It’s a perfect album that captures the listener from the first note and enthralls the listener all the way to the end. Timothy Crane’s Dragonfly is that album.

The pianist’s second CD is a collection of dreamy instrumentals embellished by lush orchestral accompaniments, resulting in one of the best albums, independent or major, in years.

While Timothy Crane is obviously the star of the CD, as his compositions and piano playing are the foundation of the album, that is both the beauty and the strength of the music – his compositional and instrumental skills lay the groundwork for epic and grandiose musical statements that are brought to completed perfection through the complementary and absolutely rich orchestrations arranged by Jason Rowsell and the guitars and drum programming by Rick Henley.

As both primary composer and pianist, Crane foregoes virtuosic showmanship in service of the music, which makes the album accessible to a much broader audience, including those not predisposed to instrumental piano music. Evidence of this can be seen especially in tracks like the set opener “Two x Two,” which while not exactly melodically similar is very sonically reminiscent of one of Enya’s biggest hits. Another example is “Play,” in which dense piano chords, refreshingly simple and laidback rhythm guitar, a rolling bass line, synthesizers, and orchestral accompaniment create an infectious main chorus that is one of the most beautiful musical passages ever committed to CD.

The only jarring moment comes in the middle of “Vasilissa the Beautiful,” the only composition not solely penned by Crane, when the characteristically beautiful track suddenly goes into overdrive with a dual attack by sharp, melodic piano and lead electric guitar that almost sounds like rock opera on the order of Queen. But the brief disorientation is not because of lack of creativity or virtuosity, which this is surely a display of, but only because it is out of character with the rest of the CD.

Still, this is only a minor quibble with an album that is nonetheless a perfect record of musical collaboration at its best, and the uncredited orchestral musicians are as much a part of the CD’s success as Crane, Rowsell, and Henley. The compositions, musicianship, orchestrations, recording, engineering, and production are all so top-notch that the agents, managers, and promoters handling this project should seriously consider submitting it for consideration in the instrumental and new age categories of next year’s Grammy Awards.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
"Dragonfly" is the long-awaited follow-up to Timothy Crane’s 2004 debut, "The Other Life I Dream." Like the first album, "Dragonfly" is a collection of piano-based instrumentals that are backed with orchestration. All but one of the eleven tracks were composed by Crane. There are classical influences in some of the pieces and some have a graceful cinematic sweep; all are beautifully realized and each is crafted to stand on its own rather than being part of an overall theme. Most of the music is very peaceful, but there are some effective mood shifts that make the album a great one to listen to with full attention rather than placing it in the background.

"Dragonfly" begins with the joyful “Two X Two,” a piece that creates an uplifting mood with piano and orchestra (mostly strings). “Play” has a more electronic backing to the piano and, along with guitar and strings, evokes swirling sensations of carefree freedom - nice! “Star Cross Moon” opens with a mysterious theme that gradually evolves into a graceful flow that couldn’t be more soothing - a favorite! The delightful laughter of a baby leads into “A Child’s Goodnight” as a music box is being wound up and plays a gentle and very tender lullaby. “Salish Sunset” paints a gorgeous picture of a breath-taking sunset and conveys the inner peace witnessing such a sunset brings. “Theme for Rachel Scott” is another beauty. Slow and graceful with just a touch of melancholy, it really sings to the heart. “Vasilissa the Beautiful” begins with a lovely, flowing theme that alternates between major and minor keys for the first half of the piece. Then a big, energetic theme enters with full force and enthusiasm. The title comes from a Russian fairy tale that begins with sadness and strife for a young girl and ends with a magical skull burning the sources of cruelty to ashes. This is definitely a stand-out piece! The title track closes the set elegantly and peacefully.

"Dragonfly" was worth the wait! Recommended!
                            Read more...
                        

                            
Today’s computer enhanced technology is amazing, and when skillful composing is combined with live performers and instrumentals, the resulting musical outcome can become a creation of natural beauty.  Timothy Crane is an artist title using a creative touch with the music technology of today by composing piano music, then adding key instrumentals along with orchestra effects that become full structured works of music he and his close friends enjoy creating.  Dragonfly is the second release where Timothy plays a leading role as pianist and co-producer of his second album, along with Jason Rowsell who also played bass and mixing. Friends Rick Henly performs on guitar and percussion effects, while Ryan Day engineered and mixed the album. Having one last credit I don’t want to miss, Jason Rowsell’s young daughter has a cameo role by quietly laughing on cue during the beginning of song, A Child’s Goodnight.  The Other Life I Dream is the first album I enjoyed equally from this talented group. When asking Timothy what was the primary objective on this current release, and what set Dragonfly apart from the first album.  Here is his reply :  " With Dragonfly, my focus was more on composition. Each piece reflects an attempt to craft an instrumental tune that is memorable, unique to the overall album, and noticeably piano-driven, produced by independent musicians who want nothing more than to continue to create and play music " Timothy Crane.   Dragonfly is where I discovered more natural forms of instrumentation become closely acquainted with an animated entity in 11 song classics. A few songs carry the rhythmic tones that might remind some of a highly recognized female artist at first glance, but I soon found each song is composed with a singular structuring in each melody belonging in a modern New Age, Piano, Instrumental, Cinematic theme.  Dragonfly indeed takes flight with first song 2×2. In a graceful piano based dance of the keys, a real beauty of a melody greatly captures your attention by the upper tempo modern rhythms. Well placed staccato notes from strings carry this steady motion while wonderful orchestration carries the appropriate rhythms that lead to a natural form of musical attraction.  Sylvan Grove holds much of the same beauty by piano leading in an upbeat theme while horns and strings inscribe a smooth blend into another most positive melody. Higher octave piano notes in Star Cross Moon are the first gentle indications of a nice correlation in melodic shades, and when numerous major to minor key changes make a full emotional presence felt during refrains, the result is gratifying.  A Child’s Goodnight is a playful theme that soon matures in a full chord and heartfelt movement, while Salish Sunset in again, a more moderate tempo, along with light recollections in piano phrasing, join with oboe to impart warm tones to the overall picture.  Theft in Eb Major is more of a classic thought in composition with major and minor chords extending vibrant hues while building momentum. Woodwinds warm breezy notes blend with background choral vocals to instill a more celestial feel with this song.  Theme of Rachel Scott is another focal point where medium range keystrokes give way to lower chords feel of depth and richness, blending nicely with orchestration to become one beautiful entity. Vasilissa the Beautiful entertains a most peaceful beginning only to be suddenly interrupted by an enthralling performance from piano, choir, and deep thunderous percussion, quickly taking flight as if suddenly startled from a comfortable resting place.  Title song Dragonfly is an impassioned piano solo signaling the finale of this lightly animated album, in a conclusion where I felt every colorful detail was closely examined while producing this incorporated album, becoming the right choice for many people desiring popular music creations having a natural attraction.
                            Read more...