Track from Self-Immolation
3) 44 Magnum
64 bpm
44 Magnum is a ballad that instantly transforms the mood of a room, evoking both sultry and lonely notes. The trumpet and alto saxophone collaborate on telling a story, taking you on a journey that crescendos with hope and resolves with beauty.
Influences
[ Bernard Hermann, Billy Strayhorn ]
44 Magnum began as an exercise in exploring Bernarnd Hermann’s theme for the movie “Taxi Driver”. The movie is a classic, made so in part by Hermann’s poignant, sad, sultry and lonely music. The title comes from what I found to be the most shocking scene that combines violence, racism and misogyny, where Martin Scorcese plays a cameo role of a husband spying on his wife having an affair and says to Travis the taxi driver, “you should see what a 44 Magnum will do to her pussy”. 44 Magnum is more of an antecdote to the terror of the scene for which it is named than an elaboration of it.
Sometimes you get obsessed with a sound or a song, and cannot rest until you have unlocked its structure, explored its mystery and played with its offerings. Such was the case with Taxi Driver. My goal, somewhat tounge in cheek, was to transcribe the song and then write an even better melody.
Form
I reworked the bridge progression and length to make it shorter and more song-like, rather than dissolving like the original, before taking a stab or two at writing my melody. The task was even more challenging based on my ground rules of avoiding the use of any signature harmonies, hooks, rhythms or melodic fragments of the original. The main 44 Magnum melody pays homage to and moves in parallel with the original, while the bridge is quite a different animal, building over 12 bars with a rising melody culminating in a big-band crescendo and cry.
While I can’t objectively evaluate the relative quality of the original and derived works, 44 Magnum certainly stands on its own; only when performing live and quoting the melody does it reveal its origins. Our recording features the horns trading melodic phrases and improvising accompaniment.
Credits
- composed by David Elaine Alt and published by Aural Imaging
- David Elaine Alt, Alto Saxophone
- Henry Hung, Trumpet
- Andrew Ryan, Drums
- Grant Levin, Piano
- Gabe Davis, Bass
- Kenny Annis, Bass
- Mixed by David Elaine Alt at Flaming Hakama
- Mastered by Myles Boisen at Headless Buddha and David Elaine Alt at Flaming Hakama