Prince Archives - Michael B. Nelson

EveryTHING bLOWs! – available now!!

michaelnelson — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 20:31:41 +0000

The Hornheads latest CD EveryTHING bLOWs! has been released. Get you physical copy at Amazon now.

“Side A” features the Hornheads signature “a cappella” jazz / funk sound, while “Side B” brings in a funky, high energy rhythm section featuring special guests, Vulfpeck guitarist Cory Wong, and Serbian phenom Petar Janjic on drums.

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R.I.P Prince

michaelnelson — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 02:18:49 +0000

4/21/2016 With great sadness we say goodbye to PRINCE, the musical genius that was the impetus for the Hornheads creation. My 25 year association with Prince started in 1991, traveling the world with him and the NPG on the Diamonds and Pearls tour. He was an uncompromising band leader and a flawless performer. Every show was a thrill beyond description that left you drained, yet exhilarated. I also had the privilege to write horn arrangements for, and record on dozens of his solo CDs and related artist projects, beginning with the 1992 “Symbol” album, through his last release in 2016, as well as many, many tracks that are still resting in the vault. In 2014, after Clare Fischer’s passing, and in keeping with Prince’s mantra, “real music by real musicians”, he had me start producing full orchestral sessions with the Hornheads and Adi Yeshaya with StrinGENIUS. Sharing the studio with him was a revelation. His passion for music and the creative process was unparalleled and drove everyone around him to go beyond their own perceived limitation. His influence on my music was immeasurable. He was a force of nature and will be missed by me, along with the millions he touched from around the world. R.I.P. Prince

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Hornheads on new Prince single w/Zooey Deschanel

michaelnelson — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 20:17:34 +0000

Prince’s new single FALLINLOVE2NITE feat. Zooey Deschanel, has been released by Epic Records (available on iTunes ). The Hornheads got to drop in some funky licks throughout the song, and I had the pleasure of bringing in Adi Yeshaya and STRINGenius to add the wonderful string work. The song was 1st premiered on the post Superbowl episode of “New Girl” in which Prince guest starred and performed a short version of the song. It’s seems the fan’s outcry for this catchy tune to be released finally paid off.

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Prince releases new single featuring the Hornheads

michaelnelson — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:10:12 +0000

Prince has just released “Extraloveable Reloaded” for download on his 3rd Eye Girl website. This is a remake of a song of his from the early ’80s that now includes a signature Hornheads breakdown in the middle. There’s a sample of it on Dr. Funkenberry if you want to check it out, but it doesn’t get to the real funky horn stuff. Prince asked me to do a horn break in the style of my Hornheads composition “Intermission”, which we used to play with Prince on tour. We did this session in Nov. of 2011, which ended up being the start of a very active stretch of recording with Prince that lasted up until he went on his 3rd Eye Girl tour in April of 2013. This recording marked the 20th anniversary of when we first worked with Prince. What an experience it was and still continues to be.

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More Hornheads work with Prince released

michaelnelson — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:10:23 +0000

The Hornheads appear on 2 more Prince singles”Boyfriend Demo” and “Ain’t Gonna Miss U When U’re Gone” featuring Ledisi. Both are available for download at 3rd Eye Girl. (update – Boyfriend is no longer available at the 3rd Eye Girl site).

“Boyfriend” has some fun interplay between 2 differently configured Hornheads passes. So 10 horns! This arrangement came together in a very different way than most Prince charts. He sent me a very simple track that had just a basic rhythm section and instructions that it was an instrumental. I created an arrangement with two 5 piece sections. One ensemble is muted brass, tenor, and alto while the other is a standard Hornheads instrumentation of 2 trumpets, bone, tenor, bari. The muted ensemble carries the hook played in unison and the 2nd ensemble fills things out more like a standard horn section. Prince took this arrangement and essentially edited out the some of the horn parts to make it work with the vocals, synth parts and other elements that he had added in. It was really fun hearing how much the final version had evolved from the way it had originally been presented to me.

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