The Serenity Rush Story

The music for Serenity Rush began coming to me after I moved from Los Angeles to Maui, HI to take a much needed break. I wanted to “get away from it all,” relax, rejuvenate myself, and see life through new eyes. I thought it would be inspiring.It didn’t take long to realize the CD was going to be about inner peace and harmony. I wanted there to be a certain stillness woven into the music. In my newer, brighter environment the melodies began flowing easily for me and working out the tracks for the album ended up being a very enjoyable process. I felt like I had found a big piece of myself that had been missing for quite awhile.

I decided for the first time in my recording career to perform all of the different musical parts, rather than hiring other musicians, using the upgraded sound samples from my new keyboard. It was challenging, but I’m pleased with the outcome.

The idea of adding some lighter symphonic type strings, acoustic guitar, and gentle percussion (shakers, triangle, wind chimes etc.) seemed like a nice fit to surround my already recorded piano tracks. I wanted to preserve the “flowing” feel of the piano phrasing. I believe the overall result comes off sounding cohesive and natural.

There are 4 songs on this CD I am particularly fond of. The first track on the CD is written for my father, who was also my longtime best friend, who passed away while I was putting the album together. I started out with what I thought would be a sad, painful song about loss, but then it started to change…I decided I wanted to try and capture his true essence rather than write about my own gnawing emptiness.

My dad loved life, people, and all types of animals. I remember him calling me to the door one day and saying “Do you hear that?! That’s a mockingbird- isn’t that amazing??” he said with such a wide-eyed child-like innocence. I knew I wanted to write about that part of him.

The piece begins with a simple sweet melody that reminds me of his sense of wonder and connection with nature, and eventually builds into this feeling of a large majestic bird rising up free to fly away from this world forever in a state of complete freedom and joy. I knew he was ready to leave us when he did. It’s all in the music. This will always be a very special song for me… I named it “Mockingbird Days.”

The second track on the CD I like alot is “Water Spirits.” It has a flowing, ethereal, and magical quality to it that takes me into another sweet fairy-like world each time I listen. It’s one of my more unique compositions woven around arpeggios on played kalimba, acoustic guitar, and tiny bells.

The next song I listen to often is “On That Day,” a piece that was originally solo piano that I built up with strings to enhance the emotional intensity of the music. I wanted the song to really take you on a journey as it climaxes. I’ve been told that although it’s more serious than some of the other tracks, it’s also very beautiful, moving, and passionnate…

The last piece I wanted to comment on is my first ever “cover” song. “Greensleeves” had always been an intriguing melody to me; I have played it since I was a child. No one knows who wrote it, but it lives on and on… One day I found myself toying around my own version of it while the recorder happened to be on. I really liked what happened when I improvised on the second chorus, making it longer, and keeping the song’s emotion building. It turned out sounding very inspired and uplifting. Since it fits in nicely with the concept of the rest of the CD I kept it and made it the final track.

All in all I think I accomplished what I set out to with Serenity Rush; creating an album from a flowing, relaxed place within myself that I could confidently share with others. It’s a CD I find myself mellowing out to, reminiscing with, and seeing more clearly the meaning of my life. I hope you enjoy the music.

Sincerely,

Jim Chappell