NICK PYNN : Music
From Windows
Some notes and excerpts...'The Whole Summer
Long' : was written by a motel window overlooking trees and
freshly laid tarmac in Denmark. 'Inverness' : was while
pulling back curtains to reveal the River Ness, hearing a lone
piper's soundtrack to the view of the bingo hall opposite. 'Soul
Doubt' : was created in a hotel room overlooking Swiss Cottage
during a moment of cynicism. 'The Birdman' : was a dream
of strange beasts. 'Driftnet' : is the view over thousands
of commuters lapping at the platform edge in a main railway station,
the clattering and slamming of carriage doors echoing thunderstorms
at sea. 'The Market and the Murder' : On a walk to the
local vegetable market, a house with whitewashed windows and wreaths
lying on the doorstep. A local poet had been murdered in the house.
'Cave Creek' : was by an evening window drinking a bottle
of chilli beer of the same name. 'A Scent of Roses' : My
mother once told me that she used to smell roses just before someone
died. Three days before her own departure I smelt the roses and
started to write this piece of music. 'Let us Steer this Ship
into the Night' : was inspired by a rainy nights view through
the windscreen of an old Volvo that pulled to the left.
The rest of the CD comprises of pieces commissioned
for 'Flood' - a site specific dance performance on Hove lagoon
by community arts organisation Same Sky.
Performers : Nick Pynn - guitar, fiddle,
lap dulcimer, mandocello, bouzouki, bass guitar, piano, percussion;
Philippe Barnes - flute; Adam Bushell - xylophone;
Richard Durrant - 'cello (Music from Windows); Jake
Ewen - drum loops; Herbie Flowers - double bass; George
Ricci - soprano sax & clarinet; Sam Sherwood -
'cello (Flood).
Music from Windows : Reviews.
“...an acoustic guitar-based chamber music
which immediately engages and maintains an optimistic tone throughout.
He intersperses beautiful acoustic guitar instrumentals with string
and wind ensemble pieces.At various points he touches on folk
(‘The Whole Summer Long’), the Nymanesque (‘Soul
Doubt’) and even a hint of McLoughlin (‘The Market and
the Murder’), whilst retaining a character of his own: the
urgent ‘Driftnet’ ensemble piece contrasts well with
the more reflective ‘The Birdman’ and the suite ‘Flood’,
commissioned for a multimedia dance performance. The arrangements
and musicianship throughout are exceptional and the themes never
allowed to overstay their welcome. I look forward to Nick Pynn's
future work."
Steve French , Musician Magazine - September 1999.
“Multi - instrumentalist Nick Pynn composes
contemporary instrumental music that draws its inspiration from
folk, classical, and jazz. Featuring multi-tracking guitar, fiddle,
dulcimer, bouzouki, bass, piano, and percussion, with additional
musicians providing sax, clarinet, and flute, Pynn weaves soundscapes
that are at times forceful, and at other times melodic. A quiet
guitar piece will lead to a full scale, complex composition and
then back to a simpler number. The recording ends with an interesting
experimental piece commissioned for a multi - media dance performance.
Compelling, challenging, imaginative, and always interesting.”
Jim Lee. Dirty Linen (US). April / May 2000.
Samples from the 'Music From Windows' CD in MP3
format :
The
Whole Summer Long / Inverness
/ Soul
Doubt / The
Birdman / Driftnet
/ The
Market and the Murder /
Cave Creek
/ A
Scent of Roses / Let
us Steer this Ship into the Night
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