April Bright - Michael Robinson

I'm glad to release nine new solo piano albums at this time, referring to them collectively as Mattataal Caravan, derived from Mattataal being a Hindustani music rhythmic cycle of nine matras (beats) with Caravan a featured track.

Recorded during the summer and fall of 2022, the albums include twenty standards, one original titled Blues For Henry, and one song each by Laura Nyro, Carole King and the Beatles.

Above the World, Summer Skies and Passion Eyes were recorded during an afternoon session on July 5, 2022.

April Bright, Summer Kisses and Across the Sands were recorded during an August 23, 2022 afternoon session.

Dark Is the Sky, A Thousand Things and Soul To Soul were recorded during an October 4, 2022 afternoon session.

These notes serve for all nine albums.

All the standards and songs on these nine new albums are great favorites of mine, and I'm delighted to have had this chance to explore them personally.

Above the World has I See Your Face Before Me, This Love of Mine and Alone Together.

Summer Skies has I've Got A Crush On You, A Time For Love and Zingaro

Passion Eyes has Beautiful Love, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and Wedding Bell Blues.

April Bright has Blues for Henry and Young and Foolish

Summer Kisses has Darn That Dream, I'll Remember April and Autumn Leaves

Across the Sands has Caravan and Somebody Loves Me

Dark Is the Sky has And I Love Her, I'm Always Chasing Rainbows and In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

A Thousand Things has I Could Have Danced All Night, Stars Fell On Alabama and The Shadow of Your Smile

Soul To Soul has Manhattan and You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

One happy note was obtaining my first real piano during the first week of August, having been practicing on an electronic keyboard the past three years.

Together with these solo piano albums, I recorded four duet albums with tabla player Anindo Chatterjee in September 2022, and eight duet albums with drummer Eliot Zigmund in November 2022. All the solo and duets recordings were in Los Angeles except for the Zigmund sessions that took place in New Jersey.

Much might be written about each track from each album, especially my personal history and feelings about each song, but with so much music here, and so much music continuing to be made, I simply don't have the time, so I'll leave you to meet the music yourself.

Michael Robinson, May 2023, Los Angeles

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