Friday December 11 2009

It's been quite a while since I've put up a blog. I'm not one of those that does this type of thing on a regular basis. The news is that my new solo piano cd will be out in January 2010. There have been all types of unexpected delays to release the cd but things are coming around and soon the new recording will be out for all of you to hear. Also I have put together from my musical archives a collection of pieces that I will be practising and re-working for the next several months which will be another cd. I work very quickly and don't waste any time in getting out my music to the world. I have written so much material over the years that I'm still kind of living in the past, bringing out older pieces that have yet to be recorded. My dream is to start completely fresh and compose with nothing from the past to be recorded. I could put out a cd every 3 months with the amount of work I have in stock but that would not be a smart marketing strategy. I finally have a manager and she is amazing. We are working together on some beautiful projects and I'll keep you all updated as soon as they are ready and in full flight. I"ve been doing practically everything in the music business alone for so many years and now with a manager things are different but the hard work and perserverance continues. Having a dream is one thing but making it come true is another. Dreams take hard and constant work to get there. Never forget however that the journey is far more important than the destiny. Here in Montreal winter has hit us hard. Thanks to the sun though it keeps us feeling that things are going to be alright. My manager is in Australia right now and it is so warm there. She goes to the beach every day. One day she promises, she'll take me to Australia. Well that would be something really special. So I wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season and Happy Chanukah as well to those that celebrate this festival of lights which starts tonight. Thank you all for your support and more music is on its way. Santa and his elves are making the cd copies and will get them to you a little bit after Christmas. Santa is getting old and he can't always be on time like before and the reindeers are also quite tired and getting ready for retirement... love to all, Mark

Thursday November 12 2009

I stopped into a cafe for a muffin. I immediately noticed and this is not the first time, how so many people were sitting in front of a computer. I know a lot of you have seen this but don't care about this radical change in our society but I know there are some of you out there that are not happy to see this drastic change. I couldn't believe my eyes. Next to my table there was a whole row of people working on their computer. I felt an aura around everyone. There was a box surrounding each individual with their computer. I find this so so sad folks. I saw only 2 people talking to one another in the entire cafe which is quite large. I was wondering if I was actually in a cafe or inside a machine of some kind. Maybe one day muffins will be talking to us. So here is the question many of us have been asking: What has happened to the most basic of communication between human beings and where are we going regarding communication between each other as the machine swallows up what we were given at birth: the means of communication, sharing our ideas, our thoughts, our feelings, our worries, our dreams, our fantasies, our sorrows, our joys, our decisions and indecisions with others? With OTHERS. HOw much time are we spending in front of a machine? when was the last time you looked at the sky, the clouds, a tree, listened to a bird, said something to someone to make them have a better day, do something for someone, listened to the silence, got in touch with yourself for a change?? that my friends is never easy. To stop and hear yourself, and BE with yourself even for just a few moments. Friends, look right in front of you, and look right behind you and around you...The machine is quickly taking over andt this is not something to laugh or joke about. Yes, I fully admit that for some things in life the machine is of tremendous use..for example for medicine and operations and scanning etc. and for business it can be amazing as well. What I'm very concerned about here is the domination we are allowing the machine to take over our lives and it is getting to a point where I guarantee you folks we will one day be DISSOLVED by the machine. Human contact and communication will be some thing of the past. Can you imagine this? The beauty of human and spiritual communication is so precious. I repeat so precious that we are losing this on a daily basis. Is man beginning to love the world of the machine more that his fellow man? Look around, become aware just a little bit folks at how the machine is replacing us. I like many others love to talk and be with others and I cherish my solitude. I need quiet and nature and to be away from the machine world. I will never give up my hunger for human interaction. I am here on this earth for this, both as a composer and as a humanitarian. I love to give and help others and to exchange the miracle of the mind and feelings with friends and close ones. Like the Beatles said in their song "All you need is love" That says it all, Thank you and have a beautiful day. love, Mark

Friday September 11 2009

I got on a new bus in Montreal. I found a seat at the back. Everything looked very clean and the bus had a brand new smell to it. You know how buses have a particular smell about them. The bus seemed much longer than usual. Are the buses getting bigger in our modern era? This isn't what I wanted to talk about anyway in this blog. What struck me was the number of cars on the road early in the afternoon. The bus moved slowly because of the number of cars all around us. I was thinking of the car companies selling automobiles. I don't really know if there is or isn't a recession regarding cars, its very hard to tell. I don't drive for personal reasons. I've never once thought of owning a car. I've tried to drive a handful of times and I'm not made to drive. My mind is not made that way. Are there more and more cars in your area of the world? I feel that the automobile is taking over the world slowly but surely. It really feels that way. I know in this city there are more bike paths but it appears that the cyclist is practically smothered by the cars that fill up most of the space. I have a bicycle that is from New York that I bought a garage sale here in Montreal for $40. A three speed bike. For me it's just fine. My mountain bike got stolen at 9 in the morning on a very busy street in front of a beauty salon. I have know idea how the person stole it with people around. A pro obviously. My congratulations to that person for being so good at stealing my bike. It's not the first time its happened. I can live with these things. I heard that in China and in India the car market is booming. Just close your eyes for a minute and think of what that will do to tip the balance of the earth? I know that buying cars are a machine that keeps on going and going. No-one has been able to stop this machine of purchasing cars. I'm not scared yet but I believe a lot of us will be soon, when the car takes up more and more of our precious space. Air will never be the same to breathe. There was a movie once made a number of years ago called The Frogs. It's about these gigantic frogs that quietly invade a house in the country and destroy everything in sight. The way the car is taking over the world reminds me of this movie. I heard that in Mexico City and in Italy there are days when you can't use your car in order to help solve the problem of pollution..that will help on a microcosmic level but let's be real that isn't going to change that much the air those people breathe. ON my street at night the cars are parked back to back like a row of shoes on a store shelf. Yes, I know eventually the flying car will be a reality..I believe Mitsubishi has already designed one. Also the electric car is on its way as well. I don't however have a lot of confidence that things will change soon. For me the car is taking over. It is an overpowering object. The car has become a model and reflection of how one thinks and looks at oneself that without it, one is less important somehow, or less successful. This is so far far far away from the truth. I don't know what to do as the car seems to swallow up our roads, highways, streets and wherever else. I'm planning to one day go to Greece where there are some islands with no cars on them. I would like to compose the music for a cd there. My favourite sound on the earth is the flowing water of a stream or brook. I feel when I listen to the sound of the water that my whole being is being soothed and relaxed. I admit I'm not at all a part of the car driving world but I've got to tell you that I dream of a society where there are way less cars on the road. It's a dream. I've made other dreams come true but this one I am unable to do alone. Listening to the cars on this planet is not music to my ears. I wonder if the inventor of the automobile ever knew that his invention would be so popular at a rate that is so out of control. The postman just arrived. I could hear him putting some letters in the mailbox. Thank God at least he isn't driving a car.

Sunday August 30 2009

Letter to Derek Sivers, founder of CDBaby.com

Dear Derek, hi. How's life going these days? In about a week or so I'll be recording my next piano cd. I've been practising all summer long, every day to get ready for the recording. No holiday so far..I'm focused on the cd project. I have a new website now too if you want to take a quick glance. Everything is changing and in the making..I'm writing you to tell you I went to see a movie last night about the making of Steinway pianos. You may have seen it. It was filmed in 2004 I believe. It takes place in New York at Steinway and Sons. The entire movie is shot indoors at the factory. Step by step, hammer by hammer, string by string, ear by ear, touch by touch, wood cut by wood cut the piano is made. The movie is about one piano that takes a year to be made. Yes one year.. Steinway in New York makes about 2000 pianos a year. Before in New York there were about 12 companies making pianos and now there are just a few. Steinway pianos is the only company that does things manually by the human touch and by the sensivity of the human ear. The process to make a piano is mind boggling. Each step is shown throughout the film on how to built the instrument. There is so much precision, in fact it is the journey of perfection. One millimetre off on the assembly line and the piano won't work. And the people who work for Steinway and Sons come from all over the world. So each designed piano has an international caress to it. The intimate story is very touching. I began to feel close of the 9' piano they built. PIanos are almost as complicated as humans. The insides of a piano remind me of the anatomy of a human being. If the love is not there at Steinway to build the piano the wood and soundboard won't sing. I do love Steinways. I had the opportunity in Toronto to be left alone at Yamaha and Steinway piano factories. 40 grand pianos surrounded me in each factory. Some were upside down, on their side or ready to play. I found that each piano is so different from one another. There are not 2 pianos the same on the entire planet. It is hard to fall in love with just one because they don't sound the same and the differences between them are so so subtle. The nuances between them are almost invisible but they are there if one pays very close attention. Steinway experts pass on their knowledge to the younger staff so that the secret of the building of the instrument is passed on to the younger generation to keep the magic alive.. Now is that not a love story! Throughout the film several concert pianos travel from one piano to the next trying to find the one they love as well. Musicians in a way are mad, neurotic and close to insane. They are tuned in to a bubble of perfection that they hear in their heads but doesn't really exist in reality. And so be it my friend..Nothing wrong with a bit of insanity that is gentle and passionate. After all what colour is music when it is played. Where do the notes go when we touch the keys and the soundboard resonates? These questions are not "answerable". I as well have been searching for a sound in my head and I have been frustrated all my life trying to find that sound. I'm recording my 7th cd and I am not happy with any of them so far. When the movie ended, and as everyone poured out of the cinema pianists sat down to play a beautiful Steinway that was parked in the lobby. The sound of the baby grand was glorious and powerful. People listened to the spontaneous show. I finally sat down to play an original. It felt great and I took the pace of the piece faster than ususal. I guess, to be honest, it was to impress the listeners/viewers...

Since it's showtime why not!!I finished the piece barely when the old manager whispered softly in my ear to stop because the next movie was playing in the cinema. The usher thanked me for playing and then two ladies came up to my and said what did you play? And I told them it was an original composition called The wings of Spring.."And your name sir"? I told them and thanked them for their kind commentary and they entered the darkness of the cinema about to see the same film I saw. The future becomes the past and present is a mix of who knows what. Take care Derek.. Life goes on.. peace, Mark

Wednesday August 12 2009

History is being made. In this modern information era, I am officialy writing my first blog for the newly designed website. Yes, I love to write as well. Writing is a gorgeous form of expression. Very different from composing music. And that is why I enjoy it so much. It's like tasting another flavour of ice-cream. Rum and raison is one of my favourites. Here is Montreal the sun is beaming very strong today. I am not a summer person. It has rained almost every day this summer and the thunder and rain have kept me company. There is drama and theatre in rain and thunder. It reminds me a lot of the music of Beethoven. What is more beautiful than some intensity? I can imagine all the trees, and flowers and fields, and gardens and hills around the world that are so thankful and happy to receive the gift of rain falling upon them. I think though of countries like Australia, and India and in many africain countries that so desperately need the rain. I would do anything to share the water with them. Water as we all know is the source of life. And water is becoming more and more precious all over the world. This is why writing is so enjoyable. It takes me away from the universe of music. I play music almost every day and I love also to not play music. Arthur Rubenstein, my favourite classical pianist once said, "There is more to life than music." I completely agree. There is so much to experience and music as far as I am concerned touches only a miniscule part of life. I want to thank Mark and his girlfriend Caroline for putting together this website and for there tremendous work and amount of time they put in to sculpt it. Folks regarding websites, don't wait for something to be completely ready. Just get something up and running and work on it as you go. There is way too much talk about getting things done and too little actual doing. It is a a lot simpler than you think. Start with something very simple and build from there. And it really doesn't matter if it isn't the exact way you want it, but let the site breathe and grow and it will sooner than later take on the shape and vision you always had. I don't talk much about my music at all with people. I let the music talk for itself. I am on this planet to share my music with others and it is a passion to do so. But let me tell you that sometimes I'm not into music at all. We all need some precious silence in our lives. In Montreal we have once a year a festival called Day of Slowing Down. In french we call it Journee de la Lenteur. I believe in this type of lifestyle so much. What's with all the rushing. One of my cds is called Slowly the Day Goes By..and that's the message I am trying to put out there. I find with modern technology life in general is happening at such a fast pace, faster than ever before I believe, and for many of us life is zipping by right before our eyes. I know it isn't easy to stop and sit in a chair for a few minutes without feeling you have to do something else. I've always dreamed of a civilization where the pace of life is much slower and people have the time to converse and enjoy the quality of human contact and sharing. I know many others feel this way as well. To conclude this first blog I would like to let you know I will be going into the recording studio to record my next cd. I have been practising a few hours each day to get ready. Some people have been spending their summers on the beach, by the ocean, by a lake, at the cottage, but I've been inside pounding and caressing the ivories to prepare for the next cd release. I don't chicken out when there is a mission deep in my spirit. I"ll go right to the finish line no matter what place I come in. So folks thank you ever so much for taking the time to listen to my music. It gives my more pleasure than you can imagine knowing that there are some people out there that are uplifted in whatever way from my music. I can't thank you enough. I leave you with one of my favourite quotes: "He who kisses joy as it flies, lives in eternity's sunrise." (By William Blake) I'll write another blog soon and in the meantime much love and peace to you all, Mark