Chris
Conway - Midnight Window Blue
solo piano improvisations
1
Midnight
2
Window
3
Blue
Chris
Conway -
piano
Atmospheric piano improvisations Three beautiful improvisations. From delicate sparse pindrop moments, to minimal repeated patterns like on the 30 minute amazing piece Window.
background
It had been 5 years since my last solo piano album Glisten. This time I chose to do it differently - instead of many smaller pieces
I had the idea first of a long track using minimal Terry Riley-esque repeated patterns. That track became the 30minute long Window which goes through several phases.
Next was the sad little track Blue, which to me felt like a lament. I thought it would make a nice closing track to the album. This piece had an obscure inspiration. For reasons I don't know I had runningthrough my mind an electronic piece "Kitezh-19" by Russian composer Iraida Yusupova which features thereminist Lydia Kavina. I tried to get some of that atmosphere into this piece.
Finally I recorded the opening track Midnight, which I wanted to be very sparse - soon it developed a life of its own.
Somehow it felt right recording at midnight, when the world felt still and quiet. I also used very low light to enhance the mood. I felt very connected to the music as I was playing - "in the Zone" as they say.
Overall this album did not turn out as I had expected. I thought it would be more abstract, but it turned out quite lyrical. But that is what happens with improvised music... The music and one's connection to it decides how it will be.
Midnight
influences
Marcin Wasilewski, Steve Kuhn, John Taylor, Azimuth, Richie Beirach, Rainer Brüninghaus, Bobo Stenson, Terry Riley, Alexander Scriabin.
trivia
The 3 tracks were recorded at midnight on the 1st, 2nd & 4th October 2015
