The Scriabin Preludes Opus 11 bored a hole in my brain a few years ago and I couldn’t shake them.
They wanted to come out of my fingers in some tangible form that I could listen to over and over. Again.
Their complex rhythms and jazzy harmonies led me down the path of a unique audio setting.
I had a little (I would include brand and size here) piano that had just arrived in an apartment I am renting in downtown Portland.
I asked our engineer Brett Schopper to create a private-use studio for me where I could record these jewels of music myself and set them in time and space to match the environment.
To record he chose a pair of Audix SCX25a microphones that are voiced beautifully for the piano, going straight into the Presonus preamp and into Pro Tools. A no fuss, clean recording chain.
Did I mention the concrete wall? No reverb or anything else added to the recording the reflections off of that wall and into the room were balanced beautifully with the placement of the microphones.
These pieces are miniatures and thus the Little Piano Project was born and a new entree was added to the TruffleMusik menu. Happy Listening!
Trufflemusik announces our latest release: A Southern Christmas
This time Liz takes us back to her childhood with ten songs with a sense of humor and also a nostalgic look back. Inspired by her small town upbringing in North Carolina, Liz’s musical heritage traces its roots from the church to country music and forward to singer/songwriter and social commentary. Joni Mitchell’s “River” speaks of melancholy and a Christmas spent alone. “Let it Snow” gets the corn a-poppin’ and the couch feels like the right place for making out. “Sleigh Ride” arranged for an Italian piazza band invites the whole crowd inside to join the party. “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” reminds us to stay focused on the real purpose of Christmas. And “The Christmas Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” make us all feel warm and happy during this special time of the year.
River by Joni Mitchell sung by Hannah Rose Lewis
A Southern Christmas - List of Songs
1. River - (Joni Mitchell) Sung by Hannah Lewis (4:24)
2. We are the Shepherds - (Johnny Cash) Sung by Matthew Lewis (4:06)
3. Let It Snow (Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn) Sung by Emily Colombier (2:39)
4. Sweet Little Jesus Boy - (Robert MacGimsey) Sung by Louis Price (3:23)
5. O Holy Night - (public domain) Artist - Trufflemusik (3:34) 6. O Tannenbaum (public domain) Artist - Trufflemusik (2:24)
7. Good King Wenceslas - (public domain) Artist - Trufflemusik (2:19)
8. Sleigh Ride - Instrumental (Leroy Anderson) Artist - Trufflemusik, ft. Dan Higgins (2:03)
9. The Christmas Song - (Mel Torme & Robert Hughes) Sung by Matthew Lewis (3:55)
10. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - (Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine) Artist - Trufflemusik (2:27)
Total Run 31:19
