iTunes has it up and running as well as a few other online sites (Napster, Amazon, Verizon, etc.) with more to come....

Hello everyone! 

My new ambient CD Lucid Dreaming is now available here on www.balsampillow.com.  I'm busy making the rounds promoting this one.  I trust the music will be a blessing to you!

Later this year comes a new jazz project called In The Day Of Small Things.  I have one song posted on myspace...  click here to listen!  The name of the song is "The Great Cloud of Witnesses".  Enjoy!

Recent activity at Balsam Pillow Studio includes live remote recording and CD production continuing for the 2008 - 2009 concert season of the Asheville Community Band, based in Asheville, NC.

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet lately, which is allowing me plenty of time and space to complete my latest two projects. 

Fascinating tunes of late (in constant rotation - leave a comment or your own tunes...)

1. "Piano Concerto No. 2" - Bela Bartok (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)  

Dynamic, propulsive and breathtaking.  The andante second movement is especially beautiful featuring haunting stacked fifth interval chords in several sections.  Piano and tympani sections abound....   wow.  Conducted by Pierre Boulez.  I just got all three of Bartok's piano concertos so I've got some heavy listening to do!  Concerto No. 1 was borderline atonal...  but not so out I could not hear raw beauty.  No. 3 is almost tonal...  Bartok really changed and explored music through-out his career.  One of the greatest composers of all time in my book.

Brian Soergel of Jazztimes magazine has published a good review of my new CD "Beginning To See".  Click here to read.

Also, www.jazzreview.com has published a review here. 

Even though it has been 7 years since the release of "Figures Of The True", John Hilderbrand, who heads up Contemporaryjazz.com, delivered some very nice comments in this newly published review. If you would like to read the entire review please click here.

REVIEWS

"...Ray’s music is absolutely incredible... some of the most wonderful and beautiful music I’ve ever heard... soulful and heartfelt, “Beginning To See” is an amazing collection of songs... a must have for your music library."

Jimmy Haslip
producer/musician/composer

 
"...the album is absolutely perfect... what a virtuosity and mastership in piano performance... unforgettable and ingenious... Ray sets his own milestone in contemporary jazz."

Hans-Bernd Hulsmann
www.smooth-jazz.de

Check out the premiere issue of the CJA newsletter (Christian Jazz Association). The publisher, keyboardist David Arivett, of songsofdavid.com has featured my composition The Yearning Sky as a free mp3 download along with the chart to the song (published as a .pdf file) so you can see what's happening note for note. There's also an interview with me that's posted. To get the interview, click here.