CD: A Moment Between Eternities
Artist: Louis Colaiannia
Contact: www.louismusic.com

 

Having previously spent a number of memorable years in the “Mile High City” of Denver, Colorado, where Louis Colaiannia hails from, I can attest to incredible inspiration available from living with the snow-capped Rocky Mountain peaks always on the horizon. Perhaps there is something in living at that altitude with its awe-inspiring vistas, but there is a majestic quality to Louis’ piano playing that seems to reflect his surroundings. While influenced by the great composers like Mozart and Beethoven, which shows through in his music, his latest release “A Moment Between Eternities” blends new age music and even a hint of jazz in the mix. In fact, a new single entitled “City Scapes” which was recently posted on his website showcases a breakthrough sound for him which he calls “Orchestral Jazz.”

 

 

The album opens with a haunting intro and reveals the classical influence with grand piano accompanied by strings on the title song. These are actual cello and violin rather than electronic instruments. Another element in the arrangement is the inclusion of female vocals. Interestingly, the vocal tracks on this song, as well as on others are pulled back a bit in the mix, and serve to provide an ethereal angelic Enya-like ambience, rather than being out front with a focus on the lyrics dominating the song. I found it to be true in general with Louis’ arrangements that while there are a number of instruments playing, they are carefully interwoven to blend with each other in a synergistic and supportive way. And although there are occasional solos, or spotlight on a particular instrument as a composition evolves, it is subtle with no obvious grandstanding. To get an interesting perspective on this song (as well as a couple others, which I’ll get to shortly), I recommend visiting Louis’ website to view the beautifully filmed video he created of himself and the ensemble performing in the studio and out in nature.

 

 

The next song, “Tears For Dad” which also features female vocals, continues with the classical/ new age feel and conveys an emotional quality that may be familiar to anyone who has lost a loved one in their life. While some parts of the composition are introspective, others are more grandiose and soaring. This is the second song from this CD that has an accompanying music video on the website. It’s nicely edited and features scenes of Louis playing the grand piano in an elegant setting interspersed with old home movies and pictures of him as a child with his dad – all in all, a very touching presentation. This is followed by an instrumental entitled “Desert Winds” and is a nice shift in energy from the first two, with a lighter jazzier feel to it. This one also has a music video that goes with it, and is an excellent showcase for Louis’ talents as a multi-instrumentalist with footage of him playing keyboards, xylophone, congas, bass, and drum kit. The video also includes some picturesque scenery of the unique sandstone formations at Red Rocks Park.

 

 

Other songs on the album include “Way Of The Rain” with its tinkling piano and atmospheric female vocals capturing the feeling of a misty day. I particularly liked how the flute and piano follow each other in the melody. This melodic unison was also found between the piano and cello in “Northern Lights.” The aforementioned interweaving between vocals and instruments, in this case piano, flute, and strings, was particularly evident on “Sea Of Stars” which added some tasteful sax and built to a rousing climax. On “Spring Dawn,” a beautiful classically influenced piano starts slowly like a sunrise just breaking over the horizon and grows in intensity as the day becomes brighter. Moving from day to evening, “Sentimental Winter’s Night” continues the classical/ new age style with various shifts in mood and feel. The album concludes with “Journey Inward,” the longest track and perhaps the most ambient of the collection. Featuring dreamy electric piano rather than acoustic along with synthesizers and sounds of water flowing, this meditative voyage is appropriately named as it softly unfolds with the gentleness of a lullaby.

 

 

“A Moment Between Eternities” while reflecting it’s roots in classical music deftly blends other elements in an album that crosses boundaries for an expansive listening experience that a wide variety of music lovers can enjoy.