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(By Kathy Parsons of Solo Piano Publications)
Mp3 Sample--5:59--6.9 Mb
Recorded live on a Yamaha Grand Piano, Model C-3 at the Eureka Inn in Eureka, California
1993 & 1996
Originally released as Redwood Box (1994)
and El Cuervo (1997)
Remastered in 2002
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.
1. What A Difference A Day Makes--This song speaks to the times when falling in love has changed my entire outlook on things overnight. In this arrangement I’ve really been able to express what I want to about that singing feeling of well-being that comes in those moments. For several years this was the opening song for my shows--as it could be the opening song for many love affairs. Some of the most fun I’ve had with this song was using this arrangement with singer, Bishop Mayfield, in the Mayfield/Cook Project.
2. Send In The Clowns--I started playing this song because of the many requests I got for it and quickly found a way to make it my own. There’s lots of room for emotional playing in this one -- many of you reading this will know how much I love to play like that and how much it touches the listeners when I do.
3. Georgia--I think of Ray Charles and his soulful version of this song when I play it. I also love the change of mood into swingtime that I bring to the middle of the song. This is fun to play.
4. The Rose--Such a simple and sweet tune. I delight in taking a song that can appear somewhat passe’ on the surface and making it into something that is meaningful in a new way.
5. Here’s That Rainy Day--From Seattle to the Washington Coast on the Olympic Peninsula; South Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii to Northern California’s Humboldt County, I have lived in some wet places and had my share of those rainy days when everrything seems headed in the wrong direction.
6. When Sunny Gets Blue--This is one of my favorite environments on this CD. I love the blue, melodic feeling of this song. I often get the joy in my live shows of introducing this song to people who have never heard it.
7. Webs/Wind Beneath My Wings--I love to play this combination of songs when the evening is right and people are relaxed and listening. This one comes from inside me with motifs and themes of emotion rather than consecutive notes, weaving a rather spellbinding web around both myself and my audience.
8. My Funny Valentine--Again, an emotional environment that I love to be in. I’ve brought tears to more than one eye with the intense feelings in this arrangement.
9. Unchained Melody--This is a very full, very meaningful environment that rolls along.
10. Green Dolphin Street--A highlight for me of this collection. This is a somewhat obscure jazz song from a 1948 movie of the same name. With radical changes in feeling from Latin to Swing, this is an entertaining and challenging song for me to play.
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.
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Some love found, some love lost, and some love that endures is the common thread that ties all these great songs together. Innovative arrangements and an emotional performance add interest and enjoyment throughout this CD.
From the opening What A Difference A Day Makes, this is arguably Cook's most romantic work. Here the artist's beautiful, flowing style shines on such memorable favorites as Send In The Clowns, Wind Beneath My Wings, My Funny Valentine and Unchained Melody.
Cook's penchant for dramatic tempo changes is evident in the arrangements of Georgia, When Sunny Gets Blue and a dazzling performance of Green Dolphin Street.
As with all of Matthew Cook's albums, while this works well as background music for most any occasion, it also holds up well when played at higher volumes.
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