Catalogue of Canadian Instrumental Music

Artist: Chris Donnelly

Country of Origin: Canada

Albums

Solo (2008)

Artist Details	There is a fairytale quality about the recording debut of pianist extraordinaire, Chris Donnelly. It has to do with an unshakable belief in his art and a small miracle that happened when one of his demo CDs reached Canadian jazz music industry's man-on-a-mission, Peter Cardinali. That was in December of 2007. By March of 2008, so convinced was Peter Cardinali of the pianist's genius and the veracity of the recording that he decided that an Alma release was an absolute must. For this is an artist born of unbridled talent, blessed with an unsurpassed technique and a gift for telling stories and making music that will stick in the memory. And so here is the most celebrated 2008 recording by a jazz piano artist, "Solo" by Chris Donnelly. Gently armed with a Masters of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of Toronto, Chris Donnelly is a pianist of unbridled talent, sublime technique and an impulse to create beautiful music. After completing his post-graduate studies. Donnelly plunged into the world of professional jazz music. He was, at the time of his post-graduation already awarded the Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award for Graduating Students, as he was "deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of music". Not only did he wow the jury, just as he did his teachers at the music faculty, but Donnelly also caught the eye of a wide group of busy elder performing statesmen on Canada's Jazz scene. So that today, he has already performed with greats, Ted Quinlan, John McLeod, Heather Bambrick, William Carn and Quinsin Nachoff, to name just a few of the many artists who have had the benefit of his superlative skills behind the piano. Through it all, Chris Donnelly believed that the art of the "solo piano" was his true calling. And so, despite the fact that solo playing - whether in the studio, or live, is a lonely pursuit, he managed to stay focused on his holy grail and the result is this fine and memorable record featuring seven brilliantly original compositions and four utterly original interpretations of classic songs by legendary jazz musicians - from the playful "Donna Lee - Variations" by Charlie Parker, to the majestic "Hallucinations" from the mercurial pen of Earl "Bud" Powell; and the Bill Evans' classic "Very Early" to the "Cinderella Medley - So This Is Love/A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" from the pens of Hoffman, David and Livingston. The rest of the music comprises seven of Donnelly's own compositions. "For The Drifters" is a truly accomplished song, worthy of the pen of the great Walter Norris, while songs such as "Serenity" and "Winter's Waltz" are studies in controlled virtuosity. Perhaps the most memorable music of the set could well be the musical sketches that pay oblique musical tribute to modern composers and the love of his life. Two of these, were written with Erik Satie and Gabriel Faure in mind. The third was created to reflect a space within the heart and for Donnelly's wife, who is also an opera singer. These three 'Songs in B Minor" stand apart in the brilliance of their moody tonality and their melodic invention. In many respects this hardly sounds like a "first" album, because Chris Donnelly's genius lies in his sophisticated maturity. And then there is the "small" matter of his superior technique, virtuosity and exceptional improvisational skills - all of these well beyond his years. It appears that Chris Donnelly can only be destined for the stellar regions of the world of music in general and jazz in particular. Photo By: Anita Zvonar www.chrisdonnellymusic.com

Artist Details

There is a fairytale quality about the recording debut of pianist extraordinaire, Chris Donnelly. It has to do with an unshakable belief in his art and a small miracle that happened when one of his demo CDs reached Canadian jazz music industry's man-on-a-mission, Peter Cardinali. That was in December of 2007. By March of 2008, so convinced was Peter Cardinali of the pianist's genius and the veracity of the recording that he decided that an Alma release was an absolute must. For this is an artist born of unbridled talent, blessed with an unsurpassed technique and a gift for telling stories and making music that will stick in the memory. And so here is the most celebrated 2008 recording by a jazz piano artist, "Solo" by Chris Donnelly.

Gently armed with a Masters of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of Toronto, Chris Donnelly is a pianist of unbridled talent, sublime technique and an impulse to create beautiful music. After completing his post-graduate studies. Donnelly plunged into the world of professional jazz music. He was, at the time of his post-graduation already awarded the Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award for Graduating Students, as he was "deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of music". Not only did he wow the jury, just as he did his teachers at the music faculty, but Donnelly also caught the eye of a wide group of busy elder performing statesmen on Canada's Jazz scene. So that today, he has already performed with greats, Ted Quinlan, John McLeod, Heather Bambrick, William Carn and Quinsin Nachoff, to name just a few of the many artists who have had the benefit of his superlative skills behind the piano.

Through it all, Chris Donnelly believed that the art of the "solo piano" was his true calling. And so, despite the fact that solo playing - whether in the studio, or live, is a lonely pursuit, he managed to stay focused on his holy grail and the result is this fine and memorable record featuring seven brilliantly original compositions and four utterly original interpretations of classic songs by legendary jazz musicians - from the playful "Donna Lee - Variations" by Charlie Parker, to the majestic "Hallucinations" from the mercurial pen of Earl "Bud" Powell; and the Bill Evans' classic "Very Early" to the "Cinderella Medley - So This Is Love/A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" from the pens of Hoffman, David and Livingston.

The rest of the music comprises seven of Donnelly's own compositions. "For The Drifters" is a truly accomplished song, worthy of the pen of the great Walter Norris, while songs such as "Serenity" and "Winter's Waltz" are studies in controlled virtuosity. Perhaps the most memorable music of the set could well be the musical sketches that pay oblique musical tribute to modern composers and the love of his life. Two of these, were written with Erik Satie and Gabriel Faure in mind. The third was created to reflect a space within the heart and for Donnelly's wife, who is also an opera singer. These three 'Songs in B Minor" stand apart in the brilliance of their moody tonality and their melodic invention.

In many respects this hardly sounds like a "first" album, because Chris Donnelly's genius lies in his sophisticated maturity. And then there is the "small" matter of his superior technique, virtuosity and exceptional improvisational skills - all of these well beyond his years. It appears that Chris Donnelly can only be destined for the stellar regions of the world of music in general and jazz in particular.

Photo By: Anita Zvonar
www.chrisdonnellymusic.com

Catagloge of Canadian Instrumental Music

Artist: Chris Donnelly

Albums

Solo (2008)