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(By Kathy Parsons of Solo Piano Publications)

MP3 Sample -- 8:06 -- 9.3 Mb

Recorded on a Yamaha Grand Piano, Model C-7 at Laughing Coyote Studios,
Redwood Valley, CA

This Collection came about as an answer to the many requests I received for a mellow and calm album without all the fireworks and intensity. I chose songs that were significant and personal to me that would also benefit from being played simply with feeling. Here are some great tunes together in a peaceful environment.

1. Our Day Will Come--Carol and Carl Meyers were some very dear friends and fans. This was their song and Carol kept requesting it until I learned it. Carol passed away and I think of her every time I play it.

2. Candle In The Wind--This one just feels like a familiar, comfortable environment. Everyone young and old can relate to this beautiful melody.

3. Stormy Weather--I love the storms; in the weather and in my life it’s a reflection of the slow power of change and what it brings to all of us.

4. Corcovado--Such a nice tune to play with it’s understated melody and subtle flow.

5. Here, There & Everywhere--A favorite song of mine since I heard it as a teenager. One of those really nice Beatles ballads.

6. Moon River--This is a really nice song with a singing melody. As the moon comes up over the hills to the East this is the perfect musical accompaniment.

7. Someone To Watch Over Me--Sweet--one of the sweetest songs I know. This one needs no embellishment--just a simple love song.

8. Desperado--Again, a song I’ve loved for decades.

9. God Bless The Child--Billie Holiday and a very blue mood. I can just sink into this feeling.

10. Sanibel--This Denny Sarokin song was found by Graham Nash for the Crosby Stills Nash and Young album ‘Looking Forward’ in 2000. I thought it would make a good song to play on the piano with it’s great melody and peaceful atmosphere. I get the pleasure of introducing it at my live shows to people who are unfamiliar with it. I had the opportunity to share my arrangement with Denny:

11. You’ve Changed--An understated song in the bluest of blue moods. I love to play this one and hang out in this environment, though I don’t do it often.

12. Bridge Over Troubled Water--What can I say? A timeless classic with great piano. Included on this album at the urging of a good friend.

13. Dear Prudence--The Beatles were a large part of my musical growth as a teenager. This arrangement is a groove oriented environment reminiscent of the Jerry Garcia Band. I get a lot of joy out of being able to comingle my many diverse musical tastes into something different than any one taken alone. This is my favorite one on this album to play.

In this wonderful collection of solo piano ballads, Matthew Cook brings a fresh outlook to many timeless classics from several decades of music from the soulful Stormy Weather of yesteryear to Jobim's Corcovado to Denny Sarokin's recently penned Sanibel.

Once again the elaborate arrangements of this pianist are evident in such songs as the Beatle's Dear Prudence , Billie Holiday's God Bless The Child, and You've Changed. However, this album presents a departure for Cook with several songs that are simply and elegantly stated. The great Gershwin Classic Someone To Watch Over Me, Moon River, the Eagle's Desperado, Here, There & Everywhere, and the above mentioned Sanibel are examples from all over the musical spectrum.

Of these songs Cook had this to say:

"Some songs just cry out to be played as they were written—more or less—they seem to just want to be played simply and smoothly."

Stormy Weather is a true collection of well-played ballads, many familiar yet some from beyond the realm of common piano repertoire. Perfect for a roaring fire on a cold night, this is a very romantic album.

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