Birdsongs

Diane Moser, Birdsongs, Planet Arts 30174, released March 1 2018.

All compositions by Diane Moser (Diane Moser Music, ASCAP) except for “The (Un)Common Loon,” composed by Kyle Pederson, Kyle Pederson Music ASCAP, 2015, and “A Hermit Thrush at Eve Opus 92.No.1” composed by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, 1921. Copyright 2017 Diane Moser Music

Liner Notes

I love to listen to the sounds of nature. All of it sounds like a big symphony to me, with master improvisers at work–specifically nature’s most lyrical musicians: birds. For the past decade, I have been listening to, playing with, reading about and experimenting with birdsongs in my music.
This journey began with a five-week residency at the MacDowell Colony (Peterborough, NH) in June/July of 2008. I went there with a very different compositional goal in mind, but by day 2, it was all about birds for me. Every day I improvised with the birds outside my studio in the woods. I really just wanted to be a part of their “band,” and was hoping I wasn’t too intrusive. What I experienced was a give and take with the birds: They would sing, I would play, they would answer me and so on. Three compositions represent specific birds: “Hello” (Black-Capped Chickadee), “Dancin with the Sparrows” (Chipping Sparrow), “If You’ll Call Me, Then I’ll Call You” (American Robin). Three others represent the surrounding soundscape and time of day: “Won’t You Come Out To Play,” “Folksong” and “When Birds Dream.” I also pay homage to composer Amy Beach, who in 1920-’21, while in residence at the MacDowell Colony, composed “A Hermit Thrush at Eve” with her transcriptions of the Hermit Thrush calls and songs. My version evolves into a Latin jazz style with variations on her harmonic progression and improvisations on her transcribed birdsongs.

“Birdsongs for Eric” was inspired by Eric Dolphy’s music and this quote from an interview by Don DeMichael for DownBeat magazine in 1962: “It somehow comes in as part of the development of what I’m doing. Sometimes I can’t do it. At home (in California), I used to play, and the birds always used to whistle with me. I would stop what I was working on and play with the birds.” I totally understand what he is talking about! This composition was commissioned by Seed Artists, and premiered by my quintet with featured performer Howard Johnson, at the Eric Dolphy: Freedom of Sound Festival in 2014 at Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ).

In 2015 I was mentoring a very creative composer, Kyle Pederson, through the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Music Composition Program (Montpelier, VT). There was something special I heard in his music, so I commissioned him to compose a “birdsong piece” for this recording. He chose the Common Loon, the state bird of his home state, Minnesota, and created a beautiful composition that follows a day in the life of a Loon.

Listening to and playing with the birds as they sang was a deeply soulful experience for me. My hope is that when you listen to this music, you will feel some of that essence and the next time you’re listening to the birds sing, listen a little deeper, you might just hear what they’re saying.

Diane Moser November 2017

Acknowledgements

This project has evolved immensely over the last decade, performed all over the US from solo piano, to big band, with electronics and everything in between. The amount of support, encouragement and collaboration is simply breathtaking. This music was made possible by fellowships at the MacDowell Colony, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Millay Colony for the Arts, with support from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. I specifically want to thank: Mark Dresser and CIMP Records, who launched the beginnings of this project in 2008. Many thanks to all of my fellow “fellow” artists and to all of the musicians who have played and recorded this music. Many thanks to the organizations who have provided support, encouragement, and spaces to perform: New Music USA, The Meadowlands Environmental Center, Seed Artists, Andrew Munsey, Robert Bush, Dizzy’s, Chuck Perrin, Minus Zero records and the Vermont College of Fine Arts. My deepest gratitude to all who have worked on this recording: John Guth, Dennis Connors, Bob Dowling, Central Presbyterian Church of Montclair, Tom Bellino and Planet Arts Records, Bruce Hanson, Elzy Kolb, Chad Moser, Kyle Pederson, Anton Denner and Ken Filiano. To all who have shared your photos, recordings, books, cards, websites, videos, newspaper and magazine articles of birds, my students who have been on this journey with me, audience members, friends and family, thank you for your constant support. I dedicate this recording to the memory of my dear friend Murray Wasserman, and thank Tami and Vikki Wasserman for their generous support for this recording.

''Birdsongs'' in the Press

• New Review of Birdsongs from Take Effect Pleasantly surprised today on receiving this new beautiful review from Take Effect! Diane Moser has made quite a name for herself in her 2 decade long career, and here the pianist and composer takes her life long interest in birds and pens an album that was actually made with bird sounds outside of Moser’s studio [...continued]
• Mel Minter Reviews “Birdsongs” A beautiful review of “Birdsongs” by Mel Minter for “Musically Speaking”.”Diane Moser’s Birdsongs Takes Flight” Pianist/composer Diane Moser’s Birdsongs offers refreshing and imaginative music that is lifted into the air on the wings of stellar performances from her, Anton Denner (flute, piccolo), and Ken Filiano (bass). Its nine tracks include seven originals transcribed from the [...continued]
• Brian Zimmerman Reviews “Birdsongs” for JAZZIZ I was pleasantly surprised last night, when I saw my google alert saying “Diane Moser-Birdsongs”, “Birdsongs for Eric”, JAZZIZ Magazine. I clicked on the alert and saw that Brian Zimmerman, digital content editor had chosen that track for the “Song of the Day” post, and, wrote a truly beautiful review. Pianist, composer and educator Diane [...continued]
• Kev Rowland Reviews “Birdsongs” for Gonzo Weekly Kev Rowland placed his review of “Birdsongs” in Gonzo Weekly, a weekly music magazine that features multimedia, freak music, freak, psychedelic, progressive rock music and is considered hippy, anarchist, and as they say on their home page “It’s stylish, it’s witty, it’s free. It’s everything that you want from a music magazine.” This review originally [...continued]
• Robert Bush reviews “Birdsongs” for New York City Jazz Record Pianist Diane Moser has been honing this project for years, beginning with her fortuitous residency at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, where she discovered that birds are the master musicians on our planet. Of course, the fascination with our winged musical brethren has a storied history in the music we call jazz. Many fans [...continued]
• Robert D. Rusch Reviews “Birdsongs” for Cadence Magazine July More peaceful is DIANE MOSER’s BIRDSONGS [Planet Arts Records 30174] on her trio [Anton Denner-flt/piccolo and Ken Filiano-b] date [6/9/17]. Moser’s last recording had flower as the theme, flower as Thurber’s parable for the cycles of life through love and war which he wrote about just prior to Hitler invading Austria. That darkness is gone [...continued]
• Jerome Wilson Reviews “Birdsongs” for All About Jazz UK There is a tradition of composers finding inspiration in the songs of birds. Olivier Messiaen did it in the classical realm and Eric Dolphy did it in the jazz world. Pianist Diane Moser follows in that tradition on this CD, turning birdsong into a bevy of haunting compositions both for solo piano and the trio [...continued]
• Kira Grunenberg Reviews “Birdsongs” for Downbeat July 2018
 Birdsongs traverses classical and jazz with the fluid movement heard in the songs of creatures from which Diane Moser’s initial inspiration flowed. During “Birdsongs For Eric,” bassist Ken Filiano’s solo legato, overlapped by flutist Anton Denner’s trill-like alternation on a minor-third and a delicate upper-octave flourish of Moser’s piano, recall compositional character across the 19th [...continued]
• Bruce Lee Gallanter Reviews “Birdsongs” Downtown Music Gallery NYC DIANE MOSER With ANTON DENNER / KEN FILIANO – Birdsongs (Planet Arts 30174; USA) Featuring Diane Moser on piano & compositions, Anton Denner on flute & piccolo and Ken Filiano on contrabass. I’ve been longtime friends with pianist & composer, Diane Moser, for many years, originally as a customer of the store with good taste [...continued]
• Fernando Bonete Vizcaino Reviews Birdsongs for El Debate de hoy “Birdsongs”. A musical tribute to the birds and the nature of the pianist Diane Moser.” The pianist and composer Diane Moser pays tribute to the birds, their flight, their games and mischief with the programmatic music of her new album, Birdsongs . A brilliant work, endowed with a superb inventiveness and imagination. It is said [...continued]