CDs Now in Stock
Out
of the Shadows is now available from
ranblake.com.
You can also order the album from cdbaby
and download it from cdbaby and iTunes.
The cdbaby link also allows you to check out song
samples.
Out of the Shadows, produced by the
pianist
Frank Carlberg and released last month on Red
Piano Records, was recorded last August
at Rear Window Studio in Coolidge Corner.
This is Christine's second collaboration with
Ran; the duo released Round About in
1994.
To celebrate the album's release, Ran and
Christine will perform a concert titled
"Nuance" June 18th at
the Woodfords
Congregational Church in
Portland, Maine.
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Ran's Newest Fan
This is an abbreviated issue because
your humble editor currently has his hands
full tending to the needs of the newest
member of Ran's fanbase, Sasha Belle. The
night she was born, Mom and Dad put on
Driftwoods in the hospital room. The
baby relaxed peacefully while the CD played
and started bawling moments after the final
notes of "You Are My Sunshine."
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Two Strong Reviews
Out of the Shadows, Ran's new duet
album with vocalist Christine Correa, received
favorable reviews from Derek Taylor's Master
of a Small House blog and Peter Hum's
jazz blog in the Ottawa Citizen.
Excerpts and links
to the full reviews follow:
Master of a Small House: "The duo's
brief exploration of the Max Roach/Abbey
Lincoln anthem 'Mendacity' cuts to the biting
political quick of the piece. Correa conveys
the indignation inherent in the lyrics as
Blake pounds out a similarly stark
pedal-weighted mood at the keys. ... The
pianist's sound world is an
intimate and eccentric one. As with much of
his past work this set presents a welcome
share of brow-raising challenges. Most
memorably, it's a session that continues to
reveal secrets with each new audition." Full
review
Ottawa Citizen: "Songs such as
'Out of the Shadows,' 'The Thrill is Gone,'
'Deep Song,' 'Goodbye,' and 'The Bad and the
Beautiful' deal with loss, loneliness and
even betrayal -- but Blake and Correa seem to
be having a fantastic time plumbing the
brooding subject matter. The sense of
inspiration is palpable from both of them, as
both grapple with the music material,
wringing it for new kinds of expressiveness.
... I
generally shy away from using phrases such as
'musical risk-takers' and 'players going out
on a limb' because we talking about jazz, not
base jumping. But I was struck by Blake and
Correa's complete surrender to their brash
and audacious way of rendering time-honored
tunes. Of course, they wouldn't have them any
other way." Full
review
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