I made and shared this video on YouTube a week ago, but I wanted to have it here, too.

The tune is Horace Silver's "Peace", a beautiful and unconventional ballad written in 1959 and released on Blowin' the Blues Away. Most classic jazz ballads fall into two types of forms: the AABA "song" form (some examples include Johnny Green's "Body and Soul" and Billy Strayhorn's "In a Sentimental Mood"), or the ABAC variant (some examples include Gross/Lawrence's "Tenderly" and Warren/Gordon's "There will Never be Another You"), both typically 32 bars long. Unlike most music in the Western tradition, which is almost exclusively made up of four- or eight-bar phrases, Silver's tune uses two four-bar phrases and a two-bar phrase/tag. As with any ballad originally composed with lyrics, understanding the lyrics is a great aid to understanding the phrasing. I have included Silver's lyrics below the video on this page.

The harmony of "Peace" is stunning. Flowing back and forth from minor to major, with ii-Vs and common tones making abrupt key changes palatable, "Peace" manages to cram a ton of beautiful content into one of the shortest ballads around, both subverting the listener's expectations and delivering beautiful resolutions colored by harmony derived from the melodic minor scale.

For another beautiful ballad in 10 bars with a magnificent harmonic journey, check out John Coltrane's "Central Park West", recorded in 1960 and released on Coltrane's Sound in 1964. And, if we're talking about unconventional-yet-beautiful ballads written by saxophonists, we have to include a work from one of the greatest albums from one of the greatest jazz composers/musicians of all time: "Infant Eyes," recorded in 1964 and released on Wayne Shorter's seminal album, Speak No Evil, in 1966. Check it out if you haven't.

Peace
Horace Silver

​There's a place that I know
Where the sycamores grow
And daffodils have their fun
Where the cares of the day
Seem to slowly fade away
In the glow of the evening sun
Peace, when the day is done

If I go there real late;
Let my mind meditate
On everything to be done
If I search deep inside;
Let my conscience be my guide
Then the answers are sure to come
Don't have to worry none

When you find peace of mind
Leave your worries behind
Don't say that it can't be done
With a new point of view
Life's true meaning comes to you
And the freedom you seek is won
Peace is for everyone
Peace is for everyone
Peace is for everyone

I recorded a very short video in four parts and managed to accomplish the following:

1. Four videos synced and displayed in split screen
2. Four audio tracks captured on the H6 and synced/mixed.
3. HQ audio synced to rendered four-way video.
4. Uploaded to YouTube!

Nothing really to see, here; just an E-flat major scale harmonized with an add 2 chord. Just a test, but I am very excited! Hopefully I will be able to upload an actual quartet arrangement this week!

- BD

My best friend, Dave Williams II, gave me the most amazing gift: a Zoom H6 audio recorder! Now I have no excuse for poor audio quality in my videos, other than not having a clue how to use the thing...

...so project No. 1: make a simple saxophone quartet arrangement of Lennon/
McCartney's And I Love Her and track all the parts into the H6. Done! Here is the recording:​
​

To be clear, that took me four hours to record the two-minute arrangement.

Upcoming: adapting two or three of my compositions to saxophone quartet and recording those. Also another Beatles tune, probably.

Big upcoming: learning to make 2/3/4/100 video split screens of my arrangements. I downloaded Shotcut today. First I have to figure out the video, then syncing the audio to the video.

Those items should keep me busy for a little while!

- BD