"Magnetic in every sense of the word, all seven tracks of Doug Blackley’s Vanishing Evocations are effective proof that audible magic pairs beautifully with advanced technology."
Geary Yelton:
Vanishing Evocations
Flow : track 01
Flow is an uplifting composition featuring solo Spectrum Piano.
It was written in a time of great personal stress and reflects underlying exultation that can be found even in difficult times.
Into the Night : track 02
"into the Night" was first performed in Jan 2013 at my "The Three Faces of Midnight" concert. Note that I chose to use a conventional piano as well for the intro and closing. Despite my focus on the Spectrum Piano as a hammerless acoustic synthesizer I felt fine in bringing in a conventional piano as well as a "second, different instrument" (as opposed to using is as a blend with the Spectrum timbres). This version is a new, re-imagined one which features as the third instrument the wonderfully evocative playing of Junko Otori Ayaka on her "Niko", a japanese instrument closely related to the Erhu. Her website: https://ameblo.jp/otori-ayaka/
Aurora : track 03
Aurora is an uplifting composition featuring solo Spectrum Piano. I played it for a musician friend and he said "To me this sounds like the sort of music the Aurora Borealis would write if they could write music".
Nightwind : track 04
Dark power shapes the sound of this piece; Spectrum Piano is augmented by African Djembe, ankle shakers and more live percussion performed by myself. Modelled woodwinds were added as overdubs to the original spectrum piano recording. The life in their sound is made possible by use of a human breath to computer input device, allowing the use of real breath control, as well as the use of a "fretless" keyboard controller, a Roli "Seaboard Rise". This track has several deep "booms" contributed by a conventional electronic synthesizer; one of two moments only on the album where such a device is used.
Shapeshifter : track 05
"Shapeshifter" was written for Vancouver's 2015 "Western Front"s concert series "88 Tuned Bongos". This track may display the Spectrum Piano's amazing abilities as an "acoustic synthesizer" best of all of the music on the album. No conventional electronic synths were used here; it is truly just the strings and soundboard as borrowed from an acoustic piano that create those shimmering washes.
Midnight : track 06
"Midnight" is another re-imagining of a previously performed work. A linking element to several of these tracks was the use of motives or musical themes I took from a piano work I wrote called "Running on Faith". The theme was used in "Into the Night" as well, so I felt it made sense to once again hear Junko Otori Ayaka performing on her niko. I feel very fortunate to have had her contributing her stellar skills to my album
Reflection : track 07
Internal reflections on a journey through states of mind.