A Diamond in the Rough: Who is Endeavour?

Image: Angel of Siloam by Scott McMahan

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Endeavour is a one man band that was born in late 1994. It's sole member is me. I had started serious work on a few compositions in the early 90's. The earliest of these songs is Chinatown Jam which, in it's earliest incarnations, dates back to the late 80's (circa 1988). Chinatown Jam began as a purely pentatonic piece. By time I recorded it in March of 1995, it was more or less in the key of B. However, the pentatonic roots are still apparent. My second composition, which made it to DAT, but not the "final cut" was an untitled song with 3 or 4 distinct sections. In the end, it seemed too much of a hodgepodge to make it on the final cut. This was the longest composition at the time and clocked in at over 8 minutes. I had started working on the third song, Going Away, just after my Grandfather died in 1993. Hence, the title. In some unrecorded incarnation, Going Away including some vocals. However, I ultimately decided to keep it instrumental.

So, it was late 1994. I had 17-20 minutes worth of music. Each song varied in length every time I performed it. This might be a good place to mention that most of my compositions are largely improvised. Anyway, my goal was to end up with about 45 minutes worth of music. By my self-imposed completion date of April 1, 1995, I fell a bit short of that goal. Nevertheless, these songs showcased my musical capabilities at the time. By April 1, I had composed 2 more songs. Journey of the Decaffeinated Turtle and Miracle of Sequencers. I had also recorded 3 piano improvs and a "synthprov". The improvs and "synthprov" were untitled until I made my CD master from DAT in 2002. A friend, Scott McMahan, provided the cover art. Alas, the CD was never officially released on any record label. Nevertheless, it is available upon request.

"Why am I writing this over 14 years later?" you ask. Excellent question! In short, I'm at a point in my life where I want to get heavily involved in music composition again. Honestly, I have no desire to ever do extensive touring regardless of whether or not my music ever becomes popular. That said, the idea of performing at special events here and there could be attractive. Anyway, let me refocus on "now" for the moment. I honestly feel like I am a diamond in the rough. I think I have the raw talent for music composition. Having said that, I'd like to make it clear (although it should be obvious if you listen to my songs from 1995) that I'm not interested in becoming a "pop star". In fact, in the next 10 years, I'd prefer to become more of a household name among professional musicians than the general population. What I might lack in capability of playing truly complex pieces, I feel that I more than make up for in "vision". As is evident in Miracle of Sequencers, I can invision music. I seem to have a knack for playing music in my head and then, perhaps painstakingly, writing "visually" note for note using sequencer software. In fact, I can tell you that this wasn't a one-time occurance because I began "visually" composing a new song in 2007. For various reasons, it currently stands incomplete. The main reason being that I wanted to compose it in 13/8. However, the software I was using only allowed for 12/8. Thus, rather than completing it and then rewriting it later, I put it on the back burner. I plan to acquire software that will allow me to compose in 13/8 as well as, hopefully, other "exotic" time signatures. I am also one who likes the idea of "time signatureless" music. Since I typical use a piano roll editor when composing "visually" as opposed to a sheet music editor, it doesn't seem like the notion of "time signatureless" music would be that difficult to accomplish.

I suppose I still haven't completely answered the question "why am I writing this?" Well, I am actually hoping to get discovered by a person (or people) who would be willing to nurture my raw talents and understanding of musical composition. Person(s) who have similar musical tastes and ideas, but who are more accomplished and refined than myself. I'd like to befriend a person (or people) willing to make this diamond, with all of it's character and imperfections, shine. So, if you like the songs that I have provided, think you might be on a similar musical wavelength, and are willing to take on this challenge, please leave a comment with your contact information (i.e. name and e-mail address).