Living Beings -- with UofL Music Faculty Gabe Evens and Chris Fitzgerald

The Search for Happiness

Gabe Evens - Piano and Composition
Jacob Duncan - Saxophone
Chris Fitzgerald - Bass
Mike Hyman - Drums

Artwork - Khairul Azmir Shoib

Recording - Chris Greenwell at Downtown Recording

The Search for Happiness is a nine-part suite based on concepts that play a role in my search. Though they share musical elements, the movements have distinct moods that capture the difference essences.

The short opening movement, “The Search for Happiness” sets a bright tone and positive spirit. The irregular phrase length and harmonic dissonance allude to some bumpiness along the way, but still always beautiful.

I find comfort in the notion that everything and everyone is made of the same fundamental elements created inside stars billions of years ago. This idea allows me to be a bit less serious about my existence within the big picture. “It’s All Just Stardust” is an energetic samba with moments of unpredictable phrasing intended to capture a touch of the chaos that happens inside a star.

For better or worse, my search for happiness is entangled with difficult ideas like meaning, purpose, and death. No musical genre captures the interdependence of joy and sorrow better than the Blues. The funky “Existential Blues” is based on assymetrical two-bar phrases and moments of twisted harmony capturing the uneasy thoughts that fertilize life.

The melody of “Moments of Joy” builds momentum as it moves through a slow harmonic cycle. The band (especially the drummer) improvises wild bursts of joy on top of the day-to-day routine.

I am not sure if there is pure happiness, but for me, accepting the inevitable imperfections of life must be an ingredient. “Living Beings” drives persistently forward but is never quite settled. There are some satisfying moments in the context of the awkward rhythms but to create a solo that speaks through the noise, one must let go.

After basic needs are met, the quantity of material items doesn’t correlate with happiness. The lazy bolero, “The Bare Minimum”, explores what is really necessary to be happy. Is it wealth and status or beauty and flow?

“Nonliving Beings” are also made of the same stardust as everything else and have their own energy. While this movement resembles “Living Beings” in speed, density, and melodic phrases, it is a smoother ride. The melody winds over tonal, symmetrical, phrases and form, and is in the same vein as many standards from the Great American Songbook.

I suspect that completely free, unconditional love may be enough. However, the power of a force as strong love can invite attachment and confusion. “Is Love Enough?” is a ballad that twists beauty and discord together. The two elements counterbalance each other to represent an idea of love that is inherently non-perfect.

An openness to life lies in an acceptance of “The Truth of Nature”. Nature is not always the way we want it to be. We suffer by pushing away what we do not want and craving for more of what we do want. This final movement of the suite is a Boogaloo (a fusion of Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Funk, Mambo, and other African American rhythm styles). Feel free to dance.