[Second], this quote can also be interpreted through the sci-fi and futurist lens that H.G. Wells used to focus his ideas. Perhaps all that we are seeing/hearing/experiencing in this world, everything around us, is just the prelude to what's really coming. So many other great philosophers include this idea in their writings, possibly blurring the edges of reality with fantasy.
I'm intrigued by this notion. While making a jazz record I wanted to flirt with the possibility of musically tapping into Wells' idea...and maybe this record, Discoveries, is the dream before I awaken? Discoveries: Part II might be on the horizon? We'll see what surprises the future brings. I'll continue to read The First Men in the Moon and Journey to the Center of the Earth in the meantime.
In the end, the work of Wells and Jules Verne, two key inspirations for the record from a literary standpoint, were really about stretching human potential. Are there parallels with what Josh Nelson hopes to do musically?
I'd like to think that I might stretch human potential, sure! Sounds great. I'm not quite sure I want to do it the same way they did, or if I'll have that much impact in that way, but it sure is something to strive for.
In my music, I still think melody is king, and the musicians' individual voices are so important to let shine. In a similar way, Wells and Verne conveyed some familiarity in their theories and writings, stringing together the parlance of their era with forward-thinking ideas. I just want to make good music with friends that people might hum when the record player stops! I think Wells and Verne, at their core, probably wanted the same thing.
Talk about the importance of the steampunk themes and how they played into Discoveries.
One of my favorite movies (and favorite movie scores) is the 1954 Disney classic, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Jules Verne wrote the book. James Mason and Kirk Douglas are so great in this movie. Peter Lorre too, classic. Enough about that!
The Nautilus, the iron warship-destroying invention of Captain Nemo's devising, seems to sum up the so-called "steampunk" genre that you're referring to. The Nautilus, the Time Machine (from the 1960 movie of the same name), and Nikola Tesla's coil all represent this love I have for sci-fi, inventions, dreamers trying to realize their dreams. Musically, I tried my best to interpret these things into jazz compositions. In the case of The Time Machine, I arranged Russ Garcia's beautiful love theme from the movie for the Discovery horns. "Tesla Coil" was written after I experienced a vibrant one emitting electricity arcs at the Griffith Observatory in L.A. Fun inspiration!
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