TAXI.com

https://soundcloud.com/henry-winckel/lovers-night-out

This received a forward a few months back, with a "Nice job!" comment; and was recently returned, with a "nicely crafted, but the feel could sound more human and swinging" comment.

Feel free to weigh in. Any input or insights are appreciated.

Henry

could you post the specific listings (and any other comments, if any)? it will help us help you sort it out.

That was the full extent of the comments.

Return:

THREE PIECE JAZZ INSTRUMENTALS are needed by the President of a Music Library that’s placed tons of music for TAXI members. They’re looking for Mid-Tempo Jazz Trios that could be background music for an upscale party, cocktail lounge, charity event, etc., etc., etc. Please take a listen to the following examples to get a general sense of what they’re searching for:

“Old Fellow” by the Jeff Johnson Trio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zKTa3BtmwA

“Blue In Green Version 2” by the Bill Evans Trio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d13D4xM7KXI

“The Ballad of the Sad Young Men” by the John Harrison Trio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jx6PWET67Q

They’d like Original Instrumentals (no covers, please) that are smooth and sophisticated, while not being too overly expressive -- something ideal for setting the background “tone” for an upscale party, restaurant, lounge, or event, without drawing any attention to itself. In other words, your music will be “wallpaper” of sorts, and shouldn’t get in the way of a scene’s dialog. Your three-piece instrumentation can be comprised of drums, double bass, and a third instrument such as piano, trumpet, clarinet, guitar, etc., etc., etc. Don’t use instrumentation that isn’t typically found in Jazz music. Please avoid submitting anything that sounds stiff or obviously MIDI-driven. The more authentic sounding, the better! Broadcast quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine).

Forward:

ORIGINAL JAZZ INSTRUMENTALS are needed for a Non-Exclusive Placement by the Music Supervisor of an extremely successful TV show. The Track will be used as background source music during a dinner scene in an upscale restaurant. He's on the hunt for mellow, smooth, sophisticated sounding Jazz Instrumentals that can be heard on some of the tracks on Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album. Note: The tracks with busy, upfront solos are NOT what the Supervisor needs.

"Blue in Green" by Miles Davis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoPL7BExSQU

"How Deep is the Ocean" by Bill Evans Trio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uCL1_YcRwk

"You Don't Know What Love Is" by John Coltrane Quartet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifMV_X-KJzs

Quoting the Source: "I'm looking for some light cocktail music to play as background source during a dinner scene. This would be more straightforward, serious dinnertime Jazz. None of the lead instruments should be too intrusive or out front. Any examples from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album would work great as a reference!"

Give him instrumentals that you wouldn't mind hearing during a classy Valentine's Day date with your significant other. Mellow Instrumentals with a small ensemble sound and sparse instrumentation should work best for this pitch. This will be background source music and needs to help create the atmosphere of the scene, so anything that gets too loud, busy, harsh, and/or frenetic probably won't work well.

Onaginoffegin wrote:https://soundcloud.com/henry-winckel/lovers-night-out
This received a forward a few months back, with a "Nice job!" comment; and was recently returned, with a "nicely crafted, but the feel could sound more human and swinging" comment.
Feel free to weigh in. Any input or insights are appreciated. Henry

After listening to your track, initial thought/question: what is the difference in age of the screeners?
Maybe it doesn't, or shouldn't, matter.

Hey Henry,

I've had similar results - the same song gets both forwarded and returned, with difference of opinion among screeners. I suppose one way to look at is "one man's meat is another man's poison," as one version of that saying goes.

I'm no expert when it comes to jazz, but it didn't sounded stiff or midi-driven to me. My suggestion is to put it on the shelf for a few days, then go back and listen to it again yourself w/fresh ears for any evidence of the criticism. If you don't hear it, and you're satisfied w/the results, keep pitching it as is. As the song goes, you can't please everyone, so you might as well please yourself.

Good luck!

The screener comment was ridiculous.

My 2 cents.

Great track.
-diane

Nice track. What caught my ear was the drum groove. It was nice and i thought it grooved in it's way but wasn't what I would expect to hear a jazz drummer play. Seemed like more of a blues groove with the steady kick and snare pattern. That would be my suspicion.

eo

eeoo wrote:Nice track. What caught my ear was the drum groove. It was nice and i thought it grooved in it's way but wasn't what I would expect to hear a jazz drummer play. Seemed like more of a blues groove with the steady kick and snare pattern. That would be my suspicion.

I think that's right.

the return on the first listing: all three refs from the first listing have swinging brushes. So if you go straight 1/8ths especially without brushes, you are pushing the envelope. Your groove sounds like a R&B thing with the sidestick / cross stick . Since screeners are pretty hip to the fact that swinging brushes really don't happen on Virtual drums too much, they can guess its MIDI driven. And that was one of the listing requirements - nothing stiff or MIDI driven.

Also jazz trio really exposes the acoustic bass - and if its samples you are going to have to work harder to make it play supportive parts like a bassist in a real trio would. Think of the way Scott LaFaro played.



good example of different ears, for different purposes, and the outcome of two listings which seem similar on the surface.

Thans all for the posts, and the constructive critiques.
Appreciate it, and will definitely give the tune another listen.
It's great to be able to come on this forum and get feedback.

Henry