Wingin' It
Wingin' It by MC Shoehorn © 2015 Michael Conley - Kutsubera Music SPR-007
1. 42nd Street Harry Warren & Al Dubin 1932
2. Ice Cream and Bubbles (vocal version- Introducing Eileen Konomi Conley)
3. I Hi Tabidachi Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百恵) 1978
4. I Don't Know Why (I Just Do) Fred E. Ahlert 1931
5. ZapaMan Theme (vocal version- with Eileen Konomi Conley)
6. Roses Love the Rain
7. Of My Hands ( Ray Repp 1966 )
8. 42nd Street (vocal version featuring MC Shoehorn)
9. Ice Cream and Bubbles (instrumental)
10. ZapaMan (instrumental)
11. It's Not You, It's Me ( dedicated to the memory of Derek Reith, 1971-2014)
All songs by Michael Conley except as noted. Lyrics for ZapaMan Theme by Eileen Conley
Michael "Shoehorn" Conley: alto, soprano & tenor saxophones, tap dance, fife
Gordon Lee: grand piano, Fender Rhodes
Miguel Bernal: conga, percussion
Scott Wardinsky: bongos, percussion
Damian Erskine: electric bass
Martin Zarzar: drums
also:
Eileen Konomi Conley: voice on "Ice Cream & Bubbles", "ZapaMan Theme"
Kite Giedraitis: mbira, bass kalimba on "Roses Love the Rain"
Sound design on "Ice Cream and Bubbles" (vocal version) by Javier Goyes
Recorded and mixed by Kristopher White at the Map Room Studio, Portland, Oregon, USA
Mastered by Mark Frethem at Doctor Digital
Thanks to all who supported this project on Kickstarter!
Produced by MC Shoehorn
Associate Producers: Ira Perkins, Ryan Rogers
www.MC Shoehorn.com
Some notes about this music:
The project came together after I was able to raise money on kickstarter to get the session going. My friend Mauricio Valadrian is a producer at Univision TV, so I asked him to consider directing a video shoot of the recording sessions, one of me with 5 other players, one of me doing some of my solo numbers. He agreed, and along with this CD I am releasing a DVD titled "Dances with Instruments".
The CD title "Wingin' It'' refers to the spontaneous nature of the process. I brought the players into the studio completely unrehearsed except for a meeting with the piano player Gordon Lee. Also, my daughter performed on two songs, overdubbing vocal parts, which I had intended to be a texture in the arrangement but actually sort of commandeered those songs. Her part on ZapaMan Theme is completely improvised in Japanese, which she is fluent in, and refers to fun and dancing, and tap dancing. So we were actually winging it. Also, wings are a tap step.
1. 42nd Street Harry Warren & Al Dubin 1932 For decades I worked as a tap dancer and musician having never seen the play, the movie, or learned the songs from this iconic masterpiece. Then I saw the show when a friend came to town in a touring production and the whole cast came to a jazz jam with me and we took over the place and stayed after hours jamming and riffing. After that I watched a DVD of the movie and learned a bunch of the songs from the show and it's sister productions, including "Golddiggers of 1933", and "Footlight Parade". I try to channel the intense production values of Busby Berkeley into my horn and shoes and voice.
2. Ice Cream and Bubbles (vocal version- Introducing Eileen Konomi Conley)
This is a tune I started playing last summer which grew into its present form over months of playing it. The drummers really make this come alive! I decided not to tap on this one.
3. I Hi Tabidachi Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百恵) 1978
The title translates as " A Good Day to Travel", and it is a very well-loved Japanese pop tune. Japanese music holds a fascination for me since my time working and living in Japan during the economic bubble years. I believe Japanese music is a rich vein of world music which is largely overlooked. I have recorded several other Japanese numbers on previous CDs.
4. I Don't Know Why (I Just Do) Fred E. Ahlert 1931
A few years ago my uncle sent me a recording of my late grandmother singing this accompanied by her brother, my great uncle, playing piano. They were obviously professionals, and their recording inspired me to internalize the tune and add it to my repertoire. The words are also really good.
5. ZapaMan Theme (vocal version- with Eileen Konomi Conley)
I wrote this at the vibes two days before the recording session and thought it would be a perfect funky jam for the band. My 16-year old daughter Eileen came in to overdub vocals to this and "Ice Cream and Bubbles". I told her think of this one as Japanese cartoon superhero music and she improvised the lyrics as she sang.
6. Roses Love the Rain
This song is my love letter to Portland, city of roses. I wrote it one day in June when I showed up for a gig at the Rose Festival but it was rained out. I wandered about the grounds with my fife and this came out. I later arranged it for piano and mbira, an African instrument, and tenor sax, with the mbira and bass kalimba played by Kite Giedraitis of the Portland band Fools in Paradise.
8. 42nd Street (vocal version featuring MC Shoehorn) I love to sing, and I am really into these Harry Warren/ Al Dubin songs from broadway and Hollywood musicals. I tried to do a completely separate recording for this, but I liked the feel of the sextet take better so I simply overdubbed my voice.
9. Ice Cream and Bubbles (instrumental) This is how we laid it down in the studio, documented on the DVD "Dances with Instruments", before overdubs.
10. ZapaMan (instrumental) This is also the original version from the main studio recording session, documented on the DVD "Dances with Instruments", with no overdubs.
11. It's Not You, It's Me ( dedicated to the memory of Derek Rieth, 1971-2014) This song started as a chord progression I came up with at the piano for a private lesson I was teaching. I started playing it more and more on my saxophones, and after my friend Derek took his life on August 20th, 2014, playing it became a way for me to channel the intense grief I felt. I had wanted to record with him, since we had a really special musical and personal chemistry. I did write lyrics in Spanish and English for this song, but I feel more comfortable letting my saxophone speak for me in this case.
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mcshoehorn
_
Dances with Instruments
Notes about the new MC Shoehorn DVD " Dances with Instruments" - August 27th, 2015
Part 1 ) Dances with Instruments
Fuego Azul ( Silk Road)
Game Plan: Gamelan
Crop Circles
It's Not You, It's Me
Waking Up in Mexico
One-Man Drum Circle
Neckstrapolation 2/27/15
Three Metals
Whole Blues
Eastrum
A Tapella
Michael "Shoehorn" Conley alto & soprano saxophones, tap dance, Tappercussion™ e-tap™ instrument, bongos, percussion, fife, xylophone, harmonica
Part
2 ) From the recording session for the CD "Wingin' It" by MC Shoehorn:
"Ice Cream and Bubbles"
"ZapaMan Theme"
MC Shoehorn: alto & soprano saxes, tap dance Gordon Lee: Fender Rhodes Miguel Bernal: conga, percussion Scott Wardinsky: bongos, percussion Damian Erskine: electric bass Martin Zarzar: drums All songs by Michael Conley
Chapters 1 & 2 Recorded by Kristopher White at the Map Room Studio, Portland, Oregon, February 25 & 27, 2015 Video directed by Mauricio Valadrian of Azul Fuego Productions 2nd Camera by Arlo Rodiek All tracks mixed by: _Kristopher White Solo tracks mastered by: Kristopher White Sextet tracks mastered by: Mark Frethem at Doctor Digital Graphic Design: Isabel Sakura Conley Cover photos: Mauricio Valadrian Thanks to everyone who pitched in on Kickstarter- Associate Producers: Ira Perkins, Ryan Rogers
Part 3 ) How to build your own Tappercussion™ Mark VII e-tap™ instrument, by MC Shoehorn
This is a step by step tutorial on constructing and setting up an electric tap dance instrument- the Tappercussion™ e-tap™ Mark VII model. It is my wish that other artists take this instrument and do new things with it. I also build them by custom order. Camera by Charles Moselle, Fairfax, CA Editing by Sabrina at Gitane Films Produced by Michael Conley ℗2015 Michael Conley Kutsubera Music SPR-V01 ©2015 Michael Conley Kutsubera Music SPR-V01
Mail order from ShoehornSend check or paypal for $15 ($20 outside of USA)
Cafe Cirque
Cafe Cirque by Shoehorn is now available on cdbaby.com and by mail order. Recorded to analog tape by Billy Oskay at Big Red Studio in Oregon. Shoehorn - CAFE CIRQUE Michael Shoehorn Conley: Alto Saxophone, Tap Dance, Tappercussion Mark VI e-tap instrument (tracks 9,10), Harmonica (3,10), Vocal(3,10), Clarinet (10), Fife (10), Bass Clarinet (12) Ward Griffiths : Drums Dan Gaynor : Piano, Organ (3,10) Skip Elliott Bowman: Bass CD Baby or mail orderA Beatbox Saxophone Christmas
Hip, peppy renditions of holiday classics with beatboxing by Bronkar and Shoehorn on alto sax. Bronkar Lee and Shoehorn made this and it is now available for download on cdbaby.com. Here is the link: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/shoehornbronkar This was listed December 1st 2010, and will be added by itunes and other services soon. Shoehorn's daughter Eileen did the cover art. download at cdbaby
Buy this at CD Baby
_
get this at CD Baby