The First Surge

Ward C Locke

Playlist

Single $1

A high-velocity collision of acoustic piano, upright bass, and drums. No filler, just 160 BPM of manic friction and chromatic tension. A raw, percussive sprint through modern avant-garde jazz.

manic intense hard bop aggressive technical kinetic acoustic trio modern bebop avant garde jazz fast piano trio a minor jazz percussive piano virtuoso jazz high speed acoustic

Ward C Locke

I don't confine myself to a single genre. My muse draws from every direction, and I follow where it leads using various AI technologies.

Hello, and thank you for listening. I don't really have a single genre that I aspire to create. It's mainly just what I'm feeling in the moment. My muse draws inspiration from every direction. My musical voyage takes me on journeys both internal and external, journeys whose results I can't always predict. For me, it's truly the journey that matters, not the destination. I let my creativity flow freely, allowing it to guide me where it will. I don't constrain myself to a particular style or genre; instead, I embrace the boundless possibilities of musical expression. Each new piece is an adventure, an opportunity to explore uncharted sonic territory. My aim is not to adhere to any preconceived notions of what my music "should" sound like. Rather, I strive to authentically channel the emotions, ideas, and perspectives that well up within me at any given time. The end result may defy easy categorization, but that's part of the beauty. I'm not beholden to any expectations other than my own artistic vision. So in short, I let my muse be my guide. I follow where it leads, embracing the unpredictable journey of musical creation (via various AI technologies). I hope you'll join me on these voyages, as I never know quite where they might take us. Cheers!

Song Info

Genre

Jazz • Jazz Fusion

Charts

#20 in subgenre Peak #8

Author

Ward C Locke

Rights

Ward C Locke

Uploaded

January 13, 2026

Track Files

MP3

MP3 4.9 MB • 320 kbps • 2:08

Lossless

WAV 23.5 MB

Meta Data

BPM

160

Beat

4/4

Key

A min

Vocals

No vocals, instrumental only

Story behind the song

This track is a physical gauntlet. At 160 BPM, the "mechanical" feel isn't an effect it's the result of fighting the natural friction of the instrument. The challenge was maintaining that relentless, driving speed with human fingers until the hands almost seize up. It’s about that narrow space where human precision mimics industrial automation.

The Movements:

0:00  0:54: The Ignition The trio drops in with a jagged, percussive piano theme. There is no warm-up; the bass and drums lock into a frantic, high-pressure groove that feels like a machine redlining from the first bar.

0:54  1:36: The Vertigo Solo The piano breaks into high-speed runs, leaning heavily into chromatic "outside" notes. It’s a dizzying display of dexterity that stays on the edge of falling apart without ever losing the pocket.

1:36  2:20: The Power Cycle The focus shifts to heavy, rhythmic unisons. The upright bass digs in deep while the piano hammers out clusters in the lower register, mimicking a mechanical reset that builds unbearable tension.

2:20  2:48: The Hard Stop A final, frantic burst of high-speed bebop lines that leads to a sudden, dead-stop silence. No fade-out, no resolution just a clean break as the momentum hits a wall.

Cultural/Musical Heritage:

"The First Surge" is rooted in the aggressive edge of Hard Bop and the Virtuoso Piano Trio tradition. It discards the "polite" jazz aesthetic for a percussive approach where the piano is treated as a hammer-and-string machine. By utilizing chromaticism and "outside" melodic choices, the track honors the tension-heavy history of avant-garde fusion while maintaining the technical discipline required for high-speed acoustic performance.

Lyrics and concept by Ward C Locke. Music produced using Suno AI.

Comments

Please sign up or log in to post a comment.