Michelle

As recorded on Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of The Beatles, Michelle opens with a bed of 60’s psychedelic colorings, setting the mood for a rubato instrumental chorale (expanded big band and string section) of Paul McCartney’s iconic melody. For the narrative of the arrangement, I imagined a very lonely Michelle, inspired by Ornette Coleman’s Lonely Woman. There is ample space for a free alto saxophone (or other instrument) solo, before a an up tempo jazz/latin feel is established, creating an ostinato that oscillates between parallel major and minor sonorities of the harmony. Over the ostinato are quick, agile, twisting soli lines across the winds and strings. This builds to a raucous rubato restatement of the melody played in the high register of the brass, followed by a gentle landing with the original chorale. Michelle was the first song recorded at live at Alvas Showroom (San Pedro, CA) for the album—there was so much anticipation and love in the room from the musicians to the audience that it felt like were we all going to levitate!

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