Bridging Hemispheres

Happy Valentine’s Day (belatedly)! I spent most of Valentine’s Day writing a song, which is why you are hearing from me now, after midnight. So the new song is very much about love, and in more ways than one. In the course of writing this song, I felt giddy with excitement as I eagerly anticipated how it would become something from nothing. Along the way, James Burgos asked me how long it takes me to write a song. As I told him, sometimes pieces might evolve over the course of several years. A part I might have written a while back may well find its home in something I’m working on now. At other times, it might take a few days or less to complete something. I just try to ride the idea (lyrical or musical) and see where it takes me, rather than trying too hard to steer it or force it in a particular direction.

In this case, the song was “conceived” on the evening of February 9. A musical idea came to me, just as I was about to get up from the piano and tend to dinner. I played around with it quickly and thought I would return to it later, thinking it would stay with me. Unfortunately, later that night I couldn’t remember it exactly when I tried to record it. Feeling a bit disappointed, I went ahead and recorded a variation of the idea. I felt a bit worried that I might have managed to lose a good idea. Though in my experience, recording or documenting ideas has its merits, but ultimately what is meant to be will be. Chasing an idea works about as well as chasing unrequited love. I shared my thoughts on my Artist Page on Facebook. Thanks to filmmaker Pratibha Parmar, who chimed in and reminded me to “trust”. In addition, podcaster Nesheba kindly shared with me that a misplaced item often reveals itself when we are not looking for it. Indeed, their points fully resonated with me.

I let a day pass. Some musical ideas are not meant to be songs, but I felt that this one was headed in that direction. The next time I worked on it was the morning of Feb 11, when I came up with the melody and most of the form. An unexpected situation arose, but I continued to think about the piece while I was away from the piano. A theme of sorts came to mind. It was a pleasant distraction while we spent several hours waiting in the ER. Late that night, after returning from the hospital, I took a few minutes to record the current iteration of the idea, just to be safe. Then, on the evening of Feb 13, I added another part to the song form. At this point, it was clear to me that the form was in place. Now I had to come up with lyrics. I decided to step away and come back to the song another time.

When I woke up this morning, I was feeling a bit blue and under the weather. Some worrisome events related to my Valentine’s health and other concerns were bothering me. I felt annoyed when I tried to watch the news and our cable wasn’t working. I tried to check email, in hopes of receiving some news for which I’d been waiting. Alas, the internet was down. What to do?!

So I sat at the piano and started playing the form of the as yet untitled song, tackling the decision-making process that is perhaps the hardest part of writing a song. There are so many possible directions. I had a pretty solid lyrical idea for the chorus, but what was going to lead me from the beginning of the song to the chorus? I had to be prepared to let go of the chorus, in case the verse ended up leading me elsewhere. I felt it was too early to get attached to any particular outcome.

Eventually, after some experimentation, I came up with a first verse. Pleased with this accomplishment, I just kept singing it over and over (and over and over). To go back to the birth analogy, this is when the “lyrical contractions” got stronger. I felt compelled to keep writing and re-writing, shaping and re-shaping. The fact that it was Valentine’s Day also inspired me to keep going. I suppose I owe a bit of thanks to the cable company, as its service failure this morning prompted me to “go into labor”. By the end of the day, a song was born.

My Valentines (husband and stepson), and sister are the only ones to have heard the song thus far, but I look forward to sharing it with more of you soon! I just now decided that I’ll debut the song in a solo piano/vocal performance at this “baithak style” event on February 27 in West Los Angeles (seating is limited so RSVP for information and directions). Also, I’ll likely perform this song with my band at my upcoming concert of songs rooted in folk, jazz, and Indian traditions at The Mint on Saturday, April 2.

“When You Dream” is about our inner beauty and learning to trust what we see in the midst of uncertainty, when we are in that place where “dreams meet sunlight”. As I was reflecting, I realized that this song also has a connection to the photography of artist Christopher Barbour whose work touches on similar themes. Check out the 2009 post “i woke to find myself”, in which I featured one of his photographs and interviewed Chris about his work. You might “see” what I mean.

And, now without further ado, please welcome to the world: “When You Dream”. I know that reading the lyrics is not the same as hearing the song, but hopefully this will do for now! All are invited to share tales of birthin’ songs or other creative projects in the comments below.

When You Dream
by Manisha Shahane, Copyright 2011 Bridging Hemispheres/ASCAP

VERSE 1
In the dream I had last night
I thought I saw you smiling.
I could barely breathe,
I could barely see through the fog.
pre-chorus
As the sun began to rise,
The fog slowly lifted
But in the light of day
Your face had drifted away, away

VERSE 2
I lie awake and look to my left
I see you sweetly sleeping
I wonder if you dream
I wonder if you see through the fog
pre-chorus
If we only took the time
To see what’s inside
Find the fortitude within
That we often strive to hide

CHORUS
So when you dream
Try to discover
The beauty inside
Now as we wake
It’s time to recover our sight

VERSE 3
In the dream I had last night
We were holding hands & flying
Over all the trees
Over all the seas, through the fog
pre-chorus
As the sun began to rise,
The fog slowly lifted
And in the light of day
Your gaze had not drifted away

CHORUS

BRIDGE
In the hazy phase,
Dreams meet sunlight.
Yet my heart can see,
And I feel alive! Yes, I feel alive.

CHORUS

ENDING

Update: On February 20, I reviewed the song form, to which I made minor adjustments. I also composed the instrumental ending, following which I refined the piano arrangement for the entire song.

While you listen to the music, I’ve got a little treat for your eyes; it’s a special 60-second slideshow I just created using some stills from the footage of the January 4, 2010 “birth celebration” in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Please contact me if you are interested in the video of the concert.

By the way, if you dig what you’re hearing, please consider:

When Parallel Lines Meet is now available for purchase at Amoeba Music Store in Los Angeles and also at online retail stores, including Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby, CD Freedom, and more. However, you will get a super deal if you download the music or purchase the CD at the ManishaMusic Webstore, which offers downloads of a superior quality and CDs signed with a personal note to you or the recipient. Plus, when you buy music from my webstore, your hard earned money will not fill the coffers of a third party intermediary. And, best of all, my webstore is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

p.s. Got 98 seconds?  If you haven’t already seen it, please be sure to check out the new music video! (You can see it in HD on YouTube, as well.)

p.p.s. For anyone interested in upcoming real life CD release events, join me at the KUT radio-sponsored evening on 4/20 at Momo’s in downtown Austin, TX w/Oliver Rajamani, Brad Taylor, Russell Scanlon (plus two other great bands on the bill) and on 4/24 at the Neutral Ground Coffeehouse in New Orleans (sharing the bill with the fabulous Lilli Lewis). Join the mailing list to keep posted on future tour dates & release events.

Thanks for dropping by the newly renovated lounge at Bridging Hemispheres!

From Hovering Hues at Sunset, August 3, 2009, West LA

Monday evening. August 3rd. I had just placed my taco order at Benitos when I was caught off-guard by the brilliant hues of pink across the street. While the eye of my phone camera could not fully capture my excitement, it inspired me to try to capture that moment in the life of my beloved neighborhood. At the far left is the contemporary En Sushi, where my neighbor tends bar. Then there is our favorite place to rent movies on the cheap, A Video Store Named Desire, sandwiched in between Peruvian delights at Qusqo and yet another Japanese spot, California Roll Factory. Jump into a time capsule, travel back more than a half century, drink an All-American milkshake, and still access the internet via free wifi at the Cafe 50’s. Finally, there’s Juquila on the far right, which serves up the cuisine of Oaxaca, a state in southern Mexico.

Later that week, I began to write this bilingual tune with English verses and a chorus in Hindi, attempting to capture my encounter with those hovering hues. Yet, writing a song about this particular subject was not my intention from the outset. A melody, a moment, a mellow groove – each of these emerged independently. Together, they inspired me to write the first version of the lyrics, embracing my playful side. I revised it once more a couple of days ago and now I am ready to share it with you. I’d like to thank my parents and the mad scientist for their feedback and support as I walked the path from inspiration to realization.

Chances are that you will hear me debut this song tonight, Friday, August 21, 2009 at Cinespace in Hollywood. My set is at 10:00pm in the Acoustic Room. For details, please visit my website calendar.

Sunset AyegA
(sunset will come)
Words & Music by Manisha Shahane
August 19, 2009

CHORUS:
घुमते-घुमते अाकाशी रंग, अायेगा
फिरते-फिरते मोती जैसा चाँद, अायेगा
चंद्रमाँसे अाया प्रकाश, अायेगा
अायेगा, अायेगा, अायेगा

CHORUS (transliteration):
Ghumte-ghumte AkAshee rang, AyegA
Phirte-phirte moti jaisA chAnd, AyegA
Chandra-mA se AyA prakAsh, AyegA
AyegA, AyegA, AyegA

VERSE 1
Twilight tingles down my spine
A rising moon, a smile divine
Between the lashes of my eye
A palette splashes in the sky

VERSE 2
Swirling, twirling, purple, pink
My effervescence on the brink
Succumbing soon to night’s delight
The sun now slumbers out of sight

VERSE 3
Moonlight streaming to the beat
Shadows dance beneath my feet
I hear the whispers of my soul
Now it’s time to rock and roll

Back in college, I took a Modern English literature class that included books by authors such as Vladimir Nabokov on the reading list. “Speak, Memory” was one of the books by Nabokov; it was an autobiographical memoir. Years later, more than the details of Nabokov’s life, what stayed with me is the title of the book.

Now let’s fast forward to last week when I learned that Michael Jackson died. The “King of Pop” had passed on suddenly, unexpectedly. Although I had not followed him or his music career after the release of “Bad”, I was drawn like a magnet to his songs on that album and his previous two solo albums. His death took me back to a time when I was a pop music fan and listened to “Casey Kasem’s Top 40” weekly radio show, eager to find out which artist or band would capture the #1 slot. I reflected on the positive qualities of popular music, such as its ability to convey a message and draw masses of people together.

The next day – which was last Friday – I was inspired to sit at the piano and, seemingly out of nowhere, three things converged à la Bridging Hemispheres: the title of the aforementioned book by Nabakov, the memory of Michael Jackson & his memorable songs and my own desire to connect with others through music, and the idea that without our memory, we are empty vessels.

The last point is an issue that is explored frequently in our home, as a result of the work of my husband, hereinafter referred to as The Mad Scientist. Day in and day out, The Mad Scientist labors to apply his vast knowledge of proteins to the mission of finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease and other diseases to which his research may also be relevant.

And so, the chorus of a new song was born. Today I finished the music and lyrics. I dedicate this song to The Mad Scientist and his team and to all individuals and families who have been touched by Alzheimer’s disease.

I may very well debut this song at the FREE show tonight, Friday, July 3, at 10:30pm (one set only) at Room 5 Lounge in Los Angeles – but I don’t make any promises.

“Speak, Memory Speak”
By Manisha Shahane
Music & Lyrics completed on July 3, 2009

Verse 1
Looking left, then right
That’s when I encounter the mysteries of my mind
Dusk turns to night, and still I cannot find
My way back home

Verse 2
In the dark, I run
Through empty closets where once my memories hung
But now they are gone; Alone, I carry on
Until dawn, I roam

CHORUS
Speak, Memory Speak
Speak, Memory Speak
Loud & clear
So I can hear you

Verse 3
Now the games unfold
Hide-n-seek with the faces I have known
Your sad eyes belie what you try so hard to hide
What was ours is no more

CHORUS

Verse 4
I hear a whisper of the past
But my thoughts have lost the strength to grasp
The words fall away; the scenery fades
Nothing left to bemoan

CHORUS

BRIDGE
Feel the rain wash over my face
In the here & now, I leave all the traces behind….

CHORUS