A couple weeks ago at the studio, Bill Stevenson and I got together and worked up two tracks. Bill sang a new song of mine called Variations on a Theme and I wrote some new words and a melody to an older instrumental that Bill wrote with Tom Easley, called The UV Factor.
It was a really relaxed and improvisational session and we followed it with a 25 minute conversation, included after the performances.
For those of you who’ve not heard Bill already, he’s hands down the most exceptional piano player I’ve ever been in the presence of. The camera shot we have on the piano keyboard could have easily been the whole video. We’ve also had the good fortune of having him tune our pianos at the studio over the last 10 years. After every tuning I just sit quietly at the back of the room and listen to him play for a while. Bill played the keys on Happy When I’m Sad, an outtake from Park Avenue, as well as Charade, Fall Guy and Renegade from 44. He’s also appeared on a number of records I’ve produced over the years like Steve Poltz’s Dreamhouse and James Hill’s The Old Silo.
This was such a unique session I may share it more widely in the fall but I wanted to share it with you all first. Once again, I’m thankful for your support here at The Window Inn - it helps make sessions like this happen. Thanks to Thomas Stajcer for engineering the recording and Mike Hall for the camera work.
Best,
Joel
