Big Band version of Single Life! (Are you ready Dan Hill and Michael Buble?)

OK, it's finally happened!  I have just finished writing and recording the Big Band version of "Single Life."  It all started as a challenge from Canadian songwriting and recording legend Dan Hill.  He heard my original pop version of Single Life and liked the lyrics, but not the pop style. He said, "I really hear this as a blues song," and did a quick rendition of the chorus accompanying himself on the piano.  After my initial shock and dismay, I took this on as a personal challenge.  I wanted to see what I could do to reinvent the song as Dan Hill imagined it.

The gutsy blues version is still waiting for its turn to be recorded, but as I was working it out, I kept imagining it being performed by Michael Buble with a big band.  So, I wrote the big band score in Finale, recorded it using Garritan Jazz & Big Band 3, overdubbed the vocals, tenor sax and trombone solos, added some piano licks for good measure, and adjusted the final mix.

You can hear the results at:
http://noisetrade.com/geoffbell

Have fun listening!  (And next time you bump into Michael, please let him know I have a song for him!)
:-)

Geoff

Success! (Sort of ...)

Eighty songwriters hungry for feedback; Dan Hill the star on a panel of five members of the Canadian Music Industry.  Each songwriter got to drop a one-song demo CD with lyric sheets into the draw.  Mine came up third!

Most people heard the same advice, (me included!)  Move the chorus to come right after the first verse.  With attention spans getting shorter and more music to surf at the click of a button, you have to grab the listener RIGHT AWAY!  So, "Single Life" now has the first chorus right after the first verse.  Yes, it works better for this purpose.  You can hear the results at: https://noisetrade.com/geoffbell

Dan Hill liked my lyrics, but suggested that I completely change the genre to a blues song. A BLUES song?  Really?  This definitely would radically alter the whole feeling and message!  But then, who am I to argue with Dan Hill, singer/songwriter extraordinaire for 30 years?  So, work has begun to re-imagine "Single Life" as a wailing blues song.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Songwriter Workshop with Dan Hill

Next weekend I'll be doing a songwriter workshop with Canadian recording legend Dan Hill!  My goal is to not make a fool of myself by blathering, but to actually listen to his ideas about songwriting and learn from them.
Deep breaths, stay calm, stay focused ....