I just uploaded my latest project, “Toccata and Fugue”, as it is called right now. This song is a preview for my upcoming album, “Portraits”, which will come out in late 2010.

I just wanted to share a little bit about this song and how it came about.

First, for those who just listened to my ‘Lullaby Album’, you should know this piece is of a completely different callibur or style. If you have a sub-woofer on your computer speaker system, you may want to turn it down a bit because the song has a lot of bass to it. It’s quite “boomy”.

I love, love, love Classical music. And I especially love to tweak it. Which results in much of my music being of a “Classical Crossover” genre in nature.

“Toccata and Fugue” is based off of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565. (Bach wrote 2 Toccata and Fugues in Dm, but the one I am referring to is BWV 565). This piece is a very well known organ solo, and over the years it has traditionally been used around Halloween time because of it’s thematic elements and somewhat frightening minor chords that can rumble an entire concert hall.

You can view/listen to the traditional version here in this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FXoyr_FyFw

I have been quite familiar with this piece for several years as my college symphony orchestra performed it for a Halloween concert one year. It is one of those pieces that gets into your head and kind of haunts you.

About a year ago, I was in my home music studio and started fiddling around with this piece on my keyboard. I started adding more instrumentals to it and came up with a very cool 1 minute clip of some ideas. Well, and then, the piece got brushed aside as the muse left, and I didn’t work on it again for a long time.

About two months ago, I decided that I really wanted to finish my rendition of this song. So I opened up the file that I started over a year ago and listened to it. Then I sat down at my piano and started writing parts out.

As with a lot of pieces that I write, I started going off on some solo-esque cadenzas on the piano (in other words, tangents) and made the piece completely un-listenable to anyone but myself. Well, because I really enjoy Classical music for that very reason. You can do things like that. However, that is also why a lot of people today find it hard to follow Classical music and understand it.

So I re-worked this song and reworked it – so that it would appeal to a broader audience. I think I ended up with 7 or 8 different drafts. Each time, refining it, simplifying it, and structuring it.

In the end, I ended up with a song that is about 30% Bach, and 70% Jennifer Thomas. You will hear what I mean in a second once you hit the play button.

I was fortunate to work with a couple of great musicians on this piece. Glen Gabriel from Sweden formulated most of the beats and effects, and Adam Amos of the UK also did some of the beats and effects. Zak Dewey of Seattle did the mixing and mastering, and I did everything else – the piano, orchestration, and the kitchen sink.

Thanks for taking the time to listen to my late project – hope it doesn’t disappoint. And for reals, turn down that subwoofer. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

- Jennifer

I just got online tonight to see how my song “Fly Away” did in the semi-finals and was surprised to see it ended up at #1. I was neck and neck with my good friend, Michele McLaughlin, and thought for sure she would take the #1 spot. Definitely a very worth opponent for sure.

Thank you all for voting for me, and please if you have time on June 30th, I would love to have your continued support in the Finals.

Also, if you get a chance to flip your TV channel on over to Universal Sports, “Fly Away” is currently running multiple times daily on NBC’s Universal Sports Network for the World Championship Beach Volleyball Promos from Jun 26th – July 5th. Universal contacted me last week to request the song be put in their music library, and I was surprised when one of the producers contacted me regarding using the song in a promo only days later.

So check it out on your local NBC Universal Sports channel. I have actually not seen the promo yet (I don’t have access – how sad is that?), so let me know how it is. I believe if you go to their website and punch in your zip code, you can find out your local channel. www.universalsports.com

Cheers! Jennifer

P.S. I’m getting ready to release my new album on July 15th (The Lullaby Album), and with that am also releasing the much requested piano scores to some of the songs from my first album. So if you are a pianist yourself, it may (or may not?) be of interest to you…

http://www.jenniferthomasmusic.com/sheetmusic.htm

I just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know that some exciting things have been happening lately.

- The new album comes out in about 3 weeks. It’s currently being manufactured, and we’re expecting it to be done about mid-July. I’ll keep you posted. You can hear clips on my website: www.jenniferthomasmusic.com

- New blog site (I hardly ever blog on ourstage, so if you want to keep up with me, go to my official blog: http://jenniferthomasmusic.wordpress.com/

- I’ve made some changes to my website. Check ’em out. www.jenniferthomasmusic.com

Thanks for all your continued support with my music. I really appreciate it.

Love, Jen

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve written a blog post on here. That is due mostly to me being busy recording my upcoming lullaby album – soon to be released next month (April 2009).

This is a collaboration project consisting of my mother, Carolyn Southworth, and myself. But we also have a couple of other great artists who have contributed thier talents to the album as well. Emmy Award winning composer Jace Vek, Ourstage Grand Prize winner Jillian Goldin, and Grammy Award Nominated producer Paul Speer.

I’ve posted one track from the album here in the New Age/World channel (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star), and once the album is released I will be posting more. I’ve also posted my cover of Billy Joel’s “Goodnight My Angel” on my Myspace page if you would like a sneek peak at that.

Well, that’s all for now I guess. Ciao!

- Jennifer

I am excited to let you all know that my mother, Carolyn Southworth, and I are collaborating on a new album together and are planning to release it late this Fall 2008.

The album is going to be a collection of lullabies. Some old, some you know, and some that will be original works by each of us. The album is intended mainly for the use of helping babies sleep – it will be something parents can play in the cd player in the nursury to help calm. relax, and soothe..

Since the birth of my own first baby this summer, I have been interested to observe what kinds of music do and don’t appeal to him. I think I have a fairly good idea now of what is working with him. This, as well as many requests for this album, is what fueled the idea.

My mom and I have always talked about doing something together but never could come up with something where our eclectic styles could fully come together seamlessly. Until now.

While I am still hard at work on my own 2nd album (to be released Fall of ‘09), this lullaby album is going to be a seperate smaller project that we plan to release within the next few months. First digitally, and then possibly physically at some point later on. Or we do a short run of hard copies at first. We haven’t decided.

- Jennifer