Life Will Set You Free
My story starts when I was a boy
It was all around me as I played with my toys
Dixieland Jazz hung in the air
Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstorng, I was aware
As I got older, I found my own scene
The 60s/70s California Dream
Vocal harmony hung in the air
The Eagles, The Beach Boys, I was aware
The last time I spoke to him, he told me
"Son, make sure you go to where Jazz begun
There's a city in the south called New Orleans
Go to where it started
On Bourbon Street"
He told me Jazz travelled up the Mississippi
On up to St Louis in Missouri
It found a new sound in Chicago
Then ended up in a Broadway Show
Now pretty soon I will see it all
Texas, Arizona and a 'Cisco fall
Manhattan, Washington and Tennessee
But I know I'll end up by the Mississippi
He may be gone now beyond the sun
But I know I'll find him where Jazz begun
With Sinatra, Biederbecke, drinking it neat
In a Dixieland bar down
On Bourbon Street
© 2006 Dan Russell / Jason Allen
Words and vocal melody by Dan Russell
Music by Jason Allen
Recorded and produced by Jason Allen
Dan Russell - Lead vocals
Jason Allen - Acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards, loops
LISTEN TO THIS SONG
A beautiful, haunting and emotional opening to the album. All the musical instumentation was down to Jason, and Dan sang a heart felt vocal over the top. Unusual for Dan to open an album with a gentle song, but the opening line: "My story starts when I was a child" meant that it was the perfect opener. It is the story of his love of music, and his early musical influences from hearing his father playing his massive Trad Jazz 78s collection, which in later years he turned into a thriving mail order business.
Dan: "The very last time I saw him alive, we were sitting on the bench outside my parents home and he told me of the story of jazz and it's journey from New Orleans and northward. It was 3 weeks before I was due to take my first trip to the states. He died 2 weeks later, and I postponed my trip. But amongst all the places I visited, I did get to New Orleans and Bourbon Street, and I truly felt Dad was there with me. Mum is in a home now, and the old house is sold, but I have that bench sitting in my garden! One day I swear he will be sitting there, Harris Tweed jacket, with the elbow patches, and smoking that pipe! I miss the old bugger, but his spirit is always with me."
Jason says: "It was an honour for me to be able to come up with the music for this song because the words meant so much to Dan. This was the first track I worked on when I started the recording process back in November 2005."
