Solo piano music

Started playing piano at 6. 
Studied piano in college.
Three degrees in music composition.

Ironically, this is my first collection of solo piano pieces.  I've composed music for almost every instrument and voice combination, and performed as a pianist for over 25 years.  Previously much of my work has been for ensemble and dramatic (theater, film) works, and any solo piano music was often folded into a much larger whole. The benefit of composing piano pieces is that I can perform them by myself and have a ready stock set of pieces for events.

Embarking on more of a solo path, though, is different.  Stepping out as a soloist requires a different mentality than working behind the scenes as a composer or sharing the stage with others as part of an ensemble. There’s an exciting sort of vulnerability here performing alone that doesn’t exist when one is part of an ensemble on stage. When you perform solo, it’s just you, a piano, and the audience. There’s a freedom here to be oneself, allowing that essence of the musical idea come through without other filters. No doubt I still love and will continue to compose works for larger ensemble, but this solo music allows for reflection simply on the musical subject, and how it all might resonate on a deeper level.

This CD of solo piano music will contain 12 individual tracks and be approximately 45-50 minutes in duration. Naturally combining elements of contemporary jazz, classical and popular music, each piece is an expression of a particular moment. Some were composed for specific events or as a musical reflection of a concept or physical thing. Others are captured improvisations that have organically grown into being through my creative filter at the piano keyboard. Each piece follows more of a “song” form, and so the overall collection of music is less classical perhaps. This isn’t to say they are any less important than other pieces of mine, and in fact, they may show a more direct and pure expression of my own self. Furthermore, each piece shows in some way a development of motivic materials, variation techniques in melody, harmony and rhythm, and a commitment to expression and communication with my audience. Each piece is stripped down to a more minimal level, and hopefully one hears the elimination of unnecessary distraction and an attention to only essential detail. 

I do have the exceptionally good fortune to have access to a great instrument.  Using the Yamaha Disklavier Pro, I can digitally record the data of every nuance of my performance and play it back on the acoustic piano.  I can also make the music files available to anyone who has this technology on their piano and they can hear how I play my own music.  Today's music is a short sample of a piece called "The Reason Why."  It's a recording of myself playing this piece, but the piano is playing this from the stored digital data.  Amazing.