Chris Conway - When Pianos Dream
piano improvisatios + ambient sounds, electric piano & theremin

background
It was inevitable that my interest in piano improvisations and ambient electronic music should come together one day. Together they have made for a dreamlike atmospheric album that gets the best of both. It also follows on from Splendid Isolation vibe-wise.

The pieces on this album involve improvising on the piano with ambient backdrops. These backdrops have been made by synthesizer, or theremin and a host of other instruments through a large bank of effects. I was keen though to make these backdrops very much in the background - creating an otherworldly atmosphere. On 2 tracks I played duos with myself, adding theremin to piano, and adding piano to the electric piano.

I’m indebted to the United Isolation Ensemble as most of these tracks began as submissions to UIE collaboration tracks ever since the start of the pandemic.

However the music was made, I wanted to create the feeling of a piano dreaming. And of other worlds and realities close by that we can sense sometimes at the edge of our perception.
- CC

influences
Morton Feldman, John Taylor, Terry Riley, Steve Kuhn, Marcin Wasilewski, Alexander Scriabin. Toru Takemitsu

trivia
The 10th album on the ALOFT label.

Cover piano photos by Gavin Hall.

Total time - 56m00s