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Kathryn Kaye
Artist Icon What the Winter Said (2013)
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User Album Review
What the Winter Said is the third truly exceptional release from pianist/composer Kathryn Kaye, following her chart-topping Dreaming Still (2011) and Heavy As a Feather (2012). Will Ackerman again worked his magic as producer at his Imaginary Road Studios, and the line-up of stellar supporting musicians includes Charlie Bisharat (violin), Eugene Friesen (cello), Ackerman (guitar), Gus Sebring (French horn), and Jill Haley (English horn). Three of the compositions are solo piano, and the other twelve are ensemble creations. Ten of the pieces are original, four are old and seldom-heard Christmas carols, and one is a lovely cover of an Ackerman composition. Both of Kaye’s previous releases became “Picks” on my site and were included as Favorites for both years. What the Winter Said is also a “Pick” and will likely be on the 2013 Favorites list as well. This album is beyond beautiful, performed in a graceful and understated way. Even though the theme is winter, it is not music relegated to the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s only.
The album begins with “A Rose in Winter,” a sweet and gentle piano solo that suggests a peaceful landscape and the silent majesty of falling snow. I love “Brightest and Best,” a beautiful Christmas song I hadn’t heard before. Bisharat’s extraordinary musicianship floats on a cloud one minute and soars to the stars another - he chokes me up every time! “Midwinter Lullaby” is an elegant yet earthy trio for piano, cello, and English horn. “Sky Full of Stars” is another favorite. Anyone who has gazed into a dark night sky away from city lights will be enraptured by Kaye’s pianistic expression of twinkling stars. Violin, cello, and bass create musical magic as they paint vivid sonic images of a brilliant night sky. The soothing yet melancholy “A Slow Walk into Dusk” is a poignant trio for piano, cello, and French horn. Changing the mood to celebratory, “The Arrival” conveys excitement and anticipation. The ancient “Carol of the Birds” is arranged as a dark and haunting duet for piano and cello - also a favorite. The title track is a incredible piano solo that swirls and sparkles yet remains soft-spoken and subtle - effortless piano wizardry! “The Huron Carol” is Canada’s oldest Christmas carol (written around 1642), and Kaye’s piano/French horn duet makes me wonder why this is a fairly unusual instrumental pairing. Somber and very stirring, it’s another favorite. Will Ackerman’s “The Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter,” arranged for piano and French horn, is a soft and gentle love song expressed with grace and subtlety. “Frost” is a sparkling piano solo that is more free-form than melodic, gracefully expressing a cold, still, beauty - superb! “Cumberland Mountain Hymn” brings this wonderful album to a close with an original folk-hymn for piano, accompanied by Tom Eaton on accordion and autoharp.

What the Winter Said is Kathryn Kaye’s third masterpiece (three out of three!). It will be available from Amazon and iTunes shortly. Very highly recommended!


Michael Diamond
Music and Media Focus

With the Fall colors starting to fade outside my window, and a chilly wind stripping the leaves from the trees, sending them flying in every direction, I’m in a proper frame of mind to write about pianist Kathryn Kaye’s brand new album, What the Winter Said. And its not unlikely that scenes such as this inspired the music in the first place. In her words: “Although the inspiration for my compositions comes from a variety of sources, the strongest by far is nature. I’m moved by nature’s colors, sounds, and changing seasons, all of which blend with melodies and visual images from my past.” Given the diversity of places Kathryn has lived and the vistas she has seen, her visual memories must be rich, indeed. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of southeast Kentucky and living there through her college years, she eventually moved to Germany to continue her musical training. These days, Kathryn composes her pastoral melodies surrounded by the bucolic splendor of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains where she resides. But it is not just these sights that have shaped her creative direction, but also the sounds. From the homespun harmonies of folk songs and hymns of Kathryn’s youth, to the influence of Satie, Liszt, and Brahms in later years, these influences form part of the musical DNA her own distinctive style has evolved from.
And it’s a style that I have enjoyed in the past when I wrote about her previous albums, Dreaming Still and Heavy as a Feather, which I described as “evoking the earthy ambience and subtle shadings of an Andrew Wyeth painting.” While her new album bears many of the stylistic similarities of her earlier works, it differs in that is thematically based as a seasonal/ holiday album. This collection includes ten original compositions, as well as four older (16th to 18th century), less familiar but very pretty carols. I appreciate the fact that Kathryn has chosen not to go with the well-trodden classic holiday songs but breathes new life into less well-known tunes from the past. Another “cover” tune on the album is a sweet version of Will Ackerman’s “The Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter.” The inclusion of this lovely tune is no surprise, considering that Mr. Ackerman, the Grammy winning producer and founder of Windham Hill Records, co-produced Kathryn’s album at his picturesque Imaginary Roads Studio in Vermont. One of the many benefits of recording there is the opportunity to use the studio’s highly customized Steinway B piano and the extensive collection of microphones for capturing it’s world class sound. Like many of Will’s productions, this one also includes the talents of a number of his A-list studio musicians who accompany Kathryn on her wintery journey.

The first track, entitled “A Rose In Winter,” however, is a solo piano performance by Kathryn that sets the tone for the album with its gentle understated melody that captures the bloom of beauty set against the tranquil backdrop of the season. In her words: “The winter season is a time for celebration, as well as quiet contemplation and reflection.” And this sentiment perfectly portrays the essence of this piece, as well as the album in general. The next song, “Brightest and Best,” is one of the traditional tunes Kathryn covers, and dates back to 1835. She is accompanied on this bittersweet melody by a duo of my favorite Imaginary Roads recording regulars – violinist Charlie Bisharat, who is known for his work with Yanni, and percussionist Jeff Haynes who has played with the Pat Metheney Group. I also enjoyed being introduced to classical musician Gus Sebring of the Boston Symphony Orchestra accompanying on French horn. On the dreamy “Midwinter Lullaby,” one of Kathryn’s original songs, the piece builds from solo piano for the first movement, to be joined by Grammy winning cellist Eugene Friesen of the Paul Winter Consort. The third member of this talented trio was Jill Haley on English horn, whose own excellent music I’ve had the pleasure of writing about. The more up-tempo, yet serene song “The Shortest Days,” features the maestro Ackerman himself on guitar, along with a number of other accompanists. While not a Christmas carol, per se, there is something of a holiday or seasonal air that this piece exudes. On “Sky Full of Stars,” Kathryn’s left hand ostinato provided a twinkling quality that fit the theme of the song perfectly and created an animated atmosphere for her and the other musicians to glide over.

Another of the songs that Kathryn pays tribute to is the traditional Catalonian tune, “Carol of the Birds,” which has been covered by many artists from Joan Baez to Manheim Steamroller. This quietly respectful instrumental version includes a soulful duet with Eugene Friesen on cello in the second half. The other two traditional carols were one’s I wasn’t familiar with, and were entitled “Huron Carol” and “The Holly Bears a Berry,” which also features Will Ackerman on guitar. While many of the songs on the album are graced by some of the finest musicians in this genre, their contributions are subtly and tastefully integrated, allowing the spotlight to shine on Kathryn’s exquisite compositions and elegant piano performance. The title track is another piano solo that has a serene semi-classical feel with a melody that evoked an image of snowflakes falling gently to earth – quite perfect. The album concludes, paying homage to Kathryn’s Appalachian roots on a tune called “Cumberland Mountain Hymn.” There is a down to earth simplicity on this piece that is augmented by the accordion and autoharp accompaniment of Tom Eaton, who also engineered and helped produce the recording, as he does on many of the projects at the studio.

I’ve always been impressed with Kathryn’s abilities as a composer and it was interesting to hear her speak about her creative process, which she describes in this way: “I never have a goal when I write songs. Instead, I stay out of the way and allow the music to happen. It is my hope that what I write will resonate with someone else, but in that person’s uniquely personal way, even if it’s very different from my own experience as I compose and play. Most of the music I write takes me by surprise, sometimes feeling like an accident! I’ve come to believe that nature, the world, and even the universe are full of creative accidents that are cause for celebration.” Whether the haunting refrains on this album came about by “accident” or design, Kathryn has managed to produce another beautifully crafted album that compares favorably with her two previous chart-topping releases. While the warmth of the sweet melodies on this album is perfect for taking the chill off a cold winter’s day, the fact that the carols she has chosen to interpret are not as well known or immediately associated with the holidays, makes this recording one that can be enjoyed year round. What the Winter Said is a welcome addition to Kathryn Kaye’s growing musical garden.


Bill Binkelman
Zone Music Reporter

Pianist Kathryn Kaye returns again to the mountains of Vermont and Will Ackerman’s Imaginary Road Studio to record her third album, What the Winter Said, a collection of four old (somewhat obscure) holiday carols and eleven other songs evocative of late fall and winter. Besides the ten originals, Kaye also recorded a version of Will Ackerman’s signature tune, “The Bricklayer's Beautiful Daughter.” As on her two previous releases (Dreaming Still and Heavy as a Feather, both 2011), her piano playing is restrained, subtle, never overreaching into melodrama, sometimes somber but always laced with a gentle sense of beauty, occasionally tinted with a dash of nostalgia or romance. Kaye excels at a careful, nuanced style, letting individual notes work their magic on the listener’s emotion, and not putting any of the intended reactions in bold face or underlined, an approach of which I am a particular fan.

The carols which Kaye chose are decidedly less familiar than one usually sees on holiday-themed releases. I’ve heard that the music on What the Winter Said is closer in spirit to one of the many celebrated Winter Solstice albums from the Ackerman-founded Windham Hill label. Those recordings sometimes featured a somewhat unknown carol or two, but mostly they were filled with the same music you will hear on What the Winter Said - music meant to convey a certain stillness, a quiet beauty and a soft joyfulness, all feelings associated with the seasons of late autumn and winter (at least through the new years, after when, in Minnesota at least, it gets too damn cold to see the beauty in anything at that time of year!). The traditional carols included on the album are “Brightest and Best,” “Carol of the Birds,” “Huron Carol,” and “The Holly Bears a Berry.”

This wouldn't be an Imaginary Road production without, of course, some of the best (and busiest) accompanists on the contemporary instrumental recording scene: Charlie Bisharat on violin, Jill Haley on English horn, Jeff Haynes on percussion, and Eugene Friesen on cello, all of whom have graced multiple IR recordings. New (to me) additions to the list of usual suspects include Gus Sebring on French horn and Richard Gates on bass. Producer Ackerman sits in on a few tunes on guitar and mixing/mastering engineer Tom Eaton joins in on bass, accordion and autoharp. While Kaye, to her credit, allows the others to step into the spotlight now and then (notably Bisharat on the cuts where he appears), this is undoubtedly Kathryn’s show and she is more than up to the task, weaving a spell of melodies that will elicit emotions both happy and pensive, as the listener reflects, remembers, and dreams through a cascading recollection of winters and holidays - past, present and future.

“A Rose in Winter,” the first track, is a gently rolling solo number, a musical smile at a fond memory, if you will. “Brightest and Best,” with violin, French horn, and percussion, evokes a thoughtful yet subtly joyous mood, as Bisharat circles Kaye like two dancers pirouetting around each other. “Midwinter Lullaby” is a lovely example of that nighttime musical subgenre, with hints of classical influence, especially when Friesen and Haley accompany Kaye’s gentle piano meditations.

The uptempo “Sky Full of Stars,” which, despite its elevated pace (on the piano) still coveys an autumnal mood and is even tinted with a shade of sadness. On “A Slow Walk into Dusk”
I detect an extremely subtle influence from either Eastern European or Russian music motifs, while the title track (a solo piano piece) displays Kaye’s minimalist side (it’s on this track that Kaye allows for a brief occurrence of power and drama, but it’s not what I would call intrusive). “The Holly Bears a Berry” is a soft yet sprightly carol, and due to Ackerman’s guitar and Bisharat’s violin, the song has an Appalachian air to it (perhaps indicative of the artist’s growing up in that region). Kaye’s treatment of Ackerman’s now-classic “The Bricklayers Beautiful Daughter” retains the tune’s unmistakable melody but the impact of the song is admittedly quite different, losing some of the guitar version’s somberness in favor of a more stately, formal (yet still appealing) sound, especially with the contributing tones from Sebring’s French horn. The album closer, “Cumberland Mountain Hymn,” is almost visually evocative of a cabin-in-the-woods Christmas featuring Kaye on piano and Eaton on accordion and autoharp. One almost half expects to hear a crackling fire in the background. The song speaks of family and loved ones gathered together, enjoying the simple pleasure of each other’s company. It’s quaint in the best possible sense of the word.

Kathryn Kaye is carving out a specific niche for her talents, a niche of being musically soft-spoken, playing and composing in a style that bears witness to the gentler side of human emotions, whether they be the pleasant ones or the ones that remind us we are, after all, human because we also feel pain. However, in many cases with Kaye’s music, it is the pain of regret and remembrance, not outright sorrow or loss. What the Winter Said may be too restrained in mood for the liveliness of spring or the childlike exuberance of summer, but it is the perfect soundtrack for falling leaves, falling snow, and falling temperatures - all best savored in front of a hearth with a crackling fire, of course!


Dana Wright
MuzikReviews.com

Kathryn Kaye is a musician that will sweep you off your feet. Her music tugs at the deepest parts of you, coaxing rich emotion from subtle and complex melodies. Her newest album, What the Winter Said is a beautiful journey through snow covered hills and the days of holly and ivy, midwinter and starry crisp nights spent with the one you cherish most. These songs were recorded mixed and mastered by Tom Eaton at Imaginary Road Studios and Universal Noise Storage. Contributing artists include Charlie Bisharat (violin), Jeff Haynes (percussion), Guy Sebring (French horn), Eugene Friesen (cello), Jill Haley (English horn), Will Ackerman (guitar), Richard Gates (bass), Tom Eaton (bass, accordion, autoharp) and Kathryn Kaye (piano). The album is a mix of original works composed by Kathryn Kaye, traditional works and “The Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter” which was composed by Will Ackerman.
The first piece of the album is “A Rose in Winter.” It is fragile, like a bloom against the harshest ice and snow, fighting to stay alive. It is a red cheeked child in ruby red ear muffs, and matching coat, discovering the miracle of snow for the first time. Nuanced beauty in every note brings this tender song to life as Kaye takes us on a long walk on a snowy winter’s eve, the blush of life and love bright against the winter’s chill, every note taking us further along the path.
“What the Winter Said” is another piano solo by Kaye. Each sweeping melody drifts along like a merry snow storm, covering the world with icy glory. The white coating makes the world new, just for a little while. The hush of sound muted and made all that more intense in the half silence is reflected in the passion of Kaye’s playing. Watching, waiting for the moment when you can be a part of the snowy wonderment; listening to the hidden voice that whispers the secrets of the season.
“The Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter” was composed by Will Ackerman, and is performed by Kaye on the piano and Sebring on the French horn. This piece is deeper than the lighter, snowy drifting pieces mentioned above. This is the deep, rich sound of being in a closed space with the one you have been waiting to be near all season long. The tree is lit, gifts have been given and the cinnamon scent of cider fills the air. Just for a moment, you and the one you love are alone. You stare into each other’s eyes and know that this is the truest joy of the season. Love. With each winding piano sequence and horn element, a picture is painted, pure and eloquent.
Kathryn Kaye has graced us with another beautiful album. It is snowy wonderment in wintery glory. As with much of Kaye’s work, nature is a central theme. Taking subtle nuances of an ice covered branch or a snowy field, her playing brings the scene to life in the listener’s mind. She is an evocative and thought provoking artist and I clamor for more of her playing each time the album comes to an end. Her third CD, What the Winter Said is a unique and profound album, drawing you in to her distinctive and elaborate style. This album looks at Yuletide with an all new vision. There are original pieces and some rarely used carols to stir the blood. Throughout the album, Kaye is supported by a cast of talented musicians, crafting a sound experience that has given me many nights of enjoyment and will do so for many more to come. This is piano music at its finest.


Steve Sheppard
One World Music

This is almost like coming full circle for me, as I had the absolute pleasure of reviewing Kathryn's last album Heavy as a Feather back in 2011, and what a fine album that was, and each time I hear that a new album from her is on the way, it fills me with joy of having to review an album that is from the absolute top draw of the solo piano genre.


A Rose in Winter is a delicate and gentle flowing start to an album that has such poise and grace and one can almost visualise this hardy flower struggling in the winter winds against the back drop of a snow filled hill side; there is always something so hopeful about a Rose and this track will fulfill that essence within you as well. 


We're coming towards the end of an incredibly wet winter here in England, and as I write I hear the charming Violin of Charlie Bisharat caressing my senses, Kaye’s style and rhythmic playing on Brightest and Best would with ease illuminate any dirty old winter day in my town and discard old autumn leaves with a passion. This track has a burst of almost cinematic quality at various points in the composition that really tugs at the emotional heart strings, a most excellent track indeed. 


Now it’s time for a Lullaby and quite appropriately a Midwinter Lullaby. This is another chance for Kaye to emphasise her skills at composing, this is such a calm and gentle piece, one could easily slip away into a blissful sleep listening to it. Add the deep resonating Cello of Eugene Friesen and the outstanding Jill Hayley on English Horn and you have a winner in every respect. 


I must admit I was quite surprised when I heard the next piece. It’s called The Shortest Days, and January sure has plenty of those, but instead of a deep mournful refrain into deepest winter, she delivers an upbeat composition that features Will Ackerman on Guitar and some very clever and timely work by percussionist Jeff Haynes. Kathryn Kaye has taken the gloomiest part of any year and made it a delight by creating this uplifting composition. 


There is something very special about a star-filled sky at any time of the year, but here Kaye treats us to a composition called Sky Full of Stars, a winter vista, of a galactic playground that swirls within time majestically above our heads, and she creates an urgent piece that travels across the musical horizon. As Kaye’s insightful playing is joined once more by Bisharat on Violin, you are treated, dear constant listener and reader, to a soundscape of utter beauty, of six minutes plus. 


Waiting for a Kathryn Kaye release is the piano equivalent of waiting for a second Christmas, and she continues to rain musical presents down upon us with the next piece called A Slow Walk into Darkness. This is an interesting and almost careful composition that literally feels its way along a dark winter street. Kaye has her subject matter down perfectly with this roving melody, and Gus Sebring's French Horn on this track is sublime. 


At the half way stage we are gifted a piece called The Arrival. This is once again Kaye in upbeat mode, and this musical tale seems to be just that, a real narrative of a composition. It has some delightfully thoughtful percussion from Haynes within it that created for me the imagery of a family at last, after many months, meeting up once again for the holiday season. It is a piece filled with joy and happiness and perfectly placed at the middle part of the album. 


Now for something absolutely delicious, musical food for the soul, and I am referring to the grand and almost classically brilliant Carol of the Birds, starting with a sumptuous serving of Cello from Friesen and several delicate portions of fine sliced slithers of genius of Kaye's Piano. We are given a piece that could easily fit into an winter musical drama on television or film; it's outstanding. 


Now as the sun sinks here in this dank February day, I see the odd cloud or three scud by with an almost disdainful glance at the landscape below, but my ears are treated to a much more palatable harmony. The title track is upon me and, dear constant reader and listener, you all know how I adore my title tracks, and I await them with bated breath and eager anticipation to see if they will stand up to the test of the album's concept. 


Blown away would be an accurate description partly, but Kathryn Kaye has, in What the Winter Said, composed and performed a classically spectacular track here. She takes six minutes plus on her own back and creates a passion-filled solo piano session on the keys to delight all her fans; she has such a flexibility in her style and speed it should be applauded. This, I will imagine, will be one that will be a much asked for piece at any concert given. 


Huron Carol for me had a slight Celtic feel to it, Sebring joins Kaye once more on French horn and I started to visualise vast areas of frozen land. I felt the music take me upwards across the view of a mountain range. This is the musical equivalent of an Eagle's wings, so ride on the back of this majestic creature and allow him to be your guide during this deeply felt and well played composition. 


The Close of Another Year, is one of those compositions that you could share the experience listening to, while sitting by a log fire in a wooden cabin--not that I have ever done that, but it is on my bucket list and if I do ever get to achieve that, I will take this album with me and remember to play this piece at the very stroke of midnight, as we say goodbye to the year gone and hello to a brand new dawn of hope. 


The Holly Bears a Berry is the shortest piece on the album, but includes the very evident guitar of Will Ackerman and the very respectful Violin of Bisharat. This far more traditional-styled piece wends its way through this winter land of delight with such a cheerful repose, it is enough to warm the very cockles of one’s heart with ease. 


A deep start to the piece entitled The Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter, a Will Ackerman composition, is performed here that really has a stunningly grand feel to it. Kaye's strength on the keys in this piece really comes to the fore, and the enchanting French horn played regally, by the ever-talented Sebring, adds to the piece a texture that creates a memorable song from an exceptional album. 


I must say that I really enjoyed my musical reverie when I reached the solo piano composition called Frost. This was one of my favourites from the album. For me this showed just why Kathryn Kaye is regarded as a leader in her genre and it shows her elegant talents off in a tasteful and emotional style. Frost had just about everything you would want in a solo piano composition, but for me the use of sombre mood mixed with a slight but effortless element of power and purpose, and then ended with the gentle caring hand of a mother, really highlighted Kaye’s heaven-sent gift as a musician.

So, we are once again here, dear constant reader and listener. Yes, it is the last track of the album, and this I always say is as important as the opener and the title track. It’s called Cumberland Mountain Hymn and features Tom Eaton on Accordion and autoharp. A piece filled with a gentle narrative that takes us gently by the hand and leads us to bed. This is the classic end of album composition and Kaye does it so well. Listen for the ending of this track--it is both beautiful and very clever. 


So with this season of darkness beginning to wane, we finally come to the end of What the Winter Said by Kathryn Kaye. There is nothing to dislike about this release. It’s beautiful beyond the pale, produced by the wizardry hands of Will Ackerman, and it feeds about every musical menu you may wish to feed off. With stunning compositions that take this season of reflection and give it an air of magnificence, Kathryn Kaye has once more created an album that is packed full of picturesque scenic compositions, one that will enthrall all of her fans and listeners worldwide.


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