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Do Not Sing Such a Song

by Tad Bleak

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about

“Do not sing such a song,” my grandfather told me, was one of the few phrases in English the guards in his camp knew. They voiced this command whenever he and his fellow prisoners of war would sing in their quarters in an effort to build solidarity, conjure thoughts of home, express defiance. This piece was written in memory of my grandfather, John J. Budzynski, and his experiences as a POW in Japan during WWII. It’s also the first piece I’ve written that follows a deliberate narrative arc. Capture on Guam. Transport to the camps. The tedium and indignity of forced labor. The daily dispensation of violent punishment. The horrific task of burning the bodies of his fellow captives who succumbed to the conditions. Small acts of resistance such as stealing a handful of rice. Yearning to be home, wondering what life would be like there if he made it out alive. And ultimately - after the better part of 4 years - liberation.

This was written to honor the unbreakable spirit of my grandfather and to depict the adversity he overcame in order to survive. He was an amazing man and the most wonderful grandfather anyone could hope to have. I never once heard him speak ill of his captors. He was mostly into Placido Domingo and Johnny Cash, but I hope I’ve done him proud with this.

credits

released October 27, 2020

All music written and recorded by Jim DelFosse
Artwork by Chris Odgers/Sawhorse Books and Illustration
Strings on A Dog Possessed performed by Elise Dalleska
Mixed by Sanford Parker
Mastered at Boiler Room

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Tad Bleak Chicago, Illinois

Tad Bleak is the project of Chicago composer and musician Jim DelFosse. A faded music diploma covered by a Stranglers poster; the mournful sound of the last Xanax clanging around the container. Where dark, strident piano themes - anchored by sinister bass lines - maintain an uneasy truce with soulfully twisted guitar schizophrenics. Eine kleine Nachtmusik? Not a little night music -a lot of it. ... more

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