donnaW | July 19, 2010
Art Lande, Paul Mullikin and I recorded the three Anna Akhmatova songs today. An apt description of these songs might be aleatoric chamber jazz. Yeah, I know – a description like that should drive listeners away in droves. No matter what you call it, I was so fortunate to have Art and Paul on this date, as it is tough music to put together, and they were both fantastic. Hopefully, I’ll have a little taste up on the site soon!
donnaW | June 14, 2010
OK, we’re very close to recording the Anna Akhmatova set. Art Lande will be playing piano, and Paul Mullikin will be on percussion. We meet this coming Thursday to rehearse, and to set a recording date. More good news – Pete Sommer has agreed to play on another session that I am hoping will take place later in the summer!
donnaW | May 14, 2010
The third piece in the Anna Akhmatova set is finished. The poems cover very wide emotional ground, and setting them has been a very heavy journey. As summer approaches, I am turning my thoughts towards recording. If all goes well, the Akhmatova set and the title track will be in the can by the end of summer. Maybe more?
donnaW | March 21, 2010
Spring break has been very productive! I was able to finish setting another Anna Akhmatova poem titled I taught myself to live simply. I’m spending time with more of her poems in hope of setting one or two more to make a set. These pieces might be the next thing to go into the studio since they are just voice and piano with a little percussion.
donnaW | March 16, 2010
What on earth is this for? Right now, it’s about getting ready to market an album that is months away. Much of the music is written, though there is still more to come. Right now, I’m working on a set of miniatures based on poetry by Anna Akhmatova, and am arranging a piece about Norse mythology that will be part of a suite. Only one piece has been recorded, and that is still a rough cut (Pajaros – part of which you can hear on my homepage.) This is scary stuff for me. There are so many completely amazing musicians out there – does the world need another lame album by another lame chick singer? Today I heard a piece on the radio that was pretty bad. I’m guessing it got airplay just this once, because it’s a local project. If this project becomes some sort of bad vanity project, I hope I have the good sense to dump the project before trying to release it. Yikes – what a depressing thought!
