Every once in a while a special project like Balaji Raao’s Dasa Gaanamrutha album lands in my inbox. Something outside the norm, something distinct, something with substance and deep meaning, especially to those who truly understand the history, the stories, and the culture that inform and inspire the music. In today’s interview spotlight, I chat […]
Where the Music Flows – Raffaele Scoccia’s New Release “La Rivière des Choses”
It is one thing to sit with a piece of music and let it wash over you; it is another to feel as though you are being quietly let in on its origin, its intention, the emotional current that carried it into being. That is where the real magic happens. Which is why “La Rivière des Choses” from Raffaele Scoccia holds such a gentle but persistent pull. The sense that this is not just a collection of compositions, but a reflection in motion.
The title itself – translated as “The River of Things” – offers a clue. There is an inherent transience at play here, a suggestion that these pieces are less about fixed ideas and more about passing moments, shifting thoughts, the quiet drift of memory and meaning. Scoccia doesn’t so much present melodies as he allows them to surface, to move, to dissolve and reform, much like the river he evokes.
Improvisational Pianist Mario Mattia Releases “Origin” – A Return to First Principles
There is something quietly definitive about “Origin”, the latest release from improvisational pianist Mario Mattia. As the title suggests, the piece gestures towards a point of departure, although the music itself resists any fixed sense of starting or ending. This work is less like a beginning and more like a return to first principles.
“Origin” consists of a single, uninterrupted improvisation lasting just over twenty-four minutes, making it the longest work Mattia has released to date. Recorded in his rural woodland studio with close microphone placement and a meticulously voiced piano, the performance captures every detail of the instrument’s character – from warm, resonant consonance to the more fragile edges of upper-partial dissonance.
Raffaele Scoccia Captures the Sound of Stillness in New Release “Silent Mountains”
“Silent Mountains” is a newly released solo piano single by Italian composer and pianist Raffaele Scoccia. Inspired by a winter day spent high in the Dolomites, the piece reflects a period of introspection and renewed creative clarity for the artist.
Known for his wide ranging work across genres (including projects under his Moon Rocket alias), Scoccia returns here to the piano as his primary voice, offering a deeply personal and expressive composition rooted in stillness, nature and balance.
Interview with Janet Noh – Growing Up With You
Janet Noh has become a regular on these pages. While in L.A. for NAMM and then GRAMMY week, I crossed paths with Janet more than once. There’s a fun story behind this… While at NAMM, my wife was excited to see a certain artist perform on the Sheraton stage. Being the awesome husband I am, […]
Interview with Yorgos Dousos – Lupus
Yorgos Dousos is a Greek Multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Athens, Greece. Working in and creating music for many years, Dousos is a founding member of several projects, including prog-folk group Darnakes and the Balkan jazz band Local Heroes. Despite initially cultivating a background in classical flute and Greek folk clarinet, his immersion in a […]
Alex Thomen’s “Where Did They Go Wrong?” – A Sharp and Satirical Take on Life’s Ironies
Alex Thomen’s latest single “Where Did They Go Wrong?” is a biting and insightful exploration of irony, personal growth and the unexpected paths people take in life.
With sharp observational storytelling, Thomen uses this track to examine three culturally resonant narratives – a boy who once struggled with self-image now proclaims himself as an “alpha male”, an ambitious young woman falls into a multi level marketing scheme and a med student shifts his focus from traditional medicine to alternative therapies. While the characters are fictional , their stories reflect real social phenomena that are especially prevalent in today’s internet – and the social media driven world.
“Far Inside” – Marco Di Stefano’s Cinematic Journey Through Emotion
Released today, Marco Di Stefano’s concept album Far Inside is a journey into the extremes of human emotion.
A former metal guitarist turned orchestral storyteller, Di Stefano merges the emotional sweep of classical composition with the narrative precision of modern scoring. His decade of study with contemporary masters Giovanni D’Aquila, Adriano Guarnieri and Belgian composer Luc Brewaeys, combined with his training under celebrated game composer Jason Graves, has honed a composition style that is very much cinematic at its core.
Inside the Heart of History – Marco Di Stefano’s Poignant New Single “Angels on Our Shoulders”
With “Angels on Our Shoulders,” Italian composer Marco Di Stefano reveals the emotional heart of his forthcoming concept album Far Inside and shows exactly why he is emerging as one of the most narrative minded voices in contemporary orchestral music.
Conceived as a tribute to the fallen of WWII, the single’s power reaches beyond its historical frame, touching on memory sacrifice and the invisible weight of a collective loss.
Interview with Hope Easton – Savor Hope
Hope Easton is a classically trained cellist, starting in Cleveland CIM before working with Boston NEC then on to a Fulbright Scholarship with Ralph Kirschbaum in the UK. She also spent time at SF Conservatory. Hope then branched out when she toured and started performing with an English pop singer, Shelia Nicholls. Since then she […]
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