NICK PYNN : REVIEWS :

 

In Mirrored Sky :

"A multi-instrumentalist of considerable skill, and a composer of sensitivity and imagination..." Spins.

"Fourteen tracks display a range of music which is really imaginative...This album is a must for the stressed out layman as well as for stringed instrument players to check out " Musician Magazine.

"...an individual take on folk music...Nick Pynn doesn't stick to the harmonic conventions, bringing unusual instrumentation into the idiom...an individual voice..."
Mark Russell. " Mixing It ", BBC Radio 3.

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Music From Windows :

“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.

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Reviews for the reissued double package :

Nick Pynn - In Mirrored Sky/Music From Windows :
Is this rock’n’roll at its most subtle? Equally at ease backing Steve Harley as he is B*witched, this versatile multi-instrumentalist has shared stages more recently with Arthur Brown and Jane Bom-Bane. Nevertheless, since the release of a debut solo album, 1995’s In Mirrored Sky, Nick Pynn has deserved attention for worthier reasons than association with famous personalities. Some might seize upon comparisons to Clifford White, Stairway and other of Britain’s foremost New Agers. Yet, while adjectives such as “celestial” and “atmospheric” may spring to mind while getting a handle on this 2-CD reissue of In Mirrored Sky and 1999’s Music From Windows, the contents are too daring, unsettling even, for this to remain neatly pigeonholed. Just listen to the stop-start hoedown of The Correct Selection Of Gears, or let Pynn’s acute ear for melody wash over you and you’ll realise that this goes far deeper than any more ethereal music. If you stick Music From Windows (which is here supplemented by in-concert excerpts and a soundtrack to a ballet) on instant replay one rainy afternoon, you will no doubt feel a sort of pleasant, nostalgic melancholy creep in.*****

Reviewed by Alan Clayson. Record Collector.

 

Nick Pynn - In Mirrored Sky/Music From Windows :
Two-for-one re-release of multi-instrumentalist’s first two albums from mid-1990s. Pynn has an unerring ear for a good melody, and backings by Herbie Flowers et al. bring out the subtleties of the tracks. The extra live tracks show that he can cut it on stage as well as in the studio, and the whole package is a good introduction to one of England’s best instrumentalists and composers.

FRoots Jan/Feb 2008.

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The Devil's Fiddler :

"What a showcase this is for Nick's fiddling talents...tunes arranged  by Nick in his own special way...the eponymous final track is a fitting end to this brilliant disc..."

Stuart Toff. British Bluegrass News.

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Nick & Dick :

The acoustic collaborations of Richard Durrant & Nick Pynn.

"...Durrant and Pynn's musical styles defy categorisation but share a highly  accessible  approach... "

The Punter.

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Rotator :

Inspired by 2002, the Year of the Palindrome, Jane Bom-Bane and Nick Pynn have created a collection of new songs and tunes that explore the reversible delights of rhythm 'n' rhyme.

Using an unusual combination of instruments - harmonium, violin, dulcimer, mandocello, guitar and theremin - they perform forward and backward melodies, lyrics and stories based on their various interpretations of the palindrome.

“…Rotator is a sincere, intimate programme of songs served up as a skillfully woven, reflective musical tapestry.” Musician Magazine June 2003.

Edinburgh Festival 2002. "Year of the Palindrome".
"...magi of mystical word and sound puzzles exploit the idea in some fascinating ways."
"...gives each musical riddle an unearthly quality.
Chloe Veltman. 'The Scotsman'. 17th August 2002.

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Hotel Rooms, Forests and Submaries (Limited Edition) :

The CD is a collection of compositions from 1993-2003, performed in his Edinburgh show 2003, including new tracks from the forthcoming 'Afterplanesman' album.

Nick's 'Music from Hotel Rooms, Forests and Submarines' has been described as an otherworldly music-box of original acoustic delights.

"Playing guitar, fiddle, dulcimer, mandocello, assorted bits of electronica, a pack of cards, and a set of tuned wine-glasses, Pynn occupies a musical landscape somewhere between Steve Reich’s minimalism and traditional jiggery-folkery."

Rob Adams. The Herald. Friday August 15th, 2003.

No Longer Available!

Afterplanesman :

The CD 'Afterplanesman' is the third solo release featuring a variety of stringed instruments, theremin, wine glasses and playing cards. The album features instrumental and spoken word pieces which were performed in his Edinburgh show last year.

"Playing guitar, fiddle, dulcimer, mandocello, assorted bits of electronica, a pack of cards, and a set of tuned wine-glasses, Pynn occupies a musical landscape somewhere between Steve Reich’s minimalism and traditional jiggery-folkery."

Rob Adams. The Herald. Friday August 15th, 2003.

"Having worked on previous solo CDs, an album of world fiddle music and many recording sessions, multi-instrumentalist Nick Pynn offers his new album Afterplanesman with 14 instrumental tracks. There are certainly surprises in store: violins, poetry, acoustic guitar and playing card sound effects on the surreal Joker Jack. In addition, Heriot Row slinks hypnotically through minor and diminished chords to reach a happy-sounding conclusion.

Production companies should sit up and take note - this would sound very good indeed on films and programmes. Stunning and original, Afterplanesman is richly varied and wonderfully played with an intriguingly elusive style. A highly recommended recording."

Musician Magazine March 2005.

'Afterplanesman' CD features Nick Pynn : acoustic guitar, violin, mandocello, lap dulcimer, theremin, bass pedals, bouzouki, oud, playing cards and wine glasses.

Tom Arnold: drums, hammond organ, percussion and accordion. Olly Blanchflower: double bass. Jane Bom-Bane: harmonium. Arthur Brown, Astrid Williamson and Rich Hall: spoken voices.

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CD Orders and Mailing List :
Roundhill Records
P.O.Box 2649
Brighton
East Sussex
BN2 1YB
UK.