Most recently Bearden served as Musical Director for the late Michael Jackson for "This Is It" - the series of 50 concerts that were to be held in London before Jackson's untimely death. Bearden can be seen as the keyboardist in the film documenting Michael Jackson's rehearsals of the concert series. Additionally, he was also the music supervisor, composer, and associate producer of the film.

One can only imagine what a devastating turn of events it must have been for those working with MJ: in one moment going from an absolute dream gig in preparation for one of the most epic concert tours ever staged, the next experiencing first hand the loss of one of the greatest pop icons of our time. In light of the tragedy of MJ's passing, Michael Bearden's work on the film was at once a labor of love and a catharsis, a tangible means to celebrate, memorialize, and pay tribute to a great artist and a dear friend. Yet, this series of events also left him little time to mourn. As he recalls, "I hadn't really had time to process everything. We went straight from Michael passing, to the memorial, to the proposed tributes, to the crafting of the film."

After some time to grieve and reflect, Bearden felt moved to give further creative expression in tribute to his beloved friend and musical partner. The result would be "One Last Goodbye", a stirring and soulful ballad featuring the vocals of Ayanna Irish. The song was released to iTunes on August 29, 2010, Michael Jackson's birthday. As further tribute to MJ's philanthropic efforts, a portion of the proceeds are to be donated to the MusiCares Foundation®, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency health and human services to music people in need.

"I wanted to write something special to commemorate Michael's memory since his passing and recently created the most perfect song titled "One Last Goodbye." It is a genuine expression that best represents how I feel about my friend and colleague. The song pulls at your heart strings and immediately makes you feel loss and love at the same time. I believe it upholds the strong characteristics of MJ but also has elements that represent some of the daunting times he had to experience. Those particular times are a reminder of how we need to treat and embrace one another now and in the future and I believe that was one of Michael's greatest missions" said Bearden.

Indeed, the song could not be a more fitting tribute to The King of Pop. Musically, it blends elements of soul, r&b, gospel, and pop with a melody that is at once classic and pure Americana. Lyrically we experience the personal sentiment, not just of the loss, but also of the great friendship and love that existed between the two artists. It's the perfect setting, and a poignant remembrance that brings the loss of one of world's greatest artists back to the very close and personal perspective of a dear friend.

You can find "One Last Goodbye" on iTunes here.

One Last Goodbye and Ivory II

In early August of 2010, Synthogy received a request from Michael Bearden to send him a copy of Ivory II for a new recording. The only problem was, we hadn't finished the product yet! "It was a bit unusual," recalls Joe Ierardi. "We were just putting the finishing touches on the product, preparing the masters for production, etc. Ordinarily, we don't let things out until they've been released, but Michael has been a great friend to us since we first started, and once he told me the reason for the recording, we just had to get it to him."

Michael did receive Ivory II in time for his recording session, and "One Last Goodbye" officially became the very first recording made with Ivory II. Synthogy is both honored and deeply humbled to be a part of this great tribute. We are also extremely fortunate and thankful to have Michael Bearden take the time to speak with us about this recording and his use of Ivory II, in the video featured here on our site. As you will see, Michael is a class act who's tremendous talent as an artist is only exceeded by his warmth and kindness as a human being.

Watch the video here.