David J. Hahn » Jazz

Nearness of You

Dave — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:39:00 +0000

This is a track from an album I released in 2006 called Straight Ahead.

This recording was featured in the Sony/Screen Gems movie, Takers. The song is played by Hayden Christensen’s character, “AJ”, as his friend Jake (Michael Ealy) proposes to his girlfriend (Zoe Saldana).

To purchase this recording, visit the iTunes Music Store.

All of Me + a fistful of rocks

Dave — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:12:00 +0000

I visited my cousin at his Chicago studio a few summers ago and we made this goofy recording of All of Me while I was there. He sent it to me this morning – who knew he kept these things?

It sounds like I took a fistful of rocks and decided to beat up his piano. It’s punk rock jazz piano. Funny recording.

Nardis

Dave — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:53:04 +0000

Recorded in 2007 at my summer sublet in Chicago. I lived in the Logan Square neighborhood and owned two bikes. I would ride up and down the lakeshore bike path 3 or 4 times a week. I was working that summer at the Theater At the Center in Munster, IN playing second keyboard on Cats. The show won a Jeff award for best music direction thanks to my wonderful boss that summer – Valerie Maze. I was mad practicing that summer on nothing but Bach, and had to move my keyboard to the back porch to the downstairs neighbors wouldn’t go crazy from the eigth notes pounding through their ceiling. I took a break late one night and recorded this version of Nardis.

On Green Dolphin Street with trio

Dave — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:14:20 +0000

When I play trio gigs I like to hire a guitarist instead of a drummer. Nat King Cole used a guitarist in his trio, which I always enjoyed. This is Chicago musicians Casey Neilsen on guitar and Alex Austin on bass. Killing musicians.

We’re playing here at a Bank One in Lincoln Park, Chicago. They were having a customer meet and greet and wanted some music. We were right next to the teller counter. We played all night.

Interestingly – if you listen closely there’s a part where it sounds like there are brushes on a snare for just a minute (it’s at 4:49). That’s actually a bag of ice that one of the bankers was trying to break up at the mini-bar next to us. The ice-bag dude had great time.

Easin’ It by Frank Foster

Dave — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:05:21 +0000

Here’s a tune from my days as a jazz piano major at NIU. I used to be so nervous when we would start this tune, worried that I would never play it right, or that my time would be off, or whatever. But here it is years later, and I think it sounds great – especially for a kid just learning the idiom. I shouldn’t have worried so much back then.