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Topic: My Spanish Steel CD is now available |
Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 9 Aug 2008 8:38 pm |
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I'm happy to announce that after a series of delays, my Spanish Steel CD is finally available, or at least will be in 2 days.
The CD contains 5 pieces. It starts off with Manuel de Falla's "El Amor Brujo" ballet suite. this 22 minute suite consists of 11 short pieces, and while collectively they form one piece of music, some of them, the part knows as the Ritual Fire Dance in particular, are often played by themselves without the rest of the suite. (Note I called all the segments by their Spanish names.)
The 2nd piece is named "Asturias" but is also sometimes called "Leyenda." I don't know why. This piece by Isaac Albéniz has become a staple of the classical guitar repetoire. Rock and roll fans will recognize it as the opening theme from the song "Spanish Caravan" by the Doors.
Because the guitar is so important in Spanish music, the next piece gives the guitar and steel equal prominence. This is the 3rd movement of Joaquin Rodrtigo's "Conceirto (yes that is the correct spelling) Andeluz for four guitars. I played the guitar parts on guitars, as written, and used the steel to cover the brass and woodwind parts. Every time the guitars play a theme, the steels repeat it.
Rodrigo's hauntingly beautiful Conceirto de Aranjuez is so popular, that it has overshadowed his other compositions. This is one of his least known works. It is also in my opinion, one of his best.
The next piece is from Peru rather than Spain, but I learned it from a Sabicas record, so I guess I get a pass on that. it's called "Fantasia Inca" and was written by a man named J.M. Oyanguren. For some reason, all of Oyanguren's music seems to have disappeared. Normally I use a combination of sheet music and my imagination to come up with my arrangements, This time I was unable to find not just the music to this piece, but of any of Oyanguren's works. Moreover, I had some friends search the nations college and university music libraries nationwide, and nobody found even a single example of his music. This is the first time I ever recorded a pice of music with no written guide whatsoever. BTW this track is just steel and percussion. There are multiple steel tracks, but no guitar or bass.
Finally, the 15 minute "Capriccio Espagnol" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This was a mammoth production requiring 109 tracks at one point.
I think this is the happiest, most joyful piece of music I have ever heard. It just makes me smile every time I hear it.
Everybody who has heard this CD says it's the best thing I've ever done. I'm too close to it to know whether or not that's true. I can say that it is the biggest production I've ever attempted, and that I'm pleased with the results.
Making this album took a tremendous amount of work, I hope it was worth the effort.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin
Last edited by Mike Perlowin on 15 Aug 2008 2:41 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Joe Savage
From:
St. Paul, MN
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Posted 9 Aug 2008 9:06 pm
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It's wonderful, Mike. Good luck on your show tomorrow, as well!!!!
Best,
Joe
_________________
Joe Savage
www.savagejoe.com |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 10 Aug 2008 8:08 pm
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| That's great, Mike. Now, for everyone's benefit, where do we send the checks and for how much ? |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 10 Aug 2008 11:12 pm
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| Alan Brookes wrote: |
| That's great, Mike. Now, for everyone's benefit, where do we send the checks and for how much ? |
At this point, the CD is only available from me. That will change soon. Scotty will have them at the convention, and they will go into distribution to outlets like Amazon and CD baby in September.
For the time being the price is $16.50. 15 for the CD itself and a buck and a half to cover mailing expenses. The price from the regular retail outlets will be more.
My address is
Mike Perlowin
4140 Somers Ave.
L.A. CA 90065-3819
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 11 Aug 2008 3:46 am
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I see the cat is still guarding Milly to remind you what's really important here.
_________________
Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 14 Aug 2008 5:38 pm
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I just had the pleasure of listening to Mike's new CD, which arrived in the mail today. It's a phenomenal piece of work. It's listed as Classical, but, though the material is classical, he's presented it in a new perspective unlike anything I've ever heard before. My assistant, with whom I share an office, listens to Country Music most of the time, and has little tolerance for anything else, and even she said how much she liked it.
Although it's entitled Spanish Steel, and the cover announces Mike Perlowin on Pedal Steel Guitar, there is a plethora of diverse instruments on the album, from sitar to autoharp, and they've been blended with such skill that they don't sound out of context with each other. Indeed, Mike demonstrates his musical abilities and competence on each instrument. I particularly liked his regular guitar work.
After having listened to this album I must order his previous two albums.
Great work, Mike. Keep it up.  |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 15 Aug 2008 10:17 am
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| Alan Brookes wrote: |
| Although it's entitled Spanish Steel, and the cover announces Mike Perlowin on Pedal Steel Guitar, there is a plethora of diverse instruments on the album, from sitar to autoharp, and they've been blended with such skill that they don't sound out of context with each other. |
Thanks for the kind words Alan. It's fair to say that this is not so much a "steel guitar album" as it is a program of music that heavily features the steel, but in a context of an orchestra of various guitars and guitar related instruments.
My "Firebird Suite" CD is pretty much just the opposite. It is truly a steel guitar album. The steel plays all the melodies and leads with the other instruments taking a subservient role on every tune but the Stravinsky suite itself. When I started working on the suite, I altered my approach and used the various instruments at my disposal to reflect the orchestral colors of the original, as best I could.
I alternated between the 2 approaches on West Side Story. Half the selection on that CD are steel with accompaniment, and half are the "band" with different instruments out front at different times.
The two big production numbers on this CD (El Amor Brujo and Capriccio Espagnol) called for the more orchestral approach, but the piece "Asturias has steel ot fron at all times, accompanied by guitar, bass and percussion, and the piece called "Fantasia Inca" is all steel (multiple steels) and percussion, with no other instruments.
I have to point out that this CD does not contain anything that's going to help a newbie learn to play. There are no licks to cop or anything like that. There's no way I could tab out any of this material even if I wanted to.
Like the others, it's strictly an album of beautiful music, to be listened to and enjoyed on an emotional level.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 15 Aug 2008 1:02 pm
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b0b has agreed to carry the CD in the forum catalog. He is not accepting new CDs but is making an exception for this one because he is already selling my others.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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