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Roots: The Solo Acoustic Piano Album
or, Buy MP3 downloads in the Laurie Z. Online Store, via PayPal
Also, Yamaha is selling Roots for Disklavier (MIDI format) here.
Song Titles
1. Stranger in a Familiar Land [Preview] 8. Roots 2. Michael’s Song [Preview] 9. The Still of the Night 3. In the Monterey Mist [Preview] 10. Invisibility 4. For the Love of a Child 11. Too Blue 5. The Mysterious Painter 12. The River 6. From the Ashes 13. Kelly's Garden [Preview] 7. Dream Come True 14. Good Night, My Friend
- Considered for 8 Grammy nominations
- Recorded live with no edits or overdubs, direct to high resolution digital audio
- One of the top instrumental releases of the year according to music
critics, with radio airplay throughout the world
| Song
Descriptions: |
|
| 1. | Stranger in a Familiar Land - [Preview] |
"Stranger"
describes an experience that I had a few months earlier where, although
I had been in this place so many times before, something very significant
had changed inside me, making me a “stranger in a familiar land.”
The next morning, I awoke with this theme pounding in my head and immediately
knew the title, and that it was meant to be on Roots. |
|
| 2. | Michael’s Song - [Preview] |
This is one of
my earlier compositions, written in a romantic moment. Picture the bride
and groom walking down the aisle as they prepare to share their life
together, full of happiness and love. Michael's Song is a wonderful
composition to start with if you're a newer student of piano. |
|
| 3. | In the Monterey Mist - [Preview] |
This is one of
the approximately 1/2 dozen songs on Roots which were written in just
a couple of takes live in the studio in the five evenings that we recorded
the album. "Mist" relates to an experience I had standing
on the balcony at the beautiful Highlands Inn in Monterey, California
after performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival. I envisioned my memory
of the unusual mist there in patches along the ocean and the trees on
the hillside, which evoked a sense of peace and connectedness. This
song was composed in semi-darkness, intending to avoid melodic direction
and destination, simply being. |
|
| 4. | For the Love of a Child |
This song and
The Mysterious Painter were both created in concert, and the concepts
and keys were from audience suggestions, which I am known to do in many
of my Solo Piano Concerts. If you listen carefully, you'll hear the
child's first steps, and the progression as the child learns to run.
I had to literally study the video of the performance to remember what
I had done! |
|
| 5. | The Mysterious Painter |
The woman who
suggested the idea for this song in concert is a painter, and I pictured
the torment of a perhaps under-appreciated creative soul who feels the
artistic drive to paint, yet doesn't fit into mainstream society. I
was very pleased that another audience member suggested A-minor as the
key - it's one of my favorites, and has that dreamy, mysterious quality
I needed for the song. |
|
| 6. | From the Ashes |
This was another
song written in the recording studio, about one of my most cherished
friends, who had come back from the worst things life can throw at you,
including surviving cancer twice, and experiencing his house and all
his possessions burning to the ground. Like the phoenix, he has come
back to fly up "from the ashes" with incredible strength and
courage. It's also a stylistic tribute to one of my biggest influences,
Elton John. |
|
| 7. | Dream Come True |
This piece was
a one-take improvisation. I have absolutely no idea where it came from,
but I felt on playback that the phrase "my dream come true"
fit beautifully into the chorus, and really described my whole musical
career in a nutshell. |
|
| 8. | Roots |
This is the oldest
song on the album - it was written (except the opening) when I was 17,
one of the first songs I remember writing. This song has had several
sets of lyrics written for it, but it always sort of had a life of its
own. The minor key is very significant - it speaks to the inner turmoil
of a tortured teen trying to figure out the meaning of life and other
small stuff like that. |
|
| 9. | The Still of the Night |
I've always been
a night owl, and I love the quiet and stillness that exists when everyone
else has gone to bed. This song was written about 3 am, when I had just
gotten a Disklavier in my home and was enjoying "bonding"
with my new instrument in the middle of the night. A new instrument
always inspires new music for me, and this was like our first sensous
dance together. |
|
| 10. | Invisibility |
Invisibility
was also written in the studio, although I went in with the title and
the concept. It's told from the viewpoint of a child (hence the simple
and sweet melody)....who wishes she was invisible, so she could watch
people all she wanted, and even stare, without incurring the wrath of
adults. I've always been a people-watcher, and I used to wish I could
sit on the street corner and just watch, and watch, and watch......I
like to tell this story in concert, and say that it's one of the reasons
my career choice is so perfect - I get to watch the audience watching
me! |
|
| 11. | Too Blue |
This was another
improvisation, actually the second take (Blue 2, or "Too Blue"),
during which I had the memory of the Monterey Jazz festival firmly planted
in my head, remembering the incredible musicians and music I heard all
over the fairgrounds, playing jazz, soul, and lots 'n lots of blues… |
|
| 12. | The River |
"The River"
was the first song that I knew had to be on Roots. I tell its story
in concert: I went to bed one night thinking about a quote I had just
read, attributed to an ancient Greek philosopher - "You never put
your hand in the same river twice." It seemed very meaningful to
me, as an allegory for life, like a river, constantly changing, constantly
flowing. I woke up early, stumbled over to the piano and tape deck,
and wrote this song exactly as you hear it, start to finish, including
the verses, chorus, and bridge. I've never changed a thing about this
song, and I hear tell that there's quite a few people hungering to write
lyrics to it, which is fine with me! |
|
| 13. | Kelly’s Garden - [Preview] |
Kelly's was written
when I was asked to perform on St. Patrick's Day and it was suggested
that I play something "Irish". I like to tell my audiences
to picture rolling green, lush hills in Ireland, a picnic, a frolicking
couple, and a lot of love and fun! (which is what I pictured when I
wrote it!) |
|
| 14. | Good Night, My Friend |
Kelly's is a
demanding song to play, and after we recorded it, my hands were tired.
I put my head down on the piano and my fingers rested on the keys, and
this song is what resulted. Again, one take, no idea what force sent
it to me, but when we sat in the control room on playback, there was
absolutely no question that this was the end to the album, a final "goodnight"
to my audience, my friends. |
|
What The Reviewers Say:
“Laurie Z.s third album, Roots, is her first collection of solo acoustic piano compositions. This superbly recorded album contains the passion and melodic flow of her previous releases, but is Laurie's most intimate release to date. Laurie's unique ability to blend classical, jazz and new age influences create a sophisticated, yet accessible follow-up to Life Between The Lines.”
~ Michael Carter, William Morris Agency
“WOW!!! Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!”
“An expertly crafted album of original solo piano compositions...chock full of indelible melodies.”
“I love this album! Roots is an autobiography set to music, and clearly demonstrates Laurie's diverse and deeply personal composing styles as well as her mastery of the piano. A classically-trained pianist since the age of four, her touch is warm and expressive. Everything about this album rings true and real, and I hope it is the first of many solo piano recordings from this dynamic composer and artist.”
“Laurie Z. has recorded a very personal and thoughtful work created solely at the piano. There is solid music here, worthy of concentrated listening. These tracks flow like musical water.”
“Strikingly beautiful…”
“A master of shading, intertwining chords in a way that can be as intimate as a whisper, or as commanding as a whole symphonic chorus. Standout cuts include ‘Dream Come True,’ ‘Michael’s Song’ and ‘In the Monterey Mist.’”