Dutch composer and keyboardist Ton Scherpenzeel needs no introduction. Throughout his 48-year career, he played in the bands Kayak, Camel, and Earth & Fire, and was also active in the theatre with Youp van 't Hek. He also released several solo albums. And now, his latest album is here. A very special album because all the music was composed and played on piano. So, no further accompaniment on drums, bass, guitar, or synthesizers. Also no overdubs were done. He titled the work A Fleeting Light. A Fleeting Light is released on CD in a surreal painting image on a 4-panel digisleeve. The artwork design which was done by Ton Scherpenzeel himself! Let's get through the album tracks separately! The title track opens the album and is a 37 minute suite and was entirely improvised. What you hear is music which can be labelled as cinematic, contemporary classical, instrumental piano music. Despite the fact that listening to a piano for nearly 37 minutes seems like a long time, the piece is captivating from start to finish, especially when Ton accelerates towards the end. It's certainly impressive of him to play something improvised on the piano for so long without falling into silence or playing aimlessly. So, I think he deserves his first thumbs up. Follow up Ayre lasts almost 4 minutes and is the first piece of music of a stripped-down version of a previously released Kayak instrumental. Although this is actually from his solo album The Lion's Dream (2013, see review). Another thumbs up for this, as it's beautifully done. What follows is the album's shortest track and the second completely improvised composition. Ton has given the less than two-minute long piece of music the title Chasing The Wind. It was issued as a digital-only single and is a short romantic piano piece. And once again a thumbs up can be given because it sounds very beautiful again. The album's best-known piece is also one of Kayak's most famous instrumentals. The original can be found on the album Starlight Dancer (1977). It's named after his wife, Irene Linders, a former backup singer in the band. And nowadays his manager. This performance of Irene is instantly recognizable upon hearing it. The piano beautifully interprets the original guitar parts. Two thumbs up this time. Absolutely! The album closes with a piano version of Lost Blue Of Chartres. Once again, we hear a beautiful version of a song originally from the album Periscope Life (1980). It sounds a bit like Irene and most people probably know it as the title track from the film Spetters, for which Scherpenzeel composed the music. Both thumbs up again! These two fingers are also raised for everything that was offered. After hearing two well-known instrumental pieces by Kayak, which were performed superbly, I can't help but wonder why he didn't use more songs from Kayak's extensive oeuvre. The familiarity of the songs certainly adds to the album's overall musical appreciation. But without that contribution, I can certainly say that the result is a beautiful instrumental piano album. Even without the more familiar pieces, Scherpenzeel's beautiful piano playing is simply a joy to behold. Finally, I highly recommend listening to the album. Especially with your eyes closed and let your imagination run wild. Those familiar with Ton's music from the bands he's played in should know that this isn't just any piano album. It's an album where the musician expresses all his feelings without the use of a full band. Sometimes, accompaniment simply isn't necessary to create a beautiful sound! **** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
