Great Hope

I’m a musician having fun playing jazz, R&B, soul, but also rock, pop, latin and reggae. I’m an allrounder - I even have some classical stuff in my repertoire. I love to take an existing song and create a unique cover with a different style, rhythm or feeling. On the other hand I compose lots of songs - predominantly in the neo-soul area. I was inspired by artists like Pat Metheny, Joe Satriani, Mezzoforte, Yellowjackets, but also Supertramp, The Police, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Ryuichi Sakamoto and John McLaughlin. In the classical area I love Rachmaninov and Samuel Barber.

My first album

Over the first 4 months of 2023 I created this new album, which combines neo-soul, a bit of pop and rock, smooth jazz - all in a slight “lounge” atmosphere. I added two cover songs, because they are fun to make. For me, the most important thing is to have achieved my goal of creating an album. If you like my work, let me know. That will motivate me to continue and create more music.There are 8 songs on this album:

Some Day: this neo-soul set-up only took me a couple of days, probably because I’d learned from all the other tracks. Finding the right vocal mix to get this lounge song to “pop", was however a challenge.
Mná na hÉireann (Woman of Ireland): inspired by versions from Kate Bush and the Chieftains, this song makes me visualise the green mountain on which my lounge is positioned. Recording acoustic instruments was a chore, but it payed off.
Rock: this song was actually so much fun to make, it triggered me to create this album. Chords and melody were easy enough, but finding the balance of all instruments took me very long to finalise. The head bobbing factor will always remain high on this one.
Neo: influenced by the likes of Robert Glasper I found the meaning of neo-soul chords and how to form them. This is a whole new method of chord progressions creating a new sort of atmospheric music.
Funky town: inspired by several covers of the original track, I was looking for a jazzy version, which would still make you move your feet. Together with my friend Susi, I was able to find a funky lounge mood.
Morning Breath: an older composition combining lots of melodies on a walking bass and a funky e-piano. At some point I couldn’t stop playing it anymore.
Arrow to bull's-eye: I keep getting addicted to this song and the vocals. The bass loop is quite cool, but the chords make for a feel-good end result. And the way the vocals jump out of the speakers keeps waking me up.
Dirty: another neo-soul chord progression which goes all the way to the limit chromatic-wise. The e-piano and the drum & bass are the foundation for a fountain of guitar and synth layered on top.

Link: Great Hope - Lounge on a mountain - with links to all stores

Great Hope

Contact: GH@greathope.ch