Contains:"By Ear / By Heart / By Soul"
-
taken from the Isadar solo piano collection, "The Purple Heart
(improvisational solo piano)" (available soon on SMP)
Keith Jarrett's "Köln Concert," Bill Evans, Liz Story, George Winston, early Windham Hill solo piano artists
The Purple Heart is Isadars solo piano
tribute and memorial to the people who lost their lives in the 9/11/01
tragedy. Recorded as a 56-minute improvisation on 12/25/02, the music is
thoughtful, somber, and quite elegant. There are actually thirteen
pieces on the CD, but they segue into each other, making it difficult to
tell where one song ends and another begins. This is very definitely
NOT a problem, as the album unfolds naturally and organically, asking
questions, looking inward, and expressing shock and grief. However, this
is not music about only despair or rage. I also hear hope and
determination as well as quiet reverence - the strange mix of emotions
we all felt during those dark days. Titles include "From Cradle to
Coffin," "Bravery," "Numb," "New York Skyline," and "Truth." Isadar has a
wonderful way of wearing his heart on his musical sleeve, pouring deep
emotion and heartfelt expression into his music. The music was recorded
in one take, but rather than meandering all over the place, Isadar used
recurring themes that make the work cohesive and consistent enough to
hold together even after many listens. This is a very strong and
passionate work, but it was recorded with a rather quiet voice which
allows it to be very comfortable and soothing background music as well
as evocative solo piano music for concentrated and focused listening.
The Purple Heart Sheet Music Collection
is a note-for-note solo piano transcription of Isadars 2003 memorial
CD by the same name (transcribed by David Shenton). The recording and
book are a tribute to those who died in the attacks of 9/11/2001. The
music was recorded in one take and although there are thirteen titles,
the pieces segue into each other, creating a seamless 56-minute
improvisation. The book indicates where the various pieces begin and
end, but can also be played as one long piece. Although the theme of the
music is very somber and bleak, the music covers the broad range of
emotions we all felt during that period - anger, sadness, hope,
determination, resolve, fear, grief, etc.
Although the recording is an improvisation, Isadar incorporates a
recurring theme that holds the work together as a single entity. Some
pieces are very slow while others are lively and even fast. All thirteen
pieces are in C minor/Eb major, but the variety of moods and tempos
keep the music evolving without becoming repetitious. When the recurring
theme pops up, its like seeing an old friend!
The difficulty in playing someones improvisation is that the creation
of the music was spontaneous and free-flowing. It isnt easy to read an
improvisation and give the music that quality of freedom. Less advanced
pianists might find this frustrating. The time signatures change
frequently, but a competent pianist will have no trouble with that. As I
was playing this book, I sensed that I was looking directly into
Isadars heart and feeling what he was feeling as the music was being
born - a very powerful experience!
Isadar is an artist on
both
Enlightened Piano Radio &
Whisperings So
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.