Thursday, January 5, 2012Review of Pools of Light songbook
Composer: Brian Kelly
Title: Pools of Light Solo Piano Songbook
Price: $25
ISBN: 978-0979422010
Available from: www.BrianKelly.com and
Amazon
Review from Kathy Parsons (mainlypiano.com):
"Brian Kelly’s Pools of Light solo piano songbook is a completely revised and expanded edition of the e-book that was published in 2006. Twelve of the thirteen tracks from the album are included (“Sacred Waters” is a percussion interlude that isn’t adaptable to the piano), transcribed by Kelly himself and arranged for solo piano; I helped with the editing. The Pools of Light recording is ensemble, so some of the parts for other instruments have been incorporated into the piano part to make the sheet music sound as close to the original recording as possible. Kelly also wrote four pages of performance notes to help the pianist understand his intentions and to note differences from the recording. Coming from the composer himself, these notes are invaluable!
Brian Kelly is an incredible pianist who is very fluent in jazz stylings, so his music is far from simple and would be beyond beginning and intermediate pianists’ capabilities. Some of the pieces include cadenzas that are complicated and require very nimble fingers. The jazz rhythms are complex (and a lot of fun!) and some of the pieces have difficult key signatures (noted below). Kelly has suggested fingering for some of the thornier passages and expression has been carefully indicated according to the CD. The book is printed on bright white paper with clear, crisp type, and is spiral bound. The spacing within the scores is roomy and easy to read, and the cover is a beautiful print of the album cover artwork on glossy stock, making this a very attractive book! If you are a pianist at an early advanced to advanced playing level, this book is great fun and very satisfying to play! It is available from www.skylightmusic.com and www.briankelly.com, and I highly recommend it!"
Read full review >>
Monday, December 12, 2011New Review of Reflections CD by Michael Diamond
'Reflections' by John Paris
Filed under:
Featured Music — Leave a comment December 7, 2011
Contact: www.johnparismusic.com
From performing with the Minneapolis Symphony, to sharing the stage with the Moody Blues and other headlining acts, as well as appearing on the Merv Griffin Show and Jerry Lewis Telethons, John Paris has had a rich and varied career that spans four decades. During that time he was leader, composer and arranger for the Las Vegas show-band Atlantis who played at the world famous Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas as well as touring major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and more. His resume and credentials are extensive and impressive, but suffice it to say that he is a highly regarded professional who brings a wealth of real world experience to his music. While he has formal musical training from Concordia College and the University of Nevada, he was also “schooled” by a number of well-respected music teachers, including Dennis Sandoli who taught jazz greats John Coltrane and the Brecker Brothers.
While jazz is certainly a part of John’s musical DNA, it combines with flowing new age music on these exquisite solo piano excursions. His sound is a fusion of these elements and was “written and performed to be spiritually uplifting, healing, relaxing and rejuvenating.” He goes on to explain: “These pieces came to me spontaneously in a flash of inspiration. I simply open my heart to the Divine Sound Current and let my fingers express what comes through. Music has always been a very special part of my life. It has been my healer, mentor, doorway to spiritual evolution and comforter. As an artist, I venture to bring you to a warm familiar place… like the feeling before a long awaited homecoming.”
This last sentence is an extraordinarily good description of the feeling I got from listening to the first piece on the album, the title track. Beginning with tinkling arpeggios that evolve into a heart-warming and cinematic chord progression, I had a mental picture of coming in out of the rain to a cozy living room with a fire burning and a pot of tea on the stove. There is an eloquent emotional expression in John’s playing that draws you in and makes you feel right at home. He has both incredible technique and feel that is dazzling, yet always in service of the music and never showy or ostentatious for it’s own sake. On “Cold Winter Night,” John displays his range and flair for improvisation as he starts out with an ornate motif for about the first third of the song before evolving into a bluesy interlude that make use of space as well as sound as it progresses into jazzier territory in the second half. This is another quality I found admirable in his music – the use of diversity and the ability to combine unlikely elements in ways that makes it feel like they were meant for each other.
The haunting strains of Lady Moon” seem to tell a story that is open to interpretation by the listener. For me, it conjured an image of seeing the moon on a partly cloudy night where glimpses of its pale luminous presence appear sporadically in the dark sky. By contrast, “Joyful Heart” has a more airy feel and a lightness that is perfectly expressed in its’ title. I particularly liked “Early Morning” with its unexpected twists and turns that bespoke of a day filled with a multitude of possibilities. This spirit of optimism is also captured in a song called “Rollin’” with its upbeat air and feeling of forward motion. A perfect traveling companion for this song is track 11, entitled “In The Country” which has a kinetic quality and conveys a sense of expectation at what surprise may wait just around the next bend in the road.
The CD, which features 14 songs and extends over an hour, is tucked in for a peaceful conclusion with “Lullaby Of The Eternal Dreamer.” This piece, perhaps the most sensitive on the album, displays a simplicity and sense of comfort befitting a lullaby and further illustrates the range of John’s playing and the variation in the emotional palate he composes from. This is a wonderful collection of compositions that could serve equally as a relaxing background or provide a more attentive listening experience. “Reflections” is an excellent follow up to John’s previous “Journey Of Soul” release, and leaves me looking forward to hearing the recording he has planned for next year.
Friday, December 9, 2011 Brian Kelly - Pools of Light Solo Piano Songbook
From composer/pianist Brian Kelly: "Pools of Light Solo Piano Songbook", the companion sheet music book to his acclaimed piano instrumental album, is now available in print edition.
The 88-page songbook is spiral-bound and printed on high quality paper with a glossy cover. This edition has been completely revised and expanded. It includes twelve solo piano transcriptions of music from the album, as well as performance notes and detailed fingering. Price: $25.
Available now at BrianKelly.com
Songs: Open Sky * Pools of Light * Cool Blue * Unfolding * Expect a Miracle * Troubadour * Angels Breathing * With Eyes Closed * Home at Last * Calling for Rain * Speak Your Heart * When the Stars Align
Sunday, November 27, 2011New Album Release by Richard P John
Echoes, the third album by Richard P John is now available to download from iTunes.
Monday, October 24, 2011Doug Hammer releases Travels, a 39 song double album
Doug Hammer has just released Travels, Travels, Doug Hammer’s follow-up to Solace, includes 39 new original songs from meditative to melodic. Personal and intimate, it tells a story of past, present, and future, of places seen and places only in dreams.
Disc 1 is Travels, a collection of 19 handcrafted songs.
Disc 2 is Travels: Detour, 20 songs created during the making of Travels.
It continues the story, goes to some unexpected places, but finally comes back home.
Life, love, loss. Moments, journeys and the brightness of days.
Available now at www.doughammer.net
Monday, October 10, 2011G. 1888 Songbook Vol.1
This songbook includes 6 sheet music for piano from the album "G. 1888" by Stéphane Horeczko. Sheet music optimized for tablets and computer monitors. A tribute to composer Erik Satie and his famous "3 Gymnopédies" published for the first time in year 1888. Contents: 1- Fugaces, 2- G. 1888, 3- Monochrome, 4- Absences, 5- Ondulations, 6- Une épine et la beauté.
Available at iTunes Apple iBookstore (US, DE, FR), Amazon Kindle Store (US, UK, DE, FR) and for Nook at B&N (US).
Sunday, October 2, 2011Reflections - a collection of easy listening piano compositions
The album 'Reflections' by Dan Phelps, a collection of slow to mid-tempo, relaxing solo piano compositions is available from www.phelpsmusic.com
Sunday, September 25, 2011Sheet music for November available.
The sheet music for Richard P John's album November is now available at his website.
http://www.richardpjohn.com
New Artists
Selected piano artist links
Selected publications
 |
Copyright © 2006 Robert J. Wierzbicki and Steven Cravis |  |