| matthewcook.com |  |
|
NEWSLETTER, JANUARY 2005
|
|
|
FEATURED ALBUM FOR JANUARY
THE ROSE & OTHER LOVE SONGS The Rose is a collection of some of the most requested material in my repertoire. Poignant and full of emotion, these songs reach out to the heart with beautiful melodies and moving arrangements full of the sentiments of love. I enjoy playing these arrangements and many a couple has sat rapt and spellbound by the fire enjoying them with me. SONG SPOTLIGHT GREEN DOLPHIN STREET Written By Branislaw Caper and Ned Washington, this song was in a 1947 movie called 'On Green Dolphin Street,' starring Lana Turner, Van Heflin and Donna Reed. Part of the movie was filmed along the Klamath River here in Northern California! I stumbled across this song while browsing music books for new material to play. I had never heard the song--which was actually helpful in creating a unique arrangement! I just started playing with the elements in the music and found quite a bit of substance there. This arrangement is how I decided it should go. With radical changes in the environment--from Latin to Swing and back again-- this is an entertaining and challenging song for me to play. |
|
|
JANUARY UPDATES:
I want to thank everyone who listened and visited my site in November and December of 2004. Lots of you bought CDs as gifts for friends which I take as a great compliment and thank you so much for that. The host of my site made note of the fact that there was an unusual amount of traffic in the last two months of 2004--thank you all for visiting the site. I have plans to add quite a bit of new content in the next couple months, so check back for that. I made a lot of new friends last year and had a lot of new experiences that are influencing the projects I am currently working on. But it is well past time to put 2004 to rest and move on to new things in 2005. Most of the beginning of January has had me occupied with moving. My life partner of the past 20 years and I have decided to go our separate ways and I've been busy relocating my studio in a nice old Victorian where I will be able to work on the many new projects I have in mind. With the closing of one door, others open and I have a very positive outlook on the future. While difficult for a while, I think this move will be very good for all concerned in the long run. While my location has changed, my contact information has remained mostly the same. I always like to hear from all of you so feel free to drop me a line. My phones and E-mail: 707-444-6267 707-826-2919 COMING PERFORMANCE DATES With the Benbow Inn closed for the winter I usually take some time to relax and some time to work on new projects, with an occasional public outing now and then. January 28th & 29th I'll be at Abbotswood in Paradise, CA from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. If you are in that area, it would be great to see you. THE SUNSET GRILL-- I'm just wrapping up negotiations with the Sunset Grill at Cher Ae Heights Casino in Trinidad, CA. I'll be performing there every Saturday in February and March from 7:00 to 10:00 PM. There's no cover charge--just come enjoy some of their fabulous food and liisten to some good music. SONG INSIGHTS ADDED FOR THE ROSE To help people understand the relevance to them of my art, I have written insights for each song on 'The Rose And Other Love Songs' and added them to the web page for that CD. These are the stories behind the music that tell where it came from. It's interesting--check it out! NEW PROJECTS IN THE WORKS I have a number of new projects on my plate at this time. Now that the moving is almost over I hope to be able to get back to them in earnest. Look for a new CD to be featured in my February Newsletter and some other projects to be forthcoming in the spring. HELP SUPPORT THE NORTHCOAST ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER The NCEC in Arcata is currently carrying two CDs--Redwood Reflections and The Sounding Joy. A portion of the proceeds from any sales go to help support their causes. This is a fine opportunity to help support the NCEC and get some great music at the same time. FREE CD SAMPLERS AVAILABLE IN LOCAL STORES I'm continuing my campaign to distribute over 1000 free CD Samplers in Northern Humboldt. These samplers contain an introduction to myself and my art, two songs from Redwood Reflections, and the story behind each of those songs. These samplers are available free at The Metro, The Works, and Wildwood Music in Arcata and The Works in Eureka, as well as directly from me wherever I am. To sign up to receive monthly E-mail updates, send a message HERE with 'ADD ME' in the subject line. If you are receiving E-mail updates and don't want them, send a message HERE with 'REMOVE ME' in the subject line |
|
