WHAT IS THE CONCEPT?

The main idea of this project was to take three piece from Parker’s repertoire, which has largely stayed within the realms of jazz, and explore what they would sound like in different genres. What happens when we take a particular piece and stray away from the conventions of the genre it was created in? (Hence the name “Bird’s Migration”)

 The ambient version of “Ornithology”, “Bird Watching” is the strongest example of this, as it takes a rhythmically bouncing tune and spaces it out amongst a lush forest soundscape. The other two tracks, which are takes on “Yardbird Suite” and “K.C. Blues”, are brought into the genres of lo-fi hip-hop and disco respectively. These two genres do still have firm roots in Jazz, but they take go in a new direction.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM HERE!

BLOG

Take a look into the timeline of recording this EP, which offers insight into my creative process.

MONDAY, MAY 25TH - WEDNESDAY, MAY 27TH

28 May 2026 11:50

I’ve finished up another two sessions in the ACR and have all sax parts for Ornithology recorded. In a similar fashion to Yardbird, I recorded each melodic phrase on its own. This time, however, I plan to spread these melodic fragments throughout the piece, lending to the more spaced-out nature of an ambient track. I also recorded two-note cells and other smaller fragments to use as extra material for a second, pitched up saxophone, to add to the texture of the track.

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FRIDAY, MAY 15TH

15 May 2026 21:30

I have finally gotten around to recording saxophone parts in the ACR. Thus far, I have all of the Yardbird sax and vocal parts recorded. Since the instrumental I had made had a much looser rhythm in percussion, I decided to play the saxophone in a very loose, overly swung rhythm to lend to the more loose and relaxed nature of the track.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11TH

11 Mar 2026 18:30

I had my first meeting with Shayan today and I was able to show him a draft of the instrumental for Yardbird Suite. As an instrumental, it certainly needs more variety in chord arrangements as it feels stale and repetitive at the moment.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH

11 Feb 2026 11:44

I’ve decided to cover three Charlie Parker tracks for this project. I hope to combine recordings of the saxophone in the studio with my own production from home.

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REFLECTION

Overall, I came out of this project having learned a lot about my own recording process. The studio facilities, recording equipment and editing techniques used were essential in making this EP higher quality than what I have previously done in my own time. Acting as both a performer and producer allowed more creative freedom and expression than I would have had on previous collaborative projects. 

In hindsight, the challenge of finding a more suitable key for my saxophone helped in gving these renditions of Parker's works their own distinct identity without losing sight of original compositional material.

Regarding materials that helped support my process, I felt that I was primarily led by Mile’s Davis’s method of cutting and stitching takes together to create a new melodies for Bitches Brew, which is discussed in Zagorski-Thomas’ article. I have always felt that if one has studio equipment, midi, and other such means at their disposal when making a recording project, then they should take full advantage of it, even at the risk of not sounding “live”. I was far more interested in creating new worlds for each of these works to live in rather than keep them as jazz standards. That said, I also gained a greater appreciation for Charlie Parker as a composer and how well his works can translate to a modern setting in the process of creating this EP.

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