The Century Players: Zaun Marshburn - drums Jon Petronzio - keys, bass Johnny Dowd - guitar, telephone Jennifer Middaugh - vocals Bronwen Exter - vocals Mary Lorson - vocals When Dr. Bill Thomas asked me to take on the role of musical director on a project to take popular songs from 100 years ago and reimagine the tracks in the context of everything that has come since (and possibly anticipate future trends in music?), I knew he would have something big in mind. The project would require me to produce 10-14 songs for an album release AND arrange and perform it as a live set this New Year’s Eve for a special event in Ithaca, NY designed to completely re-imagine the experience and meaning behind New Years. Bill is is a professional inspirer of folks, especially those willing to expand their vision of what’s possible in their lives. I didn’t know what music from 100 years ago would sound or feel like after being re-imagined by a musician and audio engineer like myself, but I didn’t think twice about taking on the challenge. We’ve been poring over songs from 1914 and I have been slowly getting used to the fact that musically, this is going to be quite a bit more interesting (read: challenging) than I had anticipated. Mostly that is due to the prevalence of what I will call “stylistically constraining elements” in so much of the music recorded 100 years ago. There is something about the era’s typical melodic phrasing which is at best, natural, and at worst, extremely predictable. I’ve never been big on musical theater and I’m realizing that is because like much of the music I have found from 1914, the melody and harmony can be so “sing-song”, boxy and just inevitable. It’s pretty hard to imagine doing anything truly hip with songs like “I’m Glad My Wife’s in Europe” or “Kiss Your Sailor Boy Goodbye”, without going extreme in the interpretation department… which looks like where we’re headed! I am learning to fully embrace the concept of limitations as the best friend of creativity. We started with a grand vision and I had planned on composing for a full seven-piece band and writing songs specially tailored for some of the best singers in the area. Now that we know what we’re dealing with, we’re scaling back the roster and in the process getting inspired to experiment with incorporating a turntablist/electronic multi-instrumentalist approach, which by definition will dictate a more modern rendering of the songs. It continues to evolve as I explore the music. The experience so far has required me to stay VERY open minded, pushing forward and constantly re-imagining not only the musical possibilities but the very basic elements of the entire concept. I’m hoping to land somewhere that might force anyone trying to sort the album by genre to really have to think about it and maybe even make up a new category. Music from my grandparents generation seen through the lens(es) of the best of mine. Jazz, R&B, Top 40, Country, World, Reggae, Hip Hop, Classical, Industrial, and… Centaria? -Nate Silas Richardson, Ithaca NY, December 2013 Track notes: Saint Louis Blues - This was the first song to take form when we started the rehearsals for recording. Johnny brought in a looped beat and suggested we apply his tried and true approach to arranging, which is to have the pretty ladies singing the chorus juxtaposed with the gritty quasi-spoken verse. A Dream - A very dark song about a deceased lover. I knew I wanted Brownen and Jen to each sing one of the "ballads". Bronwen chose this one and really brought it to life, no pun intended! It was eerie and sexy at the same time, which was perfect for this song. Hortencia - I've always loved taking a waltz and playing it four like this. I've also always loved the ABCD form. It took some experimenting to find the right feeling for the running eighth note phrases in the C part. This feeling of the rhythm guitar is inspired by my years playing with steel pan master Michael Gabriel. Eagle Rock - The 1914 recording of this was one of several that gave me a feeling of "this is either going to be completely corny or totally transcendent". Mary jumped in with both feet and her fearlessness was empowering and invigorating. JP and Zaun were messing around with different feels and when we tried playing it with the feeling/rhythm of Nirvana's "In Bloom" it just clicked. Bronwen declared it her favorite at that point In The Heart of the City That Has No Heart - Only Jen could have pulled this one off. This one took a couple of tries to get the backing track down since the music really has to flex around the vocal. I think Bill Frisell's influence is apparent here even more than on the rest of the album. Thank you Bill Frisell. Memphis Blues - I loved this song and the old recording were working from, but everything we tried in rehearsal was just not convincing... we were about to scrap this one and then Zaun rocked this beat. We halved the harmonic rhythm, mostly tossed the melody out and I dialed up my best fuzz tone and it came together in one take. Nowhere in Time - Richie penned the only brand new song on this album, with input from his musical counterpart, Rosie Newton, who appears here on fiddle and backing vocals. Richie is one of Ithaca's most unique and beloved musical treasures. The song was still very much a work in progress when this version came together in the studio. From what I hear is still evolving at the time of this writing. Down Among the Sheltering Palms - This was the only song in the batch we were working with that I just didn't feel the need to adapt stylistically. We had Bronwen, Mary and Jen and it just felt so right to pay tribute to the great Boswell Sisters recording by using mostly the same close harmonies and chordal arrangement. Of course we are who we are and that does plenty to change a piece of music. So maybe it sounds reimagined, but this one really was, at least in my mind, an attempt to loosely mimic a classic recording. I Want to Be More Peaceful - we worked from the recording of the Tuskegee Institute Singers version of I Want to Be Like Jesus - I wanted to create a secular, but still spiritual vibe with this one, for "general audiences". We sang this one at midnight to ring in 2014 and I think I speak for many of the "Century Players" when I say it is one of those moments I will always remember with fondness and gratitude.