Musical Response to "While Recording Bars"

Editors’ Note: In the spirit of art, community, and collaboration, we invited Gio Barabadze to create original improvisations in response to the poems of another Tilt West Journal contributor, Dujie Tahat.

Thoughts on “WHILE RECORDING BARS IN THE STUDIO THAT IS REALLY JUST A SOUPED UP BALIKBAYAN IN HIS MAMA’S BACKYARD I TRY EXPLAINING TO THE HOMIE WHY FILIPINOS LOVE CHAKA KHAN WHICH IS HOW I KNOW THE SAMPLE TO KANYE WEST’S ‘THROUGH THE WIRE’”:

When I first saw the reference in this poem to J Dilla, I immediately thought of jazzy hip-hop samples and decided to use jazz progressions as the launching point for this improvisation. This poem speaks of a struggle that spans generations. Beyond establishing the jazzy vibe, I wanted to portray that struggle in the latter part of the improvisation. The poem doesn't seem to be written from a victim mentality; quite the contrary: it conveys a sense of empowerment. So, when choosing chords to portray the struggle, it felt right to articulate them in a way that would sound epic, building to a climax.