Duke Ellington's "African Flower"

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 6 Mar 2021 9:47 pm

One of many, many great compositions by possibly the most important figure in jazz history, Duke Ellington. This one was recorded on his Money Jungle LP, which was a trio with Mingus and Max Roach. This tune is in the Real Book but Duke never played it the same way twice.

My version is a work in progress with another instrumentalist to be added. This was my first full take of improv on the tune, which I played on a Rickenbacher B6 in C6/A7. All instruments on the track are played by me. The arrangement was pretty spontaneous, though it involved multitracking the uke (which I'm still learning how to play).

https://mikeneer.bandcamp.com/track/afr ... wer-teaser

Einar Baldursson · Post by **Einar Baldursson** » 6 Mar 2021 10:29 pm

How wonderful that you chose to include this tune. It's been a longtime favourite of mine and your scaled down approach here fits it perfectly. Good job!

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 7 Mar 2021 2:32 pm

great tune choice and fine playing.

Travis Brown · Post by **Travis Brown** » 7 Mar 2021 3:05 pm

Interesting track. I bought Money Jungle years back but couldn't get into it. Obviously, I need to try again.

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 7 Mar 2021 3:15 pm

Nice Mike. love that tune .

I forget the whole story but Duke had to talk Mingus off a ledge in that session. Great record.

Scott Thomas · Post by **Scott Thomas** » 7 Mar 2021 8:53 pm

Good lord, that is beautiful. I wish it would go on and on. I love your tone and subtle pitch shifts. The descending arpeggios are ridiculous. I don't know what to say about your stuff anymore you are so on another level.

Steve Cunningham · Post by **Steve Cunningham** » 7 Mar 2021 11:45 pm

This is great Mike, love the uke parts. Can't wait to get a copy of the record.

Nelson Checkoway · Post by **Nelson Checkoway** » 8 Mar 2021 9:44 am

Man, I like this so much! Beautiful tone and arrangement, Mike. The uke is a brilliant choice for the backing piano partâ€”it reminds me of a Kalimba - African thumb piano - so befitting. I have to say that, beyond your top notch playing and musical ideas, these projects are showcasing a consistent tone and technique that is all yours. I could turn on the radio, hear any of these songs and say â€œhey, thatâ€™s Mike Neer playing.â€

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 8 Mar 2021 11:12 am

Very nice, exotic and interesting. That old Rick Model B has a very sweet, mellow, somewhat compressed tone. I've noticed it on your other recordings with that guitar as well. Great work.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 8 Mar 2021 12:21 pm

Many thanks. I did maybe overuse the compressor plugin here but for the entire recording I am using a little solid state Fender Bronco amp with a ribbon mic with no reverb or effects, which is different for me. Honestly, I am enjoying a more focused sound and approach for this, and going for a real consistent sound. I will be using only one guitar on the recording.

Improvisation and arranging is really what I live for. And of course playing with other musicians is everything to me. But I thought it was time to do it myself, especially in this pandemic, like Chris Potter did. Having guests has been amazing. My arrangements are simple and I try to leave lots of room for improv.

I appreciate the comments and Iâ€™m doing my best to make music that I enjoy and can live with. Hopefully, others do as well. I have a lot more ideas to explore, so I am doing my best to stay offline for a while and get it done. The whole project is quite a learning experience from a recording/mixiing perspective.

Travis Brown · Post by **Travis Brown** » 8 Mar 2021 7:32 pm

Mike Neer wrote:Iâ€™m doing my best to make music that I enjoy and can live with. Hopefully, others do as well. I have a lot more ideas to explore, so I am doing my best to stay offline for a while and get it done. The whole project is quite a learning experience from a recording/mixiing perspective.

This is a great post.

First, "making music I can enjoy and live with" is a beautiful and succinct way to sum up what I think everyone's goal should be.

Second, I think you and Bill McCloskey are examples of what might be a positive impact of the solitary nature of COVID, though still possibly a painful one. Some/many of us are woodshedding and working to distill what we do down to a purer form. Spending so much time practicing and working out your own tracks drives you to explore your philosophy as well as work on your chops.

For me, it's been very transitional since I've picked up a new instrument and my musical partnership (where I get most of my inspiration) has slowed dramatically. But I think I'm in a similar position, where I'm taking a hard look at what I do and trying to decide where to go from here.