|
I hold
the music of Canadian pianist Michael Jones very close
to my heart. There is something about his style- that
ever-so-delicate touch that I find irresistible, and his
heavenly compositions draw me in every time. Present me
with an extra long CD containing a hundred piano solos
from 100 different musicians, and I am fairly certain I
could successfully identify the piece by Michael. He
makes the keys twinkle with happiness, and it is as if
he and the piano are as one. Unrushed, he allows time
for each piece to develop, and each track is like a
story in itself.
This
CD, containing eight of his most loved tracks from the
1980s, showcases his very special and quite unique
technique. If I were to say that the CD is over 74
minutes long, but contains just eight tracks, it might
give the reader some idea as to the craftsmanship
involved. A lot of work goes into each track, but the
actual recording is spontaneous and, once this is
complete, to some extent Michael puts the music aside,
and starts working on his next piece.
Few CDs contain linear notes as comprehensive as
this one. A three page biography at the start, a
twelve page autobiography (focusing on music!)
followed by eight pages of notes regarding the
tracks. The end result is that the listener
feels she or he has an understanding of the
music, and is able to appreciate it more as a
result. Michael is an excellent story-teller,
and his notes are a joy to read.
The CD opens with "Mexican Memories",
taken from the "Seascapes" album.
Typical Jones, the track meanders on its
journey and offers total relaxation. In
the notes, he says, "Music is the
language of imagination. I created
winter music in the summer, and I
transported myself to the plains and
mountains and the ocean. Mark Twain
wrote Huckleberry Finn in Hartford,
Connecticut, Dimitri Tiomkin composed
the music for High Noon in New York....
and I have never been to Mexico."
"Wildflowers" is quite unusual in that
it features both English horn, flute,
oboe and cello as accompaniment to the
piano. The English horn (and oboe) are
played by Nancy Rumbel, Karen Doe plays
the flute, and David Darling is on
cello. Most of Michael's compositions on
CDs are solo-piano, whereas others
feature piano and cello. The combination
of flute and piano works wonderfully
well, and the result is a very
uplifting, happy track, which captures
the joyous movement of the dancing
flowers. Michael explains how each of us
have our own "special place" where we
can be inspired and rejuvenated. He
refers to these as "gifts of the
wilderness". He goes on to explain....
"As I sit at the piano, my imagination
visits these places, and each one is
filled with the images of wildflowers.
Whether they stand quietly in the forest
or dance in the midday sun, their beauty
commands my attention. As they open
their petals to greet the day, I can
almost hear their joyful cry.
Track 3 is the
piece of music that set the ball rolling for Michael. "Pianoscapes",
the title track of the album he first released for Narada (and
indeed Narada's first release) perhaps only came about thanks to
the gentle persuasion of one of the guests that Michael was
enlightening with one of his educational programmes. Following
the day's work, the group went en-masse to a local restaurant.
After the meal, Michael was asked to play the piano. Following
his performance of "Pianoscapes", one of the conference members
who had been listening from another room, entered and asked
Michael if that had been him playing on the piano. When Michael
replied that indeed it was him, the man encouraged him to record
the piece. Michael did just that around a year later. The ten
minute track takes many different directions during its journey.
To this day, he still tinkers with it. As Michael himself says,
"I have lived with and performed this selection longer than any
of my other recorded compositions. Over the years, it continues
to surprise me. An added nuance here, or a variation on an inner
voicing there. It continues to refine and simplify. I learned
not to try to complete a piece too quickly, otherwise I miss the
jewel inside- the essence of what the music has to say to me."
"After the
Rain" is quite possibly Michael's most well-known piece of
music. The piano is accompanied by cello, oboe and English horn.
Listen to the rain drops at the start, as he twinkles with the
piano. Soft, gentle, soothing. Heavenly rain indeed. The piece
is in three sections, with slight variations in each. Just as a
shower would be slightly different each time, so are the
sections of this piece. The story behind the inspiration for
this piece is utterly captivating. Having spent several summers
living in a restored barn in north-eastern Ontario, Michael
decided to visit an auction at a nearby town. The local church
had purchased a new electronic organ, and the original pump
organ was for sale. Michael reflected on the time he had spent
with his Grandmother as she had taught him how to play such an
instrument, and- impressed with its fine wood carving- he tested
the bellows and decided to purchase it. Several of Michael's
friends assisted in the none-too-easy task of securing the organ
into the back of an open pick-up truck. With no room in the
driver's cab for them all, Michael was suddenly struck by an
idea. He decided to sit in the back with the organ and play it
en-route to the barn! Michael continues the story.... "It had
rained that day. A heavy mist lifted off the fields. As the
truck moved slowly through the countryside, the rays of the
setting sun created a hazy, golden glow across the green fields
and forests. I watched as people, seemingly suspended in air
because of the mist, worked the soil in their fields and weeded
their gardens. As the wind blew across my face, and I drank in
the beauty of the scenes, I played- and rich organ music filled
the air." And so "After the Rain" was born. You can listen to
the entire track by clicking the Piano Heaven logo at the bottom
of this review.
Track 5,
"Sunshine Canyon" is special to me because it combines the touch
of Michael Jones's piano with the gorgeous cello playing of
David Darling. The ensuing music is magical. There is something
special about the combination of piano and cello. It is as if
the two instruments were made for one another. The track is
taken from the much-loved, but sadly Out-of-Print "Amber" album
(available directly from Michael Jones). The album was recorded
in Sunshine Canyon, overlooking the Boulder Valley and the Great
Divide in Colorado. The two improvised together, initially with
Michael playing grand cascades on the piano, dueling with
David's broad sweeps of the bow on the cello. However, things
took a different direction when Michael and David started to
experiment with a gentler combination. Michael takes up the
story: "I began to develop a wistful piano theme while David
plucked a soft pizzicato. For hours we explored its many nuances
and variations. At times, the piano and cello blended so
completely, we thought we heard a third instrument. The music
was like a meditation. I find that creations often come by
surprise. Ideas simply appear. "Sunshine Canyon" came to us in
this way. It's quite possible if the tape recorder had
malfunctioned, "Sunshine Canyon" would have disappeared just as
quickly!"
"Song for Eia"
is very special to me, and is dedicated to a brave young lady
"who lost her life in unfortunate circumstances." In fact, if
push came to shove, then I would say that it is my favourite
piece of music in my entire collection of over ten thousand
piano tracks. From start to finish, it just captivates me with
its beauty. My favourite part is towards the end, when there is
a plethora of notes and the piece becomes rather rhythmical and
upbeat. The piece was inspired by stormy evenings at Michael's
lake-front house in rural Ontario- and Michael was a fan of such
evenings as it got his creative juices working. He recalls how
the air was moist with an approaching storm, and the waves were
lapping up on the pebble shore. "The night had its own song,"
says Michael, as he recalls that evening. He had to stop
frequently to wipe the dampness from the keys. The theme came
quickly. Michael explains.... "With my left hand, I played a
swelling ostinato pattern, which captured the slow but steady
movement of the waves outside. As the melody developed, a worm,
moist breeze wafted through the screen porch, rustling the
leaves of the maple tree outside. When the rain started
pattering on the roof, I answered with slow, cascading
arpeggios. As the final section of the piece came into form, the
rain and wind sang together, creating their own duet. In the
distance, the thunder rumbled across the lake, easing the
tension in the air, and the music gained a full and rhythmic
quality." It is this part of the composition that I love dearly.
The piece was originally entitled, "Night-Wind", something that
many of us will have experienced in the past. Bravo, Michael!
"Sunrise" is
the penultimate track and is taken from "Magical Child". It
features David Darling on cello, Nancy Rumble on oboe and
English horn, and Karen Doe on flute. As ever, the music that
follows is very relaxing and meanders one way and then another.
I particularly like it where the piano and cello combine at
around five minutes into the piece. This track came about whilst
Michael was playing early one morning on a patio deck, where
ducks had gathered in the reeds to bathe. The opening passage of
this piece seems to capture their playfulness. Michael was
mesmerised by the sounds of nature around him. In his notes, he
refers to this as a "symphony". Michael watched, listened and
played. Once again, the inspiration came from his surroundings.
The closing
track is, fittingly enough, "Endings". This is taken from the "Pianoscapes"
album. Finding himself in completely different surroundings to
that which inspired "Sunrise", Michael took in the sights and
sounds of city life, courtesy of a fellow musician's apartment
which came Michael's way one Winter. He was fascinated by the
city at night. This is a laid-back piece- one for a late night
New Orleans bar. It is the perfect end to the perfect CD.
I cannot
recommend this CD highly enough. If you like melodic, relaxing
music played by a master of the genre, then this is for you. It
is the perfect introduction to Michael's early music. Since
then, he has gone on to record and release several more albums.
Michael is no longer with Narada, and releases his music
independently through his Pianoscapes website, which also stocks
all his CDs, including the ones that are out of print. His most
recent effort, "Almost Home", released in Summer 2006, is
particularly good and is featured in the Piano Heaven pages.
"Michael's Music- A Michael Jones Retrospective" receives my
highest recommendation.
S.C.
|
