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Piano Music by Billy Mayerl Vol. 1
Philip Martin (piano)
This is the first volume in a series in which the sequels cannot arrive too soon. The principal joy resides in Billy Mayrel's music - British piano pieces that are syncopated and melodious...Martin's...
Piano Music by Billy Mayerl Vol. 1
Philip Martin (piano)
Purchase product
This is the first volume in a series in which the sequels cannot arrive too soon. The principal joy resides in Billy Mayrel's music - British piano pieces that are syncopated and melodious...Martin's...
About
Post World War 1, broadcasting became ever more popular and most of the music played on the radio in those early days could be categorized as jazz or ragtime. The main element of these styles of music was of course syncopation and in Britain, Billy Mayerl had arguably become one of the most famous ‘syncopaters’ regularly broadcast on the radio at that time.
The distinguished Irish pianist and composer Philip Martin is the pianist introducing us here to Volume 1 of the series of Billy Mayerl’s music from Somm Records.
Somm has established itself as a great exponent of British piano music and this series is sure to be revered in the same light as previous releases of Bridge and Bax’s music.
Contents and tracklist
Awards and reviews
July 2013
This is the first volume in a series in which the sequels cannot arrive too soon. The principal joy resides in Billy Mayrel's music - British piano pieces that are syncopated and melodious...Martin's (he is joy number two) leaps through the repertoire with clean and infectious élan
June 2013
Martin's depth and breadth marks him out as a musician of exceptional qualities...This music needs to smile and dance (and occasionally to weep and yearn), but always there must be a soulful connection made, and hence Martin's playing is so much at the service of the music.
21st May 2013
My hunch is that Martin is more interested in pointing up Mayerl’s harmonic writing, and that he is intent on pursuing the more veiled impressionism that does indeed lie at the heart of some of Mayerl’s music - that and Gershwin and Rachmaninovian impulses.
30th March 2013
Casual listeners may think they’ve stumbled across a clutch of rare Gershwin pieces, but Mayerl’s style is just a little more introspective, a touch less self-consciously jazzy. These miniatures are difficult to play, and Martin manages to sound improvisatory whilst nailing the music’s technical demands...Irresistible.
