|
Formats and Editions
1. The Ascent
2. Mountain Home
3. Along The Ridge
4. Flight Of The Wind
5. First Light
6. Secret Place
7. Country Walk
8. Meadow Dance
9. Passing Storm
10. Gentle Rain
11. Forgotten Melody
12. Hallelujah!
13. Souls Rising
More Info:
ALBUM NOTES AND REFLECTIONS: TITLE 1-THE ASCENT When I started THE ASCENT, I envisioned a suite of melodies, even several pieces of music, to reflect the story of climbing a mountain. Ultimately the melodies were molded into a single piece. Living in Colorado, there are plenty of hills and mountains to climb. The scenery is so breathtaking that even the physical test of hiking or mountain climbing is eclipsed by the surrounding beauty. In THE ASCENT, it starts off with a Native American chanting beat-almost drum-like. This drum-like pulse recurs throughout the piece-to the end. There are so many times in Colorado and the Western US, that I see mountains or vistas, and visualize the frontier past of this land. I generally cannot see those vistas without visualizing Native Americans on majestic horses at the top of the ridges-surveying the vastness of the land-the vast land that can be friendly, but it can also be challenging. The first melody of the piece is the "theme" melody and recurs throughout. It is a gentle melody that reminds marks the starting of the journey, the middle, and the end. After the theme is announced, there is a fanfare-like section that signals the beginning of the climb. This climb may be challenging, but there will be the reward of accomplishment and the gift of the sharing the majesty of nature along the journey. "Americana" is the word that I would use to describe this fanfare. The first half of the piece is all about 'going up'-the climb. The musical patterns are ascending-low to high. The top is reached. Honestly, I struggled with this section over several months. I first made the section too complicated-too long. Then I changed things around; it was still too detached from the rest of the piece. I finally arrived at simplicity. The top of the climb is a quiet celebration. It reflects the theme from the opening of the piece in what I tried to make ethereal and gentle. However, the celebration at the top must end; you probably cannot stay on the mountaintop forever. The descent is the second half of the piece. The musical patterns are reversed from the climb. They are descending-high to low. The bottom is reached-the journey is over-the accomplishment is complete! The theme ends the piece with the pulsing of the Native American drums. However, there is a hunger, a longing, to not let too much time pass before climbing the mountain (or another one) again (AND AGAIN AND AGAIN). The last notes of THE ASCENT are a shrill roll that are intended to reflect a last glance back to the top of the mountain-gratitude for the challenge and a call to say that it will not be too long before we meet again! Not to be too philosophical, but probably most of my music reflects my life in some way. In life, there are ups and downs-uphill climbs and (unfortunately) falls at times. THE ASCENT can be challenging and rewarding simultaneously. As we meet the challenges of life, and goals are met, there is always the next hill to climb-the next thing to do-the next goal to accomplish. That last glance back to the top in THE ASCENT is the acknowledgment that there really must be more to come. Yes, there must be more to come if we are to grow-grow in all aspects of our lives-physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and any other way. TITLE 2-MOUNTAIN HOME The place we hang our hat is generally a very special place to all of us. It can be a simple space or it can be vast for some. It provides shelter and security that most of us cherish. For me, my MOUNTAIN HOME is the place where I can totally relax and be myself. It is the place where I can be creative. I can play music in the dark at 4 AM. Personally, I have been very fortunate to live in a very beautiful spot in the mountains of Colorado. I do not take that for granted for one day. I live on the side of a hill at about 9,000 feet elevation. It is a place where the sunrises and the sunsets will take your breath away. It is a place where the bleakness of a very cold winter indeed melts into the grandeur and rebirth of spring-green beautiful, warm spring! While winters are sometimes long, they are beautiful-snow covered peaks and trees make a fantastic setting for creating music and art. My favorite nights of the year are the full moon nights on a thick snow-covered ground. It is like daylight-a bit magic! You can see across the peaks as if it were the light of day. It is almost like the universe is sharing a secret that you would otherwise not experience on a typical dark night. On the dark, moonless, nights, I love to build an outdoor fire and sit by it with a bottle of wine and music. My musical tastes are vast-piano (of course) to hip-hop, trance to dance, pop to holiday, country to folk, and well, I am sure you get the message. There is not a genre of music that I do not bond with. Music speaks to my soul and my MOUTAIN HOME tried to reflect that importance of having a place for creativity and re-creation. TITLE 3-ALONG THE RIDGE At my house, on every sunny day, there is a fleeting window of time during the sunrise-a few minutes when there is an intense golden band of sunlight that bathes the top quarter of the ridge around two of the mountains that I face on the front of my house-Hick's Mountain and Mt. Judge. The gold is so intense that is looks artificial. It is so intense that you have to look at it and know that this beauty is not man-made. It is a very special time every morning, but you better not blink because as the sun rises over the hills in earnest, this golden band fades into the brightness of the overall light of day. It is worth getting up to see this golden band ALONG THE RIDGE-no matter what time of year. TITLE 4-FLIGHT OF THE WIND In the mountains where I live, there can be very intense winds. These winds are particularly strong on the front and back ends of winter storms. As the seasons change, there can also be very intense winds. The Aspen trees on the mountain make a quilt of green during the summer. They fade to yellow and gold during September and by October, the trees are bare. FLIGHT OF THE WIND was inspired by the wind that carries bunches of these leaves across the land in sweeping tornado-like fashion-scattering them wherever it may. In writing this piece, there is a common them that is woven throughout from start to finish. In that common theme, I visualized a single leaf that travelled through the wind. Sometimes, it would dance across the sky in a solo leaf ballet. Other times, it would be caught up in a swirl of many leaves-dancing together! The piece ends loud and strong-simple, yet loud and strong-symbolizing the invisible power of the wind. TITLE 5-FIRST LIGHT Every day we have the opportunity to seize the day and make it the best it can possibly be. FIRST LIGHT is the celebration of the beautiful, gentle sunlight that slowly breaks in the eastern sky and brings the darkness of the night to the full light of day. There is something very profound and powerful about the inevitable rising of the sun to shed it's FIRST LIGHT on the possibilities of the new day. If we take advantage of those possibilities and challenge ourselves to grow and progress some in every day, it makes the FIRST LIGHT even more special. It is the announcement that the new day is here-ready to conquer! TITLE 6-SECRET PLACE Everyone should have one-a SECRET PLACE, that is-a SECRET PLACE where you can retreat from the world and all it's issues. For some it may be lying on your bed in the middle of the afternoon with your favorite tunes on your player of choice. For others, it may be that invigorating feeling you get from your workout at the gym. For another, it may that hike or run that you take when you want to get away from everything and everyone. It could be a warm cup of tea, your favorite book, and a comfortable chair. For this piece, I envisioned an English garden that is planted with scrubs and flowers and trees. There is a reflecting pool where you can sit and well, reflect. The
