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Welcome
to the official website for
solo piano artist
BLUE
WORLD
"Listening to Ravel, Satie,
Debussy, Keith Jarrett and Philip Glass as well as lots of Jazz
and Rock, inspiration from the music tends to be absorbed subconsciously
from all the influences around me. Ideas, and the way I translate
emotions and thoughts into music reveals itself without conscious
thought. That's why I love the improvised tracks when I have to
be free, without convention and completely open to every possibility
in order to produce something I am happy with. This album is real
development and progress from my first album Ocean. I hope you enjoy
listening to this album as much as I enjoyed making it"
1.
Honfleur 4:59
2. Improvisation 2 4:12
3. Green Landscape 3:57
4. Old Waterfall 1 3:05
5. Old Waterfall 2 2:45
6. Old Waterfall 3 2:45
7. Improvisation 3 7:14
8. Snow's coming 5:29
9. The Golden Hour 4:19
10.Blue World 2:58
Blue World is the second solo piano release from British pianist/composer
David Izen, following his 2003 release, Ocean. More improvised and
"in the moment" than Ocean, Blue World conveys the joy
of creating music spontaneously without allowing conscious thought
to get in the way of the creative process. The son of professional
musician Bernard Izen, who was named one of the top five clarinet
players of recent times, David has been involved in music for most
of his life. Classically-trained, Izen worked on the fringes of
the pop music industry in London after university, composing songs
and performing with a variety of bands. Influences from these musical
experiences are discernable and give Izen a distinctive voice.
Blue World opens with "Honfleur," a piece that begins
with a simple rhythm and very spare melody that remind me a bit
of Erik Satie. As the piece develops, a variety of themes emerge,
adding complexity as each tells its tale. "Improvisation 2"
is somewhat darker, looking inward and spontaneously expressing
emotions as they are encountered. "Old Waterfall 1" is
the first of a suite of three pieces entitled "Old Waterfall."
#1 is slow and a bit on the melancholy side; #2 is livelier and
more optimistic; while #3 is in a state of constant movement although
it is leisurely and calm. "Improvisation 3" is almost
conversational, speaking freely and sometimes passionately. "The
Golden Hour" is a lively and very intense two-movement piece.
The title track closes the album with a lovely, flowing melody that
is gently soothing and graceful.
Blue World is an impressive and enjoyable second release from David
Izen and should establish his place in the solo piano musical realm.
Kathy Parsons
MainlyPiano.com
2011
OCEAN
To
me the music is all about melody. I classify the music as impressionist,
English Impressionist, modelled on the French predecessors of a
hundred years ago.
It's
not jazz, classical or rock - this music is somewhere else. This
is a new direction for me in music, focusing on composition - passionate
about creating new music.
"Subtle
use of harmony to create a certain tranquillity not found in traditional
classical/jazz/contemporary pieces. Soft musical colours, which
in some cases seem as if Izen has removed the notes and one is left
with the impression, like a kind of subtle echo. Muted tones create
the atmosphere although at times you can feel the heat and the passion,
and at others the stillness and space. And above all there is the
melody that draws you in. A great first album." Music
for the World Magazine
"I think this is an inspired and deeply sensitive
work and also very original indeed..." Jack
Valentine
1 From This Moment
2 Always
3 Improvisation 1
4 Ocean
5 You and Me
6 Sunrise
7 Day by Day
MainlyPiano.com
Kathy
Parsons
David
Izen’s debut CD is a beautiful collection of seven original piano
solos that don’t really fit into any classification or genre. Izen
himself calls it “impressionistic,” which seems appropriate. Kind
of contemporary classical, sort of new age with some of the freedoms
allowed by jazz, the music doesn’t really tell you what to feel
or experience, but is open enough to allow the listener to fall
into it and create his or her own moods and interpretations of what
the music “means.” It is quiet enough to be soothing and relaxing,
and yet complicated enough to listen to intently. Most of it is
rather abstract in the sense that it would be difficult to hum or
dance to, but the exploration of musical ideas keeps the music personal,
fresh, and sometimes passionate.
My
favorite track is simply called “Improvisation 1,” which begins
with a lovely, flowing theme that reminds me of a gentle stream
or a warm breeze. For 9 1/2 minutes, Izen lets this theme evolve
and meander as it will, creating a mood of peaceful serenity. Elegant
and heartfelt, this is a great piece! “From This Moment” is a bit
jazzier in places, but reflective in others. I also really like
“Ocean,” a piece that sparkles like sunlight dancing on the surf
and has the energy of the flow and ebb of waves - sometimes calm
and sometimes more turbulent. I’m a real beach bum whenever I get
the chance, and this piece captures the feeling of being on the
shoreline or watching the ocean’s moods from a short distance away.
“You and Me” is a beautiful love song that exudes warmth and contentment.
“Sunrise” opens with a wonderful energy and lots of dancing, sparkling
notes - stars perhaps? The piece then becomes much calmer and more
tranquil, reflecting the quiet of the early morning. As the piece
evolves, the music becomes much more colorful and bright, as the
sky does with the rising of the sun.
“Ocean”
is a very impressive debut by David Izen. A bit more cerebral than
many contemporary artists, but with a lot of heart as well, Izen
creates a very nice balance of thought and emotion. “Ocean” is available
at cdbaby.com and itunes.
6/7/05
Free
spirit
by Sue Newgas, reproduced with permission from Herald Publishing
Group.
There
can't be many things in life that would phase composer and pianist
David Izen. He is relaxed, calm and collected, just like his music.
He knows his own mind and speaks passionately about the piano. And
there's music in his blood, coming as he does from a musical family
- his father worked as a professional musician on clarinet and his
uncle played for the Birmingham Philharmonic. But the pedigree goes
further, David is the great grandson of the artist Alfred Soord,
famous for the painting 'The Lost Sheep', who was a student of the
Herkomer school of art at the turn of the 20th century. So, for
a quiet, self contained kind of man, David is full of surprises…
In
the 1980's and 90's David gigged with his own band, writing, singing
and performing, in and around the London circuit. And now he has
returned to the activity that he loves the most. Playing and composing
for the piano.
His
enthusiasm for piano started when he was fifteen. But even then
he knew he didn't want a "hit and miss career" as a concert
pianist, he wanted to be a composer. Strongly influenced by Ravel,
Erik Sati as well as Keith Jarrett and Phillip Glass, he found himself
wondering how they managed to create such amazing music, and what
motivated them to be composers rather than performers. " I
realised that composing was much more interesting, exciting and
challenging to me, so I decided to follow that route."
Before
long David was creating his own piano solos and just before Christmas
he released his first CD, called Ocean. "People say they find
the music relaxing and peaceful and that's great. I like to feel
it is an antidote to the hectic modern world we live in." He
calls his music "impressionist", like impressionist painting,
people read different things into it and take different ideas from
it. He sees the music as being uniquely personal to the listener
- the listener makes up their own mind as to what it is about -
in contrast to listening to a straightforward romantic or classical
piece, when you know what the music is intending to be.
Creating
impressionist music is freeing too, from an artistic standpoint.
"If you follow a certain method there are limitations, but
with this kind of music you can be far more expressive and realistic.
The human mind is complex and goes off in all sorts of tangents,
so it's good to have a music that follows that style." He says
that sometimes the writing is a slog, and he has to work and work
to get it right. At other times, though, some magic happens, "I
will be sitting at the piano and something will come completely
by itself and that becomes a beautiful piece of music." He
records everything, so he doesn't miss those kinds of moments.
To
my mind, 'Ocean' is a fine debut album, and if you want to transport
yourself away from the humdrum or hassles of the day it's a peaceful
and most enchanting place to go. ……
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www.myspace.com/davidizen
If
you wish to purchase Ocean or listen to the tracks please click
on the CDBaby link. I'm also on itunes and all the other download
sites.
David Izen is a member of THE MUSIC ALLIANCE |
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