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Composing, arranging, and recording new original songs in my home studio has long been a passion of mine, providing a slightly adventurous change of pace from the comfort zone of live jazz and cover band performances.
All songs were written, arranged, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered by Nervous Neal Smith.
Snagged
Dedicated to all the guitar-based shuffle blues bands who indulged my presence while I was cutting my musical chops.
snagged
by nervous neal
Blue Dog Walk
Quirky and up-tempo in the manner of a European soda commercial from the 1960s.
blue dog walk
by nervous neal
Pale Blue Fog
The result of a challenge from a student to rewrite the theme song to DC Universe’s “Swamp Thing.”
pale blue fog
by nervous neal
Abandoned Marionette
This one placed itself in the musical space between Henry Mancini’s “Charade” and the theme song from David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man” during a time when I found myself practicing the expressive upper register of the bass clarinet.
abandoned marionette
by nervous neal
Chaplinesque (Victrola Mix)
Originally written for a friend’s YouTube channel, the full-fidelity version of this tune was first licensed for broadcast by NBC Sports in the early months of 2019. This Victrola Mix is meant to emulate the sound of an early-acoustic phonograph, with surface noise sampled from my great-grandfather’s tabletop 1907 Victrola.
chaplinesque (victrola mix)
by nervous neal
Peter and Otto
Peter and Otto were characters from Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel, “Goodbye to Berlin,” lending a Weill-esque vibe to the piano accompaniment of this cabaret-styled number.
peter and otto
by nervous neal
Treadway Crisis
Inspired in general by contemporary video game soundtracks, with the melody bouncing between soprano sax, flute, and tenor sax.
treadway crisis
by nervous neal
Les Battements Burlesque
A tribute to the instrumental work of bandleaders like David Rose, with the tenor sax growling like a rusty old power tool.
les battements burlesque
by nervous neal
Calling CQ
A soundtrack to the haunting of an amateur radio set. “CQ,” a code used in wireless communication, is a request (usually in Morse code) for communication from anyone anywhere.
calling CQ
by nervous neal
Hyper Drive
A klezmer-fueled sprint away from the bad guys at a tempo fast enough to guarantee an effective escape.
hyper drive
by nervous neal
Brisk Business
If “Blue Dog Walk” didn’t manage to sell you on that enigmatic 1960s European soda product, this one won’t either.
brisk business
by nervous neal
Koolitus
The title is the Estonian word for “training,” but it sounds to me like a sort of chronic social condition most saxophonists wish they could suffer from.
koolitus
by nervous neal
The Comfort Zone
Nobody asked me to write the theme song to a 1970s TV sitcom, but I did it anyway.
the comfort zone
by nervous neal
Long Walk Home
My sister-in-law Audrey put me up to this one, and I think it suits her.
long walk home
by nervous neal
Passos de Bebê
It’s the opposite of “Giant Steps.”
passos de bebê
by nervous neal
would you like to work on something together?
From taking sax lessons or hiring me for a show to collaborating on a musical project, I’m happy to talk about working together. Just reach out to get started.
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