All Is One (A.K.A. Some Happy Sh*t)

As recorded on American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom, All Is One is a re-titling of the song Some Happy Sh*t, which was originally recorded on the John Daversa Small Band album, Artful Joy. As with Artful Joy, All Is One transmits oneness, compassion, joy, and togetherness. The electric bass strums the opening melodies, traveling through a quasi-blues form for the opening section:

D major interlude
D minor cell (tonic)
D major interlude
G minor cell (subdominant)
E diminished Interlude (dominant)

The bass continues playing a singable melody over the “B” section which is a 4-bar harmonic vamp in a Brazilian 7/4 groove. The horns eventually take over the singable melody, expanding the range and energy. This leads to a Tenor Saxophone solo improvising over the A and B sections including metric changes. The ensemble development travels through the full formal structure, rising and falling before breaking down for a long building, layering solo section for the EVI (or other instrument). The arrangement ultimately concludes with original D major interlude and decrescendos to an a capella saxophone section, descending down the major diatonic scale.

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