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"Harmony in Disarray" is Elijah Bossenbroek's debut CD. One
might, therefore, expect an album full of flaws- but nothing
could be further from the truth. Elijah has created an
outstanding first album which will blow away the listener.
Fresh, original and tremendous fun are words I would use to
describe the music of this young Arizona-based pianist.
Having begged for and then intensely disliked piano lessons due
to their rigidness, for some time Elijah abandoned the piano
even though those around him would constantly lavish praise upon
him. An offer from his mother to stay at home and record his
music by supporting him financially (thus enabling him to give
up his "dead-end" job) was the final piece in the complicated
jigsaw puzzle that eventually saw the release of this superb
album.
Readers who have read the Piano-Heaven review of
Elijah's other CD, ‘Carpe Lumen’ or those already
familiar with this artist, will not be surprised to read
that this album takes much the same shape as his other
stellar work. Introduce a delicate and pretty little
melody, develop it, increase the tempo and dynamics, and
then return to the original starting point- is basically
the structure Elijah follows. It is one that works
incredibly well for him.
The CD opens with ‘On the Wings’. As expected
a quiet, reflective opening- but it does not
take long for his trademark sound to surface. In
keeping with every track on this (and his other)
CD, the music is very easy to listen to- and
immediately engaging. Although it would work
perfectly well as background music, these tracks
deserve the listener's full attention.
Elijah's ear for melody is again evident in the
second track, ‘The Calm Before’. It has a
hymn-like opening, and I know God has been a
great influence on this composer. Soon enough,
the ‘Elijah-effect’ takes hold and the
composition becomes recognisable as one of his.
Elijah has a very distinct style. I'd like to
think that given a hundred tracks from a hundred
different composers, I'd be able to pick out
his.
Great technique is displayed as the "Calm
Before" section clearly ends and the fun begins!
Track three is entitled, ‘Harmony in
Disarray’. The title would suggest a disjointed
affair, but this is most pleasing to the ear.
This is actually one of Elijah's slower pieces,
so perhaps the title refers more to a difficult
time in the composer's life. The music is well
structured and very melodic.
The
next track, ‘Spinning Nowhere’ starts off innocently
enough. That soon changes, as I am sure the reader has
come to realise. Does this track represent Elijah
feeling that his life was going no where? The music is
far from depressing. In fact, my fingers dance as I
listen. The track's final form must be of great pleasure
to the composer. Earlier in his life, he was frustrated
by his inability to perform the music he had in his
head- he felt his hands just weren't up to the
fast-tempo that the music demanded. Well, I am pleased
to report his fingers hit all the right notes and in
World-Record time too. This composition reminds me of
the style of Philip Aaberg (‘Live from
Montana’, ‘Blue-West’) and a little of George Winston
at his most playful.
My
favourite Elijah Bossenbroek track is number five- ‘A
Song of Simplicity’. There is nothing simple about his
playing, but the song has a fairly straight-forward
melody line.
It is simply gorgeous, and a quick read of all the
reviews at CD Baby (can any other CD have so many
positive customer comments at this web-site?) show that
this is indeed a very popular track. In fact, Elijah
remixed it for his follow-up album, Carpe Lumen. Listen
to the sample by clicking the Piano-Heaven logo at the
bottom of this review.
I'm
also in love with ‘Promises’. How Elijah comes up with
these gorgeous melodies time after time is beyond me.
Make no mistake, this man has a gift in music. The track
is another favourite in an album full of favourites.
‘Humble Beginnings’ is a significant track, for a more
stripped-down version of this was actually the
musician's first composition, and the one that made his
mother realise that her son had a special gift that she
couldn't see going to waste. Needless to say, it is
lovely and it is not difficult to envisage- even in its
more basic form- why Mrs. Bossenbroek saw so much
potential in the music she was hearing.
Track eight is entitled ‘Ignorance’. A more delightful
opening to a track you'd be hard-pressed to hear. Who is
ignorant and about what remains unclear, perhaps rather
appropriately so. Whilst this track does develop, it's
definitely one of the slower works to come out out of
the Elijah stable. And that is part of its appeal- the
melody comes through very clearly. There are parts of
this track that remind me of a little ballerina dancing.
The
slow-tempo pattern continues with the opening of
‘Please’ and is almost minimalist in form. The tempo
picks up, as do the dynamics. This track reminds me very
much of something that Michael Allen Harrison
might create. Again, it's a faultless composition.
If,
as I suspect, the music on this CD is basically a
biography of the life of the composer, his life took a
turn for the better as we reach the penultimate track.
New-found love and marriage, a CD release imminent- all
is well with life. Not surprisingly this is a happy,
feel-good track.
The
final track, ‘Leaps and Bounds’ came as quite a shock.
From what is basically a solo-piano album, the listener
is suddenly introduced to sustained synthesiser
embellishments, with the piano occasionally coming in
with a handful of notes in parts. Gradually, the piano
takes the lead with the synthesisers relegated to the
background. If I hadn't heard Elijah's follow-up album,
I'd have suggested that the composer was experimenting
with a possible change in direction. I think the music
the listener hears in the final track is Elijah at play,
having some fun. ‘Leaps and Bounds’ is a happy title,
and this is an upbeat and refreshing track. It's
different, and ends the CD in an entertaining way.
Expect the unexpected with Elijah!
I
enjoyed the brief notes within the CD insert. I'm not
sure whether he's joking or being serious (more than
likely a combination of both!) when he says, "First, I
would like to thank you for purchasing this CD; I can
now eat tonight.’ I think a statement like this actually
reveals Elijah's personality, and his energy for life
comes through very clearly in the compositions that he
creates. Another thing I particularly liked about this
CD was the clarity of the piano playing. I think that on
‘Carpe Lumen’, Elijah uses a combination of piano /
digital piano / keyboards, but to this novice's ears, it
is the sound only of a piano that comes through.
An
excellent album from start to finish. I thoroughly
recommend ‘Harmony in Disarray’, together with ‘Carpe
Lumen’. I think this artist has big things ahead of him.
He is a real talent and can go only go from strength to
strength. Bravo, Elijah!
S.C.
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