Many of my recent blog writing has dealt with the Treefellow owls and the attempt to reach the forest community of Chunglewood. This might give the impression that I am fully occupied, especially when combined with family life and my writing for Darcy. You might even be wondering, "when does Jackson do his proper job?"
Well, I do that too. I've not spoken about it recently but now would seem to be a convenient time to give you an update.
As a consequence of writing the songs for the "Sylvan River" musical, the famous baritone Corbet Mulligan approached us. He wanted to record a new album and liked the idea of some original songs written to suit his voice. My songwriting partner Chris Snow-Warren became his primary contact and we ended up contributing six songs. We enjoyed this. Whilst, on the face of it, Corbet doesn't give the impression of being overly approachable, this couldn't be further from the truth. As we worked together, his demeanour proved to be due to an unexpected shyness, and as he warmed to us our working relationship became warm and friendly.
Whilst not as popular as Lionel Grand's records, Corbet's album sold reasonably well and the publicity widened his appeal beyond his main fan base. The revenue wasn't bad either.
Corbet was so pleased he came back to us and asked us to write all of the songs for a followup album. To give it greater cohesion he thought the songs should be written to a common theme. That resulted in a number of discussions; Chris again took the lead as the lyrics would play the greater part in illustrating the chosen theme.
The agreed concept was to be "The Year". Each song would represent key points in a year, covering special days in the calendar, the progress of the seasons, and the effect on a fictional but representative character living through that year. It would start with the optimism of a new year and probably end with something festive for Christmas.
So. How's it going? I'll let you decide. Here is a draft version of the lyrics Chris has penned for a new song "Welcoming Spring". Appropriate given the time of year.
CHORUS
I feel it's time to welcome spring;
It lifts my spirit, makes me sing
to celebrate the warmth I have inside - with pride
I welcome this Sylvanian spring
and knowing what these months will bring -
new growth and joy throughout the countryside.
The snowdrop nods its bell-like head,
a signal of the time ahead.
The crocus follow, lilac, purple, gold.
The primulas in all their hues,
so many that its hard to choose;
each one of them a wonder to behold.
CHORUS
The small narcissi give me thrills
as do the larger daffodils;
their sunny faces brighten up my day.
And then unfurling wide leaves show
Where multicoloured tulips grow
And spring confirms it's well upon its way.
CHORUS
Emerging from thick clumps of green
Thin stems raise up and soon are seen
the bluebells ringing tones of deepest blue
And up above forsythia,
laburnum and bright kerria
exploding each in blooms of yellow hue.
CHORUS repeat
The lyrics might change slightly as I work on a melody for this but I don't foresee any major alterations. In any case Chris is very accommodating. It's always an honour working with him.
One thing is becoming clear. As our songs are becoming more in demand we will reach the point where the artistic and business aspects of our work will fight for our time. Do we need an agent or some such individual to assist us when necessary? We have Bernard Sellars at the TESE Advertising Agency who handled our Rodentine toothpaste jingle work but we didn't think this was his arena.
We mentioned this to Lionel Grand. After all, he is already much in demand and must have someone handling his bookings and studio recordings. He suggested having a word with his partner Rory Redmayne who also fulfils that role. With Lionel spending more time relaxing in his Mellowdene home, Rory will also start living here part-time. We could meet him then. It's certainly a thought.
I enjoy creating new melodies and crafting harmonies and the feeling of well-being that occurs as a by-product. In itself that's a good reason I won't allow my work to suffer. Even for owl-driven projects!
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