Musical collaborations.....

Had lunch with maedbh7 yesterday. One of the many things we talked about was how the filk community is oriented toward solo musicians. Ensemble players such as her and myself don't often get a chance to perform.

Years ago, there used to be instabands -- groups of filkers who would get together, rehearse, and perform a song during a convention. I think the only impromptu ensemble in filk these days is Philip Textor's Chamberfilk, which I've been a part of.

So, how can we get this ball started? Who else would be interested in such a project?

Pink World....

One of the albums in my collection is a two-record set called "Pink World" by the Planet P Project. For those of you who don't know, the Planet P Project is keyboardist Tony Carey, once with Richie Blackmore's band Rainbow.

I first heard this album from the local library. I later found a copy of the album in the discount bin. I think. Recently, I found some of the songs on YouTube.

The world that is depicted in Pink World is somewhat harrowing, almost like a dystopic SF world. Surverillance cameras are everywhere. People in cages for a human barrier of sorts. Through it all is a young boy, named Artimis, who doesn't speak. It's been a while since I've heard the album, so my details are sketchy at best.

It's been on my "to digitize" list. Not any more.

I found Tony's web site and it mentioned that Pink World, and his eponymous debut album, have been remastered and released on CD. So I went looking for it on eBay. And found it.

What are your favorite concept albums that I should know about?

A sonic palette....

For years, I've been wanting to purchase a synthesizer or keyboard workstation -- specifically, something in the Kurzweil K2000 family. I briefly had a Kurzweil K2500, but found that I couldn't afford it and had to send it back.

As I've often said, I'm not a guitarist. I simply don't have the chops in the left hand to be an accomplished guitarist. I wouldn't mind learning how to play bass guitar, though. And of course, I have my woodwinds. But nothing fires me up like keyboards.

Why keyboards? Because I can have access to a wide range of sounds. I can't get this from traditional instruments. In a way, it's like painting a picture with a range of colors instead of just a few. With the help of a computer and music composition software (e.g. Cakewalk), I can knock out compositions much quicker than what I can currently accomplish.

( What sort of keyboard sounds would I want to include in my palette? )