Speaking of Grammy winners

I actually had some more dealings with another Grammy winner prior to my visit to New Orleans (where I met Grammy winner, Irvin Mayfield). The pianist Laura Sullivan released her latest album a little while ago, a lush recording of moving, delicate, and inspiring pieces, more in the line of easy listening or New Age than the traditional jazz that Mr. Mayfield is all about. Here’s a light reworking of my review of Ms. Sullivan’s latest work:

This is my second CD by Laura Sullivan, and although I am a jazz musician and blogger, I enjoy listening to different types of music, including Ms. Sullivan’s work. It brings back memories of years ago when I was enamored of Enya, Dream Academy, and Clannad and was making my own soothing sounds and songs in my small but versatile studio.

Cover and CD, both signed.

It is a joy to listen to this recording. Laura has broken some new ground and is moving in a subtly different direction by focusing on her piano composing and playing. The backing to her piano work is lush and complex, soothing at times, and pushing the music forward at others. Personally, I would have preferred if there was actually a bit less instrumentation, simply because I was getting a little frustrated with having to pick out the piano lines from all the other stuff that was going on with some of the tracks. I feel that her piano playing is one of her strong points, and I wanted to hear it a little more. As a jazz musician, I just found some of the effects and accompaniment distracting from the heart of the music. Fortunately, the production (by Laura’s husband, Eric Sullivan) is clean, crisp, and technically efficient. The songs are pretty and well-conceived and even when it is slightly overdone, the instrumentation still breathes some spirit and energy into the thematic elements of the songs. As the music flows, the distractions fade and the melody surfaces, calm and reassuring.

I guess my musical sensibilities just aren’t what they used to be, but I still know good music when I hear it. Laura Sullivan is one artist who is truly making good music, whether I get a signed free copy of her CD or not.

When a Grammy winner emails

 Like most people my age, I have gone through a number of musical “phases” throughout my life. Most of them were highly predictable, but some not so, like the two years I spent heavily rotating Eminem, Insane Clown Posse, and Blink 182. (Those recordings still send me when I throw them on the Bluetooth speaker or whatever.) I also went through my new age phase, with semi-pop groups like Dream Academy and Mannheim Steamroller, and of course, the then ubiquitous Enya. And while I like to think I’ve moved on from those days, every now and then I catch a snippet and feel something move inside.

The signed cover art... 

I start with all this, because I was recently contacted by the Grammy winning composer/performer Laura Sullivan, who asked if I would like a CD to review on Amazon. I wasn’t exactly ready for what was in store, but I agreed to try it out if the CD was autographed so that I could at least add it to my autographed CD collection if I didn’t like it. Funny thing was, I did like it. Here’s a piece of my Amazon review, slightly edited:

and the signed disc.

I found “Feast of Joy and Love” oddly intriguing and highly listenable, despite me having been more or less immersed in nothing but jazz for the last seven or eight years. This is a really great recording. The production is crisp and professional, and the presentation is bold and well-executed. Technical achievement aside, the music is also quite soothing and highly listenable. The calming effect is noticeable. It’s nice to be able to hear unfamiliar takes on very familiar works, along with pleasant original songs, and to allow the brain to soak it all in. Ms. Sullivan’s voice particularly, when overdubbed in contrasting harmonies, takes on an instrumental quality, sometimes almost spooky, but always bringing out more of the harmonies behind the well-known (and not so) melodies. Even when sounds of nature and "life at large" are blended in suddenly and unexpectedly, I almost did not notice them, as they were so well integrated in the musical structures in which they were used. It’s no surprise that Ms. Sullivan is a Grammy winner in this music category. Her work is truly stunning and deserves to be heard by more people.

All in all it was a good experience, so I would say, if a Grammy winner drops you a line, you might want to answer. You’ll probably get a nice piece of music, signed and personalized, but you also might just open a small window on your past. You never know.