Mike,
I've been listening to your BOWIE VARIATIONS over time, in order to soak it in. Loved it upon first hearing but wanted to get on the inside of it a bit more.
My favorites are hard to pick, since it's all so great...
- Space Oddity: extremely beautiful. Wow. Very very heartfelt and sophisticated. I could go on in detail, but just know that at every turn your harmonic flavors and touch were marvelously unexpected and satisfying. One of the best reinterpretations of a piece of music I've ever heard. This is a huge winner.
- John, I'm Only Dancing: this song is one of my new favorites from the Bowie catalog. I love the swing treatment you gave it. Perfect choice.
- Life On Mars: great use of range and arpeggiation. Wonderful harmonic voice-leading moments. Appropriate ending!
- Heroes: That sparkling figuration makes me smile. Very much enjoyed that. Again, great taste.
- Ashes to Ashes: beautiful.
- Changes: Marvelous textures. You have strong variation technique.
- Let's Dance: lends itself well to a piano-only treatment. Wisely chosen and done. Crazy licks!
- Trilogy of songs: your use of multi-layered pianos is something I've not heard done much before, if at all. Love it. Great effect and content. You're probably enjoying elaborating on DISCO KING, since that song in the first place rests so much upon your shoulders.
- Tribute: again, beautiful. As you shared it with me pre-release.
- Wind: great atmosphere. Your two-hand licks are incredible.
All in all, I love many things about your creativity in this project. One that stands out to me in addition to all the melodic/rhythmic/harmonic/textural things is your arrangement. You often chose an alternate part of the song to begin with (such as a chorus) instead of the literal beginning. Or focus on a specific section of a song altogether. Expert.
Kris Becker
Thanks for giving this great idea to the world, Mike! I love it.
Best,
Kris
Labels: Kris Becker, Mike Garson, Review, The Bowie Variations
