Kori's saga of her musical quest to share her soul stemmed from her childhood. Ever since Kori can remember, music has always painted imagery in her mind. She was always listening to something on the record player in her home in Minnesota and Texas. Her favorites were Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Band as well as many of her classical favorites. " I remember when I was little, and sitting next to the record player putting my head down to the speakers to hear everything going on", says Kori. " I was amazed at the varied instrumentation that brought the songs I loved so much together". Kori also had a tape player with headphones " I would fall asleep listening to John William's "Star Wars Soundtrack".
She heard the Beatles on the radio and began to plunk out tunes on the piano and as she figured out the songs without any musical knowlege, she knew that she wanted to play the piano right then. She took piano lessons, listened to many varied artists and at age 14 began to compose music.
Her parents did not know what to do with her talents. At 16, Kori found a small recording studio in Texas and recorded two songs. " I loved doing that so much, I just knew this was something I had and wanted to do!" says Kori regarding her experience.
At 18, Kori moved to Idaho to go to college and was classically trained. Eventually she had to return back to Texas. She worked and continued to compose her music. She ended up moving to San Diego, California. Kori met her husband and they married in 1991. She gave up her dreams of becoming a performer in order to raise a family, but took piano lessons through the Associated Board Of The Royal Schools of Music. "My teacher, Mrs. Jensen told me I was concert pianist material and told me that I could achieve my dream!" With that knowledge she continued to work on her technique and theory skills.
In 2003, Kori was encouraged by her husband to continue to compose and actually release her music through the internet. "I remember when my husband took me to see Yanni, he asked me if I was interested in returning to my music. I laughed and asked him if this was a trick question! He told me that I should get a keyboard. I told him that if I do get a keyboard it was NOT going to be a little tiny keyboard, I was going for the full-sized Korg." Kori's old musical flame re-surfaced and she released her first album in 2004,"The Road Less Traveled."
In 2005, she released her second recording "The Journey". A blend of synthesized and organic instrumentation. Bill Binkleman of Wind and Wire comments: "On her second album, pianist/keyboardist Kori Linae Carothers paints on a more dramatic canvas than on her debut CD, layering synths (mostly strings, chorals and washes) underneath her passionate piano melodies."
Kori hears music in her head all the time. She composes her music when she feels like expressing herself. "Many people ask me all the time if I plan and write out my compositions" says Kori. "But I don't do that. Technically, I am not great at notation. When I feel like I need to say something musically, I sit down and work out a melody and record everything I do."
Kori is working on her third album, "Trillium", slated for release later on in 2008. "I plan on releasing each song digitally, so that the fans of my music will get excited about the whole project, once I do that, I will release the recording as a physical CD. I really like doing my own thing. I don't like to listen to people telling me HOW I should sound like so and so. I just compose what I want my music to be like and thats what is inside of me dying to get out!
thejourney - Review by Bill Binkleman
On her second album, pianist/keyboardist Kori Linae Carothers paints on a more dramatic canvas than on her debut CD, layering synths (mostly strings, chorals and washes) underneath her passionate piano melodies. In this way, the album combines soaring/flowing spacemusic-like electronics with neo-classical/new age piano stylings. While I would’ve enjoyed one or two quieter, more subdued tracks, it’s hard to argue with the deftness and artistry revealed in songs like the opening forgabriel with its sense of rolling melodicism over a bed of hushed synth-chorals. Carothers has abundant technique on the piano so that one can hardly fault her for showcasing her powerful presence and her dexterous abilities.
Some tracks like Winterstorm come close to juxtaposing a softer nuanced texture with a more forceful approach to the piano (meant, no doubt, to convey the ebb and flow of what the title depicts). The titles of planetarydawn might lead you to expect something more akin to Jonn Serrie, and the track does have its synthesizer flavorings, but the meat of the piece is played out on the ivories. Synthesizers do take the lead on the last two songs: Desertcrossings features smooth-as-sand keyboard washes and kalimba-like sampled keyboards. At seven-plus minutes, the song might’ve been well-served by being trimmed a bit (to the five minute range) although admittedly it unfolds nicely over its duration nonetheless, kicking into a higher gear as it nears conclusion with some spicy Middle Eastern musical touches scattered about at the periphery. thehealing closes the CD with breathy lush synth chorals and Liquid Mind-like soft cushions of warm floating ambience. Also of note, being different than the norm here, is the title track on which Carothers is joined by violinist Nancy Davis. This selection has an (appropriate, per the liner notes) nautical feel to it. By the way, the artist-penned liner notes reveal the sources of inspiration for all the songs on the album.
If you enjoy the mixture of piano and synth from artists such as Bernward Koch, Ann Sweeten, and others like them, but you’re looking for a tad more drama and passion injected into the music, thejourney will almost certainly delight you. Technically, the album is well done in the areas of production and engineering (the synths, in particular, are neither buried nor allowed to overwhelm the piano – bonus points for that). From a purely personal perspective, I’d love to hear the artist do an album featuring more electronic music someday, because she excels at it. On the other hand, piano-oriented music is no doubt more accessible to mainstream music fans. One last compliment I’d like to pay is to the art designer Michael Bodily who laid out the graphics and selected the front and back photos, which are both excellent choices. It’s always refreshing to see an indie release that doesn’t necessarily look like it.
Rating: Very Good -
- reviewed by Bill Binkelman on 1/25/2006
Read more...