Video

Poignant, soulful jazz ballad This is the third of seven works I presented on May 7, 2006 for my Stanford University Senior Composition Recital. The concert was at 2:30 PM in Campbell Recital Hall. This piece features me playing solo piano and also includes the following performers: Gabe Davis, bass Mitchell Wilcox, drums Jonathan Liang, trumpet Anthony Diamond, alto sax website: http://www.jakesmolowe.com CDs: http://www.cdbaby.com/all/TheWildJacko ---- The title of this piece—the first ballad I ever wrote—recalls a very sweet but ultimately platonic experience with a close friend at the Monterey Jazz Festival. I wrote the piece all at once in the couple of days following the festival, and never lacked for ideas, even though I found myself dealing with harmonies that were new to me. More importantly, while writing "Monterey" I discovered an interest in melodic development that ran counter to my traditional mode of harmony-based composition.