I wrote Happy Now in 2014 during a visit to Palm Bay, Florida. The A section is essentially based on a blues form with variations. With G9 in bar one and C9 in bar five, it reflects the primary chord progression of a 12-bar blues. The ten-bar A section and nine-bar B section are the result of through-composing, where the form reveals itself in real time. The bridge shifts key and moves into more of a walking feel, then transitions smoothly back to the A section by sharing its turnaround. This piece is a good example of a song where the melody and harmony developed at the same time, each supporting the other. I recorded Happy Now with Tom Glenn for our CD New Song, and RedShift performed it regularly.
Track from the 2013 Goodis/Glenn CD “New Song”
RedShift live at the Bluebeet 8/25/2021
Video from my Quarantine 2020 Project
Original Manuscript
