News
05.02.2024 NEW PIANO SPELLS MUSIC RELEASED TODAY!
Hello!Today I released a new piano instrumental track. It is Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On.” You can stream or download it here!
This song was written by Marvin Gaye, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Al Cleveland, and it appeared on Marvin Gaye’s 1971 album of the same name. It was a mournful plea for sanity, compassion, and love in the midst of the fallout from the 1960s civil rights struggles and the Vietnam War.
But I think the lyrics stand the test of time as we still face a world which sometimes seems full of hate, fear, violence, and division. While my version is an instrumental, this performance is inspired by the lyrics of the song too, and I hope that comes through.
Mother, mother
There’s too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There’s far too many of you dying
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today, yeah
Father, father
We don’t need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
Oh, what’s going on
What’s going on
What’s going on
What’s going on
Mother, mother
Everybody thinks we’re wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply ’cause our hair is long
Oh, you know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Come on talk to me
So you can see
What’s going on
Yeah, what’s going on
Tell me what’s going on
I’ll tell you, what’s going on
I hope you enjoy this version.
Lots of love,
Gabe
04.09.2024 Turns To Gold Bonus Track Released Today! (Finally!!)
Hi Friends,
Today, I am finally releasing the song “Unrequited,” which was recorded in 2015 during the recording sessions for my Turns To Gold album. Stream or download it here!
I have always loved this song and am so glad to finally be releasing it! It features the band from that record: Jano Rix on drums, Viktor Krauss on bass, Kris Donegan on guitar, and of course me on piano and vocals. Paul Moak produced this song, and it also features a beautiful string arrangement by Eleonor Denig, played by her on violin and Lindsay Smith-Trostle on cello.
I wrote this song with two of my favorite songwriters, Maia Sharp and Boots Ottestad. It’s about the magical, suspended state that unrequited love sustains in our imaginations. It’s a sort of “what might have been” song to me—a song of fascination with the unrealized possibilities of a road not taken. And perhaps the song itself can be seen in that light, since it was fully written and recorded but was never released. . . until today!
So let’s consider this song fully requited the moment its sound waves crash upon the shores of your ear drums. . . . Ok, that’s way too many metaphors.
Anyhow, I sincerely hope you enjoy “Unrequited,” which has now become a part of the 2024 deluxe edition of my 2016 album, Turns To Gold. One more bonus track will be released in May.
Also, look for another Piano Spells song in about 3 weeks!
And a very sincere thank you once again to those of you who contributed to the Pledgemusic campaign back in 2015 and 2016 which enabled me to make the Turns To Gold album. I am forever grateful for your support.
Love,
Gabe
10.27.2023 NEW PIANO SPELLS INSTRUMENTAL, “THE GREAT PUMPKIN WALTZ,” RELEASED TODAY!
Hello Friends,
Today, I released my 2nd “Piano Spells” instrumental track, “The Great Pumpkin Waltz.” Listen or download it here!
Here are the song credits and some personal thoughts. I hope you like it!
Sincerely,
Gabe
“The Great Pumpkin Waltz”
Many of you are probably familiar with this wistful tune, written by Vince Guaraldi and featured in the soundtrack to the Peanuts television special, “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” It’s been a part of my life since I was a kid, and I still listen to it every year when I watch the show with my own kids. The song holds a special and indelible place in many of our hearts, and it has become a beloved part of America’s autumnal soundtrack. I am happy to present this simple, solo piano rendition which I recorded at my house on an old 1929 Knabe piano, inherited from my wife’s father.
Song/Recording Credits:
“The Great Pumpkin Waltz
(Written by Vince Guaraldi)
Gabe Dixon – piano
Produced, Arranged, Recorded, and Engineered by Gabe Dixon
Mixed and Mastered by Dustin Ransom
Recorded in Nashville, TN at Gabe’s house, August 2023
Single Artwork by Brody Lowe
10.06.2023 New Instrumental Song, “JB Floyd” Released Today
Today I release a new instrumental piano improvisation called “JB Floyd.” Go take a listen here!
Also, with this release, I begin a series of instrumental releases under the name “Piano Spells.”
Below are some thoughts about the the piece. I sincerely hope you enjoy it!
Song/Recording Credits:
“JB Floyd”
(Written by Gabe Dixon)
Gabe Dixon – piano
Produced by Gabe Dixon & Dustin Ransom
Engineering by Mitch Dane and Dustin Ransom
Mixed and Mastered by Dustin Ransom
Recorded in Nashville, TN at Sputnik Sound, March 8, 2023
Single Artwork by Brody Lowe
Thoughts from Gabe…
This past March, after recording my song “Passing Through” on the grand piano at Sputnik Sound in Nashville, I still had a few minutes of time booked, so producer Dustin Ransom suggested I just “play something.” This 5 minute & 29 second improvisation is the result.
After listening back a few times, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my piano teacher at University Of Miami, JB Floyd—a piano virtuoso and a composer who was an excellent teacher to me and many others. When I went to study with him at age 18, I was a good player who had been studying classical piano since I was 7, and, since age 12, I had also been moonlighting in clubs and venues in Nashville and throughout the east coast playing in various bands—rock, blues, funk, jazz, R&B, pop, and country—and writing songs. Instead of Dr. Floyd shunning this “non-classical” side of what I did, he encouraged it. He met me where I was and introduced me to not just the music of Alban Berg and Carl Maria von Weber, but also Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, and Brazilian Choro Piano Music.
My big problem when I first met him was that my playing technique had been causing me injuries. A was experiencing tendonitis and maybe even carpel tunnel syndrome, and the piano repertoire I would need to learn in school was too advanced for my old technique, so I needed a new one. He helped me relearn how to play. And before taking the leap of faith to embark on that journey of reconstructing my technique, I remember asking Dr. Floyd, who at the time was almost 70, “so, do you ever have any problems with pain or anything like that?” He thought for a second and said, “no, I don’t think so. . .” and then joked, “well, maybe a little tennis elbow.”
The fact that I can now play day after day and night after night without injury is largely due to his 4 years of guidance. His mentorship was one of the best things that ever happened for my musicianship, and I am forever grateful. I hope you enjoy this musical moment captured on March 8th, 2023.
-Gabe
