This page is to inform you about the background of this project exhibit the collaborations created during the execution of the Satie with Friends project.

An idea is born…

Several years ago I started an interpretation of Pictures at an Exhibition. I finished it, published it, and was then contacted by a wonderful Japanese gentleman, 英生 今野 (Hideo Konno whose stage name is Kyuppa), who told me he was impressed with my comment that music is the universal language and would I please view his video of Pictures at an Exhibition. A friendship began, but also germinated an idea in my head.

At that time, I was working on the Trois Gymnopédies using my impossible pianos. I sent this to Kyuppa, (Hideo Konno’s stage name),

“I am still listening to your music and enjoying it very much. I have an idea on a way we might collaborate on a small project that may be of interest to you. I am currently working on Eric Satie’s Trois Gymnopédies which are, of course, written for piano.” My idea is to create a small album called Satie with Friends where I will create accompaniment tracks and have friends interpret the melody.”

I continued on and stated, “Here is the proposition. I have taken the original compositions and extracted a Bass part, Piano/Keyboard accompaniment and sheet music for the solo. I would send a friend, in this case you, the backing track and the lead sheet. You are free to choose any instrument to accomplish the lead. You can overdub several instruments. You can use effects on your instrument(s) and recordings however you desire. You are free to interpret the lead sheet in any manner you like. Think of it as a guide, not a strict road map that must be followed. “

I added, “My backing track will have a lead in, possibly nature sounds augmented or wind/weather before the bass and piano begin. I think this will vary with each of the pieces and may continue from one to the other. The piano is not a real piano, it is a collection of keyboard instruments that are mixed together to make an interesting and complex background for you to express yourself over. Each piece will have a background. “

I further explained the process, “For example, I currently have 4 sampled pianos run through various reverberation algorithms along with a fender Rhodes sample and a synthesizer sample mixed together and various things trigger based on velocity giving the track a lot of expression. You would craft your recording on top of this, send me a WAV and I would then mix and master a final, with your input on the final mix and EQ, of course. “

A process

So, from that germ came Satie with Friends. I went into the studio, and Musescore, and I cut down the midi of my recording of Lent et douloureux into a lead sheet, piano part accompaniment and bass guitar. I recorded these as backing tracks and placed them on a share in 192khz WAV format. I then created the following document to describe project participation that any participant can recieve.

Eric Satie was an amazing composer. The Gymnopédies  are one of his best works and I felt compelled to record them. It is said that his inspiration came from the Latour’s poem Les Antiques: 

Slanting and shadow-cutting a bursting stream 
Trickled in gusts of gold on the shiny flagstone 
Where the amber atoms in the fire gleaming 
Mingled their sarabande with the gymnopaedia. 

Some think it was Spartan maidens dancing naked. All I know is that the idea of dancing means friendship and I decided to ask several friends to help create an album entitled Gymnopédies with Friends where I would produce a backing track and allow them to interpret the melody on any instruments, they desire with any effects they desire and we would create an album together. 

So, you are a chosen friend. Take this backing track which is mixed with my impossible pianos and a sampled Fender precision bass and create something of genius. You can record the melody, many times with many different instruments or just on one. You can add effects or leave it raw. Let it be you. Place your WAV file(s) back here on the share and email me when they are here. I will work with you to create a final mix of our creation, Satie with Friends.

I then notified my friend Ken Soper, an amazing musician based out of Nashville. I also sent a link to Kyuppa. This was around September of 2023, and they quickly returned their parts in October, but life got a hold of me and I got busy and was unable to work on this project for a while.

The output – Satie with Friends

The future!

I am now ready to move forward with this project and invite other friends to participate! Where do we go from here? If you want to have a go, send me an email or call. I will send you a link to the share of the backing tracks and you can interpret them to your heart’s content.

So far, I only have the backing track to #1 ready, but I am actively working on numbers two and three. So, do you want to be my friend?