Skye Boat Song is the first single taken from composer-pianist Stephen J. Wood’s stunning CD album ‘Scottish Gathering for Piano’ released this Spring (Eklectica Records). A frequent visitor to family and friends in the Western Isles and Scotland over many years, Stephen J. Wood has drawn his inspiration for this album from live traditional musicians and archived collections, adding his unique twist of jazz and contemporary classical to create a musical ‘gathering’ of sophisticated and smooth jazz arrangements.
His fresh and enchanting arrangement of this traditional gem is typical of his ‘Third Stream’ approach to music writing – an approach which has led to several commissions by young Scottish traditional and classical pianists, listing as SQA performance repertoire and top prizes in the Royal National Mòd piano competitions, as well as being performed in concerts and festivals throughout Scotland and beyond.
“Skye Boat Song is laid out with arpeggiated tactile delights that celebrate the glory of piano colour… Wood knows how to set off a melodic line so that the harmony does not interfere with the organic beauty it adorns. His work is distinctively practical and immediate… a love of pianistic beauty and elegance always shines through.” (Murray McLachlan, concert pianist, author and educator)
“Our beautiful melodies are in safe hands with Stephen J. Wood…..[the arrangements] reflect his own eclectic musical taste – but discreetly and always with respect,” says Anne Lorne Gillies (singer, writer, broadcaster).
This track makes mesmerizing listening.
As a ‘Third Stream’ pianist, composer, arranger and producer, Stephen J. Wood sits stylistically, somewhere between classical and jazz, but is also well-known in Scotland as an innovative arranger of traditional Scottish and Gaelic songs and tunes for solo piano.
Stephen J. Wood trained at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, England in the late Seventies as a classical pianist, while immersing himself in the music of great jazz pianists such as Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson. He made a name for himself both as a pianist and jazz organist, performing with many UK and American artists including jazz guitar legend Jack Wilkins. Steve’s work has been presented on numerous shows on BBC radio and independent radio stations such as Jazz FM.
As a composer, his other work includes Sketches Books 1 and 2 (2001) and his acclaimed Hinterland album (2008) all for solo piano and available as books, CDs and downloads. Most recently he has been commissioned to write for the ABRSM piano exam syllabus. In 2008 Steve launched Eklectica Records and Eklectica Publishing and continues to teach classical and jazz piano privately in the North-West of England.
Artist website: http://www.stephenjwood.co.uk
Single title: Stephen J. Wood
Album title: Scottish Gathering for Piano
Release Date: 11/05/2015
Single artist: Stephen J. Wood
Single duration: 2:21
Record Label: Eklectica Records
Catalogue No: ERCD2
Writers: Stephen J. Wood
Publishers: Eklectica Publishing
Explicit?: No
Search Terms: Third Stream – Celtic Crossover
Follow these topics: contemporary, piano, Releases, Scottish songs
