A musical friend shared with me his dream of recording an album. He ran some ideas past me, and then asked me, "Am I biting off more than I can chew?" What a wonderful question, and what a fun idea for a blog post! Here is my mostly unedited answer:

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Are you biting off more than you can chew? Boy, that is the unanswerable question! I hope so!

Obviously, you don't want to take on something that's impossibly big. But, you don't want to think too small either. Fortunately, I didn't ask myself that question before I started on my album. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have started.

My advice would be to set some goals that are uncomfortably big, and then start working on them one at a time. Make no mistake, recording an album is a huge undertaking. But it can be broken down into small tasks.

When I started my project, I took on some songs that were too difficult for me at the time. When I first wrote "Outside In", I didn't have the chops to play it. That ended up being my favorite song, not just because it sounds cool, but also because it was an accomplishment for me. Frankly, I think it's the best song on the album.

When you're ready to go, please let me know. I'd love to help you out.

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My point is: I hope we all can be inspired to take on things that are bigger than we are. I don't want to live a risk-free life. I don't think that's what it's about. My tendency, actually, is to play it safe, but I don't want to live here:

Well, my excuses for not blogging have been taken away. I am no longer limited by my poor typing abilities. I have a cool new app called Dragon dictation. You are actually listening to me speak into a microphone. Pretty cool, yeah?

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed on Lyn Twyman's radio show. Lyn asked me what inspired my music. Some of you heard that interview, but I thought it would be cool to post the audio to my blog.

So, here's that interview in all its edited, and unedited, glory. :-) Enjoy!

Meet Minnie. She's our new Valentine, thanks to the Dog Spot Rescue. I keep getting asked about what kind of dog she is. So, I'll tell you exactly what she is: she's a nine pound little brown dog. More specifically, she's part sweetheart, part joy-bringer, with just a bit of little stinker mixed in.

And we couldn't be happier with the new addition to our family... er... except when she does her business on Mommy and Daddy's bed. That's the little stinker part. But, we're working on that, aren't we, Honey. Yes, we are... 

I cannot deny that I love everything Paul Desmond ever recorded. I used to own the classic vinyl recording, Paul Desmond Quartet (Live). I, unfortunately, lost it in a move. I like to think that it was worn out anyway. While I can download the mp3s, I'll still miss holding the cardboard jacket and reading those fascinating liner notes.

One of my favorite songs on that album was Wave...(By the way, there is just some incredible playing on the album. Ed Bickert, in particular, just shines. Desmond is his typical understated self. He had chops to burn, but chose musicality, charm, and wit. But I digress...) Anyway....Wave! Yes! I love that song. For some reason, though, I never worked on it until last night. I decided to upload a recording of Wave from last night's practice session -- sonic warts, plastic practice reed, and all!

Oh! this was recorded in my new studio! Yippee!

The link is below. Feel free to download and pass this along. And it's digital, so you can't wear it out! Enjoy!

P.S. The backing track is from http://www.playjazznow.com. If you love to play jazz, you really should check this site out.

Watching a good live musical performance is analogous to catching snowflakes in your hand. There are these very beautiful moments; often intricate, and always different. None are exactly alike. They happen -- and then they are gone.

Sometimes you are fortunate to catch them on tape or video.

I play in a band called Steelin' Dan. As you might surmise, it is a Steely Dan tribute. The musicians are some of the very best in the Sacramento area, and they also happen to be some of my very best friends. I am priviledged to be able to share some of those moments with them. One happened last weekend at a concert at Crystal Bay Casino in Tahoe.

We don't usually do extended drum solos during our performances, but we had T. Moran (of Jefferson Starship fame) sitting in the drum chair, and we opened up the end of Josie for him. All I can say is: "Man, oh man...!" The cool thing is: we got it on video! So, I can share that moment with you. Enjoy!

Josie Excerpt

Oh...There's more free music here and here.

I've started an experiment called the Share the Music Project. I was watching the sunset, listening to my favorite CD while sipping a cabernet, when all of a sudden I got this brilliant idea...

...Actually, that's not how it happened at all! I wish it was my idea, but I borrowed it from a trumpet player named Jason Parker, who borrowed it from an artist and writer named Christine Mason Miller. Nevertheless, I thought it was a great idea, and I wanted to recreate it using my new CD, Never the Same.

If you've ever read All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (http://www.robertfulghum.com), you might remember that the first part goes like this:

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school. These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair...

Well, I've decided to share! I am setting my CDs free -- or at least, some of them! I'm sending out an undisclosed number of CDs (because I haven't decided how many!) as gifts to be shared. Each one has a laminated card attached that says, in part:

This music is a gift for you! However, please do not accept it unless you are willing to participate in a social experiment and follow these very simple instructions:

• Email your first name, the CD number, and location (city, state, country) to share@charleylanger.com.
• Listen to as much, or as little, of this CD as you like.
• Pass this CD on to someone else (preferably in a week or so) who is willing to accept responsibility for following the same very simple instructions.

I plan to enlist your help, and hope to have CDs placed across the US and the world. Sound cool? I think so! Here are pictures of the CDs and the actual text:

 

Bret Robertson has a real cool music blog called More Than Noise. I am featured in an in-depth interview this month. I'm pretty sure you'll learn some things about me you never knew! Go check it out here!

That day, for me, happens to be June 30th. I'm not sure what it is about that day, but things just seem to happen! I don't plan it intentionally. I don't need to.

Does anyone else have "a day of significance"?

I started my first job out of college on June 30th. I was married on June 30th. We moved to Hawaii on June 30th. My oldest daughter was born on June 30th (yeah, try to plan that one!). We moved to California on June 30th. Escrow on our new house is scheduled to close on June 30th of this year. It certainly seems to be a day of change!

Speaking of escrow closing, here's the new abode:



Some day I should tell you about all the unique coincidences that led to this house...

One of the cool things about the social media craze is that artists have the opportunity to share themselves more transparently with others. I think that freaks some people out, but I love it!

Anyway, I've been practicing like a fiend. I typically record my practice times so I can listen more objectively and critique myself. The thought occurred to me that what is a self-improvement workout for me might actually be enjoyable to listen to by someone else. So, welcome (virtually, of course!) to my home studio where I practice!

This song is from last night's practice session. It's a beautiful ballad called For All We Know. I improvised over the chord changes for the first chorus, and embellished the melody for the second chorus. I added a touch of reverb and delay for some ambience, but everything else is just as I played it -- plastic practice reed and all. This is the raw me playing in a "pop" style over a jazz standard.

I like it. I hope you will too! Feel free to download and share.


P.S., The backing track is from http://www.playjazznow.com. If you're looking for jazz backing tracks, check 'em out. They do a great job!

A number of years ago, I was asked to participate in a live radio concert. It was a tribute to composer Halsey Stevens, who had just passed. Zita Carno, pianist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was my accompanist. Zita is a wonderful, fun lady, and a terrific reader. The performance went very well, and I was basking in the afterglow when I got a tug on my sleeve...

The tug on my sleeve was the host of the show, asking me if I would mind doing a quick interview. I reluctantly agreed. He sat me down in front of the microphone and said something like, "Charley, you just played Dittico by Halsey Stevens -- what made you pick that piece?"

I could not think of an answer. I felt like asking him why he liked chocolate ice cream. Maybe he thought I had some profound insight into the music and could elaborate on thematic development, harmony, color -- I don't know what he was thinking. It was the shortest interview I've ever done. It was probably the shortest one he'd ever done too.