Kaptain Karl
My Relationship With The Piano
Tape 1
rec. 2-18-12, notes 2-20-12
Opus 1
"Mission Statement"
Really great intro piece
Opus 2
Tentativo
Picks up into a slow & badass 4/4
Opus 3
BiPolar minor/Major Waltz 6/8
laughing and talking
Opus 4
i. "Gyroscope" Speed piece turns into swing blues
ii. "Lucky Swing" Memphis kicks off extended swing part
maniacal laughing and talking
Opus 5
"Fanfare For A Falun King"
Upbeat mid-tempo 4/4
Newsy
Opus 6
Dramatic, Movie-like, tense 6/8 more or less
Starts well
not my favorite - little momentum, little interaction
Opus 7
"Ragtime The Obvious Precedent"
2/4 if I know what that means
A MUST
laughing
Opus 8
"Snaky Brushes"
Threatening bass, Good pauses, very short, great interaction
YES
5 minutes or so of blank space
Tape 2
rec. 2-18-12, notes 2-20-12
Opus 9
i. "The Memphis Stomp"
Me jumping from oot to foot, chicken shake
Slow, Fun, Interesting becomes a waltz
ii. "Dream in a Field"
Waltz, then returns to 4/4
Opus 10
"The K. Eric Blues"
Chicken shake then drums
Opus 11
"We Were Talking (Intensity)"
Good dynamics, interplay, melodic ideas
Floor tom, Drums, clicking on rims
Perfect ending occurs a minute or so before we stop playing
Opus 12
The First Slow One With Brushes
"Breathing Apparatus"
That was pretty nice! Yeah!
YES
Opus 13 (w/false start)
The First Sort-Of Latin One
Memphis over his head
Karl gives Memphis plenty of space
Maybe worth it for the ending
Opus 14
"Perpetual Motion Machine"
Elegiac, Melodic Waltz 6/8
Really nice
A MUST
Opus 15
"Cawl And Responts"
Inconsistent Disco emerges
Disco Qs
Qs
(Cues)
Really nice
Opus 16
"Barely There"
Slow, moody, Major 7 feel
Opus 17
Cheerful, high pitch piano bits becomes swing blues, then interactive march
(cuts off)
QUITE GOOD & INTERESTING
Tape 3
rec. 2-18-12, notes 2-20-12
Opus 17 (continued)
Edit out "Lean On Me" quote during leader of tape
Great ending for piece begun on previous tape
Opus 18
Karl: "Could you play something in a compound meter?"
Me: "Sure"
"Code E"
"Code E Weather"
5/4 piece, straight then swung
Karl leaves plenty of space for Memphis
Meh, Doesn't really take off...
Opus 19
i. "Space Exploration"
Rambling, very short, no rhythm per se
ii. 12/8 "Walking on Saturn" then (iii. Marching Home)
Clearly same key, continuation of previous idea
Opus 20 w/false start
Slow 4/4 Great ideas from Karl
Good, simple beat from Memphis
Swings, then slows
A MUST
Opus 22 w/false start (Opus 21?)
(Oops. why did I not label one as Opus 21? Oh well. Too late.)
The Second Slow One With Brushes
Heresy: Add slap delay to snare mic only
Good melody from Karl
Good interaction
YES
Opus 23
Barbershoppy chords, Descending thing - rises and falls
Simple beat from Memphis - good high hat/stick work
YES
talking
Opus 24
A K.C., NE thing attempt
Upbeat & Fun
Good melodic & chordal ideas from Karl
Great interaction
Great ending w/o final 4 piano hits
Opus 25
"Also Called Twisting"
Opus 26
"Grieg Foreigner Strauss"
Rolling Floor Tom, Chicken Shake
Good interaction, Nice, steady beat
Opus 27
"27 Small Decisions"
Memphis not in evidence - possibly on sandblox
(cuts off)
Tape 4
rec. 2-19-12, notes 2-21-12 (just after midnight)
Opus 28
Ominous, Speedy, then Limping
Good interaction, Metric shifts, Good dynamics
Opus 29
The Second Sort-Of Latin One
(Better than the first such: Op. 13)
Cha-cha-cha ending
Opus 30 w/false start
The First Pop One Inspired By Prince
talking
Opus 31
March of the Swingers
Opus 32
The Second Pop One Inspired By Prince
(more successful than the first: Op. 30)
Good ideas from Karl
Simple beat from Memphis
Good interaction
YES
Opus 33
Good ideas from Karl
Simple, med-tempo beat from Memphis
Very short
Opus 34
The First Intentionally Disco One
Really nice stuff from Karl
Fascinating non-interacting parts, then suddenly a good ending
Opus 35 w/false start
"Swungjacket"
Fastest one yet? Good 2nd track for CD?
Opus 36
"Family Sunday"
Great ideas from Karl
becomes disco, ends well
Opus 37 w/false start? Ending to previous? Cackling laughter
"Let's Start Together"
Almost a beat
short
Opus 38
Ominous, Fast Start, Fast 4/4
Great telepathic ending
Opus 39
"(Let Us Not Say) Farewell"
6/8 A Farewell
YES - last one on CD
Opus 40
Also like the news (like Op. 5)
1st Bo Diddley beat
1st Big Band Toms beat
Opus 41
Also Like Ragtime, But Only At First
More Like Space Exploration
2nd Big Band Tom beat
Steady, reliable beat as Karl goes pleasantly bananas
Chicken shake
Opus 42
"Plea Machine"
Memphis sandblox only
(cuts off, but perfectly so)
Memphis Evans has been best friends with Kaptain Karl for nearly twenty years. He was sidelined for the 2011 season with bilateral leg weakness, but has worked hard this offseason and looks forward to making a run at a pennant this year.