Review
Cue is pianist/composer Ken Elkinson s fourth CD, and is comprised of eleven original piano solos and one vocal featuring the voice and lyrics of Tom Freund. As on Elkinson s previous releases, the music on Cue is mostly peaceful and reflective, and the liner notes are exceptional with a couple of favorite poems, a crossword showing many of the CD credits, and a list of everything you always wanted to know about Ken but were afraid to ask... The cover artwork is a painting by Mark Rothko - quite a feat in itself! Cue opens with Portenos, a gently upbeat piece with a feeling of swirling. The title track is a beauty. Both hands have flowing parts that create a lovely counterpoint. Sometimes searching and sometimes more purposeful, it always keeps moving. Lightly has the feeling of walking on tiptoe - quiet and a little bit tentative, but also fun. Wanderlust is much freer, flowing where it will in an unrushed, carefree manner. Firefly also has a lighthearted sense of freedom and joy. The oddly-titled Tetherball conveys the innocence and fun of this children s playground game (Elkinson must not have played tetherball as competitively as I did as a child!). January is more ambient, with open spaces in the music and a bittersweet mood - a favorite! Oregon Coast is a piece about my favorite place - where life is unhurried and surrounded by beauty as far as you can see. The piece conveys serenity and peace. Maybe is also rather ambient with a reflective, dreamy mood; the major chord at the end suggests a positive resolution. Beautiful Sadness with Elkinson s piano and Tom Freund s voice and lyrics is kind of an odd little piece. The words almost make sense and then take a sharp left turn. Very pleasant and enjoyable, but also a bit puzzling - nothing wrong with that! Fans of Ken Elkinson s earlier albums will be overjoyed with Cue, and it should bring him plenty of new fans as well. Recommended! --Tokafi
Born in Cedar Grove, New Jersey in 1972, Ken Elkinson played piano in Atlanta bars and restaurants before moving to New York City to further his musical career and release his first two albums, Midnight Conversation and Revelry. He later moved to Los Angeles, California, where he released his third CD of solo piano music, Opal, containing introspective tracks that leaned more towards jazz than classical. His latest album, entitled Cue, contains eleven original piano compositions and includes a debut vocal track, Beautiful Sadness, featuring the voice of acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tom Freund. The album also features cover artwork by Mark Rothko and has a booklet with a poem by award-winning poet Elizabeth Spires. This relaxing and elegant mix of jazz, classical and new age sounds would be the ideal background to a romantic dinner or create the perfect intimate vibe to help you unwind after a hard day. Highlights include the opening track, Portenos, the beautiful title composition, the carefree Wanderlust, strangely-named Tetherball, the gently drifting January and Beautiful Sadness, where Elkinson s mellifluous piano combines with Tom Freund s wonderfully smoky voice to winning effect. --New Classics
Ken Elkinson jokingly calls himself The David Hasselhoff of solo piano in his bio. Because the album got a lot of airplay in Germany, not because he s a ham pianist. No, he can definitely get the ivories trembling and proves it on his fourth solo recording. The title song has limber piano play and a neat melody to help it stand out. Wanderlust is another nice song with a lovely melody. The final song Beautiful Sadness features the album s lone vocal by Tom Freund who has found much acclaim as a singer. It s a beautiful and plaintive song and a perfect note to close on. It s a very nice record. --Collected Sounds
Product Description
Cue by Ken Elkinson
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