jeffrey roden
seeds of happiness
na133

seeds of happiness

on awakening
i rise in the stillness
in surrender and without struggle
to the sound of joy
and the certainty of my steps

a radiance
where clouds become choirs
the movements and poses
that my labor and breath brings
to these forms, shapes, and silences
a will without reason
naked in faith

These 26 pieces for 1961 Fender Precision Bass are comprised of two sets of miniature and minimalist cycles, recorded entirely over two separate days in Los Angeles area studios; each contains the briefest treatment that Roden could manage to convey the feelings and sensations at hand; they are as finite and elusive as leaves on a tree, as pearls on a string; a kind of melodic meditation—there is an idea, seeds, flowers... a kind of a musical seed catalogue in a med/mex ambient light, with a socal samba lurking beneath, an offering for equilibrium.

Every note that is heard on the record was played live. The principle tracks of thematic material were recorded as one whole performance and the subsequent background tracks were then overdubbed without the use of loops or other devices.

This record is a summation and a beginning. It required patience and faith to be made. There were many moments when it seemed that it would never be completed. Now that it is finished, it is inconceivable why this was so. What purpose is ever served by struggle. The answer is obvious, like all answers; because it was necessary.

Track List

Part 1
1. On Awakening 2:46
2. Stillness 2:32
3. Shimmering 1:50
4. Rift 2:42
5. Certainty 3:05
6. A Radiance 2:20
7. Clouds like Choirs 3:00
8. Four Vistas 3:00
9. Labor and Breath 2:58
10. Forms, Shapes, and Silences 2:47
11. Will Without Reason 3:35
12. Revealed 2:38

Part 2
13. Forgiveness 2:42
14. Episode of Beauty 2:59
15. Exultation 1:38
16. Night 1:41
17. Three Notes of Reverence 2:26
18. Devotion and Dance 2:15
19. The Nature of Solitude 2:20
20. Theme Taken From a Master 1:48
21. Emanations 2:12
22. Reflections of a Small Room 1:29
23. The Sacred Nature of Despair 3:05
24. Beginnings and Afterwards 2:15
25. Invocation 2:12
26. Fulfillment 4:05

Total: 66:33

$15.00

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