Changing the Pace - Premium Adjustable Speed Controller for Home & Office Use - Perfect for Fans, Motors, and Small Appliances

Product Description

Product Description A fantastic collection of seven Latin, jazz and blues piano pieces, composed by Steven Rosenhaus, Eric Ewazen, Astor Piazzolla and Morton Gould. Each of these works was originally composed as a solo piano work. Shifting from 'classically' composed, Laura transformed them with arrangements in collaboration with Grammy award-winning tenor saxophonist Richie Cannata, Nicki Parrott on bass, Adam Snyder on drums, and the internationally renowned Brazilian percussionist Cafe. Changing the Pace features Rosenhaus' Samba and Two True Blues, Eric Ewazen's Gumbo Limbo from his A Suite from the Cloud Forest, and Morton Gould's toe-tapping and full-of-swing Pavanne, which has been adored since it first came on the music scene in 1938. Astor Piazzolla's Tango Ultimo takes the tango to a whole new level. Imani Mosley's review of a recent performance Laura gave of Samba and Two True Blues at Queens College's Lefrak Concert Hall stated: 'The piece was delightfully blissful, the first, light and airy and the second, soft and jazzy. It sounded perfect for a concert hall and yet it had the air of belonging somewhere else as well, like somewhere in the Village.' Laura Leon has been heralded for the special touch she brings to both her solo and collaborative performances at the piano. She has broadened the spectrum of American music and where it can be experience and has brought composers and their works to audiences, beyond traditional concert venues to new settings and special events. Embracing American contemporary repertoire in a unique way, The New Music Connoisseur has called her performances'an even blend of fine technique, intelligence and passion.' The Knight News' wrote: 'I found myself captivated by the sound of the piece with it's rich chords and the performances of Ms. Leon.' Laura has received wide acclaim and recognition for her performances and recordings of a wide roster of American composers-including Peter Schickele, William Bolcom, Hugo Weisgall, Leo Kraft, Steven Rosenhaus, and Eric Ewazen. Performances include Heifer's International Bee Day Celebration, The White House/Capitol Hill's Days of Remembrance, and Weisgall's The Golden Peacock with the soprano Emily Duncan-Brown. She has conceived and collaborated on several live performance multimedia works--Found in Nature and PRO.JECT. She was the music director for, and performed on the soundtrack of the 2006 Emmy-award winning documentary The Hidden Life, which aired on PBS. An extraordinary group of musicians joined Laura to make this album: Grammy-award winning tenor saxophonist Richie Cannata was a member of Billy Joel's band from 1975-1981. He can be heard on his recordings and recently played on Billy Joel's last CD. He will be performing with him on his 2005-2006 tour. Richie has played on Celine Dion and Brian Wilson's newest CDs and has performed at 'Fanfare" in Nashville. For the last 10 years he has been a member of the Beach Boys, has guest starred with them on television on "Full House" and "Baywatch," and has appeared in the film "Slaves of New York". He has produced albums for Phoebe Snow, Rita Coolidge, Corey Hart and Tommy Shaw. Australian acoustic bass player Nicki Parrott performs weekly with the legendary guitarist Les Paul, a longstanding New York collaboration. She has performed with Clark Terry, Bill Taylor, DIVA, Skitch Henderson and David Kraukauer among many, and has performed at numerous international jazz festivals including the Newport, Lionel Hampton, the Berlin, the Edinburgh and Grimsby in the United Kingdom and several Australian festivals. With her sister, the fabulous saxophonist Lisa Parrott, she produced and recorded the CD "The Awabakal Suite." Drummer Adam Snyder has played and recorded with Jack Bruce, Neil Sedaka, Eliot Randall, Preston Smith, Rat Race Choir and Debra Barsha. He was the featured Drumset player for Babetunde Olantunjis' "Drums of Passion" for five years and for the past year played for the first National tour of the Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp Broadway musical "Movin' Out". He has recorded with both the MacGollehons' "Smoking Section" and The New York No Stars. Café, the celebrated Brazilian percussionist and Grammy-award winner, has been heard around the world in concert and on a multitude of recordings. With his versatile range of styles and extraordinary collection of instruments, both indigenous and some created by hand, Café has perfomed with the world's top musicians across the musical spectrum, including Steve Winwood, James Taylor, Chuck Mangione, top Brazilian musicians Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento, Djavan, Gilberto Gil, Roberta Flack, Sadoo Watanabe, and has also recorded with the acclaimed classical clarinetist Richard Stolzman. From the Artist Changing the Pace features music by the exciting American composers Steven Rosenhaus, Eric Ewazen, and the internationally heralded Morton Gould, whose cool toe-tapping "Pavanne"-full of swing-has been adored since it first came on the music scene in 1938. Also featured is a tango by the renowned Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla, whose musical vision took the aura of the tango to a whole new level. About the Artist Pianist Laura Leon has been heard in countless solo and collaborative performances, including the International Oceania Arts Festival, the multimedia work PROJ.JECT, The New Repertory Ensemble, cable tv and radio broadcasts, and the 2006 Emmy-award winning documentary "A Hidden Life", which was aired on PBS. She has a five CD discography, including "Blessings of Beauty" with flutist Amy Ziegelbaum, "Preludes to Passion" featuring piano works by J.S. Bach, Aaron Copland, Sting, Peter Schickele and others and "Matilda Variations", a unique spin on the beloved Australian song (and unofficial national anthem), "Waltzing Matilda." Grammy-award winning tenor saxophonist Richie Cannata was a member of Billy Joel's band from 1975-81. He can be heard on Billy Joel's most recent CD and accompanied Billy Joel on his most recent tour. Richie has played on Celine Dion and Brian Wilson's newest CDs and has been a member of the Beach Boys for the past 10 years. He has produced albums for Phoebe Snow, Rita Coolidge, Corey Hart and Tommy Shaw. Acoustic bass player Nicki Parrott performs weekly with the legendary guitarist Les Paul. She has performed with Clark Terry, Bill Taylor, DIVA, Skitch Henderson and has performed at many international jazz festivals including Newport, Lion Hampton, Ediburgh and Brimsby in the United Kingdom. With her sister, saxophonist Lisa Parrott, she produced and recorded the CD "The Awakabal Suite." Drummer Adam Snyder has played and recorded with Jack Bruce, Neil Sedaka, Eliot Randall, Preston Smith and Debra Barsah. He was the featured Drumset player for Babetunde Olantunjis' "Drums of Passion" for five years and played for the first National tour of the Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp Broad musical "Movin' Out." Cafe, the celebrated Brazilian percussion and Grammy-award winner, has been heard around the world. With his versatile range of styles, Cafe has performed with the world's top musicians, including Steve Winwood, James Taylor, Chuck Mangione, Brazilian musicians Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil,and Milton Nascimento, as well as Robert Flack, Sadoo Watanabe and the classical clarinetist Richard Stolzman. See more