Roger Aldridge - News

Lost Music

2/9/2021

I have been reflecting on the music that I had written before 1989. With a handful of exceptions, all of that work (handwritten scores and lead sheets) was lost due to one reason or another.

Several pieces that I wrote in the late 1960's and early 70's come to mind. In particular, Four Haiku Sketches and Ten Events for Band, two pieces for concert band. There was also an extended piece for double quartet (classical woodwinds and jazz ensemble) as well as several pieces for experimental theater. As I write these words, more originals and arrangements are coming back into my mind. I did A LOT of writing during those years!

At this stage in my life and in how my music has evolved, it is likely that I would no longer care for those earlier pieces. However, some of them might have stood the test of time and would be like meeting old friends again. Regardless, what's gone is gone. I am entirely happy to have all of the music that I have written since 1989...more than 30 years worth. When I think about the pieces that I no longer have, I can see how they served as a foundation for the music that came later. From this perspective, nothing is ever lost.

UPDATE: I just discovered that the score for Four Haiku Sketches is in the University of North Texas library. It is part of the Source: Music of the Avant-Garde collection. The score is in Series 2: unpublished scores. oversize, Set 1; Box 1 Barcode 711602. I have submitted a request to the UNT music library to receive a copy of the score. I will post another update here when there is a reply from the library.

Tofu Roadkill Recording

10/30/2020

Matthew Klein (AKA, Uncle Brother) made a recording of Tofu Roadkill. This piece is unique in how it is the only song (music & lyrics) that I have written. It can be heard on the Tofu Roadkill page.

The recording is for sale (streaming or download) at Bandcamp.

Bandcamp

8/24/2020

Seven digital albums of my originals are available at Bandcamp. Each one has its own character, styles, and moods. The complete collection has 54 recordings and is $37.50 (25% discount). Sold separately, an album is $7. As another option, individual tracks are $1. This enables one to select tracks from different albums. The music can be streamed with the free Bandcamp app or downloaded. Albums or tracks can also be sent as gifts.

This information has been added to the Store page.

Qigong

6/25/2020

A new section has been added to the About page. It has information about my interest in Qigong practices and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Rich Pulin Jazz Radio 5/28/20

5/26/2020

Rich Pulin will have another one-hour interview with me on his Pulin 4 Jazz internet radio show. It will be streamed live from Las Vegas on Thursday, May 28, at 1:30 Eastern time.

We will feature recordings on my latest album Alternate Takes. Please join us.

Here is a link to Pulin 4 Jazz:
http://stations.xyz/radio/player/222

For those who are not familiar with Rich, see About Rich Pulin.

Archive recordings for some of my past shows are available on the Links page under Interviews.

Sheet Music Rip Off

3/3/2020

Several days ago I discovered that 28 pieces of mine had somehow been taken from Sheet Music Plus and were being distributed (in violation of Copyright law) by two music sites. The sites are topmusicsheet.com and musicsheets.org. I sent DMCA Take Down Notices and, happily, both sites removed my music from their sites.

Here is a message that I received from Sheet Music Plus after I wrote to them about the situation:

Hello,
Hal Leonard Legal is aware of this issue with this website. They seem to have only have the sample pages, not your full pdf.
For now, I recommend submitting a DMCA notice
Please submit it to the website owner, the website hosting company (If you know it) and CC us.

Based on this experience, it is prudent for composers to periodically do an internet search on several of their music titles and see what comes up. That is how I discovered that my music was at those two sites.

Emergence

6/3/2019

Over the weekend Nancy and I went to the Four Seasons Bookstore in Shepherdstown, WV. As I looked through the used book section, a particular book jumped out at me. It was Emergence by Steven Johnson (2001).

As Johnson describes, emergence is what happens when an interconnected system of relatively simple elements self-organizes to form more intelligent, more adaptive higher-level behavior. It is a bottom-up model rather than being engineered from top-down. Emergence begins at the ground level when agents residing on one level start producing behavior that lies on a scale above them.

This is exactly how I envision deep changes coming about in today's world. That is, largely through grassroots collaborative movements springing up as more people begin to remember who and what they are (as spiritual beings currently having a human life on Earth). As this happens, we will naturally outgrow deeply entrenched social divisions.

Interestingly, this is also one of my core music concepts in how I envision ensembles going beyond what is written on the page to create music collectively that is fresh and different each time it is performed. I have had this vision for many years and now there is a word for it.

Music For Video

5/12/2019

For those interested in using my recordings in a video project, an easy way to do it is purchase a music license online through Zudo Music.

Zudo license rates for videos:

Home / Personal Video $39
Web Video (Youtube, Vimeo, etc.) $59
Wedding Video $79

The Music Licensing page has a link to my artist page at Zudo Music. There, listen to my recordings in the Zudo catalog and find one that is a match for your project.

The following video demonstrates how quick it is to select music, purchase a music license, and download a recording through the Zudo website. There is a sliding scale of rates for a wide range of visual media projects.

See Music For Video and FAQs for more information.

Zudo can also license my music for ads (small business, crowdfunding, not-for-profit), games (video games, mobile apps), TV (web or network), and film (indie or studio).

Radio Show For David Arivett

4/23/2019

Rich Pulin and I will have a radio show on April 25 that is dedicated to David Arivett. David died on March 23. He was of great help to me in our music collaborations and as a friend. We will feature many of the recordings that David made of my originals.

An archive recording of the show can be heard here:
https://archive.org/details/RogerAldridgeOnPulin4JazzApril252019

David Arivett

4/2/2019

I just learned that David Arivett passed on. He was one of my closest music friends even though he lived in Arkansas and I only knew him on Facebook. For those who know my music, you will know David's name. For the past 5+ years he recorded many of my scores and tunes. Each recording is a gem. And, David was a person who would have been a great friend in real life. I will be forever grateful to him.

Here is a message that his son posted at the Jazz Arranging group that David started on Facebook:

"My name is Aaron Arivett and I am David Arivett’s son. On behalf of my dad I wanted to share that on March 23rd he passed away due to complications related to a heart attack. He was incredibly passionate about all music, but certainly had a great love of Jazz. It inspired him to found this group, along with others, as a means of sharing the creative and meaningful with fellow colleagues and friends.

He was my mentor, idol, father and friend. I’ll cherish that relationship for the rest of my life.

We are forever grateful for his love, indelible spirit, passion, sense of humor and musical genius that we will endeavor to continue through the lives we lead moving forward."

The last recording that David made for me was New Tango No. 7. He finished it in February. It occurred to me that it might be among the last recordings he created. Right off the bat, you will hear David's joy and sense of fun. He used only my lead sheet for the recording and put much of himself into the music.