ClassicalCode

As part of the “Backyard Sessions” which I posted about earlier, we also recorded this take of my solo ukulele version of Never on Sunday.

I take my ukulele with me everywhere I go. One day when I was sitting in the back of a bus on Height street I struck up a conversation with a guy who apparently also played. I let him take my instrument for a spin and he played this tune (which I new from the Chordettes recording). I loved the way it sounded on ukulele so I went home and figured it out for myself.

Video credit: Beau Lambert

As I have been exploring what can be done on the ukulele, I have become more and more enamored with the sound of jazz chords on the ukulele. Listening to Lyle Ritz’ remarkable recordings with just ukulele and bass have inspired me. This is an arrangement of my own devising of a song that I have loved for a very long time.

Please excuse the synthesized drum and bass, they are the best I can do. For now…

Here is an audio only mp3 for you to listen to or download:

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To raise money for her graduate school audition tour, my girlfriend Chelsea and the amazing pianist Stephen Damonte, put on a fundraiser recital. I joined her for the Fly Duet from Offenbach’s Orphée aux enfers in which Jupiter disguised as a fly (myself) seduces the innocent Eurydice (Chelsea). If you want to help her achieve her goal of going to graduate school, you can donate at her website.

Fly Duet from Offenbach’s Orphée aux enfers:

Inspired on my previous experimentation with parallel fifth harmonies, and my new ukulele (more on that soon), my dad and I recorded this version of Mary Had a Little Lamb where I sang and played the same song a fifth above. He was playing his guitar and singing in the key of C, and I was playing my ukulele and and singing in the key of G.

As of this week, Chelsea and I have been going out for three years and after countless barbershop tags, covers and miniature songs I have finally been able to write her an honest-to-goodness song song. I’ll admit it’s cheesy and trite and doesn’t properly rhyme, but it’s a song. A real song. Finally.

For Chelsea, after three years: “Driving”

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Tonight my friend and fellow baritone Josh Beld came over and naturally, things eventually devolved to multitracking babershop tags. After attempting three different tags, only the first and simplest ended up being suitable for sharing. This was Josh’s first attempt at multitrack recording and he is already better than me. Hopefully this will be the first of many.

When It’s Sleepy Time Down South:

• Baritone and Lead: Jordan Eldredge
• Bass and Tenor: Josh Beld

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I have recently observed, on Youtube, a very interesting method of turning any barbershop tag into a jazzy eight part tag: simply double each part a perfect fifth higher. Or, said another way, have a second quartet simultaneously sing the same tag a fifth above.

Despite everything I was taught in college, I have been curious to try this myself. However, due to sound bleed-through from my upstairs neighbors, I can’t really record in my apartment these days. So I multitracked this one tonight in my car on my Zoom H4. Although I am sure I looked quite suspicious, I think it was worth it.

You can hear the original four part arrangement here.

I present to you “In Dixie Land Where I Was Born” from David Wright’s collection: Classic Tags for Men’s Voices in parallel fifths:

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Update: I have typeset the complete octet in the key of “C” as a pdf file and also generated a midi file.

I recorded this song as a surprise for my wonderful girlfriend Chelsea.

As far as I can tell, this song is originally by one of my very favorite musical groups: The Flamingos. I heard it on their album I Only Have Eyes For You and thought it would be the perfect one to try to record. After hours and hours of transcription, recording, rerecording and level-twiddling, it’s finally presentable.

For Chelsea: An a cappella version of “That’s Why I Love You” by the Flamingos:

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As well as turning 28, last month my brother graduated from UCSD with is PhD(!) in mathematics. So, as a combined gift, I got the family and Chelsea together to record a math themed song for him. We recorded “That’s Mathematics” by Tom Lehrer.

Happy birthday and congratulation Nathaniel. You are the best source of pride and inspiration a little brother cold ask for.

Tom Lehrer’s “That’s Mathematics” for Nathaniel:

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• Ukulele – Jordan
• Vocals – Jordan, Lisa, Chelsea, Gilbert

With Chelsea (my girlfriend) out of town, I decided to treat myself to a movie for the Fourth of July. After the movie, I sat in my car in the parking garage and decided to improvise/record a little song on my portable multitracking device. In my typical fashion it ended up being 5 tracks, only 16 seconds long, and about it’s self. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to write real songs. Hopefully.

For Chelsea: “Parking Garage”

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