I Only Have Eyes For You
LOTS of fun stuff going on with THIS one! First of all, we begin with an EPIC cadenza by my dear friend, the piano virtuoso Eric Gunnison. WOWZA! I added a fun filter that makes this part sound like it’s being played on a vinyl LP (you dig?)
Then we get into the tune itself. The great Lisa Dodd works her magic as usual on the vocals while the rhythm section lays down a wonderful soul/jazz fusion groove. Re the horns: as with much of the Vinyl Hampdin stuff, my approach was a hybrid of Jimmy Panow-style horn writing mixed with some Tower of Power funkiness and showcasing Frank Greene wherever possible.
This chart went the extra mile however as I finally found the perfect spot to incorporate the famous Rachmaninoff modulation utilized so well by David Foster on Celine Dion’s version of “All By Myself.” In my version of that most epic of cadences, it’s Frank Greene that is showcased on the pivot note from the starting key to the surprise key. In this case, that pivot is on a HIGH F#. Yep…Frank Greene, ladies and gentlemen😍
After we get into the new key, it’s time to feature one of my favorite tenor players on the planet: Shelley Carroll. Shelley is a modern proponent of the “Texas Tenor” school of jazz and absolutely DESTROYS this solo! WOWZA.
The new key proves to be another lovely walk in the park for the formidable Lisa Dodd and out we go. This one was HUGE fun to write, Y’all. I hope you enjoy it.
