THE NIGHT GARDEN
The Night Garden is a classical pop album I worked on with my co-writer Christina O'Toole who had a significant backlog of melodies that coincided with several lines of lyrics, and at times, just humming sounds. We discussed how we would go about recording and arranging the songs and potentially releasing it as a jazz album (at least I did). However in March 2020, our plans sort of crumbled due to the pandemic.
When we returned to the drawing board several months later, our approach changed. Because singing was a no-go at the time, we decided to turn these music ideas into short modern classical pieces. All recorded using Reason 12, we used Spitfire's BBC Orchestra samplings and other in-house virtual instruments to create an almost humanistic rendition of the pieces we created together. Hiring orchestras is not cheap, but at the time, this was the best we could do considering the situation we were in.
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The album was officially released on all streaming platforms in April 2022.
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We are currently focusing our efforts on a new album in hopes it will be released by the end of 2024/early 2025
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My top three songs on The Night Garden are:
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Coldest Winter
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The Last Leaf
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You're Here With Me
THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY EXCERPTS
The Lamb, released by Genesis in 1974, is by far my favorite concept double album of all time. The complexity presented by every instrument and the atmosphere they create together is like no other, and I'm still completely blown away whenever I hear a track from the album. The story itself is up to interpretation, and from interviews I've seen relating to the album, Peter Gabriel is not entirely sure what it all means either. It was a grueling time for the band for several members, but nevertheless, what was put on record is both wild and beautiful at the same time.
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In the late 2000s, I always wanted to learn every song and perform it live, but no one in my circle of friends or local musicians would undertake an insane task or have never heard of the album. I slowly started learning bits and pieces, and through my years in college, I ended up transcribing the harmonies and melodies to piano and flute. When I completed this wild goal of putting the music down on paper, to take things to the next level, my next thought was to re-record every instrument, every track, and every side of the concept album through my recording software. By this point, I felt I was a competent musician to do this project justice. For the past few years, this is what I've made myself busy with; augmenting my listening, playing, and mixing skills to recreate this complex, beautiful album.
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Below are a few cover songs from the album I've recreated. To hear more, please visit my YouTube channel at GenesisPianoTranscriber.