My latest album, Advanced Funkification, is out now on Bandcamp and various streaming platforms. I’ve compiled the various links into one list for your convenience. I’m really proud of this release, and I think it deserves to be heard—and I think y’all will enjoy it!
Here is the current list of websites/platforms/services where you can listen to the release:
Bandcamp (listen for free three times; purchase for $5): https://tjcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/advanced-funkification
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/advanced-funkification/1737543866
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0CYVXHCYL
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTYRd6KE2p8&list=OLAK5uy_kK6CTJ90P8IWCohEr7YnmWCqkBfDCZDWI
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k763vzrC76DaIsZtNfyYoYbnK-H-lSl50&si=V4D4kRQRGC03mfI4
But this week, I’m getting back to an original song. Indeed, it’s the second time a live performance of this piece has appeared here on the blog; the first time was in “Open Mic Adventures XLII: ‘1001 Arabian Nights’” from 8 August 2023.
“1001 Arabian Nights” is a fairly “sexy” tune. It’s about the longing for another person, even if for a limited amount of time:
The original concept for the song came from a couple of sources. One, of course, are the stories of Scheherazade, and how she forestalled her execution by keeping the murderous sultan entertained night after night. I pulled heavily on desert and vaguely Orientalist themes to write the song (I’m sure someone will want to “decolonize” this song someday—try it!).
The second inspiration, as is the case for so many of my heartsick love songs, was a girl who used to frequent one of the coffee shops I played at in The Before Times, before The Age of The Virus. It turns out she was Filipino, but her name and appearance gave strong Middle Eastern vibes, and she seemed to embody dusky sensuality. Make of that what you will.
Happy Listening!
—TPP
Other Editions of Open Mic Adventures:
- “Open Mic Adventures I: Oingo Boingo’s ‘Just Another Day’“
- “Open Mic Adventures II: Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’“
- “Open Mic Adventures III: Joanie Sommers’s ‘Johnny Get Angry’“
- “Open Mic Adventures IV: KISS’s ‘I Still Love You’“
- “Open Mic Adventures V: ‘There’s a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)’“
- “Open Mic Adventures VI: Journey’s ‘Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’“
- “Open Mic Adventures VII: ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’“
- “Open Mic Adventures VIII: Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence’“
- “Open Mic Adventures IX: Journey’s ‘Faithfully’“
- “Open Mic Adventures X: ‘Time Warp’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XI: Spooktacular Supergroup Covers ‘Monster Mash’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XII: ‘Ghostly’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XIII: The Penguins’ ‘Earth Angel’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XIV: ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XV: ‘O Holy Night’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XVI: ‘Please Come Home for Christmas’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XVII: ‘L’il Divertimento in C major’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XVIII: ‘Satiean Motion’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XIX: ‘Two-Day Minuet for Left Hand’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XX: ‘Sleepy Student’s Serenade’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXI: Styx’s ‘Come Sail Away’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXII: ‘Blessed Assurance’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXIII: ‘Gabbi’s Gavotte’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXIV: ‘Softly and Tenderly’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXV: ‘Venite, exultemus Domino’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXVI: ‘Sonatina’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXVII: ‘Heavenly Sunlight’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXVIII: ‘Song of the Bigfoot’”
- “Open Mic Adventures XXIX: ‘Lavender’s Blue’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXX: ‘Chorale for a Sleepy Wednesday’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXI: ‘Carousel’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXII: Hymn Medley“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXIII: ‘Spore Song (Mushroom Dance)’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXIV: ‘Chase’s Dilemma’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXV: ‘The Rings of Saturn’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXVI: ‘The Rings of Saturn’ LIVE!“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXVII: ‘Private Lessons (Goth Chick)’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXVIII: ‘Quasi-Date’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XXXIX: ‘(I’m in the) Business of Love)’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XL: ‘Parada’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLI: ‘Serenade for a Sleepy Student No. 2’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLII: ‘1001 Arabian Nights’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLIII: ‘Greek Fair’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLIV: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 1’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLV: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 1’ – BASS“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLVI: ‘Canon Event’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLVII: ‘Skeleton Dance No. 2’“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLVIII: Sloppy ‘Hipster Girl Next Door’ Medley“
- “Open Mic Adventures XLIX: ‘Lament of the Lizardman’“
- “Open Mic Adventures L: ‘Bigfoot Boogie’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LI: ‘Minuet for a New Moon’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LII: ‘Andante in D major’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LIII: ‘I Need Thee Every Hour’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LIV: ‘”Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LV: ‘Orange Roll’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LVI: ‘Firefly Dance’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LVII: ‘Kartofelsalat’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LVIII: ‘Listless Chorale’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LIX: ‘Silent Night’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LX: ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXI: ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXII: ‘FRANTIC!!’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXIII: ‘Snowfall’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXIV: ‘Uninspired Étude in E major’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXV: ‘Scribblings I: Post-Christmas Concert Scribbling’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXVI: ‘Ode Napoléon’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXVII: ‘Cook’s Brief Bourrée in E minor’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXVIII: ‘Triumphant Processional’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXIX: ‘Moody Noodling’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXX: ‘Epistemology’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXI: ‘Three Chorales in Diminishing Length’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXII: ‘Blue Mage’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXIII: ‘Red Mage’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXIV: ‘White Mage’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXV: ‘Black Mage’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXVI: ‘The Blind Prophet’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXVII: ‘Robobop’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXVIII: ‘Pink Princess’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXIX: ‘Purple Prince’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXX: ‘Yellow Knight’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXXI: ‘Green Knight’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXXII: ‘Brown Friar’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXXIII: ‘Advanced Funkification’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXXIV: ‘Funk Chorale (Hymn to Funk)’“
- “Open Mic Adventures LXXXV: Steelheart’s ‘I’ll Never Let You Go’“
The Portly Politico 
[…] Open Mic Adventures LXXXVI: “1001 Arabian Nights” Redux […]
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Woohoo! Thanks!
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Nice playing and singing! Honestly, I am far too shy to do that.
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Thanks, dude! I love playing live.
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You are welcome! 👍🏻🍻
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I would encourage you to give it a shot sometime, dude! Do you play guitar or keys or anything?
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Nothing! I have always had an interest in the bass guitar though. There aren’t as many available bass players it seems.
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Bass guitar is super fun to play, and pretty easy to pick up. You should give it a try, John!
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I’ve looked into lessons which would be given by people that hold degrees in music but just can’t pull the trigger on it…
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My advice—pick up an old beater bass and amp at a pawn shop or at your local guitar store. Maybe purchase a bass method book (I can recommend some to get you started), and just pick it up that way. I’m all about personalized, one-on-one music instruction (it’s a major source of income for me—ha!), but it sounds like getting the lessons and stuff setup is part of your barrier to entry. You could get a good-enough starter setup for $200, and then just start thumping around on your own! There are probably also some quality YouTube videos out there to teach the basics of finger positioning and walking your fingers and the like.
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