LAURA SULLIVAN: Piano Solos

Laura Sullivan

Piano Solos

© 2003 Laura Sullivan (634479407949)

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Laura's influences include the music of David Lanz, George Winston, Liz Story and Will Ackerman. Beautiful, melodic solo piano tells a story in each song, drawing emotions out of the listener through heartfelt and intimate themes.

tracks

1 Hope for the Sun
2 Dreaming Underwater
3 Selling Water By the River
4 Lullaby Wind
5 Sleepwalking (On A Tightrope)
6 Claire de Lune
7 Calls to Spirit
8 Brave Mourning
9 Of Land And Sea, Of Mortal And Divine
10 The Voyage Home
11 In Last Hours

notes

My childhood was experienced on a farm nestled between the nobility of Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta near the small community of Red Bluff, California, named for the color of terrain on the West Bank of the Sacramento River. Harvesting walnuts, collecting chicken eggs, stirring compost, and feeling dirt between my toes was part of everyday life on our little piece of heaven. In the center of our stone-block farmhouse lived an antiquated piano which was handed down through my family from my great-grandmother, Etta. My favorite thing to do was invent my own songs on this piano. The sounds of beetles, crickets and distant owls were my accompaniment and the unsettled spirits of Ishi and his Yahi-Yana tribe who once lived on our land were my inspirational backdrop.

Not much has changed about my favorite thing to do and where my heart is, musing with nature. I'm still inspired by open spaces, the last rays of orange and pale gold sunshine, smooth and tumbling waters, the lonely and longing of coyotes crying from foot-hills, and the midsummer goldfinches singing in the wind. These elements unite with touches of melodies from the mingling of my roots of Irish and Native peoples.

I create melodic and emotive piano music which is best described as "New Age". My influences include the music of Will Ackerman, David Lanz, Liz Story and George Winston. To express my essence and deepest emotions through harmonious, peaceful music is my calling. I hope while listening you feel the serenity I do when I return home to Etta's worn ivories.

Laura's album "Piano Solos" is available through her Independent Label, Sentient Spirit Records. Please visit www.laura-sullivan.com for information on buying CD's and music downloads.

Laura has contributed her music to the score of films including "9 1/2 Minutes Left", directed by celebrated Austrian artist and author, Guenther Thallinger, and "American Icons", directed by Eric Galindo of San Francisco. Laura scored her first feature film, "Emotions" directed by Gio Santana in 2003. "Emotions" debuted at the New York International Film and Video Festival in April 2003.

"The pieces on the CD are very complete and mature. One would not dare to ever change a thing on a Rodin statue. And so appears Laura's work to me. The right music to find spiritual balance and rediscover the beauty within." Guenther Thallinger, Filmmaker

"I listened to the CD and drifted off into a wonderful reverie. I really love the story that the music and the titles of each piece tell. What a WONDERFUL journey!" Jim Ryerson

What music do you play at times like those, when you just want to be still and absorb...? The answer: this CD. It's peace, rolling reflection, gentle/natural rhythms & tides. Perfect daydreaming music, it flows with you. Beautiful." K.M. Jellen

reviews

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  • The best!
    author: Sheryl

    I loved it. Laura Sullivan is one of my favorite artists. I have every one of her CD's and enjoy each one of them over and over again.

  • author: Guenther Thallinger

    The pieces on the CD are very complete and mature. One would not dare to ever change a thing on a Rodin statue. And so appears Laura's work to me. The right music to find spiritual balance and rediscover the beauty within. One can only wait with great excitement for what Ms. Sullivan will present us with her next CD.

  • author: Shelly's Piano Studio

    I love the elegance and simplicity of Laura's music, but it is a bit "scattered" for me. I prefer compositions more in lyric style - as one could sing with it or one that gets more to the point. However, I am definitely not sorry I bought the CD. Her music is by far the most soothing.

  • author: Renaud Rigart, Zoopa Loop

    “If for each artist his close environment gives rise to inspiration, its repercussion on the music turns out to be more or less obvious due to the personality of the artist himself. In the case of Laura Sullivan, the underlying pastoral atmosphere of her own compositions is only the reflection of her youth she spent in Northern California. In a quite country living environment, Laura has discovered life at the rate of the seasons, letting nature guide her from year to year. Emotionally strong and entrancing, this record is a marvel of sensitivity which will fill your heart with peaceful vibes."

  • author: Kathy Parsons, Solo Piano Publications

    "A strong and passionate pianist, Laura Sullivan brings a distinctive new voice to contemporary piano."

  • author: Leonard Ybarra, Programming Director, KSJS

    "This is an amazing album!"

  • author: Bill Binkelman, Wind and Wire,

    “The music on Laura Sullivan's eponymous CD of solo piano music is more somber and reflective than many piano recordings I receive for review. This is not a bad thing in the least. In fact, I think the piano is ideally suited (as an instrument) for painting melancholic musical portraits, and Ms. Sullivan sure can do just that, although, melancholic may be too severe a word to use for some of the lighter pieces here. Perhaps a better choice would be to label her songs as "introspective journeys." While there are some up-tempo numbers (such as the opener, "Hope for the Sun") many of the tracks on the album are soundtracks for late autumn walks down deserted streets or while strolling through a cathedral of barren trees. “Dreaming Underwater" is delicate, Sullivan showing a solid command of changing time signatures as she moves from quick to relaxed tempos throughout the song, yet avoiding any trace of confusion or "chaos" in the song. I liked "Selling Water by the River" a lot - it has a rolling sense of sparkling quality to it, even as the overall mood of the cut is pensive (nice use of minor key notes to counterbalance the song's brightness). Other tracks include another sorrowful one (aptly titled "Brave Mourning"), the lovely and flowing "Of Land and Sea, of Mortal and Divine," and the last two songs which are perfect closing numbers: "The Voyage Home," (a subdued and "wintry" feeling piece) and "In Last Hours," the bleakest and most intimate song here on which Sullivan explores subtle dissonance and minimalism while still retaining her natural warmth and accessibility. A solid debut from a promising talent... pieces rich with emotion taking risky steps away from standard "New Age Piano'" formula. Recommended."

  • Dizzy with passion, the purity of this collection is a musical treasure.
    author: Indie Music Review

    Most modern recordings use digital effects, zillions of tracks, and lowest common denominator melodies to grab listeners' attention. Laura Sullivan refuses to do business this way. She is an extraordinary pianist and composer. To record her 2003 release, piano solos, Sullivan set up camp with only a few high end microphones, an amazing piano, and her own simple/ sophisticated style of self expression. On tracks like "Hope for the Sun" and "Lullaby," Sullivan's delicate melodies cross stitch the space with feminine grace and expert agility. Then "Calls to Spirit" puts force behind the chords before we're taken on a sweet and sacred journey with "Dreaming Underwater." Even with these different levels of energy the music is always soothing, vital, and personal. Without a word ever spoken, these songs transmit the stories of this gifted composer's heart. The sweet and silky performances of Laura Sullivan's piano solos may be called new age by some but this music speaks volumes without being confined to a genre. Dizzy with passion, intelligence and creativity, the performance and purity of this collection is a dreamy musical treasure. In these days of style over substance Laura Sullivan proves there is still music that operates on a deep and meaningful level.

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