AN ALBUM PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

Dr. Nolan Gasser

& The Mighty Mighty presents…

Border

Crossing

.

A composer's reflections on our multi-cultural world. Eleven

tracks traversing diverse global styles performed by an A-

team of virtuosi at a moment when the world needs bridging.

BORDER CROSSINGS

ALBUM DECK

THE TIMELINESS OF BORDER CROSSING

The world is speaking the

Music speaks of unity.

Border Crossing was recorded in 2019 · at a time when it seemed like greater unity

and openness were spreading. Little did we know what the COVID pandemic of

2020 would do to fragment societies and cultures.

Seven years later, the message of Border Crossings is more needed than ever. As

walls go up and borders tighten, we need to connect in a language that is non-

divisive. Music is that language: no melody or harmony mean “other”.

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BRINGING CULTURES TOGETHER

BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

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WHY REAL WORLD RECORDS?

Where else would this album live if not at

Real World?

For thirty-five years, Real World Records has been a home to artists whose work doesn't fit neatly into Western pop categories, celebrating and nurturing

what makes their work distinct. Real World sees music through a fluid global lens - not as a collection of disparate locales - as a living breathing mass of

traditions and borrowings, of origins and innovations mixing and fusing in colorful ways.

When we thought about how we wanted to distribute this album, our first thought was Real World. The past several years have been taken with other

priorities, but “Now Is The Time” for us to find our label partner for this album, and this deck tries to make our case that Real World Records is that label.

THE COMPOSER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

THE BAND

THE CREW

Dr. Nolan Gasser

The Mighty Mighty

Grammy-Winning Production Team

Produced by Gregg Field. Recorded by Ed Cherney. Mastered

Touring musicians with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Paul

Composer, pianist, musicologist, music-tech pioneer

by Paul Blakemore.

Simon, Sting, Chick Corea, Alanis Morissette, Stevie Wonder, etc

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THE THESIS

BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

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MEET THE COMPOSER & PIANIST

Composer of concert and theater music from Carnegie Hall to SF Opera. Pianist who’s

played and recorded with artists as diverse as Steve Miller and John Handy. Architect

expert in Music AI (DeepMind), thus a leader in music revolutions since 2000.

A Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford University, Gasser is the world’s renowned expert in musical

and the hit PBS show based on it — exploring music’s power to connect people across boundaries

and the role of culture in shaping musical taste.

AUTHOR

CO-CREATOR

LIVE ON PBS

Pandora Radio

Why You Like It

Why You Like It:

The Music Genome Project, c. 2000

The Science and Culture of Musical Taste

Decoding Musical Taste

★

THE COMPOSER

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MEET THE BAND

PHOTOGRAPH · JANETTE BECKMAN

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BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

THE BAND

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MEET THE BAND

EIGHT NAMES · SIX DECADES OF TOURING CREDITS

The Mighty Mighty

PIANO · COMPOSER

SAXES · FLUTES

VIOLIN

OUD · GUITARS

Nolan Gasser

Tim Ries

Matt Szemela

Dimitris Mahlis

Pandora co-creator. Author, Why You Like It.

The Rolling Stones, touring band, 2003 to present.

Sting · Jay-Z · Beyoncé · Plácido Domingo.

Student of Necati Çelik. A.R. Rahman, Robben Ford.

MANDOLIN

PERCUSSION

BASS

DRUMS

Eva Scow

Jamey Haddad

Carlitos del Puerto

Gary Novak

Jazz, bluegrass, classical virtuosa.

Paul Simon, touring percussionist since 1998. Yo-Yo Ma.

Chick Corea (2017–21). Stevie Wonder. Quincy Jones.

George Benson · Alanis Morissette · Natalie Cole.

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BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

THE MUSICIANS

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MEET THE CREW

PRODUCER · MIXING

CHIEF ENGINEER

MASTERING

Legendary engineer (1950–2019). The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric

Multi-Grammy producer. Stevie Wonder, Plácido Domingo, Tony Bennett, Josh

Multi-Grammy mastering engineer. Concord Records' in-house master

Clapton, Bonnie Raitt. This album captured one of his final sessions.

Groban. Big-band drummer for Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra.

across decades of jazz and singer-songwriter releases.

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BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

THE CREW

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THE MAP

11 COMPOSITIONS · 9 MUSICAL WORLDS · 2 VOCALS

Nine

Music composed and arranged by Dr. Nolan Gasser,

composer.

architect of the Music Genome Project, world-

acclaimed pianist, composer, author, and musicologist.

★

MUSICAL MAP

BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

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FEATURED TRACK 1

5:20 · MBALAX-INFLUENCED

ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS

A call-to-action, set to the irresistible groove of Mbalax (Senegal).

Vocals

The song reminds us that it’s up to us to restore our at-risk world:

Bayi ni akoko, A ko gbọdọ kuna (Now is the time, we must not fail!)

MUSIC

LYRICS

LEAD VOCAL

MUSIC VIDEO

Nolan Gasser

Mindi Dickstein

Malika Tirolien

Steve Purcell

Guadeloupe

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FEATURED TRACK

BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

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FEATURED TRACK 2

4:37 · CELTIC AIR

ON THE MIGRATION CRISIS

A Celtic Air telling the story of a mother fleeing violence, leaving two children behind.

of Celtic Woman - a voice with the pathos and hope the song requires.

MUSIC

LYRICS

LEAD VOCAL

Nolan Gasser

Mindi Dickstein

Órla Fallon

Founder, Celtic Woman · Ireland

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FEATURED TRACK

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THE SONGS

11 TRACKS · 61 MINUTES · CAPITOL STUDIOS A, JAN 2019

The Track List.

01

07

Sunset in Tunisia

The Brighter Side

f

6:33

4:37

t. Órla Fallon

Maghreb · Hijaz mode · 3/8 + 3/4

Celtic air · on the migration crisis

02

08

The Hungarian Affair

Turk a la Blues

5:02

5:27

Czardas · distorted rock, Led Zeppelin via gypsy dance

Turkish aksak · 11 beats · modal blues

03

09

She Said, She Said

Now is the Time

5:20

5:20

ft. Malika Tirolien

Mbalax-influenced · on the climate crisis

The Beatles, arr. Gasser · 5/8 bridge

04

Levantine Odyssey

5:50

Aksak · 20 beats · D Aeolian

BONUS, LIVE AT SF JAZZ, APRIL 2022

10

05

Caravan

Andalusia in Blue

5:52

5:00

Ellington / Tizol, arr. Gasser

Andalusian mode · flamenco · blues

11

06

Gimme Shelter

A Rock Minuet

7:34

4:46

Jagger / Richards, arr. Gasser & Ries

Classical - Rock fusion

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BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

THE SONGS

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THE STORY OF THE SONGS PT. 1

EACH COMPOSITION IS ITS OWN BORDER CROSSING

01

02

03

MAGHREB · HIJAZ MODE · 3/8 + 3/4

CZARDAS · DISTORTED ROCK

MBALAX · CLIMATE

6:33

5:02

5:20

Sunset in Tunisia.

The Hungarian Affair.

Now is the Time.

ft. Malika Tirolien

Perhaps the most unexpected crossing on the album: a traditional

Reflects Nolan's long-standing love of West African music, particularly the

Indulges Nolan's love for the modes and rhythms of The Maghreb , the

Hungarian Czardas , the multi-tempo gypsy-roots concert dance, colliding

Senegalese genre of Mbalax, as espoused by composer-vocalist Youssou

Mediterranean coast of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The opening sets the

Hijaz mode (

2,

3,

6,

7) over an additive meter of three beats

♭

♮

♭

♭

involvement in gypsy bands gives him a chance to display his virtuosic

poetic call-to-action, imploring us to do our part now to save the planet.

followed by three sets of two (3/8 + 3/4). It then blends into a blues-like 4/4

roll solo on tenor sax.

04

05

06

AKSAK · 20 BEATS · D AEOLIAN

ANDALUSIAN CADENCE · FLAMENCO · BLUES

A-B-A MINUET · HEMIOLA · ROCK

4:46

5:50

5:00

Levantine Odyssey.

Andalusia in Blue.

A Rock Minuet.

Embraces the alluring exoticism of Al-Andalus , the southern region of

Perhaps the most technically demanding track on the album, rhythmically,

A different kind of border crossing, jazz and classical idioms meeting rock

Spain shaped by the Moorish conquest of the 8th century, itself a border

indulging the additive approach common to much music from The Levant

vocabulary. The principal classical influence is the minuet's A-B-A form,

crossing of European and North African practices. The most striking

(Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan). The main section is a composite of

common to Chopin nocturnes. Hemiola (three beats in the place of two,

element of Andalusian music, the Phrygian "Andalusian Cadence" (i–

20 beats divided asymmetrically as 2+3+2+2+3+3+2+3, in a meditative D

shifting from duple to triple) serves as a vibrant transition between

Aeolian. The lyrical unison in violin and soprano sax leads into a 3/4 groove

sections, culminating in a triple-meter coda. Counterpoint between

VII–VI–V), becomes a structural pillar here, given a decidedly bluesy

♭

with solos by Nolan, Tim, Matt, Gary and Jamey, before returning to the

quality. Solos: Nolan on piano and Tim on soprano sax, whose passion for

20-beat figure.

flamenco was the initial inspiration.

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BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

THE SONGS, TOLD

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THE STORY OF THE SONGS PT. 2

PLUS THE TWO BONUS ARRANGEMENTS, LIVE AT SF JAZZ

07

08

09

CELTIC AIR · MIGRATION

TURKISH AKSAK · 11 BEATS · MODAL BLUES

BEATLES, ARR. GASSER · 5/8 BRIDGE

4:37

5:27

5:20

The Brighter Side.

Turk a la Blues.

She Said, She Said.

ft. Órla Fallon

A traditional Celtic air , lyrical melody, evocative modal harmonies, lilting

A play-off of Dave Brubeck's 1959 jazz classic "Blue Rondo a la Turk", diving

The only non-original from the Capitol sessions: Lennon's psychedelic

triple meter. Mindi Dickstein's lyrics touch the migration crisis, drawing

even more intently into the rhythmic nature of Turkish music. Employs

song from 1966's Revolver . One appealing aspect of the Beatles original is

the parallel of 19th-century Irish immigrants to the heartbreaking story of

aksak (additive rhythm) on a common Turkish grouping of 11 beats per

the insertion of 3/4 meter into the bridge of an otherwise 4/4 song. Using

a mother fleeing violence south of the border while her children stay

cycle, mixing 2+2+2+3+2 (6+5) with 2+3+2+2+2 (5+6). The opening solo

that as a springboard, Nolan converts the bridge into 5/8 (3+2), and

behind, and the promise she seeks in the "brighter side" of the US. Sung by

and main melody feature Dimitris on oud, himself a student of Turkish

considerably expanded the second go-around. A rock-funk style emerges

Irish vocalist Órla Fallon , founder of Celtic Woman, with all the pathos

oud master Necati Çelik, and Jamey on percussion. A modal I-IV-I blues

via harmonized melodic variation in violin and tenor sax, with solos by

and hope the song requires.

section gives Nolan, Dimitris, Tim and Matt room to stretch out.

Nolan, Tim and Carlitos , and spicy drumming throughout by Gary.

11

10

ELLINGTON / TIZOL · LIVE · BONUS

JAGGER / RICHARDS · LIVE · BONUS

THE LIVE LAUNCH

5:52

7:34

SF JAZZ

Caravan.

Gimme Shelter.

Heard in public.

Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol's 1936 jazz standard, itself a harbinger of the

The Rolling Stones' 1970 classic from Let It Bleed , added to the SF JAZZ

April 13, 2022. Miner Auditorium, SF JAZZ. The Mighty Mighty performed

album's compositional approach, mixing an "Arabic" melody with

show as a crowd favorite and a feature for Tim Ries , the Stones' longtime

every composition from the album live for the first time, then added two

Western jazz harmonies and open improvisation. Nolan's arrangement

touring saxophonist. The arrangement incorporates elements from Tim's

arrangements, Ellington's Caravan and the Stones' Gimme Shelter , that

uses a funky ostinato in the piano under the "Arabic" theme, now

own version, where the 4/4 rock groove gives way to a triple-feel jazz

became the album's bonus tracks 10 and 11. The album, before the album

performed by Dimitris on actual oud, and opens solos to the entire band,

groove for soloing. Nolan added a lyrical obbligato that recurs throughout

existed.

notably Eva Scow's ripping turn on jazz mandolin. Recorded live at SF

like a rondo theme, performed by violin and piano, alongside solos by Tim,

JAZZ, April 13, 2022.

Dimitris and Eva on mandolin.

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BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

THE SONGS, TOLD

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ON TOUR, HOSTED BY CADENZA

FIRST RUN · NOVEMBER 2026

Dr. Nolan Gasser presents

We’re taking Why You Like It on the road! A complete live evening on the science and culture of musical taste, drawn from the PBS show.

Nov 4

eTown Hall

WITH CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

Boulder, Colorado

Nov 6

Miller Outdoor Theatre

WITH CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

Houston, Texas

Nov 13

The Weidner

WITH CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

Green Bay, Wisconsin

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BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

ON TOUR

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THE END

Bayi ni akoko.

(Now is the time)

Border Crossing, eleven compositions, two vocals, two bonus

tracks, is finished, mastered and waiting to be heard.

MORE

nolangasser.com

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BORDER CROSSING · A PROPOSAL TO REAL WORLD RECORDS

BORDER CROSSING

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