Black& White keys

from 'Cause and Effect' [CD|2xLP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den185
available on all formats at [http://denovali.com/saffronkeira]

Our universe may have been born in the Big Bang. If this was the case, the Big Bang was the beginning of space and time. Nothing existed before, not even the very concept of "before". With the birth of space and time, another important notion entered the arena: the concept of cause and effect. The Big Bang had no cause, but everything which happened after did, thus being a cause and effect at the same time. This is at the heart of SAFFRONKEIRA's third album and his first collaboration record 'CAUSE AND EFFECT'.

Saffronkeira is the project of the Sardinian sound researcher EUGENIO CARIA. His first meeting with the Sardinian trumpet player MARIO MASSA was at a distance. Caria saw Massa playing on a regional TV program and was immediately caught by the immersed playing style of this musician which was unknown to him at that time. Eager to meet him, he asked several other Sardinian musicians and was lucky. He got Massa's name and phone number, immediately called him and proposed a meeting. Massa had always dreamt of a collaboration with an electronic music artist, while Caria had always been eager to work with a trumpet player, being fascinated by this instrument since his childhood. Thus, the meeting was a big success, indeed it was love at first sight.

Since then Caria and Massa met every weekend at Caria's studio and ideas bounced back and forth between the two musicians. Massa improvised over Caria's compositions, Caria added layers to Massa's play, there was not the slightest disagreement about the sound and dynamics of their tracks. Just as we can only marvel at the complexity of Nature which emerged only from this simple principle of cause and effect, we can only be astonished at the result of this collaboration.

The instruments of the two musicians wander unerringly through the musical landscape, from warm ambient sounds to rather abstract pieces, from thrilling hymns to threatening sound storms, but they never loose contact. Indeed, Massa trumpet play and Caria's electronics intertwine so well that at times it is difficult to discriminate them. Exploring the entire spectrum of their instruments and displaying their full virtuosity, Caria and Massa have created a unique masterpiece.

RIYL: MURCOF & ERIK TRUFFAZ, DJ KRUSH & TOSHINORI KONDO, NILS PETTER MOLVAER, MAX RICHTER. 

Cause and Effect

Preorder / Buy

Saffronkeira + Mario Massa - Screwing Of Thought

" A heart without music is like beauty without melancholy. " 
                                                                                                                                                   Emil Cioran

Forgiven

Improvised this with a single omnidirectional microphone....not gonna redo it because it's what came to me at that moment and I think it captures that I'm happy where I am right now in life :)

Doodle #4 (Contentment)

Sigh ..

I composed this song, after reading a marvelous poem "The City" by a Greek poet Konstantinos Kavafis.
( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_P._Cavafy )

Our life is in our hands, depends on us.

p.s. HELP. I'M SEARCHING FOR OTHER LANGUAGES TRANSLATION.
-

The City

[1.08] You said, "I will go to another land, I will go to another sea.
Another city will be found, better than this.
Every effort of mine is condemned by fate;
and my heart is -- like a corpse -- buried.
[1.45] How long in this wasteland will my mind remain.
Wherever I turn my eyes, wherever I may look
I see the black ruins of my life here,
where I spent so many years, and ruined and wasted."

[2.21] New lands you will not find, you will not find other seas.
The city will follow you. You will roam the same
streets. And you will age in the same neighborhoods;
in these same houses you will grow gray.
[4.53] Always you will arrive in this city. To another land -- do not hope --
there is no ship for you, there is no road.
As you have ruined your life here
in this little corner, you have destroyed it in the whole world.
-

La Città

Dicesti: "ad altra città andrò, ad altro mare.
altra città dev'esserci migliore di questa
dove ogni mio tentativo è destinato al fallimento,
e il mio cuore, quesi fossi morto, sepolto.

Fino a quando la mia mente in questo marasma giacerà?
ovunque volgo l'occhio, ovunque guardo
perduti ruderi della mia vita qui scorgo
ove tanti anni ho trascorso e guastato e sciupato."

Nuovi paesi non troverai, né altri mari, né altri mari.
la città, ti seguirà
per le stesse vie circolerai;
nei soliti quartieri andrai invecchiando;
sempre tra queste case ti farai bianco.

A questa città ognora giungerai
per quegli altri paesi, lascia ogni speranza
a te nave non c'è, non c'è nessuna strada.
Così come la tua vita rovinasti qui
in questo piccolo angolo,
su tutta la terra
-

La Ciudad

Dijiste: "Iré a otra ciudad, iré a otro mar.
Otra ciudad ha de hallarse mejor que ésta.
Todo esfuerzo mío es una condena escrita;
y está mi corazón - como un cadáver - sepultado.
Mi espíritu hasta cuándo permanecerá en este marasmo.
Donde mis ojos vuelva, donde quiera que mire
oscuras ruinas de mi vida veo aquí,
donde tantos años pasé y destruí y perdí".

Nuevas tierras no hallarás, no hallarás otros mares.
La ciudad te seguirá. Vagarás
por las mismas calles. Y en los mismos barrios te harás viejo
y en estas mismas casas encanecerás.
Siempre llegarás a esta ciudad. Para otro lugar -no esperes-
no hay barco para ti, no hay camino.
Así como tu vida la arruinaste aquí
en este rincón pequeño, en toda tierra la destruiste. 

-

Η Πόλις

Είπες "Θα πάγω σ`άλλη γη, θα πάγω σ`άλλη θάλασσα.
Μια πόλις άλλη θα βρεθεί καλλίτερη από αυτή.
Κάθε προσπάθειά μου μια καταδίκη είναι γραφτή
κ`είν`η καρδιά μου σαν νεκρός θαμμένη.
Ο νους μου ως πότε μες στον μαρασμόν αυτόν θα μένει.
Όπου το μάτι μου γυρίσω, όπου κι αν δω
ερείπια μαύρα της ζωής μου βλέπω εδώ,
που τόσα χρόνια πέρασα και ρήμαξα και χάλασα."

Καινούριους τόπους δε θα βρεις, δεν θάβρεις άλλες θάλασσες.
Η πόλις θα σε ακολουθεί.Στους δρόμους θα γυρνάς
τους ίδιους.Και στες γειτονιές τες ίδιες θα γερνάς
και μες στα ίδια σπίτια αυτά θ`ασπρίζεις.
Πάντα στην πόλι αυτή θα φτάνεις.Για τα αλλού μην ελπίζεις
δεν έχει πλοίο για σε, δεν έχει οδό.
Έτσι που τη ζωή σου ρήμαξες εδώ
στην κώχη τούτη την μικρή, σ`όλην την γη την χάλασες.

-

die Stadt

Du sagst: "Ich gehe in ein anderes Land, an ein anderes Meer.
Eine andere Stadt muß es geben, besser als diese.
Jede meiner Anstregungen ist vom Schicksal verdammt,
Und mein Herz - wie ein Toter- begraben.

Wie lange wird mein Geist in dieser Ödnis bleiben?
Wohin ich meine Augen wende, wohin ich sehe,
Ich sehe die düsteren Ruinen meines Lebens hier,
Wo ich so viele Jahre verbrachte, verschwendete, verdarb."

Neue Länder wirst Du nicht finden, auch keine neuen Meere,
Die Stadt wird Dir folgen, die immergleichen Straßen wirst Du gehen.
In denselben Vierteln wirst Du alt werden
Und in den gleichen Häusern werden Deine Haare ergrauen.

Du wirst wieder in dieser Stadt ankommen,
Nach neuen Ländern, laß alle Hoffnung fahren!
Es gibt kein Schiff für Dich, keine Straße.
So wie Du hier Dein Leben zerstört hast,
In diesem kleinen Winkel,
So hast Du es auf der ganzen Welt.

-

je zei: "Ik ga naar een ander land, ik ga naar een andere zee.
Een andere stad zal gevonden worden, beter dan deze.
Al mijn  werk wordt veroordeeld door het lot;
en mijn hart is - als een lijk - begraven.
Hoe lang in deze woestenij zullen mijn gedachten blijven.
Overal waarnaar ik mijn ogen richt, waar ik kan kijken,
Zie ik de zwarte ruïnes van mijn leven hier,
waar ik zo vele jaren heb doorgebracht, geruïneerd en verspild."

Nieuwe landen zal je niet vinden, je zal geen andere zeeën vinden.
De stad zal je volgen. Je zal zwerven in dezelfde
straten. En je zal ouder worden in dezelfde buurten;
in dezelfde huizen zal je grijs worden.
Altijd kom je aan in deze stad. Naar een ander land - niet hopen -
is er geen schip voor je, er is geen weg.
Zoals je je leven hebt verpest, hier
in dit hoekje, heb je het vernietigd in de hele wereld.

thanks for the translation: Dick Vestdijk - http://soundcloud.com/oorlab

-

Help your Neighbor

La Città (The City) - Piano Solo

This incident in Baghdad 2007, has become infamous after Wikileaks obtained the Apache helicopter footage and cockpit recordings. That's what you hear on this track, alongside the moving testimony of US soldier Ethan McCord. 12 civilians died including 2 Reuters staff; it's thought their cameras were mistaken for guns. The children were severely wounded when their father tried to evacuate the injured in his van. This isn't anti-American...it just shows how modern war dehumanises by making the whole grisly business of killing a remote operation. I've been looking for a musical way to present this material for some months and when I heard Cyra Morgan's incredibly beautiful lullaby I knew the search was over. I am so incredibly grateful to her for allowing me to use her music in this way. I also play low whistle, a type of Irish flute, and also real Irish bagpipe drones.



New Day, Dave McKeown with Cyra Morgan

Here is a collaboration with the wonderfully talented and undeniably funky Spanish percussionist Coco G. Diez; on this track she plays both vibes and marimba. 
Most of you probably know that Under Milk Wood is a play written for radio by the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas, later turned into a film featuring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and many other amazing actors. It left a deep impression on me when I was involved in a stage production as a teenager. This musical impression of the play comes from a wonderful 1965 album by British jazz pianist Stan Tracey, featuring the lyrical tenor sax of the young Bobby Wellins. The simple structure belies the same kind of colourful and chromatic harmony that Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn used time and again in their ballads for the likes of Johnny Hodges and Ben Webster.
I transcribed the tune from the recording a couple of years ago and showed it to a few pianists at gigs but one look at the chords and no-one wanted to take it on, so I never got the chance to play it. When I suggested it to Coco however, the response was, “sure, send it to me and I'll work it out”. ….and shortly after I got this beautiful rich vibes and marimba track, perfect in every way, tempo, feel, texture ….the saxophone part came very easily with such an accompaniment to work with....thank you Coco!...please check her music at the link below

http://soundcloud.com/cocogdiez

I took the picture in the Welsh fishing harbour of Tenby

davemckeown.co.uk

Under Milk Wood, Dave McKeown with Coco G. Diez

Here is a collaboration with a lovely old friend Liz Monument. Liz and I both studied music at Bretton Hall in Yorkshire a few years ago. Those of you who have had the chance to do something like that will know that the friendships you make there go beyond the social...you share creativity with your classmates and for me, I always keep a cozy seat in my heart for anyone with whom I make good music. Back then, Liz was a fantastic classical guitarist, but since then she has widened her range to encompass many more styles and stringed instruments....including the sparkling harp that features here alongside the guitar. A couple of years ago we renewed friendship via facebook and this year we're making music again via soundcloud. Please listen to more of Liz's beautiful playing at http://soundcloud.com/lizmonument

Here I play the Uillean Pipes and Low Whistle. I absolutely adore the pipes, but they also frustrate me as I don't think I'm physically cut out to play them to the standard I'd like to. But now and then I give them a day out. If by any chance you like the sound here, please do me the favour of going to youtube and checking out what REAL pipers can do, like Paddy Keenan, Cillian Vallely and Davy Spillane.

Liz's harp provides a perfect setting here for Louis MacNeice's amazing poem The Strand. The harp's chords lap like waves on the poet's beach. I have a strong identification with this poem; my father was also a Northern Irish clergyman who “kept something in him solitary and wild”. The last quality time I spent with my father was a wordless walk on such an Irish strand. The image attached to the song is a washed out old slide I took that very winter afternoon....'white Tintoretto clouds' behind Slieve Donard, towering above the beach at Newcastle, County Down. All that's missing is the 'square black figure' beyond the viewfinder to the left. 

The Strand

by Louis MacNeice

White Tintoretto clouds beneath my naked feet,
This mirror of wet sand imputes a lasting mood
To island truancies; my steps repeat

Someone’s who now has left such strands for good
Carrying his boots and paddling like a child,
A square black figure whom the horizon understood -

My father. Who for all his responsibly compiled
Account books of a devout, precise routine
Kept something in him solitary and wild,

So loved the Western sea and no tree’s green
Fulfilled him like these contours of Slievemore
Menaun and Croghaun and the bogs between.

Sixty-odd years behind him and twelve before,
Eyeing the flange of steel in the turning belt of brine
It was sixteen years ago he walked this shore

And the mirror caught his shape which catches mine
But then as now the floor-mop of the foam
Blotted the bright reflections - and no sign

Remains of face or feet when visitors have gone home.

The Strand, Dave McKeown with Liz Monument

Watashi wa sonzaishinai

葬送の雪       funereal snow

Arranged by Grace Eisenhauer

Soprano: Savanah Stricklin
Alto: Claire Glover

We Are Young (Female Duet Fun. Cover)

4 short Twilight scenes

I stepped outside at midnight and captured a few seconds of the moon on my phone camera: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152567476080234

It inspired this.

________________________________________________________________
Download at http://download.oliversad.ie/track/moon-moment

Free Download

Oliver Sadie — Moon Moment

Please like us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/Dirk.Maassen.Music

http://www.facebook.com/LyodMusic

When I initially saw this gate I thought of passing through it as if entering into a different world and so is the music...

This Version is my first cross instrumental collab on SC and I feel very honoured that Lyod put all his passion and feel into this song to let this song become a wonderful journey beginning right behind the gate entering into a strange and mystical world of sound....

Also check out Lyods Cloud and his great music !

https://soundcloud.com/lyod

If you like my music please give me a smile and like my Facebook page :-): 

www.facebook.com/Dirk.Maassen.Music

watch my piano video clips at youtube: www.youtube.com/user/ascoltadi?feature

voice sample is taken from digi-fish music at freesound.org

Dirk Maassen with Lyod - The Gate ( like us on Facebook - see description :-)

A piano/vocal cover I pulled together with my friend, Michelle Viljoen, who provided the amazing vocals!

A Mighty Fortress (Christy Nockels Cover)

Nobody Dies In Dreamland

Spotify

Sweet is - Piano Solo

At a pivotal moment in the drama, The Muse makes herself known to the protagonist whose sculpted art begins to multiply into abstract forms, drifting and scattering in his ragged space, filling his vision with reflective fragments of his dreams.

One of three:
The Muse II: https://soundcloud.com/oliversadie/the-muse-ii
The Muse III: https://soundcloud.com/oliversadie/the-muse-iii

___________________________________
Photograph © 2012-2013 <a href=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=532762340073690&set=pb.156806751002586.-2207520000.1370912183.&type=3&theater>Cap Photography</A>.

Support Artist

The Muse

I wrote this for a short film that's being created in London...I'll add more information about it when it's released like the web link and such! 

This being my first film composition, I placed the film with no noise in front of me while I completely improvised over top of it. I feel like once I develop my style and learn how to add more parts to my songs, I'll love for soundtrack composition to be a side job for me!

Buy at Reverbnation

Main Theme (Short film composition)

The day has passed like the sun on the sky on a cloudy day.
I could have chosen. I just want to be..
Matches of hope.

for those who I don't know how to thank for.

*Played on my old Legnica Piano*

Black& White keys

Rasoul