Instrumental music hunt.

[icarus]

Working on the music for John's competitors for the long program.

I have John's music for the short and long program (of course). I (probably) have all the necessary competitor's short program music. I have all but one of the needed music for the long program.

I've got most of the music, but I'm looking for a "bouncy" piece (can't have any lyrics) that's 4:30 minutes or longer. I need something with "pep." Could be classical, jazz, flamenco, or rock instrumental.

(I had to delete some practice music because it came out after 1999.)

Any ideas? Thoughts? Those who follow figure skating, anything I could steal from this year's competitions?

Comments

[pocketmouse]

Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson is very good, but it's not quite 4:30. My version is 4:09. But it's got repeating riffs, so it could easily be 'extended.' YYZ by Rush is 4:23. I don't know if it's the tone you're looking for, but you could look at them in general, they've got several things, and plenty of energy. Also, I'd look at Gershwin?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll hunt through versions of Cliffs of Dover. Sometimes a different conductor will add as much as 30 seconds. YYZ should work (I can cheat a little).

Gershwin. *snaps fingers* Good idea. Rhapsody In Blue is being skated by Lysacek this year, but there are other Gershwin pieces and that's the "bounce" I'm looking for. Something to off-sett the melodramatic strings and operatic movie themes.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I spent an obscene amount of time cutting a 19 minute Rachmaninov piece down to 4:45 minutes last night. I like the version I came up with, but I sooo don't want to do that again. O.O

[skinscript.livejournal.com]

Rush also has one of my favourites - Cygnus X-1 from 2112. It's a bit short though - you might be able to repeat it though. Not really 'bouncy' - more dramatic and excellently cool.

"wipeout" is always a favourite, if you want one that's a bit silly and a bit cliche.

[pocketmouse]

LOL, that sounds like how I sometimes end up using my drafting program to draft the layout for fic locations.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Question -- both of these sans lyrics? Really? Rush?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

The restriction is that competition music can't have lyrics.

[seticat.livejournal.com]

Probably can't use it [I think because it had lyrics?] but that one dance piece that was described as 'opera with a middle eastern flair' was great.

[pocketmouse]

Yep! Rush has a good handful of instrumental songs. They even do them at concerts. The concert versions are often extended, too, with, like 6 minutes of drum solo. Because they're awesome.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

There is a cool Arab piece but I think it might be too cool and totally overshadow John. :)

Hmm. Of course, Fletcher could skate it....

Good seed of an idea, thank you.

[aigooism.livejournal.com]

Might I suggested Florentiner's March from Brassed Off? It's 4:49, and quite bouncy and fast . . . but if you want a slower version, I have another one that's 6:01

ETA: I also think these would also work:

-Mozart's Overture to Marriage of Figaro
- Robert W. Smith's Ireland of Legend and Lore
- Wynton Marsalis' Variation on a Neapolitan Song

[djin7.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I could come up with something - do you want it to match or otherwise complement the existing pieces you've decided on?

[skinscript.livejournal.com]

Neither of those songs do...

Wipeout starts with the word, but there is also a version with no lyric at all.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

"Ugros (Springtime)," by Boiled in Lead, from Songs From "The Gypsy". ^ minutes and something, LONG intro that can be cut down, 5:09 of bouncy Eastern European fiddle-and-drums. Want file?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Complimenting the existing pieces is the theory. Just for my own ears. I'm not saying what John's music is (hee) but for the LP we've got:

- Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto
- the finale from Dragonheart (lots of strings and brass and glory)
- a beautiful piano pieces from The English Patient, Read Me To Sleep
- and a Rachmaninov piece in a largely minor key, variations on a theme
- and John's music

As you can see, I have too much piano music and need to balance it out.

One skater, Kyle Fletcher, tends to skate to unusual music. So far (I've changed these around a lot) he's doing the opening from Men In Black for his short program at this point, so I'm thinking something that's bouncy that contrasts with it and all of the above.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, yes, thank you, yes. File yes, oh yes.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

lj email addy for yousendit?

[venivincere]

There's an instrumental version of Birdland that someone was kind enough to give me -- I've uploaded it here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3XO1MUUO

At 5:59 it's probably too long, but maybe it can be remixed?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, I have the Figaro piece!

I just need to find a different version, different conductor, and I'll bet it'll be 15 seconds longer. I disqualified it because the version I've got is 4:15 minutes. But it's perfect. Bounce, bounce, bounce.

I'll check out the others as well. Marsalis in particular. He's brilliant.

[djin7.livejournal.com]

Some of those are lovely and piano does feature heavily.

Bouncy can mean upbeat and happy, but this list does not really go there, so I want to further define: Do you want 'bouncy' that is perhaps instead 'dramatic' and up tempo? Also, how modern? There are a lot of modern instrumentals that go past 4 mins, but they contain things like electric guitars and synthesizers. Couple more parameters, and I can whittle a collection for you, rip it and upload.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

icarus.ancalion at gmail

(Yay!)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Sold, am downloading now. I have a couple pieces that are a tad too long that I'm not remixing. I did cut one 19 minute Rachmaninov piece down to 4:45 minutes, and those that are just a minute or two too long we can just say they were remixed. :D

[aigooism.livejournal.com]

I have a version that's longer at 4:49. Oh, another one I think you can consider is Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man.

In fact, I'll email you when I upload them!

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

hope .m4a is adequate, I keep everything in iTunes, but this is ripped from my own CD so should be fine, don't know if I have source CD or if ex got it in the divorce though. He's the bigger Brust fan.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh. Oh, really? Thank you. The Mozart is perfect. And what's a skating competition without Mozart?

I'm very interested in Watermelon Man. That sounds like something Fletcher would do.

Email icarus dot ancalion at gmail