Official music page and soapbox of Matt Snell

Saturday 11 June 2011

The Two-Headed Hippopotamus on a Bootjack Project: Week IV

(The Two-Headed Hippopotamus on a Bootjack Project is a series of impromptu recordings released on a weekly basis. Click the label at the bottom of the post for more details.)
 
I finally got around to the Two-Headed Hippopotamus Project this weekend. I'd struggled the past few days trying to come up with something I was satisfied with enough to release. I've been reading some books lately on improvisation, and I was gung ho to come up with something freer and more spontaneous than before, even during a relatively impromptu Hippopotamus session. The problem is frequently that by the time I've brought the technical standard up to a level I can accept, the spontaneity and energy I was trying to capture has leached away.

Negotiating between the two extremes, I hit upon an ingenious solution - record something where the sloppiness matches the theme. And so today's entry is entitled "Goodtimes in the Swamp." Initially it had a nature theme, but the composition evolved until it sounded more like a couple hillbillies enjoying each other's company. It's rough and recorded using very few takes, but if it has any charm, that's it. Enjoy...

1 comment:

  1. I'm digging it man. A genuine joyous neo-hillbilly free form jam with banjo, tabla and chop sticks. Keep rockin the two-headed hippopotamus jams!

    J.C

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