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Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 28, No. 03
March 2023
Live meetings are Cancelled due to CoronaVirus.
However, we will be having on-line Zoom meetings.
The next zoom feedback session will be March 5th.
We will send details under a separate e-mail,
and an announcement on the Facebook group page.
If you want the zoom meeting details,
please e-mail us at isgorlando@gmail.com
Hopefully we will soon be meeting in person again.
Please stay tuned for more info.
Any Details not in this newsletter are at:
If you wish to join our Facebook group, please check us out at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/831814850193553/
WebChatter
by CyberToad
We are asking members to renew their dues for 2023. It costs only $5 per year,
and it helps us to defray costs for the zoom meetings.
We have 2 methods of payment. Either paypal to our treasurer Asli Goncer's
paypal account. The paypal access is at aslivision@gmail.com
or you can mail a $5 check to
Asli Goncer
2849 Babylon Court
Oviedo, FL 32765
Either way, we appreciate your continued support.
Rock And Roll Heaven
by Jackie Mason
After losing David Crosby and Jeff Beck we promptly lost Burt Bacharach. As a musician in my seventies I'm thinking that I may be an endangered species. Burt, however, made it to 94 years. So he had a full life. He also had an incredible career. I think I may have written about him before but he’s worth a revisit.
“Bacharach studied music at the Mannes School of Music, McGill University, The New School for Social Research, and Music Academy of the West.” This comes from the link below.
https://www.biography.com/musicians/burt-bacharach I like this tribute to Burt because it mentions his musical mentors and influences. There’s a list of some of his quotes about music. I’m not writing Burt’s autobiography here. I’m trying to figure out his process but I know I won’t succeed. He had his own musical quirks. As Elvis Costello said, one of Burt’s many collaborators, “he had his own musical language.” I think that language evolved from his mentors and influences. Growing up in New York he would go to clubs with a fake ID and listen to Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. Here’s one of those great quotes.
“I’m not a good appraiser of the past. Those days are a blur. I wasn’t consciously trying to break any rules at the time. You are what you hear. It was probably my classical training that geared me to stretch and expand. I'd studied with Henry Cowell and Darius Milhaud. Brazilian music was a huge breath of fresh air for me.” My hope in these articles is to inspire you. The research I did for this article has inspired me. I want to pass that on.
One of the earliest soundtracks that I ever became obsessed with was “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid '' scored by Burt for that 1969 movie. I can hear the be bop influences in it. I think I still have a well worn homemade cassette of this soundtrack. I am a big believer that some of this will rub off on my own compositions and your compositions
I found this gem of a 1996 BBC documentary on Burt’s music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcGDvUgewu4 “Burt Bacharach: His Life And Music” It covers his collaboration with lyricist Hal David and vocalist Dionne Warwick. That’s when he came up with all those classic pop songs. Another early obsession of mine was “Walk On By” first recorded by Dionne in1964. My real obsession with the song came four years later when Stax session man Isaac Hayes released a smoldering twelve minute version of it on his “Hot Buttered Soul” album.That also appears in this video. I love this video and the gamut of artists who have been influenced by Burt’s songs. For example we find Oasis front man Noel Gallagher raving about how Burt was his songwriting hero. He had no idea who Burt was at one time but knew all his songs. I can relate to that. We have The Stranglers with an up tempo version of “Walk On By. We have Richard Carpenter talking about “We’ve Only Just Begun” which became a massive hit for The Carpenters. Dusty Springfield narrates and we hear her hit “The Look of Love.” I would advise any aspiring songwriter to watch this documentary. It’s a masterclass on song arranging. The craft of using interesting intervals in the creation of melody. The way to effectively use percussion. How to use sound dynamics.
I love this next little video about Burt’s skill at changing keys. They are subtle changes and this is a little music lesson. It’s well explained and easy to understand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTrkALm2JNE Thanks to David Bennet. Burt had an interesting approach to rhythm. Watch this lesson about the “Bacharach Bounce.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVNlTY4zxpg It’s another neat little lesson that’s easy to understand. Thanks to Aimee Nolte. And another illustration of Burt’s use of trumpet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J3J2GQckF4
“My singing is very sparse. But it’s more about what I feel is the impact of being on stage and being able to meet people through your music. ... It’s about being able to have contact playing this kind of music. The pain that people go through—or the boredom, or the broken relationships, or the illnesses—music can be a powerful antidote sometimes. And you don’t get to see that just sitting in a room writing by yourself.” Burt Bacharach.
I could easily come up with another article on this amazing composer. But I have to get back to the Song Motel. Stay safe.
ISG Bulletin Board
Meeting space graciously provided by Central Florida Musicians Association,
Local 389. You are invited to join the largest union in the world, representing the
interests of the professional musician. Visit their website at afm389.org for more
information. You may reach them by phone at: 407-894-8666.
Why isn't your gig or live stream announced here? Members in good standing call SusieCool with your appearance schedule! 407-760-2153 or e-mail her the details at isgorlando@gmail.com
If you are interested in open mics in the Central Florida area, SusieCool has compiled a list.
Steve Hodak hosts several newly listed open mics on the East coast.
https://sites.google.com/site/susiecoolsongs/Home/open-mic-directory-central-florida
SusieCool is the admin for a Facebook group called "Orlando Creative Music Network"
where we give out info on songwriter meetings, playing circles, open mics, workshops and concerts.
We have a Facebook page for this group if you want to join.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/274152179716552/
No Critique scores for February, since no live meeting.
New members and guests are always welcome!
© 2023 ISG
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