TRADITIONAL - new solo cd 2010- 1st notes

Began work on the new TRADITIONAL cd on June 21, 2010 with Michael Rasbury engineering and co-producing. This is a project i have been wanting to do for some time; recording traditional folk, blues and gospel songs; songs i have known or performed most of my life.

i wanted this project to be done as organically as possible- recorded here in my birthplace/home/ the source of my musical roots- using acoustic/traditional instruments- and keeping the music as pure, real and honest as possible... albeit not completely done in traditional styles/arrangements

foto [c]2010 Michael Rasbury

We began recording Hammond B3 & vocals on June 21[West Monroe, Louisiana] - we used hand claps, conga, tambourine & cardboard boxes for percussion. i played the bass lines, using the B3 foot pedals, with my hands to get some bass grooves! I sang the lead vocal- then went back and did the backing vocals several times to make a 'choir'. Both Michael and i did B3 tracks on "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" and both added piano on "Amazing Grace"

We recorded solo piano & vocal tracks [recorded 'live'] at the Rayville Arts Center* [Rayville, Louisiana] on June 24 & 26. Many thanks to Wayne Hopper [director*] for all his help and support.
On "Hard Times Come Again No More" [by Stephen Foster- circa 1855] Michael played piano [some amazing piano at that!] and i sang; we both did separate piano takes for "Stackolee"

foto [c]2010 Michael Rasbury

We'll be doing more recordings in the next few days- i have a few more songs i want to add- plus we'll be working on the tracks we already have. My life long dear friend George Bryan [Nebraska Hall of Fame] will be adding some acoustic/electric and slide guitar tracks on some of the tracks

We hope to get the majority of everything in place before Michael leaves for NYC and i leave for Europe. Hopefully everything will be mixed & mastered and the cd will be finished/released by the end of the summer. It's been a great experience- thank you Michael for all your hard work/amazing talent- and thank you Wayne for everything!

Michael Rasbury & Wayne Hopper

FOTO [C]2010 DOUG DUFFEY

More updates to come

[c]2010 DOUG DUFFEY

UPCOMING SOLO SHOWS

JANUARY 23, 2010- ENOCH'S- 506 LOUISVILLE AVENUE, MONROE, LOUISIANA: MY POST 60TH BIRTHDAY SHOW! CELEBRATING MY 60 YEARS ON THIS PLANET AND 46 YEARS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS! NO HOLDS BARRED!
FEBRUARY 6TH, 2010- ENOCHS- 506 LOUISVILLE AVENUE, MONROE, LOUISIANA: MARDI GRAS IN MONROE SHOW- DEFINITELY A LOT OF 'LOUISIANA MUSIC' WILL BE GOING ON, PLUS MANY OF MY ORIGINALS.

BLUES HALL OF FAME

I have just been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
Many thanks to Monica Dupont for going to bat for and believing in me.

[c]2009 doug duffey

new videos on youtube

i've been posting more new videos on youtube. mostly originals and a few classic blues standards [which i hope don't get pulled]- have had some nice comments. thanks to all. [c]2009 doug duffey

UPDATE ON SONGS

monroe louisiana 5.20.2009
i actually wrote/recorded about 60 songs during the 4-5 days of recordings in switzerland. rather than saying "wrote" i should say "created", as i did not write anything; i merely sat down at the piano and let my hands and the music go where they wanted to. All is solo piano improvisation, which i will edit and release as only solo piano; BUT if some pieces feel like they need vocals & lyrics, i'll add them; AND some i will only use for backgrounds for my art videos.

now, i'm back in Louisiana- enjoying what feels like fall weather at the moment; it's almost cold; but i know that will change soon. so, i'm getting some outside/yard work done before the heat hits; then i'll hole up in my house and work on various music, art & photography projects [in the air conditioning] ALL summer long.

[c]2009 doug duffey

40 new songs written/recorded [switzerland]

i recorded/wrote 23 songs today & did 17+ yesterday- so: 40 new tracks to date- AND i plan to do more before i leave for the states. i put them on cd & listened tonight & feel certain most of them are keepers. there are some that need editing, but i always feel like that's cheating. so... whatever doesn't go on new solo cds will be edited & used for my art videos- or i might add fx, synths & B3 to them & do other weirdness and release them later. this new stuff is rather like debussy/satie meet alice coltrane in a goth blues bar. some dark, some light, some heavy, some ethereal, some lullabye like... etc... it's totally free form improvised solo piano- no vocals- and something i have wanted to do for some time now. i get tired of words/lyrics; of hearing them AND of writing them... sometimes more can be said without words.

so, i decided to have my old upright tuned [a Burger & Jacoby piano made in Biel in the 1880s] and use my Tascam Dr 1 portable digital recorder. i just stick it behind the piano, press record, then sit down and play whatever comes into my head, or not into my head but off the top of it. total auto pilot: so there are some interesting changes and chords and little journeys and side trips going on in the songs between the beginnings and [sometimes unexpected] endings.

i plan on doing more and more of this while i am here...as long as the piano holds tuning [which is already kind of going out... but makes for interesting vibrations- but on the bluesy stuff sounds VERY authentic] ... this reminds me of when i was a teenager and would sit and play for hours on end...improvising... totally lost in the music.

because i get tired of doing the same thing over and over- and hate getting into a musical or any other kind of rut- i am forever changing styles and mediums [which is why i do art and photography as well as music]... so this is my latest adventure- and one i have thoroughly enjoyed

[c]2009 doug duffey

Café-Théâtre de la Tour de Rive

two shots taken during sound check @ Café-Théâtre de la Tour de Rive- La Neuveville, Friday April 24, 2009- it turned out to be a great concert! very nice and enthusiastic people- both staff and audience- we ended up doing a 3rd set as a long encore! magnifique!
[c]2009 doug duffey