Sunday, April 5, 2009

Learning To Live Again


This is an original song I wrote in the 90s, and the lyric is by a friend of mine, Nick Palmieri. The singer is Venetta Smith, a gospel powerhouse who can can do some serious sermonizing on the blues, as you'll hear. Tenor star Richard Elliot trades licks with both of us. Ruben Drake on bass, Ron and Dave Reinhardt on Hammond B3 and drums. I did all guitar work and arrangement, I think it's one of my best tracks. Recorded at Morrisound in Tampa. Crank this one, louder the better!

12 comments:

William K. Moore said...

I would have like to have been the roadie on this gig Nicholas .. as long as I didn't have to lift anything or work too hard. I love this composition and the arrangement of her voice with the instruments. Gets the body moving, the blood flowing and the electricity generating.

RH Carpenter said...

Love them blues! Just saw your Creativity Challenge in the latest Watercolor Artist mag - way to go!

Nick said...

Bill- yep, this is a good one. She's a tremendous singer, and everyone played well here. No roadie chores for you, you're artistic director!

Rhonda - thanks, glad to hear you're a blues lover!

Billie Crain said...

So sorry I'm late to comment on this, Nick. I had a bug in my PC that wouldn't let me see/hear the video.

This is some serious music!! Bravo!!! I love gospel and whoever was playing that sax made me want to melt.

Nick said...

Billie - thanks for the post, much appreciated...the sax guy is Richard Elliot, a very well known player who got famous with Tower of Power:
http://www.richardelliot.com/default.asp

Sandy said...

Oh dear!I had Billie Crain's bug in my computer too!
I just had it fixed yesterday so now have some catching up to do...
I agree with W.K.M!
What a stunning combination of the voice and the music...

Nick said...

Sandy - my computer died too, on the laptop...no scanner, no printer, Dreamweaver won't intall in this idiotic Windows Vista, and it might be time to finally go to the Mac!
That girl can really sing, huh?!

Sandy said...

I hope your computer is o.k. now Nick.
Windows Vista is (I think) o.k.
Mine got a bit of a pounding during the school holidays....I think one of my little "gremlins" might have (accidentaly) let one of their mates in!!
I couldn't even get the flash player to work...so, it was great to be able to play your film clip!
You are amazing with your talent ....and in so many areas.

wayne said...

Hi Nick,
..what a phenomenal original song you've written, arranged and produced here!! I really admire how your guitar notes 'find' the 'spaces in between the other notes' in the mix, and also how the guitar moves seamlessly between backing and foreground (reflective of your skill in this area in visual art). Venetta Smith's vocal is outstanding. So too Richard Eliot on tenor sax. The production, mixing/engineering is superb imo... Congrats Nick -- your original song here is flawless from start to finish!
cheers,
wayne

Nick said...

Sandy, I believe my desktop has officially gone to the great byte bin in the sky...the new ones have Vista which is what's in my laptop and I don't like it. And my scanner isn't compatible with it...and....

Wayne - thanks very much, and I am quite proud of this track. The solo was the first take, always a special one there is never another quite like it!

Deb Townsend said...

WOW!!! What a treat! Cranked it up and got transported! Thanks so much for sharing this. LOVE IT!

Nick said...

Deb, I wish painting could pack the punch that music does, but it's no contest