover turns the world
mechanical and lifeless. Orchestrated, arranged and sung by
G. F. Mlely.
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| 23.
THORNBIRD
(trio) |
Instrumental trio performance, from
the cd, "A Little Night Waltz," featuring Bill Markus, doublebass; Gene
Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, composition, piano.
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| 24.
VILLAGE
SCENE
(voc ens) |
A village of artists with its own
economy - things obtainable only with - well, a song for
instance. Medium uptempo. A demo production for "Life
Death & Jazz,"
musical play in progress. DEMO
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| 25.
VILLAGE
SCENE
(trio) |
Instrumental version of the show
song, from the cd, "A Little Night Waltz," (JzC105), featuring Bill Markus, doublebass; Gene
Stone, percussion; G. F. Mlely, composition, piano.
Uptempo.
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| 26.
VILLAGE
SCENE
(solo piano) |
Solo piano version of the song,
uptempo, composed and performed by G. F. Mlely.
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| 27.
WHAT KARINA
SAW (solo piano) |
OUTSIDE THE BOX! Imagine
floating alone in space, the universe at your feet. Comets
coming, but who cares, it's all so quiet and peaceful - yet
stimulating.
G. F. Mlely solo piano, first released in 1979 on "Original Edition,"
(AAM101, publisher Alternatives In American Music ASCAP).
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| 28.
INVENTION 1
IN THE 8-TONE
(solo piano) |
An invention in the 8-Tone
Quarto-Modes, based on "The 8-Tone Quarto-Modes Concept," book
published by JazCraft <http://www.jazcraft.net/8tone.html>,
new theoretical thinking for improvisation. Very "spacey,"
somewhat psychotropic. G. F. Mlely solo
piano. Long cut
(10 minutes). Definitely
OUTSIDE THE BOX!
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| 29.
INVENTION
2 IN THE 8-TONE
(solo piano) |
An invention in the 8-Tone scale,
based on "The 8-Tone Quarto-Modes Concept," book
published by JazCraft <http://www.jazcraft.net/8tone.html>,
new theoretical thinking for improvisation. Uptempo, exciting,
atonal - note the slight difference rhythmically between the right and
left hands - Errol Garner in the 21st Century. G. F. Mlely solo
piano.
OUTSIDE THE BOX! |
| 30.
INVENTION
3 IN THE 8-TONE
(solo piano) |
An invention in the 8-Tone scale,
based on "The 8-Tone Quarto-Modes Concept," book
published by JazCraft <http://www.jazcraft.net/8tone.html>,
new theoretical thinking for improvisation. First published in
"Original Edition," 1979 (AAM101 Alternatives In American Music ASCAP),
spontaneously created and awkwardly titled "C(+4,-9)Maj/min," before
Mlely realized he had performed the first of what was to eventually
become the "8-Tone..." book, here renamed. Thus #3 came before
#1. G. F. Mlely solo
piano.
OUTSIDE THE BOX! |
| 31.
HAWAII
IS ITS NAME
(voc) |
A song of Hawaii, atypically
styled, featuring the vocal of Danny Maika. Easy-listening,
uptempo,
orchestrated, jazzy-latinish with a touch of island. Mlely
composed and arranged with help on guitar and percussion from Bob
Farrell. Produced at the Bo-Fra-Biz studio.
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| 32.
CAFE
ELIXIR
(voc) |
Cafe Elixir, "the perfect
place to be," especially if you love live jazz with your coffee. An
uptempo demo recording featuring the voice of Sharmala Guha, along with
the instrumental trio of Bill Markus on bass, Gene Stone on percussion,
and G. F. Mlely on piano.
Composed by Mlely for “Life Death & Jazz,” a musical in
progress. DEMO |
| 33.
CAFE
ELIXIR
(voc) |
G. F. Mlely sings and plays
piano in this demo of his song, "Cafe Elixir... the perfect place to
be," especially if coffee and cruller come with your cool live
easy-listening jazz. From the musical-in-progress, "Life Death
&
Jazz." DEMO
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Dark
theme, stark imagery - "barren landscape, oil derricks sucking,
sucking, sucking..." Composed, writ, electronically
orchestrated,
performed, and dramatically spoken by G. F. Mlely. Soundtrack to
a
video broadcast over Olelo TV in Hawaii, and on Los Angeles community
TV as “Antipathy Also Plays A Role In Creation.”
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| 35. KATRINA (voc 2:57) |
Remember
New Orleans, the hurricane aftermath? A plaintive lyric over
laconic
jazzy music, sung by Manisha Shahane, contrasting a severely
subtle lyric against a deceptively mellow,
easy-listening performance. Produced and recorded at Bo-Fra Biz
studio.
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| 36. THE
SHEPHERD (voc 3:51) |
Live
concert, driving up-tempo bossa nova performance by vocalist Rachel
Gonzales and pianist-composer G. F. Mlely, at the 10th Biennial Fund
Raising Crossroads Church event in Honolulu, featuring the original
music of Mlely's. Lyric memorializes last lament and sacrifice of
Christ Jesus - "Good shepherd, his life for me."
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| 37. THE
SHEPHERD (piano 8:37) |
Extremely mellow, solo piano
version of the song, long cut, performed by the composer.
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| 38. A
CHILD WAS BORN (voc 3:22) |
Christmas, easy-listening
song sung by Manisha Shahane. Orchestrated, arranged, produced
and recorded at Bo-Fra Biz studio.
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| 39. RIO (voc 2:18) |
Scat
duo with instrumental trio, driving up-tempo bossa featuring the voices
of Katie Campbell and Sharmila Guha, with Bill Markus on doublebass,
Gene Stone on percussion, and the composer G. F. Mlely on piano.
DEMO
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| 40. WORDS
WE SAY (voc 2:35) |
Sung by the inimitable
Bonnie Gearheart, of the automatic estrangement that often takes place
between the us and them - the homeless. Composed and writ by the
accompanying pianist G. F. Mlely. |
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MORE COMING...
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