Well, July was a write-off! Because of so much work on film/tv cues, I had little or no time to work on moving these 4 recording projects forward. When taking on such an ambitious initiative (to oversee 4 different recordings within months of each other), one should expect to have a little more focus. After all, it took me 10 years to release my first 4 albums. As much as I wanted to, time just slipped through my fingers last month. Last week, I panicked! Although I initially did not want to call it that but Lisa did make me aware that I was panicking but I shouldn’t. As usual, she is the calming and rational force in our partnership. Thanks to her, I now feel like we have a fighting chance to achieve this…

Album #1: Me to We – chamber music
This is a bit of a concept album – the 3 tracks take us on a journey of someone being alone to finding and being with their true love. The recording, editing and mixing sessions took place in May and June at Canterbury Music. I’ve been getting sporadic but very positive feedback from the musicians who performed on the recording. We’re aiming to release this album next February in conjunction with Valentine’s Day. Lisa still has to approach a certain Toronto radio station to see if they might want to collaborate on an album release concert.

Album #2: The Current Agenda – chamber music and electronics
The sessions to record these 6 activist compositions are set to begin at the end of this month. We are in talks with a prominent Canadian classical album label about releasing it (fingers crossed). Once we hear back, Lisa plans on approaching a significant TV show if they might collaborate on a special release event in the new year. Meanwhile the logistics of organizing rehearsals and recording sessions for 9 musicians and 2 studios is complete!

Album #3: You Haven’t Been – solo piano
You Haven’t Been is going to feature the more romantic and ambient nature of my piano writing. I’m going to record these 13 pieces myself, hopefully in late September. I’ve started practicing the first 9 and they fit under the fingers very nicely. Because of the moody nature, it’s not so physically taxing to play, unlike the music on my previous solo piano albums. Meanwhile, I still have to finish preparing the scores for the final 4 pieces, hoping that will be done this week. Lisa is presently preparing a pitch to a major piano manufacturer for sponsorship opportunities to promote this album. We’re also waiting to hear back from FACTOR to help cover costs of recording this. Even with no musicians to pay (apparently I work for free:)), there are still expenses.

Album #4: Love in 6 Stages – pop songs with piano and electronics
I was supposed to go back to writing this album last month, but that never happened (see 1st paragraph above). I really need to be done this asap! I started writing some of the songs over a year ago but put it aside. I still don’t know who will sing this one (probably female) and who I’ll work with on it (producer). That being said, I’m hoping we get to recording in October/November. Funding for this has already been solidified so I must follow through!

I’m hearing “Final Countdown” in my head as I write this blog post. LET’S DO THIS!!!!!

UPDATE ARCHIVE:
I’m going to record how many albums?
4 Albums, 1 Year – Update #1
4 Albums, 1 Year – Update #2
4 Albums, 1 Year – Update #3
4 Albums, 1 Year – Update #4
4 Albums, 1 Year – Update #5
4 Albums, 1 Year – Update #6
4 Albums, 1 Year – Update #7 (final)