Ron Thomas
Elysium
© 2008 Ron Thomas Music (659691007128)
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The influence of Stockhausen and Cage is unmistakable. This is modern improvisation in the hands of masters.
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albums you will love
- JOHNNY DEFRANCESCO: I Saw It Comin'
- RON THOMAS: Wings of the Morning
- RICHARD BURTON: Simple Major Simple Minor
- RON THOMAS: 17 Solo Piano Improvisations
- RON THOMAS: Cycles
- RON THOMAS: The House of Counted Days
- RON THOMAS: Scenes from a Voyage to Arcturus
- KRISTIN GARSON: Music Under the Influence
- THE MIKE FALCONE QUARTET: Playing Live
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notes
Elysium
1 Winter's Deep 11:29
2 The Wanderer 15:15
3 Emerald Walls 14:02
Ron Thomas - Keyboards and Synthesizers
John Swana - EVI Synthesizers
Joe Mullen - Percussion
Engineered and Mixed by Glenn Ferracone
at The Music Centre
Recorded November 28, 2006
Production Edits by Ray Ferretti
Vectordisc 009
Produced by Richard Burton
Mastered by Paul G. Kohler
Graphic Design, Photography by Danny Schweers
"Elysium" is the offspring of "Cycles" by Ron Thomas
The close performance relationship developed
by John Swana, Joe Mullen and I for the "Cycles"
pieces is richly explored and further developed
in the "Elysium" pieces. "Elysium" is packed with
emotion for me, primarily for personal reasons.
However, I hasten to clarify that my method of
work, of course, is far from emotional but technical
and pragmatic as succinctly described in the liner
notes for "Music in Three Parts" to which I refer
the interested reader. In addition, the music calls
to mind (for me) my friendship and association since
1964 with Karlheinz Stockhausen who died in May of
2007, a fact that has made my memory of, and my
thoughts about him even more poignant. The three
musical titles are variants of poem titles of
three different poets from the famous Tang dynasty
of Chinese poetry. (This to is referenced in the
"Music in Three Parts" liner notes).
There is perhaps less "geography" and more
"journey" in "Elysium" than in "Cycles" but common
to both is the sense of independent parts moving
comfortably with, through, and around each other,
and in a special kind of overall space. Any beauty
and value these pieces may have is a tribute entirely
to the skill and sensitivity of my colleagues, John
Swana, Joe Mullen, Richard Burton and Glenn Ferracone.
Ron Thomas can be heard on the following
Vectordisc recordings as a leader available at CD Baby.
Cycles - 2007 with John Swana and Joe Mullen
Wings of the Morning - 2007 Solo Piano
17 Solo Piano Improvisations - 2006 Solo Piano
The House of Counted Days - 2002 with John Swana,
Joe Mullen and Tony Marino
Scenes from a Voyage to Arcturus - 2001 with Glenn
Ferracone, Richard Burton, Bob Howell and Bob Meashey
Ron Thomas appears as a sideman on the following Vectordisc recordings.
Playing Live by Mike Falcone - 1997
Music Under the Influence by Kristin Garson - 1998
Simple Major Simple Minor by Richard Burton - 2006
For more information please click on the links at the bottom left on this page.