AND, 9: Mistletoe



This composition for bass was a response to a Junto in the lead-up to last Christmas, asking for a sonic equivalent to tinsel.

It's not the most obvious response but it was, once again, a good excuse to record a riff. The Junto's limitation on length gives it brevity but the version on the album AND adopts the idea of looping the piece, so it's almost twice as long.

I recall that originally it was a more measured series of arpeggios but at the last minute thought I should give my playing a bit more groove. This last take had me grooving in my seat but it was especially encouraging that my neighbour's kids were also in the kitchen and dancing as I recorded.

The flatwound strings on the bass give it a beautifully dark and woody tone.