A "Jewish Christmas Song" themed around contrast. It's half Jazz Choir and half Hard-Core.
Art chasing sound.
The band is me. I have been a musician since age 7 (i'm 44 now), and that's pretty much all I did. By age 32 I was working in an average of 6 bands at a time and still practicing 36 hours a week. That's when I got nerve damage in both my arms and couldn't use them for 5 years...not for eating, lifting, playing...anything. 2 surgeries and 3 more years recoup, and I am back in short bursts. I write and track everything in 1 take as I can't play for long.
Guitar is my main instrument (studied it the most), but have been playing drums and bass since age 10, and have actually worked the most as a drummer. I can't really use my left arm much so i drum with my fingers. It gives it a unique sound. (Don't worry, it's not wimpy... I can still break sticks!)
Story behind the song
Christmas Song 09
"Waiting for the One"
Our tradition of the annual Christmas song continues this year with a song that requires an explanation in order for it to make sense. Please be patient and read the following before listening. You will have a much richer experience! :-)
The previous two years works were completed with an extreme time constraint (my fault for letting Christmas sneak up on me). Subsequently, a pop format was used, as it allowed me to write the song and record it simultaneously in one take.
For this year, I wanted to give a little more and do something more artistic and closer to my heart.
The music that I love to play (and listen to) is usually conceptual in nature (kind of like a symphony), and usually quite wacky and challenging. This year's song contains all of the above elements. (As a gesture of consideration for the majority of people's tastes, we did a "B. side" single that has wider audience appeal, as I am aware that most people don't listen to wacky conceptual music). So, with that introduction, let me explain...
The Theme
The theme of this year's piece is contrast. All elements were chosen around this theme. This begged the question, how do you do something wacky with contrast around Christmas? The answer came quite quickly surprisingly... A Jewish Christmas song of course! This is not done in a disrespectful way, but more as a study of comparative religion explained using the tool of music theory.
As I was thinking about the subject, the difference between the two religions really hinge on Christmas and who/what Jesus is. The Jews are basically waiting for the "One", the Messiah to come who has been prophesied about in their scriptures. Christians believe that the Messiah long promised has come in the form of a baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. The Jewish scriptures also contain warnings from the prophet Isaiah speaking how the eyes of Israel would be blinded due to their constant disobedience so that they would not recognize the Messiah when He came. Christians believe that this allows that all nations could come to the knowledge of God through Israel and ultimately through Jesus.
The Music
So, since the Jews are "waiting for the One" the music would have no discernible downbeat, and you wouldn't be able to count to it. In other words, you can't find the 1 (musically speaking). I had to do this without making it disjointed, so there are discernible patterns, but they are continuously altered in slight ways.
Since it is Christmas, and to capture the Christian perspective, I chose the Christmas song "What Child is This?" It speaks to who this baby is, whose birth we celebrate.
Since there are apparently large groups of people who seem to understand and believe in Christianity, I chose to do this song as a jazz choir utilizing complex harmonies to represent the vast doctrines and denominations in Christianity. The harmonies build and get more complex as the song progresses, just as the number of denominations grew, and doctrines became more complex as time (and the church) progressed.
Also, a jazz choir is not something you can pull off randomly. The people singing have to "know where the 1" is. This definitely caters to the theme of contrast... there isn't a 1, but there is, and large groups of people seem to know where it is and are able to work together around it creating harmony!
I chose to do something with a groove as opposed to an odd meter rock format as it was a bit more challenging to pull off smoothly, and it allowed me to use horns which for some reason I always picture angels having when they sing as they did when they told the shepherds in the field the good news of Jesus' birth.
In keeping with the contrast theme, I decided to represent the Old Testament prophecies of blindness (Isaiah 6) utilizing the genre of hard-core. I think that hard-core music and jazz choirs are at opposite ends of the contrast
Lyrics
The Virgin sings her lullaby.
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of Kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing but do not perceive.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The Virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, Joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Make the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary
Let their table become a snare and trap,
Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears.
