June 2022 - Claudia (vocalese cover)

I have been a big fan of Kurt Elling's for most of my adult life, drawn mostly to his voice, the incredible range and control, the way he changes his tone within and between songs. I was also drawn to the lyrical and melodic complexity of many of his songs, although I didn't realise for several years that most of these songs were actually vocalese versions of other artists' songs. Vocalese is a jazz song form where lyrics are sung to replace a jazz instrument solo - it is every bit as hard as it sounds and Kurt Elling is the modern master of the art form. I have created a playlist of some of the original versions and Kurt's vocalese versions if you're interested.

I had dreamed of, but not really taken any steps toward, writing my own vocalese version of a song. But in early 2022 I had a gap in other projects and decided to take the plunge. The first challenge was finding a song to tackle - this was surprisingly less overwhelming than it might have been, I guess because I like jazz but I'm not a jazz-head and so didn't have a huge library of potential candidates in mind. Basically my selection process was to think of my favourite/most listened to jazz act and then select a song that I both loved and thought was doable in vocalese. The first part was easy: Chucho Valdez and Irakere have been on high rotation through my adult life - they really set my standards for great jazz. The second part also came reasonably quickly: one of my favourite songs of theirs is Claudia and the version I would listen to was this one, with the solo performed by Arturo Sandoval.

I did a bit of digging around to try to learn about the inspiration for the song. It took some finding, but I came across an instagram post on Chucho's account (@chuchovaldesmusic) with a photo of him and a lady who he reveals to be Claudia, the inspiration for the song. She is the daughter of a friend who asked him to write a song in his baby girl’s honour back in the 70s. Chucho hadn’t seen her since writing the song so the meeting decades later was very special.

Riffing on the origin story of the song, the lyrics are written from the perspective of a father witnessing the birth of his daughter and imagining her whole life, all of the joy and pain, the tiny moments and the momentous occasions. As my reference I used my wife's biography, trying to capture the magical moments of her life from childhood to parenthood.

I have to say I'm very proud of this piece, even though I know this musical form is not for everyone and it will likely never be heard by anyone (except you if you've made it this far!). As someone with basically zero music notation skills, it was incredibly challenging to capture all of the notes in the solo in a draft recording, and more challenging still to write lyrics to fit them. It took me several months to write and many takes to record, initially over the top of the original recording. At the end of it all I decided to learn the accompanying part on guitar (another few days work) to finalise the demo recording.

Imágenes de Claudia

Me vienen a abrumar

Triunfos y derrotas por igual

Su vestido de mil flores púrpuras

La sonrisa de mujer briosa

Lágrimas por un dolor

Cicatrices de un amor pasajero y abisal

Si me transporto a un porvenir incierto no te asombres, ya verás

Que esta vida pasa sin pedir tu concesión

El albor resulta fugaz,

La niñez y adolescencia se esfuman

Y te encuentras camino al ocaso mirando hacia atrás

En un comienzo, un ante jardín forestal, irreal,

Lugar de sueños y amor

Tecitos de barro y ramitas con amigos, no de un dia, de la vida, que jamás se olvidarán

Ni en la distancia, ni por mucho que se arranque el tiempo por tus manos

Cada aventura infantil culminando con el mismo fin

Abrazos cálidos maternos olor a laurel

Risas y llantos, vividos y luego olvidados,

Hasta que pasa el alba y asciende el sol

A marcar la transición a la vida “real”

Las nubes a tus pies

Un mundo al revés

Ciudad en un verdor con un calor sofocador

Se vuelve a ser tu hogar

Lugar de sol, de profusión y de ilusión,

Tu esplendor se reveló en una sonrisa que irradia tu ardor intoxicante

Luego los amores fluyen y pronto se vuelven desamores

Hasta que unos ojos claros y penetrantes te arrestan por el resto de tus días y te rindes

A una vida de alegrías cotidianas,

Un beso robado entre deberes,

Tomados de la mano caminando hacia el mar,

Mirando el horizonte, comienza a atardecer

Te veo aqui

Lo que vivi y senti traspasa a ti en un latido de un corazón de un pequeño nuevo amor

Y verás su vida en imágenes proféticas, júbilos y penas

Y en tus brazos él vendrá a acunar de su primer instante

Cada risa y sollozo será tuya para guardar

Así toda una vida pasará en un momento

Sentados en el patio al sol,

Fascinaciones abundantes

En tus ojos y las de el,

Como en mis ojos tú eres el mundo entero,

Sol, luz, flor, miel, mar, pez, piel, sal, pan, dios

Translation

Images of Claudia

Overwhelm me

Triumphs and defeats in equal measure

Her dress of a thousand purple flowers

Her vivacious smile

Pain induced tears

Scars of a love brief and profound

If I’ve transported you to an uncertain future don’t be shocked, you’ll soon see

That this life moves on without asking permission

The dawn proves fleeting,

Childhood and adolescence blur

And you find yourself on the path to twilight looking back

At the beginning, a garden like a forest, unreal,

A place of dreams and love

Cups of tea made of mud and twigs with friends, not of a day but of a lifetime, that will never be forgotten

No matter the distance, nor how much time slips through your hands

Every childhood adventure, culminating in the same ending

Warm maternal hugs with aromas of bay

Laughs and tears, lived and soon forgotten,

Until the dawn passes and the sun ascends

To mark the transition to “real” life

The clouds at your feet

A world upside down

A leafy city with an oppressive heat

Becomes your home

A place of sun, abundance and hope,

Your splendour was revealed in a smile that radiates your intoxicating ardour

Romances soon flow and just as quickly become heartbreaks

Until a pair of eyes, clear and penetrating, arrest you for the rest of your days and you surrender

To a life of everyday joys,

A kiss stolen between chores,

Holding hands walking towards the sea,

Looking out to the horizon, the sun starts to descend

I see you here

What I have lived and felt transfers to you in the beat of a heart of a tiny new love

And you will see his life in prophetic images, joys and sorrows

And he will come to your arms to cradle from his first instant

Every smile and sob will be yours to treasure

And so a whole life will pass in a moment

Sitting in the yard in the sun,

Abundant fascinations

In your eyes and in his,

Just as in my eyes you are the whole world,

Sun, light, flower, honey, sea, fish, skin, salt, bread, god