I didn’t mean to, but I’ve put a frightening number of songs and tunes on these pages. But you’ll find just a few samples on a page under the “Songs” category. I’ve cryptically labeled the page “Just a Few.” The half dozen I’ve chosen will give you an idea of the kind work I do.
If you’ve dropped in before, thanks muchas and then some for coming back.
Some of the recordings you’ll find here are forty or fifty years old, some are right new. But there are no tweeners. I took a break from songwriting when I started teaching English, creative writing, and radio arts. It was a long break. My students were worth all I had to give them. I took up writing music again upon retiring, and I’m sometimes completing songs I’d left unfinished half a century ago. A strange feeling. Like watching re-runs of The Twilight Zone.
Back when I started songwriting, I was most often working with Bronze Age, consumer-grade tape equipment. And some of these recordings survived a lovely house fire, barely. “I live here,” I said to the fireman. “Not anymore,” said the fireman, consolingly.
Hence, the varying points for technical achievement from cut-to-cut.
Here they are, anyway, in all stages of development, or decay. Some are about CD-quality. Others, I’d like to re-record. And some are decidedly rough: they’re notes I made to myself on a hand-held cassette recorder just so I wouldn’t forget how the thing goes. But I put them all here, good and trying-to-be-good, with two hopes: One is that listeners will get something from them regardless of the cut’s technical merit. And, for the not-ideally-recorded ones, especially, I’m hoping musicians will hear what I was after, decide a tune is worth the effort, and play the darn thing right. Send me your version if you do; I’d love to hear it.
I hope you enjoy my work. MP3–the only format this site allows–can compromise fidelity, so I’ll be happy to make a CD of any selections you’d like. Just ask. If you’d like to cover or use a composition, thank you. Just get in touch. I’m with BMI.
Finally, my deepest thanks to all who’ve kept me going. Without your love, encouragement, forbearance, and tactful criticism–thoughtful words like “You are a moron,” and, “Are you high on drugs?”– I’d be nothing. And I’d probably suffer from low self-esteem, too.
All songs, lyrics, poetry, song and tune notes copyright Jeffrey A Deitchman 2023