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There is
something exciting about discovering someone new on
the New Age Piano circuit who blows the listener
away with their magical piano playing. This is most
certainly the case with Karen Marie Garrett's second
CD, one that features mainly original compositions.
Tip-Toe
Dancer opens the twelve track CD, and what a
gorgeous way to begin. I am not famed for my
dancing, but this piece makes me want to get up and
start dancing around the room! The melody is simply
beautiful from start to finish.
This track
has been extremely popular, and Karen Marie Garrett
is rapidly making quite a name for herself in the
music circuit.
Whereas Tip-Toe
Dancer is a most uplifting piece, the second track,
Lake Ewok Muse, is most mournful. It combines piano
and cello to devastating effect. As Karen explains
herself in the linear notes, "This improvisational
piece followed a sunrise meditation beside Lake Ewok
at the Skywalker Ranch. The serene setting of the
lake and the wildlife were breathtaking."
The third
track, Simple Things, is another favourite. Very
delicate, as perhaps the title would suggest, it is
lovely to listen to from beginning to end. Welcome B
is yet another special track, in a CD that is full
of highlights. Another beautiful melody that the
listener will want to hear time and time again.
Tracks 7
through to 9 pay homage to the great Erik Satie with
three pieces: Gnossienne No. 1, 2 and 3.
The founder of
the legendary Windham Hill Records empire, Will
Ackerman, produced this album, and Karen clearly
feels indebted to him. She dedicates the album's
tenth track to her mentor. "Will's Song" is another
improvisation. Whilst warming up the concert grand
in the studio, Will was being interviewed in the
Green Room. A melody suddenly came Karen's way,
which she developed there and then. She quickly
asked the engineer to start recording, and the
second cut became the complete song. In her
dedications, Karen says, "To Will: Thank you for
helping me find where the music is coming from and
to not be afraid to share the music I feel with
others." With clearly genuine appreciation and
admiration in equal measure, she goes on to say,
"Thank you for becoming my mentor; this project
would not have been possible without you."
The CD closes
with a reprisal of the second track- this time solo
piano. It is gorgeous.
This really is an outstanding
CD. I give it my highest recommendation and feel
blessed to have discovered it. There is also
excellent news for fans of Karen- as well as the
2007 release of
It's About the Rose,
a new CD is in the pipe-line featuring plenty of
piano / cello, and is scheduled for a 2011 release.
S.C. |
