Cello Mello

TennesseeVic

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Description

There is a new version of this song uploaded on this site. Please listen to that one. I'm just keeping this one around for the commentary.

A relaxed dittie. As with other pieces I write, this one came from a single sound, in this case the echoing piano in the beginning. From that came the chords, then the bass, then the melody. The chord structure is a bit jazzy: lots of II-V-Is. I'm particularly happy with the Rhodes solo and the five-part sax choir behind the piano solo.

After I had posted this song with a sampled cello elsewhere, John Catchings offered to play a real cello part. Makes a big difference, not?

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Song Stats

Hits: 3381
Comments: 25
Fans: 4
Plays: 468
Downloads: 172
Votes: 18
Uploaded: Dec 11, 2004 - 08:25:27 PM
Last Updated: Jul 11, 2005 - 07:31:06 PM Last Played: Nov 04, 2009 - 04:43:35 PM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Hardware:

G5, no external hardware. Recording equipment for the cello unknown

Software:

This uses Logic's ES2, EVP88, EVB3; drums: PlugSound. Bass and sax choir: SampleTank. Mda piano.

Comments

	said 1793 days ago (December 11th, 2004)
	Good stuff Solid performances. You nicely combine virtual and real instruments. Very listenable. That cello is sweet and lyrical. 7887

jonask	jonask said 1793 days ago (December 12th, 2004)
	Good stuff Yeah, I like this one too, the cello sounds great. Check out my latest song called Atmosphere

TobinMueller	TobinMueller said 1791 days ago (December 13th, 2004)
	The cello transforms What a happy tune! The real cello transforms. Such great pop chording and lite jazz playing. Truly easy happy music. Check out my latest song called Forge A New Life (MJRF)

	said 1791 days ago (December 13th, 2004)
	Easy listening... Strong bright piece. Love the Rhodes. Love the cello. Really good tune here. Thanks for sharing it. 8888

	said 1790 days ago (December 14th, 2004)
	Easy listening... Now I know what this reminds me of..."Down in Jamaica they got lotsa pretty women...steal your money and they'll break your heart....Ahhh but, lonesome Sue she's in love wioth old Sam....Cool. --- Hey...Gimme some skin.

Cameron

Cameron said 1791 days ago (December 13th, 2004)

very pleasing
Great chord progressions in this well-conceived, generally
well mixed song. The live cello adds a lot of personality to
the track.

I would have liked to hear a bit more reverb and echo in
the sound of the cello; it was a bit "up front" in a buzzy
way. Perhaps a little "distance" in the sound would be an
alternative.

The shorter sections past the middle offered a lot of
material which didn't quite fit the earlier stuff, but I loved
the fast piano riffs regardless!

Very nice tune indeed.

P.S. The name "John Catchings" fairly jumped out at me,
since we played together in the Nashville Symphony in the
late '70s. (I played French horn there for 3 yrs.) Please tell
him Cameron says hello! John may remember me but then
again he might NOT....that was many years ago.

Check out my latest song called EPONYM

	John Catchings said 1782 days ago (December 22nd, 2004)
	very pleasing Hey Cameron! I do remember you and am wondering what you are up to. Thanks for the constructive comments - this was fun to do but the midi chart was a bear to translate into the real world. Give me a shout out.

thetiler	thetiler said 1791 days ago (December 13th, 2004)
	nice work I enjoyed it. I thought it was an unusual combination of instruments but really liked it. Nice to hear the cello take center stage! Well done! thetiler Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)

TennesseeVic

TennesseeVic said 1790 days ago (December 14th, 2004)

nice work
Thanks for the comments everyone.

That choice of cello was actually more or less an accident. I just needed a
good melody instrument, and in SampleTank (which I was using at the time)
most samples were not good enough for a starring role, except for the cello.

Most things in life are a coincidence, aren't they?

---
Victor

Check out my latest song called Tecmo Superbowl 2009 w/ Dead End (MJRF 2004)

	OhEsTen said 1790 days ago (December 14th, 2004)
	Very cool... Your arrangement is very professional. Nice engineering. Great melody - very happy feeling. Love it! Check out my latest song called The Last Day

ChrisSly	ChrisSly said 1790 days ago (December 15th, 2004)
	That's right, slick Cello is usually given to such melancholy tunes, it's nice to hear this. Mostly this is terrific, although the piano solo near the end sounds very MIDI, unlike most of what's going on. Check out my latest song called La Valse Final Waltz

thetiler	thetiler said 1787 days ago (December 17th, 2004)
	Good Point! As I get older I realize coincidences have more meaning that us humans realize. Thanks for sharing the tune! Bill thetiler Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)

Cori Ander

Cori Ander said 1783 days ago (December 22nd, 2004)

Yes!
Yes, this is a beautiful tune. Especially the first half of it
with the piano, bass AND notably the Cello. I would have
liked that part to be much longer. Imagine this as an intro
part of a 12 or 20 minutes piece where the cello continue
the weaving of melodies, following up the intrducory
theme.

Well it is easy for me to say that. I also know the feeling I
get when someone suggests something like that to me.
More work to be done, hours and days to come when
there is so much else to be done and so many other ideas
I want to complete.

I believe in the potentials of this tune though. Thank you
for a beautiful contribution!

Check out my latest song called Guitar test — Martin CSN (Gerry Tolman Tribute)

mulletsrock	mulletsrock said 1775 days ago (December 29th, 2004)
	Little ditty par excellence Just for the act of playing a jazz cello, this deserves notoriety. Little ditties are often the most pleasing, without presumption, clean and honest. Nicely done. Check out my latest song called Frankenfun II (with iGStudio, Tobin, Suz...)

bendan	bendan said 1769 days ago (January 4th, 2005)
	nice Too easy for me, but nicely constructed. Check out my latest song called I Live

Peter Greenstone	Peter Greenstone said 1765 days ago (January 8th, 2005)
	sweet cello It's a nice happy melody with some interesting mixes. Mostly I like it, but some of the parts like the sax just sound way too midi, particularly next to the live cello. I guess there's not much else to add that others haven't already said. Me likey music! Check out my latest song called From Nothing

compyellow	compyellow said 1764 days ago (January 9th, 2005)
	yeah, love the rhodes solo makes me wish i had a rhodes and could play it. the chord arangement is really interesting, and the cello sounds angelic. if i didn't know better, i'd be convinced that a big band recorded this on a hot summer night at caesar's palace in LV, NV. Did they? Check out my latest song called Let Me In (Again)

TennesseeVic

TennesseeVic said 1764 days ago (January 10th, 2005)

yeah, love the rhodes solo
Thanks for further comments, everyone.

The chord arrangement liberally steals from jazz standard techniques (end a
phrase on F, then continue with Cm7 F7 Bb) and occasional Brucknerian third
relationships: use Fm as substitute for Dm (Em -> A -> Fm -> Dm).

About the Rhodes solo: just do cycle record, and keep the best bits of
umpteen solos you try. I can't play this solo live either, although all of it was
actually played. Just not in one take.

Big band: ages ago I played bass in a big band with a 5 piece sax section.
Gorgeous! I tried to recreate that atmosphere in the piano solo bit.

---
Victor

Check out my latest song called Tecmo Superbowl 2009 w/ Dead End (MJRF 2004)

Mystified	Mystified said 1762 days ago (January 12th, 2005)
	Cello cheerful I love the lightness of this composition--almost like a dance. So carefree, and the cello is the best possible lead 'voice,' wonderfully played. Simply delightful. Thank you! Check out my latest song called Forever Voyaging (space race 2009)

Nolan	Nolan said 1723 days ago (February 20th, 2005)
	Very nice. A lovely little tune. The cello is fantastic! Great to hear some real cello on MacJams. Nice chords in this one. Check out my latest song called Fine

oldlibmike

oldlibmike said 1722 days ago (February 20th, 2005)

Great mix - and a theory lesson to boot
I particularly like your detailed comments on how you put
this together. I agree the live cello is great for the piece
and it is cool to hear a 'bright' cello instead of brooding. I
actually listened for your sax samples you mentioned in
one of your posts but didn't really get a feel for them
since they are part of a very good mix.

Check out my latest song called Lama du jour

joymark

joymark said 1712 days ago (March 2nd, 2005)

nice piece
This really is a fun little piece. It sounds as if you found quite a bit of joy in creating it with friends. The cello is nicely done. It is not often I here the cello played in that register; I like it very much.

Your combination of instruments was somewhat surprising, but satisfying. I only wish (personal opinion here) that there was a bit more bottom end throughout (but that may make it lose it lighthearted quality, so what do I know).

Bravo!

Check out my latest song called Seek Ye First (with Canon in D)

drakonis

drakonis said 1704 days ago (March 10th, 2005)

catchy!
Very fun! I would not have thought of having a cello as
the main instrument for a jazz piece like this, very cool!
And a real cellist, to boot, who performed this beautifully!
Nice sliding into notes. Great piano-playing too, quite
catchy. The only critique is that the "space" the cello is
playing does sound slightly different than that of the other
instruments... I'm not sure if my mind is inventing this,
since I read that the cello was recorded separately... but it
doesn't sound like its in the same room, quite. But this is
very bouncy and fun, thanks! Dled!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Check out my latest song called Temporal Tantrum (Sister Savage Mix)

	jonathanlucas said 1686 days ago (March 28th, 2005)
	Nice tune Great song. Catchy and happy. Check out my latest song called The Heist

Joanna	Joanna said 1686 days ago (March 28th, 2005)
	Wow I love this! Bright, jazzy, and joyous with a killer cello part, and some great jazz riffs. Absolutely wonderful, Vic! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

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Name: The man from McMinn county, TN

I make music in the evening hours for my own amument. I enjoy listening to music from all continents and all ages, and I hope that some of that variety comes through in my music.... [see more]

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