Christmas can be a magical time. For me and my family, music and movies are at the top of the list for getting into the spirit of Christmas.
Over 40 years ago I was asked to write the music for a Christmas animation film called Santa’s Pocket Watch, made by British animator Pete Parsons.
The film was broadcast in many countries and, year on year, people have contacted me to ask if the music is available outside of the film. It never has been …. until now. A few weeks ago, after yet another email arrived posing the question, my son Oliver said I should make a new recording. If for no other reason, he wanted a copy himself!
So here it is, a 5 minute medley called Sleigh Ride in tribute to the magic of Christmas.
Available to download along with other tracks, CDs and merch in my Digital Store.
I hope it adds to the magic of your Christmas this year.
This year Bandcamp has been a great provider of new interest in my music, so this last week I decided to upload my first digital EP to the platform. Entitled More Reflections there are 3 acoustic jazz guitar tracks which I really enjoyed recording. They’re unlike anything I’ve done before with 2 of the 3 leaning towards the avant-garde!
I have now made 3 videos of tracks from Return To Wine Dark Sea. I’ve always made my own videos as I love matching imagery to music.
As Return To Wine Dark Sea is based on Homer’s Odyssey, I wanted to create fantasy images for these new videos. So, I ventured into the world of AI for the first time and spent a couple of days on a new learning curve. I was not disappointed!
Click on the images to watch each of the Return To Wine Dark Sea videos. Hope you enjoy them!
I’m excited to announce that ‘Return To Wine Dark Sea‘ is now available as a jewel case CD.
Amongst the great feedback I’ve had since the initial release of the album, I’ve received a surprising number of enquiries from people asking about this option. It seems many music lovers remain passionate about their old/existing CD collections and want to be able to add a CD that fits into their existing rack system.
Naturally, my first choice in releasing the album was to go the environmentally friendly route of simple packaging with a card case. I’ve been very happy with that choice, especially because it means the postage and packaging is less costly and this card case pressing will continue to be available here.
The recent CD release of ‘Return To Wine Dark Sea‘ has generated some wonderful feedback so far and I’m very grateful that people have taken the time to write and let me know how much they are enjoying it. Some of them, it seems, even attended the original Orchestral World Premiere back in 1983!
I’ve also been asked when a Digital Download of the new album might be available because some fans no longer have a CD collection. The good news is that it’s just gone live on the Bandcamp store.
You can select individual tracks or the complete album, listen for free on live streaming or pay if you want your very own digital download. NOTE: You also get the option of a high quality, lossless format FLAC file which I know many digital music collectors love to experience. The huge dynamic range of the album certainly makes this format very appealing as a download.
One of the most popular tracks so far seems to be ‘DREAMS OF OLD‘.
Here is a photo of me working on the track in my studio.
The Digital Store of course also offers downloads of my other recordings released on Dark Sea Records (my own independent label). So please feel free to browse and check out tracks that you may have never heard.
Today I have some of the most exciting news I have ever shared about my music. It’s a project which has been almost 40 years in the making!
The Story Of Return To Wine Dark Sea
Many people first became aware of my music through my first album Wine Dark Sea back in 1986.
For anyone who doesn’t know the story, I originally composed Wine Dark Sea as an orchestral work featuring guitar – a sort of Guitar Symphony.
It was premiered at the Victoria Palace in London in 1983 with my good friend the late Louis Clark conducting the orchestra. We also had a full rock section plus myself on both classical and electric rock guitars.
A few years later I was offered a record deal to make an album of the piece but it was on a tight budget. So, I took the bare essentials of the orchestral score and performed all the parts myself on guitars and keyboards along with a Linn drum machine (state of the art at the time!). The album received good reviews and was even recommended to chart in Billboard magazine.
Even so, I was left with an overriding feeling that I had not fully realised my original vision. So I then revised and expanded the original score which took me 9 months, hoping that one day I might be able to get it recorded.
Recording Return To Wine Dark Sea
In recent years, I have set up a new recording studio and learned to use the latest computer technology – a far cry from my first recording days working on a TEAC 4 track reel to reel machine! My new set up has proved to be an incredible game changer, because for the first time, I have had the opportunity to record my revised score in its entirety.
Here is a clip of me working on ‘Dreams Of Old‘ in my studio.
Alongside classical and electric guitars, I have played every other individual music part – up to 100 orchestral parts in some sections – thanks to the wonderful library of orchestral samples that I have been able to build.
It is now 3 years since I started work on the recording but it is now complete. As a solo project I knew it would be a challenging and long journey. It has been all of that – and more – but so worthwhile!
The result is what I had originally envisioned all those years ago, with the emotive power and the nuances I always wanted to hear.
I hope you enjoy the music and that it helps lift your spirits in these strange and difficult times.
It’s almost Christmas – again! This year has certainly flown by, but before 2019 comes to a close, I would like to share a piece of new music, created to reflect the true spirit of Christmas. Enjoy!
If you would like to download the music, click here
Last Spring I mentioned the possiblity of orchestral performances of my music in the United States. I am delighted to say that two performances have now taken place. Both were of my composition for solo Wagner Tuba and Orchestra: The Edel Rhapsody.
Wagner Tuba – A First For The State Of Ohio
Just recently on 24 February 2019, the Edel Rhapsody had its second orchestral performance in the United States, making it a ‘first’ for the State of Ohio. The concert was staged by the Cleveland Heights Orchestra at the beautiful St Paul’s Episcopal Church, Cleveland Heights.
The Wagner tuba soloist was renowned Cleveland hornist Tren Cheshier, principal horn of no less than three orchestras: the Cleveland Heights Orchestra, Cleveland Opera Orchestra and Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra. Tren has also performed with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Ballet and Cleveland Jazz Orchestra.
With such a pedigree I was keen to learn how the performance went and what the experience was like for Tren. Here is his reply: “Playing the piece was a wonderful experience and one I’d happily repeat! My musician friends loved the lyricism and Englishness of the melodies.”
To read one of the formal music reviews of the performance click here.
Edel Rhapsody First US Performance
In October 2018 in Hudson, Wisconsin, the St Croix Valley Symphony Orchestra performed the Edel Rhapsody with their principal hornist Denny McGinn as Wagner Tuba soloist. The concert was very well received.
Here is what Denny had to say: “I came across a YouTube recording of the Edel Rhapsody and loved the way that it featured the sound of the Wagner Tuba. I ordered a copy of Edel Rhapsody with piano accompaniment. I liked it so much that I gave a copy of the recording to the SCVSO director and it was put on the SCVSO program for the October 20 concert. The Edel Rhapsody is fun to play and really features the sound of the Wagner Tuba.”
I was suprised when I looked today and realised how long it is since I last posted. The autumn and winter months seem to have flown by so fast but then it is not surprising when I think about it. I have been ensconced in a lot of work using the Sibelius program and whilst that has been very rewarding, it has been like living in another world for a while!
Social Feedback
The last few months has also seen my Facebook page audience grow to over 13,000 followers and my YouTube Channel has a bigger following too with over 3,000 subscribers. It means a lot to receive support like this and I will certainly try to share more new music and video material over the coming months.
Here is one of my videos which recently picked up in popularity:
Orchestral Performances
A News item about the Edel Rhapsody may also be on the horizon as I await confirmation of two concert performances in the United States. I’m really excited about that!
This week my Facebook page reached the milestone of 1,000 Likes and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to that. It means a lot to know that people enjoy my music.
One of the biggest surprises has been the response from Facebook users in Brazil. They clearly have a BIG passion for music and have left lots of kind comments on my 2 recent video clips:
Obrigado a meus amigos no Brasil!
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