Ray Sandoval is an award winning composer, performer, producer and educator, trained in both the Classical and Jazz genres
In 2004 he received the JUSFC Creative Artist Grant to study the folk music of Japan and develop compositions based on his experience living in the country. Since then, he has also travelled through Andalusia, Spain for intensive training of flamenco guitar, as well as Bali, Indonesia to study the complex rhythms of Balinese Gamelan. After living in Jerusalem, he moved to London where he now continues to compose and perform.
The percussion was emphasising concert C# so that had a big influence on the tonal center. In addition, Edson layed out the form with the length of his percussion track. So for my track, I decided to go with C# minor instead of C# major due to the fact I play guitar and the minor key resonates better with the instrument. Actually I had a melody on initial hearing and it was in C# major but I refrained after thinking about it. I also held back on my segment so that maybe someone else can add to the harmony or form. There was a tendency for me to lay down the entire song but I felt this is a collaborative effort and it would be interesting to see what perspective the other musician brings to the table.
