Song-by-Song: ‘Catching Moments’ by Kim Cypher

Kim Cypher on All For You: “I needed to express my gratitude to my mum for all her inspiration in life and how she has shaped what I do.”

We get the lowdown on an eclectic collection of songs that both captures moments in life and celebrates all creativity

British saxophonist, vocalist, composer and producer Kim Cypher presents her third album Catching Moments, a four-year labour of love inspired by world and personal events and dedicated to paying tribute to and celebrating those who work in the arts. The album follows her 2016 debut Make Believe and 2019’s widely acclaimed Love Kim x.

The diverse range of musical styles including jazz, Latin and swing allow for an all-star line-up of musicians to be celebrated, taking the listener on an emotional journey of discovery. Expect the unexpected as Cypher takes us through the inspiration and songwriting process for each of the twelve tracks…

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UNIQUELY THE SAME

Whilst this track came towards the end of my album-writing process, I chose it as the opening track, to grab the listener’s attention and to make a strong opening statement. It is a lively samba with an energetic carnival vibe, a song that takes no messing.

This track was written spontaneously like all my compositions are, always being inspired by something or somebody. In this case, it was inspired by a conversation I had with musician Ashley Slater (Freak Power / Fat Boy Slim). We were discussing the music industry and comparing notes about the challenges of having multiple skills and wide-ranging, eclectic musical styles that cannot be categorised into a single genre and put into one box.

Midway through the conversation, I said to Ashley I needed to go and start writing some ideas down as the inspiration for some song lyrics and music were starting to flow. You need to grab them while you can! Within an hour, I had the song written and I had a clear vision of how it should sound. I knew that Ashley would be the perfect guest to bring in to stamp his own unique style onto the music. I could envisage his distinctive voice putting the lyrics across and I also knew the track needed one of his wild trombone solos.

WATER FROM AN ANCIENT WELL

This is one of two tracks on my album which are not original compositions. For me, this is a standalone track which tells a totally different story to any of my other music. Unlike all previous recordings I have done, this track was recorded purely for my own love of the music. I just wanted to capture something really special with no constraints. For that reason, I chose to allow the track to be over 11 minutes in duration, as that is what was captured so beautifully in the studio. I was never going to be sacrificing the music by cutting out solos to make the track more appealing for radio play etc.

I remember the first time I came across this piece of music, composed by South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim. I was at a jazz concert that my husband (drummer) Mike Cypher was performing with guitarist Chris Cobbson. After their wonderful, captivating trio version of the piece, I remember being so moved that I couldn’t speak for a few minutes. I decided right there and then that I would get into the studio as soon as I could to record my own version of the piece. It was just before the COVID 19 pandemic and, little did any of us know that the world as we knew it was about to change!

It was only when the world was plunged into lockdown and the ability to share live music was taken away that I decided to release this track as a single to share some love with everyone. It is also a favourite at live gigs. So, of course it made it onto my latest album all about catching moments in life. This has been one of the most special moments captured.

ALL FOR YOU

This track marks the beginning of my album journey, composed back in 2020 as a fundraising charity single, raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity. This swing-style song is the result of my ongoing belief in fate and all things happening for a reason.

When I lost my beautiful mum to a brain tumour back in 2000, my world was turned upside down. My mum was my best friend, and I had never contemplated life without her. It shook me up and made me live my life very differently, for which I am grateful. By pure chance I was offered to play a London gig at one of my favourite jazz club venues, the Pizza Express Live in Soho. The date offered marked the 20th anniversary of losing my mum.

My initial thoughts were to turn the gig down, but then I realised that the hands of fate had offered me an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. I took the gig, and I turned the event into a big fundraising night entitled ‘For Mum’, paying tribute to my mum and raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity. This was the catalyst for writing the song. I needed to express my gratitude to my mum for all her inspiration in life and how she has shaped what I do.

This is an unusual songwriting starting point for me, having a purpose to write the song for rather than being spontaneous. The only way I could think of getting started was to come up with some lyrics explaining what I was planning to do. So, I focused on the gig and what that would look like, hence the opening lyrics, “I’ve got a flower in my hair, I’ve got my best dress on”, the scene was now set.

Ideally, I would have loved to record this track with a full-size big band, but budget constraints led me to a smaller band arrangement, but still capturing that big band vibe. Maybe one day I can fulfil my dream of turning it into a full big band arrangement.

Kim Cypher: “At the time I wrote [Gonna Be Alright, Gonna Be OK] I was feeling very vulnerable and alone, right at the start of the pandemic.” Photo: Monika S. Jakubowska

TOMORROW’S SONG

I love performing in the time signature of 3/4 and there is something very special about a jazz waltz. The last jazz waltz I composed (Hayley on my Make Believe album) started out as a 4/4 track, which then developed into a jazz waltz. Tomorrow’s Song, however, was always going to be a jazz waltz. This track was composed towards the end of lockdown when the world was beginning to get back to normality and when musicians were on the brink of getting their lives back. It was an incredibly emotional time. I was overflowing with joy, happiness and pride for all musicians and creatives, having made it through such a difficult time.

I knew this piece needed to be built on a strong, evocative melody line and for me, the soprano saxophone allows for this kind of expression. I took the soprano out of its case and just started playing, noting down any parts of the melody that worked. It pretty much wrote itself as my emotions poured out into my playing.

This track was then performed live before it was recorded. I had been booked for a gig which was promoted as ‘The Big Lockdown Let-Out’. It was the first live gig with an audience in a very long time. I knew it would be a special night full of emotion and so, what better opportunity to try this track out. It was received with tears of joy by the audience and band members alike. The track was then included in all my live gigs, it developed a climatic final verse section with a soaring soprano note marking the start of a new tomorrow. It is also a showcase for the incredible cymbal brushwork by my husband Mike Cypher.

BIRDIE IN THE GRASS

This is a track I consider to be one of my simpler compositions, all about appreciating the smaller things in life. It is a laid back Bossa nova with a feel-good summery vibe. I was watching a tiny baby bird in my garden. It was playing in the long grass, flapping its wings, learning to fly and loving life. As I observed the joyful scene, a light-hearted melody came to mind.

I sang it into my phone so I wouldn’t forget it. I could envisage some beautiful acoustic guitar playing alongside the melody on tenor saxophone. I wanted to keep this track really simple, and I knew that simplicity is what would make it so special. The studio recording session included wonderful guitarist Antonio Forcione who created the stunning improvised guitar solo.

GONNA BE ALRIGHT, GONNA BE OK

This track fills me with reassurance and makes me feel safe. However, at the time I wrote this piece I was feeling very vulnerable and alone, right at the start of the pandemic. I was also in a bit of shock, mourning the loss of my work and identity as a musician. I had just crossed out every single gig from my gig calendar as all the work I had built up over the past few years was cancelled.

I turned to my music to give me strength, coming up with the lyrics, “Gonna be alright, gonna be ok. We’re gonna get through this, we’re gonna make it to another day”. Those were words I really needed to hear. I decided that the song didn’t need lots of lyrics, just a short chorus to really get the message of reassurance across. I could imagine the chorus vocal line working in unison with the tenor saxophone. The rest of the track would be built upon a tenor saxophone melody, developed by drawing upon the musical influence of Grover Washington Jr. for a smoother, funkier vibe.

WHERE TIME GOES

This song was written first thing in the morning on the day I woke up and realised it was the first anniversary of losing my dear dad in 2022. I remember it clearly. I woke up, realised the date, headed to my piano and just started to sing. It was literally an outpouring of emotions built up over the past few years. Having gone through the pandemic at a time when my dad was very poorly, it was as if my life had been brought to a standstill.

This continued after my dad had passed away and my life became focussed on sorting out and tying up all his affairs. It resulted in having to say goodbye to my family home which then brought back memories of my mum. I felt that loss all over again. The song expresses how time passes by and somehow you end up in a place, yet you have no recollection of how you got there.

This song needed to be a stripped back, acoustic song with minimal production. It would be a contrast to anything else I had ever done, capturing the vulnerability I felt when I wrote it. I had always planned to record this track together with guitarist Antonio Forcione as a live recording so that we could get a good connection in our performance. It turned out that this track was recorded late at night after a long studio session. We were both feeling quite exhausted and yet we had the pressure of recording a live track together. Thankfully, the magic was captured, and the song is perfectly poignant.

TOGETHER

This song was written midway through the process of bringing my album together. As the project progressed and evolved, it became more focussed on celebrating musicians. I had already decided I wanted to bring in some special guests and I set about selecting the right people. Having previously worked with “The Godfather of Swing”, Ray Gelato, I was really keen to bring him on-board and he was only too pleased to oblige.

I set about writing a jazz duet in the style of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. My aim was to create an original song that could be easily mistaken as a longstanding jazz standard. As one of my dad’s favourite songs was Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off, I used that as my inspiration to write lyrics that would be a fun male/female exchange about having opposite ideas. I wanted to show that, although we are all different, life is always better together.

The lyrics came together quite easily as a cheeky conversation about simple things in life. For me, the lyrics generally form alongside the melody, as they did in this case. I had already established the song would be in a swing style, ideally suited to Ray. Once I had the main structure, I worked on the brass lines that would give the song some punch and energy. Of course, I had to also include a section for myself and Ray to play exchanges on our tenor saxophones, trading fours and then twos. Our playing styles complement each other well and that section is one of my favourite parts of the album.

Kim Cypher on Bertie Bertie Bertie: “This track originates from my love of rabbits, which I have had from a young age.” Photo: Ron Milsom

TOMORROW’S SONG (LIVE) FEATURING LIANE CARROLL

This song involves a totally different writing process for me, as the lyrics were written after the initial instrumental version had already been recorded. So, I didn’t write the lyrics side by side with the melody as I normally do.

This song came about by chance I suppose. I really loved the instrumental recording, but I felt I needed to take the track one step further by adding words to further. I found myself singing along to the instrumental and somehow the music just led me to the lyrics. I then had the dilemma of having two versions of the same piece of music and contemplating if I should include both on an album. It was a no-brainer.
As long as this second version was completely different to the initial version, I knew I had to include both.

In order to create a totally different version of Tomorrow’s Song than the original instrumental version, I decided to record a live version at London’s 606 Club rather than a studio recording. It was just myself and Liane Carroll performing the song with piano, vocals and soprano saxophone. It turned out to be a really beautiful, heartfelt moment between the two of us and worlds apart from the original instrumental, studio version.

TIEMPOS LOCOS (CRAZY TIMES DANCE REMIX)

In many ways I consider this track to be a ‘bonus track’ on the album. It’s original inception and creation was at home during the crazy times of the pandemic. I wrote a simple lyric, “Crazy, crazy times, these are crazy, crazy times” which I then added to a synthesized bassline on a loop. I was creating the music at home on my laptop. This grew into the addition of some percussion played by my husband and recorded in our kitchen!

I had the bare bones of a track and, as soon as the lockdown restrictions were lifted, I headed to the recording studio to add to it. So, it ended up being a mix of home recording and studio recording. I had no intention to take this track forward onto my album. As far as I was concerned, its identity was very much linked to the pandemic. Then, I had a light-bulb moment and, with the involvement of Ashley Slater in the project, I decided to recreate the track, giving it a new identity, breathing new life into it and allowing it to become relevant again.

The starting point for this recreation was to remove the spoken word section and replace it with a trombone solo by Ashley. I sent the track to him and when it was returned it also had the addition of some brass and Ashley had translated Crazy Times into Tiempos Locos with some of his signature vocals. This then paved the way for me to add some backing vocals to cement the new identity. At this point I realised that I also wanted to record a new sax solo and give the whole track more of a dance vibe by adding a real bass line. I’m glad this track was reinvented as it adds a totally different dimension to the album.

I’M IN THE MOOD TO WISH UPON A STAR

This is the second of two non-original tracks on my album and is a song made up by combining two of my favourite songs – I’m In The Mood For Love and When You Wish Upon a Star. I discovered on a live gig, purely by chance that, whilst singing I’m In The Mood For Love, I could reference melody lines from When You Wish Upon A Star. I even started alternating between the two songs until it was firmly established that combining the two would work. I just needed to have the opportunity to perform it as a duet so that the two songs could run simultaneously. As Ray Gelato was already involved in the project, he was the obvious choice to record this duet with.

BERTIE BERTIE BERTIE

This is a track very close to my heart. It is also veiled in mystery as I only give hints as to what it is about. Basically, those in the know, know! For those not in the know, this track originates from my love of rabbits, which I have had from a young age. I had my first rabbit from the age of seven, rescued from a family who no longer wanted her. My parents did not question my spontaneous decision to go and collect the rabbit. They trusted me when I said I would look after her and that always sticks with me as a really special moment in my life.

I had a longstanding love for this beautiful creature who went everywhere with me on a lead and lived much longer than any of us expected, until I was aged 21! My life is not complete, and my house is not a home unless it has a rabbit in it. When I lost a rabbit during lockdown it was a tragedy. It was a time when I needed the comfort of a rabbit to get me through the days. So, when beautiful Bertie joined our family, it was extra special. He was such a precious soul and he has become such a special boy, so much so he deserved to have a piece of music written about him.

Here’s the thing though, Bertie is a very lazy bunny. He basically does nothing, just eats and sleeps. He is such a character. So, I thought it would be fun to write his tune as a bouncy Latin track in the style of Sonny Rollins. It just needed a very simple structure for easy improvisation. Bertie, in my mind, would be represented by a bass, so I knew the track needed to be built on a simple bass pattern, which opens the track. The whole piece is then just over an AAB structure with the bass hinting at the B section every time.

I decided this would be the closing track on the album and I wanted the final notes to be very relaxed and contemplative, in total contrast to the wild, frenetic opening track. Therefore, Bertie Bertie Bertie concludes with some breathy tenor saxophone, drawing the album to a very calm and satisfying conclusion.

Catching Moments, the new album by Kim Cypher, is out now. For upcoming shows and more, head to kimcypher.com

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