Saturday, November 23, 2013

CD Review – Open Sky, by David Nevue

Each of the CDs by pianist David Nevue that I have reviewed has been solid, but this, his fourteenth release, is his best by far.

In his press release, Nevue says that his goal with this album was to create music that transcends the standard piano music genre. Nevue has accomplished this goal in spades.

Overall, the music on the disc doesn't sound like typical solo piano music. Without knowing Nevue's exact process, it sounds to me like he composed the music simply as music and used the piano to realize his compositions. The result is music that is haunting and evocative, a perfect soundtrack for nocturnal sojourns. I can see Nevue composing orchestral music or otherwise that doesn't have keyboards or synthesizers as the focus, if at all.

All of the seventeen tracks are exceptional, but three truly stand out – interpretations of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Scarborough Fair” and the English hymn “Morning Has Broken” made popular by Cat Stevens, and the striking original “Summer Rain.”

This is not simply piano music. It's music pure and simple, and good music at that.

--Raj Manoharan



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