This song comes from wilderness. Olena and Marko found me aimless and wandering in Krakow, which somehow led, two days later, to an evening spent by the Western Carpathian mountains surrounded by a larger group of their friends. Guitars around a campfire, melodies sung into the night. After leaving them, I wrote the main theme in trying to capture the mood we'd found.
I forgot about the song until a year later, when it seemed a good idea to collect all the “postcard” songs composed during journeys afar. Many of the themes seemed to want to stay simple and untouched, but “Foot of the Carpathians” presented a deeper mystery. I felt it was worth trying to expand the track’s primary statement into a few different but related harmonies, and introduce it to Nir Sabag (drums) and Hugo Reydet (bass) with room for melodic and rhythmic improvisation. I hoped a trio in musical conversation would be fitting for a song born from a small gathering.
We, together with longtime production friends Virgil Segal and Brian Trahan, recorded the track at TRIXX Studios in Berlin, Germany. The soundscapes were meticulously scored later, combining sounds found separately. This could not have been accomplished without Brian’s impeccable sound engineering. Full sound credits are listed at
travelpoems.com#about -- however, the primary contribution to the vibe of the soundscapes in this track is a recording of a Tibetan singing bowl, made in Duisburg, tuned to the frequency of the asteroid Ceres.
If hearing this song evokes for you any memories, or fantasies, or other stories, I would love to know -- just message me here, or at eric@travelpoems.com. The live Travel Poems show features immersive storytelling, so it may be possible to weave your story into the musical experience.
First single “Foot of the Carpathians” premiered by JAZZIZ Magazine (interview at
www.jazziz.com/qa-eric-pan-travel-poems/), public release on 31 July 2020. It’s track #6 from Chapter 1, out in full on 28 Aug 2020.
Claire, we have to attend the circus together sometime. I was wandering in Krakow, entirely aimless, when two fellow travelers welcomed me on their journey out of town. Come sunset, I’m surrounded by nomads making a caravan camp near the mountains, trying to sing songs in Ukrainian with them. Bonfire parties with guitar music transcend all cultural boundaries. It’s a vast country out here, and the universe continues its expansion.
from
Travel Poems . Chapter 1 . Secret towns,
releases June 11, 2024
Piano trio recorded at TRIXX Studios, Berlin, with Eric Pan (piano), Nir Sabag (drums), and Hugo Reydet (bass)
Mixing by Brian Trahan
Mastering by Ruairi O’Flaherty
Scored with found sounds — credited to these curators:
spt3125 / stefanhoevenaar / colinsullivan (California) / unfa