Alex's Soft And Easy Piano Solos
Bruce Von Stiers
Alex Clements is a composer and pianist. He has performed at such venues as the Kissimmee Jazz Festival and the Montreal International Jazz Festival. He has even competed twice at the renowned Martial Solai International Jazz Competition in Paris . Alex has guest performed on several albums and recorded several of his own. One of Alex's latest albums is Emily's Song. Recorded in August of 2004, this is one of Alex's best efforts to date.
This is a solo piano album that was produced by Alex. There are eight songs on the album and it has a play time of fifty-three and a half minutes.
The first song is titled A Song For Ethan. This is a song written by Alex that is subtle, yet has some interestingly forward segments.
The second song has more of a dangerous chase feel to it. The title of the song is Inspired By… Listening to it, you might be thinking of a movie scene where there is something anxious going on or perhaps a somewhat muted chase scene.
The title track, Emily's Song is the third song. It is a very pretty song. Alex's fingers move up and down the keys in such a manner that parts of the song are gentle, while others catch the energy of a small child such as Alex's daughter Emily. Alex is quoted as saying that he wrote the song to emphasize Emily's grace, tenderness and excitement about life.
Alex does a wonderful job with Michael Legrand's Pieces of Dreams.
Dinner For Two is another original composition that touches on the understated romantic nature of a dinner outing.
As Alex seemed to be going for a very soft and gentle touch on the album, it isn't surprising that he chose one such Gershwin song to be on it. I Loves You Porgy is a terrific Gershwin song and Alex does it well here.
Another Legrand song is covered on the album as well. You Must Believe in Spring is a beautiful Michael Legrand song. Alex emulates the original texture of the song.
The last song on the album is Waltz For Peace. Alex describes this as a delicate and fragile song, how he imagined the world would be if it were at peace. I feel that is a very accurate description of this very understated and refined tune
If you like easy to listen to, soft and gentle solo piano music, then Emily's Song is an album you should pick up. Mixing two Michael Legrand songs and one silky Gershwin tune in with some original compositions, Alex Clements has recorded a wonderfully subtle jazz album.
You can hear clips from the album on Alex's official site. There are also songs from the album and a couple of others on Alex's MySpace site. The official site is www.alexclements.com . His MySpace site is www.myspace.com/alexclements .
© 2007 Bruce E Von Stiers