This piece started out as a chord progression. The melody emerged from the progression and the initial composition was written for Jazz Ensemble. Once the title was selected to fully embrace the feel of the music, the lyrics naturally followed. This melancholy ballad includes a section in 12/8 as well as a development section.

SAUDADE LYRICS:

At one time my heart was full, ever joyful
Sunshine days so pure, never ending
Breezes’ soft allure, ever playful
filling my mind with, memories of yesterpleasures 

Laughter echoes fade, in the stillness
Now I yearn for days, dispossessed or
Is this just a phase, in my mind-field
Aching for times, of all of us being all together

Technicolor past, now black and white dreams
Timeless days with you, yet my heart grieves
All my memories, falling like leaves
Grasping for times, before my mind completely recedes

Time, out of control, I feel it racing forward ever faster each day
Gone, out of my grasp, all of those times, when we enjoyed gatherings, toast-ing things, as one
Now, as I embrace loss, and I stare at blankness, feeling empty, aching inside, list-less
Enervated, apathetic, acquiescent, disconsolate, melancholy, lugubrious, me
Devastation, overwhelming, ruination, dysphoria, desperation, despondency, here
Now, in this troubled mind-set, lost, without extant bearing, directionless, desultory, bits and pieces gone

In my mind, yesterday, it seems real, murmur
Voices, laughter, conversing, echoing, din
Din, in my heart, it feels true, passion
Honest, sincere, accurate, factual, sense
Sense, in my soul, absolute, belief
Certain, sureness, confident, assurance 
Now, timeless, loss, or

Only my reality when 
happiness was mine, my Saudade
Or was I just blind, mindful decay
Memories confined, to my replay
How can I know, what memories convey?

Copyright © 2022 by Joe Sandoval

Meraki began with a chord progression and then settled into this unique Latin-Jazz groove. The groove is in 7/8 alternating 3+2+2 & 2+2+3. The melody emerged from the groove and it initially was written for Jazz Ensemble. Once a title was selected to match the groove, lyrics were written to attempt to match the feel of the title. 

Meraki Lyrics:
Meraki, Feeling free, Singing si, Singing mi
My esprit, Sensing chi, Singing si, Singing mi

Loving what I do now, Coming from a place of pure soul
Feeling like I got tao, Working at my mental console
Stepping with a new stride, Leaving mindprints with my wet ink
Alaya is my guide, Got my notes and lyrics in sync

Jazz aesthetic, Synesthetic, Smooth phonetics, Synergetic

Feeling creative flow, Timelessness as I go
Tapping to an off beat, Dissonance is sounding so sweet
Major on the downbeat, Complex rhythm bringing back beat

Effortless when I write, Letting each note take flight
Starting at the tonic, Melody is diatonic
Then we get harmonic, Then we mix it polyphonic

Meraki, Feeling free, Singing si, Singing mi
My esprit, Sensing chi, Singing si, Singing mi

In the zone with no distractions, No distractions and effortless focus
No fear oh no fear of failure, letting go spontaneous
Letting go
Spontaneous in quiet bliss, Sound immersion sonic sculpting
Chord progression modulation, Workin’ at my mental console
Feel the time, Feel the seven alternating
Time, Alternating syncopation
Swing, Polyphonic sonic sculpting
Sing, Acapella composition
Ring, Arpeggio
Sing, Sound immersion sonic sculpting
Notes and lyrics sync

Meraki, Feeling free, Singing si, Singing mi
My esprit, Sensing chi, Singing si, Singing mi

Meraki soul, Like a stroll, Espanol
Meraki spree, In the key, Of KC
Meraki sways, In the gray, Of the bay
Meraki free, Big Easy, Jubilee

Feel the rhythm, Feel it shifting, Three two and two
Feel the rhythm, Feel it shifting, Two two and three

VIPs, First Jelly, Then Louis, And Mary
Next Billie, Then Dizzy , And Charlie , And Freddie

Bass beat sounding, On and off time
Notes and lyrics, Meet at the rhyme

Tapping to an off beat, Dissonance is sounding so sweet
Major on the downbeat, Complex rhythm bringing back beat
Starting at the tonic, Melody is diatonic
Then we get harmonic, Then we mix it polyphonic

Jazz aesthetic, Synesthetic, Smooth phonetics, Synergetic

Meraki, Feeling free, Singing si, Singing mi
My esprit, Sensing chi, Singing si, Singing mi

Copyright © 2022 by Joe Sandoval