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Latest Release:

Somewhere Beyond the Blue Somewhere Beyond the Blue - A song of farewell.

"And so the final scene / Where fancies all are slowly stripped away / Who knows what might have been / Had fate been kinder to our dreams / But no regrets - our hearts were true / And in the end it's all that matters / Old friend adieu - I'll wait for you / Somewhere beyond the blue"

With many thanks to: Carolina de la Muela (lead vocals); Yann Marc (cello); Jovana Krazic (violin); Simon Gibson - Abbey Road Studios (Mastering).
And not least - a little inspiration from J S Bach (BWV 998). Vielen Dank JSB!

Other Recent Releases:

Lightning on Galatea Lightning on Galatea.

Lightning on Galatea - a little something on the wild side! High octane prog/fusion instrumental with sizzling horns, keys/piano pyrotechnics, rip roaring sax leads, a positive blast of fine power drumming (and more!). Embracing something of the sound world of classic outfits such as Yes, Focus, Sky, Steely Dan and the like but at the same time distinctively original. On keys - yours truly (guilty as charged!), plus an assemblage of other fine international musicians in the mix and some dynamic mastering down at Abbey Road Studios (Simon Gibson). Surefire muso therapy for all who have a taste for old school instrumental high jinks.
(as with all the other music listed below - now available from all major outlets)

For Polina: Till Tears Run Dry For Polina: Till Tears Run Dry.

In the midst of so much tragedy, so many broken lives and hearts since the outset of the war in Ukraine the enormity of each individual atrocity, each instance of personal suffering and loss remains undiminished. A young girl, Polina (aged 10) and her family, were attacked whilst trying to flee Kyiv in the early days of the war. Polina and most of her family did not survive. To reflect on one particular instance of grief in Ukraine is, I sincerely hope, to give renewed focus to it all.

With many thanks to:
Juliet Lyons - Vocals
Nightsongs Studio Strings - ensemble/solo strings
Simon Gibson (Abbey Road Studios) - Mastering

Shadows in the Fire Shadows in the Fire.

We held each other tight
And laughed at life's cold gaze
And whispered to the night, "All will be well"
Together we can make this darkness bright...

Grateful to the many matchless musicians that helped me out with this one:
Lydia Salnikova (vocals); Nicolas Ojeda (bass); Erik Holmbom (guitars); Nightsongs studio brass (horn sect / tpt solo) and many more... Not least, real grateful to Andy Walter (Abbey Road Studios) for adding his mastering magic to the mix. Finally, big thanks to that finely tuned and razor eared little band of co-conspirators at Mohan family HQ who still support me all the way and keep me on the straight and narrow!

Arioso in Red Arioso in Red. Taking as its inspiration the opening Arioso of Cantata BWV 156, transformed into a simple love song. At first lightheartedly, and finally more darkly, Arioso in Red works the metaphor of musical transformation into that of a lover's journey through life - painting a picture of hope and fortitude along the way. A very special vote of thanks to Carolina de la Muela (vocals); Nicholas Ojeda (Dble Bass); Nightsongs Studio Strings and not least, to Simon Gibson down at Abbey Road Studios for his customary prowess in the final mastering.

Can you recall the way that song began
The light refrain, the playful rhymes
Each note a fleeting memory of days
Sun-ripe and gay, drifting away
And all the words read 'I love you'.

Caoineadh for Ukraine Caoineadh for Ukraine. Still available for download and streaming from all the usual outlets. Music video also available. Dedicated to the courageous people of Ukraine as a statement of solidarity in their plight. A musical offering for cello & piano - where words fail, let music be a prayer.

"for peace comes dropping slow,
dropping from the veils of the morning
to...the deep heart's core" (W B Yeats)

[CAOINEADH: from the old Gaelic for crying or to lament]

Many thanks to all who contributed to this one, not least Andy Walter for adding his usual magic and mastering down at Abbey Road Studios, London.

Time and Tides (Re-Vox Version Time and Tides (Re-Vox Version). If you've learned to value those close to you a bit more in these troubled times. Or known something of the enduring loss of so many - this one's for you! A vocal duet reworking of my Time and Tides original. A song which the spirit of the times makes even more apt than when first conceived.

You're in the rain
You're in the air I breathe in
You're in this fire inside my brain
You're here again
In every silent moment
That's when I hear you call my name...

Purchase/streaming information available here: Time and Tides (Re-Vox Version)

Big thanks to all those fine folk over at MPG Radio for their recent features series on my music and lyric video release. It's a real privilege to be one of MPG's featured artists.

One World Music Radio lists as "the Number One radio station in Europe for the genres it covers". Its broadcast, The Voice [#26], celebrates the beauty and diversity of vocal music far and wide. So, it's many thanks to OMLR for inclusion of some songs from my Tears and Ashes album in this recent show, along with a variety of my other songs elsewhere within its schedules in recent months.

Keen on brushing up on your German vocabulary? The perfect opportunity: latest review of Broken Angel (re-vox version) - in German! With many thanks to Adrian Prath - Berlin On Air blog. And for all our Brazilian friends: Bem-vindo (Milena Calado writing for Roadie Music Brazil).

Yet more thanks to Vishalnaidu over at Sinusoidal Music for this kindly review of Broken Angel (re-vox version): "beautiful instrumentations...magnificent musical virtuosity...empowering female vocal performances..." [more...]


Broken Angel Broken Angel (Re-Vox Version): Many thanks for the many positive responses regarding the original version of this song. This revised and updated version is in keeping with the free spirit of the original.

If I could live this life again
With every tear I'd share your pain
With every breath I'd make you see
You always were the best of me....


And When the Darkness Comes Also recently released: And When the Darkness Comes.

When you've got no more to give
When those wolves are at your heels
When there's no place left to hide
When all your tears run dry...
Reach out and I'll be there

A heartfelt lyric dedicated to all those who've endured so much, alone, in the darkest of times. Musically: a little homage to retro soul (and the spirit of motown). Reminiscences of an age when sax breaks could knock your socks off - and very possibly some other delicate bits and pieces to boot!


All My Certainties All My Certainties. When all around us seems so far beyond our control. When few things now seem as permanent as they once did. When the names of so many are 'writ in water'. At such times, a true soul that we can always rely on, is a precious gift indeed.

Once there was a time for chasing dreams - when life was fine
And every question had an answer, every heart was true
But now me only certainty is you

With many thanks to the inimitable Carolina de la Muela (vocals).
And some wonderful playing from Guido Scharmer-Choi (cello).


Listen to the Peace Listen to the peace - "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." (Martin Luther King Jr.) A song offered as a tribute to all those who've championed the cause of social justice. For those who continue to dream; who will not be silent; whose voices continue to ring out:

Like a flame
Like the wind
Like the waves rushing in
Like the sun after rain
Like the world born again

(Listen to the peace - it's the song of the free!)


Inishmore Inishmore. The isle of Inishmore and the other Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland hold a mythic significance within Ireland's cultural heritage (it's where the great Irish playwright Synge, amongst others, went to immerse himself in the Irish language and its creative spirit).

This tribute is something of a dreamscape inspired by the strength of the Celtic soul and the majesty of the scenery. The imagery and poetry are intended as a general homage (the visual images are taken from a wide range of locations both within Ireland and further afield - they're intended to conjure up something of the haunting grandeur of the west of Ireland rather than being a literal representation). The themes embodied - exile, love/longing and the dream of redemption - are elemental within Irish poetry and song.

If this little offering adds anything to enhance the special place which Ireland holds in many of our hearts (or soothe, even for a moment, any of its wounds) it will have fulfilled it's goal. Gaelic language version also now available


Broken Angel Broken Angel: A tribute, in these troubled times, to those who have given their all for others, despite the cost. "The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us, and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone." - George Eliot


Tess cover art Tess (No Angel Wings). Sometimes a literary creation can speak to us more forcefully than everyday lived experience. And so it was when I first encountered Thomas Hardy's tragic literary heroine Tess (of the D'Urbervilles). This recent song release is a tribute to the spirit of compassion and human sympathy at the heart of Hardy's novel.

Sweet dawn of innocence your skies have turned to grey
False fate has played the game unfair
The night's deceived you, left you friendless as the moon
Too late the lies are all laid bare
No angel wings to shield you now
All your fickle friends have fled
But Tess you know it's not your fault
It's just...
This world's not for the pure in heart

Many thanks to The Thomas Hardy Society for their kind appreciation of this new Hardy inspired tribute song and their inclusion of its release on the Society's website and social media channels.


Many thanks to John Underwood (producer) at LOSAL TV for inclusion of the song, See Through Lives, in this US TV channel's programme series highlighting the lives of the homeless in Orange County.
...

Tears and Ashes song collection - still available via most major online outlets in hard copy CD and quality audio download:


(you can listen in to basic MP3 streams on the Music area of this site):

The songs take a social issues focus, touching on issues ranging from grief and loss, Free From The Fire, prejudice and social division, A Love That Can't Be Named, the fragility of childhood innocence, Sleep Well Tonight, isolation/depression, Tears And Ashes and the plight of the homeless, See Through Lives.

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View any other new releases on the music pages and please watch this space over coming weeks and months as new projects come to fruition. So do get in touch if you're interested in any of the compositions and would like further info.

Services

Unless otherwise stated, all of the material being promoted on this site is currently available for release/negotiation. Rates for special commissions, arrangements/orchestrations for specific projects are also available on request.

Wisdom

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." (Aldous Huxley)

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." (Plato)

"A good composer is slowly discovered; a bad composer is slowly found out." (Ernest Newman)

Thanks for calling in.

 
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