I just released “Nocturne” a Lost Waves album. Nocturnes are musical compositions “inspired by, or evocative of, the night.”
The term nocturne (from French nocturne "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensemble piece in several movements, normally played for an evening party and then laid aside... Nocturnes are generally thought of as being tranquil, often expressive and lyrical, and sometimes rather gloomy, but in practice pieces with the name nocturne have conveyed a variety of moods.
Wikipedia
With the exception of the final track, “It Will All Be Purple Soon,” this Lost Waves release is a collection of moments from an improvised performance with pianos, synthesizers, and effects that I streamed to a small live audience on the internet, plus my cat who casually wandered around the room in October 2021.
In late July 2024, I started editing the 2021 livestream to remove the boring parts, layering in percussion and drums to “Here/Now” and “Nocturne” to add momentum. I didn't add much else: 95% of what you hear was improvised in real time late that night years ago.
Listen Now
“Nocturne” Liner Notes
- 01. “Source” is inspired by the meditative sense of being open to the universe's energy and what may come. I love how the brass part draws your attention, expanding outward as it ascends and descends.
- 02. “Here/Now” is about the tension of staying present in a moment while feeling its impermanence. Harmonies never entirely resolve where you expect them to.
- 03. “Slumber Sways” conveys the feeling of the moment in the night when one passes from conscious thought to sleep and drifts away.
- 04. “Unraveling Strings” is interesting to me because of how the improvised melodies play off each other. I like the idea of holding as many different thoughts simultaneously as possible while improvising: inevitably, the strings unravel.
- 05. “Ripples Through” represents emotional vulnerability. A version of this song was previously released on “Midnight and the Glade,” another Lost Waves album with a similar theme.
- 06. “A Cosmic Serenade” is meant to approximate our insignificance in the cosmos, sparks of consciousness on a giant rock tethered to a star by gravity.
- 07. “Nocturne” evokes all the other ideas on the album: tension, melodic counterpoint, presence, and release.
- 08. “It Will All Be Purple Soon” is a playful misnomer of a Sun Ra album I love called “The Night of the Purple Moon.” My song doesn’t sound like Sun Ra, but it’s a tribute to him and how some of his music makes me feel.
I recorded “It Will All Be Purple Soon” in 2020, the year the pandemic started. At the time, I was consistently documenting my instrumental improvisations onto cassette and video. Recording this song was one of the first times I completely let go while playing a keyboard, and I'm still so surprised by this melody and harmonic progression that seemingly appeared from nothingness.
As I was completing the arrangement of this album while sequestered with COVID in early August 2024, I recorded a storm outside on my phone and added it to the beginning of this song. It all fit together thematically: a beginning and an end.
Listen to “Nocturne” on Bandcamp now or on Spotify, Apple Music, and all streaming platforms on Fri Aug 23 2024.
P.S. I designed all the Lost Waves album art too.
