Pickup my newest release: Leftovers III! Use promo code ziggurat to take an additional 20% off all purchases on Bandcamp! Code expires at 11:59 PM UTC on Tuesday, 31 December 2024.
I’ve just released my tenth album of the year, Leftovers III. It’s really an EP, as it just contains five tracks, but it also contains the longest piece I’ve ever composed, “Hanging Gardens.”
This week I’d like to feature the lead track on the album, “Roast Beef Sandwich.”
This Friday, 29 November 2024 my tenth release of the year, Leftovers III, will hit all streaming platforms (including Spotify). In advance of the EP’s release, I wanted to feature the composition that is the centerpiece of LIII, “Hanging Gardens.”
Subscribers to my SubscribeStar page received an early sneak-peek three days ago. Now I want to share this lengthy piece with all of you!
Before that, though, just take a moment to appreciate this decadent album artwork:
I think I made that sandwich over the summer, and took a picture of it about halfway through. No wonder my blood pressure and waistline are showing such high numbers!
But onto the piece itself. “Hanging Gardens” is the longest piece I have ever composed, clocking in at about 10:46 (I think the YouTube video has it at 10:47). I actually wanted to make it longer—around twenty minutes—to give it a more symphonic feel, but I reached the point where I a.) had to finish it to meet the 29 November 2024 release deadline and b.) I was out of ideas to pour into this enigmatic suite.
Yours portly released a new album earlier this summer, Heptadic Structure. It’s an exploration of pieces in 7/4, 7/8, and 7/16 time. Each piece is twenty-one written measures, for a total of 147 measures across the seven pieces. Also, 14+7=21. Math is fun!
You can listen to and/or purchase the album at the following links:
This week I’m featuring the final track from that album, and my second favorite after “Balladic Processional“: the experimental tone poem “Akhenaten“:
Yours portly keeps churning out the hits, and I’m pleased to announce my seventh album this year, White Boy Summer.
White Boy Summer is a collection of ten summertime jams spanning multiple genres of instrumental music. The title track is a driving retro rocker reminiscent of Super Nintendo side-scrollers, and is perfect for jamming to on the open road. I also rewrote it as a chorale for the album’s finale, “White Boy Summa (Theologica),” a piece for brass trio.
This album heavily favors trombone, and the three major trombone pieces emphasize the chill nature of summertime: “Mellow,” “Lazy River,” and “Summer Vibes.”
“The Sea Crab” is the most experimental piece; it’s a musical interpretation of an unpublished poem of the same name by Liza Libes.
And, despite the title, White Boy Summer is for all people of all races—and both genders.
You can pick it up on Bandcamp for $7. I’ll be posting links to the album on other streaming platforms in the comments.
Rock on!
—TPP
P.S.—Here are a couple of the tracks that have already been uploaded to YouTube:
Well, just like with Lazy Sunday, I was off on my Roman numeral numbering for Open Mic Adventures. Fortunately, it’s just by one, but I made the mistake somewhere around the fortieth-odd post, so, like with Lazy Sunday, I’m just going to start the correct numbering back with this post. As such, there’ll be two posts with “LXXXII” in their titles, but the list of “Other Editions of Open Mic Adventures” below has been corrected. Goodness!
Regardless, today’s track is from my seventeenth album, Four Mages—the last one I have yet to feature here. It is a collection of ten electronic tracks, all but one of which (“The Blind Prophet“) is color-coded. Each piece explores some facet of fantasy archetypes, weaving and casting a musical spell upon listeners.
Here are some platforms where you can listen:
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3WHmt9h (Amazon Affiliate link; I get a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no cost to you)
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/four-mages/1734702792
Bandcamp: https://tjcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/four-mages
YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nujl75apVRTixddPAfSWgtKqmjKHmmbA0&si=eWuLqof6gNhGMsdQI really enjoy this album, and I hope you will, too. It’s about fourteen minutes in length, so it’s perfect listening for doing a short errand or for a quick drive.
Today’s track is from my seventeenth album, Four Mages. It is a collection of ten electronic tracks, all but one of which (“The Blind Prophet“) is color-coded. Each piece explores some facet of fantasy archetypes, weaving and casting a musical spell upon listeners.
Here are some platforms where you can listen:
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3WHmt9h (Amazon Affiliate link; I get a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no cost to you)Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/four-mages/1734702792Bandcamp: https://tjcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/four-magesYouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nujl75apVRTixddPAfSWgtKqmjKHmmbA0&si=eWuLqof6gNhGMsdQI really enjoy this album, and I hope you will, too. It’s about fourteen minutes in length, so it’s perfect listening for doing a short errand or for a quick drive.
Today’s track is from my seventeenth album, Four Mages. It is a collection of ten electronic tracks, all but one of which (“The Blind Prophet“) is color-coded. Each piece explores some facet of fantasy archetypes, weaving and casting a musical spell upon listeners.
Here are some platforms where you can listen:
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3WHmt9h (Amazon Affiliate link; I get a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no cost to you)Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/four-mages/1734702792Bandcamp: https://tjcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/four-magesYouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nujl75apVRTixddPAfSWgtKqmjKHmmbA0&si=eWuLqof6gNhGMsdQI really enjoy this album, and I hope you will, too. It’s about fourteen minutes in length, so it’s perfect listening for doing a short errand or for a quick drive. This week’s feature has done a bit better than most on YouTube, too.
Today’s tracks are from my seventeenth album, Four Mages. It is a collection of ten electronic tracks, all but one of which (“The Blind Prophet“) is color-coded. Each piece explores some facet of fantasy archetypes, weaving and casting a musical spell upon listeners.
Here are some platforms where you can listen:
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3WHmt9h (Amazon Affiliate link; I get a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no cost to you)Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/four-mages/1734702792Bandcamp: https://tjcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/four-magesYouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nujl75apVRTixddPAfSWgtKqmjKHmmbA0&si=eWuLqof6gNhGMsdQI really enjoy this album, and I hope you will, too. It’s about fourteen minutes in length, so it’s perfect listening for quick errands.
Of these, I think “Pink Princess” is the best, but I have a soft spot for “The Blind Prophet,” and “Black Mage” is just so sinister and mysterious.
Which is your favorite?
Happy Sunday!
—TPP
Other Lazy Sunday Installments:
Today is 2 May 2024, exactly twenty-six weeks to Halloween! What better day to release my latest collection of compositions, Four Mages?
🧙♂️Four Mages🧙♂️ is a collection of ten electronic tracks, all but one of which (“The Blind Prophet“) is color-coded. Each piece explores some facet of fantasy archetypes, weaving and casting a musical spell upon listeners.
It’s $5 on Bandcamp, and is also available on all major (and minor) streaming platforms except for Spotify.
I’m quite excited for this release; I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed composing it.
Happy Listening!
—TPP
The imminent release of Four Mages on 2 May 2024 draws every closer, dear readers, and I’m continuing to feature some of the pieces from that album here. Today’s piece, “The Blind Prophet,” is one I particularly enjoy for its playful experimentation with irregular time signatures and multimeter wackiness.
The Portly Politico 