Chris Bandy: pianist, vocalist, arranger, composer, and educator

Tell us about yourself and your music

I’ve been playing piano since I was 5, and soon after that, I became very interested in composing short pieces for solo piano. When I was about 16, I started seriously studying jazz piano. I’ve played in a collegiate jazz band for almost 4 years and traveled to Greece and Peru with them. I’ve also spent the last 2 years playing jazz solo and combo gigs at local venues. However, I am at heart a creator! My passion is to create music of all kinds. Currently, my areas of focus include contemporary classical pieces, and jazz a cappella multitrack arrangements. I’ve been consistently premiering and posting these creations for over 4 years now. During that time period, YouTube has been the perfect place for me to share my music with the world.

Talk to us more about your latest release

I recently finished an extended jazz a cappella version of the song “Where is Love,” written by Lionel Bart. I based it off of the Oliver! movie version and the Singers Unlimited version, which are both fantastic. My arrangement features advanced harmonies and voice-leading, as well as an originally-composed intro and four-part cadenza.

What inspired you to write this release?

When I was a kid, my family would watch the movie, Oliver! every now and then, and I always enjoyed hearing the song “Where is Love?”. Back in early 2018, I listened to the Singer’s Unlimited version, and instantly knew I had to do something similar. It took over a year to come to fruition, but I’m so glad it finally did!

Describe the writing and recording process

This was the first arrangement in a while where I had no concrete deadline, and I just wanted to flesh it out as much as possible. In about a week, I wrote the longest vocal arrangement I’d ever done (almost six minutes), and worked for many hours on the recording, filming, and editing portions. Recording involved over 5000 audio takes in Logic Pro X, and resulted in some sections having about 30 vocal tracks at once. Filming involved over 1700 video takes on my iPhone SE, done over the course of two days. The first day, I worked 10 hours, and the next day, I worked 14 hours. The entire project took 45 individual days of work complete—so most of my summer!

Any plans to hit the road?

Maybe someday!

As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?

I like to engage in all types of music, but my primary interests are contemporary classical and jazz a cappella.

Who have you been listening to lately?

Olivier Messiaen, Jacob Collier, J. S. Bach, Claude Debussy, Charles Ives, Rob McConnell, Accent, Take 6

Who are your biggest influences?

Everyone in the list above!!

Tell us about your passions

I love to create. Creating is a way of materializing the things that are always bouncing around in my head, and it’s one of the most fulfilling things I can do. It doesn’t even have to be music. Story-writing, sketching, computer programming, 3d graphics, and game creation are other ways that I achieve the same sense of accomplishment. Music has simply been the one that has come to the forefront, and it’s one way I can invite others into my world.

I also love to theorize. Gaining new knowledge about music, learning about new systems, organizing complex ideas—these also are extremely enjoyable and fulfilling.

Finally, I love to teach. It is another way to invite people into my world—to give others a chance to enjoy the things that I enjoy. One of the most gratifying things is helping someone understand and enjoy new concepts that they previously thought were too difficult. I actually started my YouTube channel as a teaching channel, and every day I get comments from people who have gained joy from learning a new skill.

What else is happening next in your world?

I am graduating from college in May with a music composition degree. I plan to go straight for a Master’s, and eventually a Ph.D. in music, with an emphasis in composition, jazz writing, or theory!

 

 

Thanks for an awesome interview, Chris Bandy

 

 

Connect with Chris Bandy

Website: https://chrisbandyjazz.wixsite.com/mysiteFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisbandyjazz/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/chrisbandyjazzLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-bandy-54b8a6161/

Genres: Jazz

Source: ArtistPR Indie Artist Interview