However, I've been back in the studio, working on a unique album project that will be released prior to "Summer." It will be called "The Mandarin's Garden." This new project will have an oriental feel to it, and I'd very much like to tell you the story behind it.
When I was about 13 years old, I really "discovered" music properly. I had written short pieces of music for the piano before, but sometime during 1979, I wrote a suite of four pieces under the same title, "The Mandarin's Garden." I remember being quite pleased with it at the time, but over the ensuing 30 years (!), I had largely forgotten about it. My mother was always particularly fond of the music, and has made a point of reminding me that I must re-record it someday, at approximately five-year intervals....!
Then one day last year, she presented me with an old C90 cassette she had discovered in her loft, and instructed me to have a listen to it. To my surprise, it was an old recording of me playing the piano back in 1979, and yes, it was "The Mandarin's Garden." I immediately realised that I had indeed forgotten most of the music, and was almost transported back in time to what I was doing and feeling around that time. Another surprising discovery for me was that some of the melodies were actually rather good...! |
