Kitty Allen - Piano, Harp & Flute : 2015

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Pretty Boy's Paw & Claw

Pretty Boy's Paw & Claw

Kitty Allen

Preview

Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

Original tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on harp, flute, midi-keyboard, laptop & toothbrush. Additional audio provided by Cornish Rex meow & various electronic effects.

This medium tempo eclectic instrumental tune is dedicated to our Cornish Rex cat, Maynard. Maynard was recently diagnosed with a terminal illness. While he's trying his best to remain an active family member and wonderful companion, he's also struggling. His usual high energy level & comical behavior are a memory & we are content to have him with us for an additional brief period of time, provided he is not suffering. The tune was composed to reflect memories of his mischievous personality, his humor, high energy level & his unpredictable behavior. What I'd give to experience some of this naughtiness now! Finding him nestled in a forgotten hidden box, curled up in a drawer, leaping off basement ceiling heating ducts with a thud, darting out the garage door, & gobbling down treats as quickly as we could present them to him - then immediately crying for more - provided us with a brief nine years of love & entertainment.

RIP, Cornish Rex "Little Cat"

Maynard
August 2006 - January 2016

© - Kitty Allen 2015

Friday, November 13, 2015

Rooftop Religion

Rooftop Religion

Kitty Allen

Preview

Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

Original vocal & instrumental tune composed, arranged & performed by Kitty Allen on midi-keyboard & laptop.

Vocal clips were recorded during a 5:00 PM Istanbul rooftop visit as several calls to prayer were broadcast near simultaneously throughout the neighborhood.

© - Kitty Allen 2015

Friday, September 25, 2015

Mellow Rain Dance for Yellow Maine Plants

Mellow Rain Dance for Yellow Maine Plants

Kitty Allen

Preview

Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

A mellow instrumental tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on alto flute, C flute, midi-keyboard & laptop.

It's a beautiful late September & early fall season, but there's a shortage of rain. For yellow plants everywhere & for all who could benefit from a soaking, please dance on to encourage the flow of moisture from above.

Yes, shake it and dance wearing extra tight pants.

© - Kitty Allen 2015

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Spin Speak & Spoke

Spin Speak & Spoke

Kitty Allen

INSTRUMENTAL VERSION
Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

For those who prefer to spin without a commanding officer

Original instrumental tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on midi-keyboard & laptop.

No, the bike wheel in this photo is not a spin bike flywheel. I just liked the spokes from this vintage cycle.

© - Kitty Allen 2015

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Treepod Toccatina

Treepod Toccatina

Kitty Allen

Preview

Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

Original tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on midi-keyboard, laptop, flute(s), ngoni & didgebox.

A bit of on-going vamp with a modulation, blues section, & a return to the vamp.

Perfect light instrumental tune to accompany covert video surveillance operators wherever they may be positioned.

© - Kitty Allen 2015

Monday, June 29, 2015

Teatro de Muerte para El Toro

Teatro de Muerte para El Toro
by

Kitty Allen

Preview

Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

Original tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on midi-keyboard and laptop.

Structure of the Tune
Based on the sequence of activities that occur during a bullfight.

Section A - Prior to the event. The pageantry, the people & the arena.

Section B - The bull. His introduction and disorientation upon entering the bullfighting arena.

Section C - The theme & melody. Meant to symbolize the vivacity, strength & self-confidence of the bull.

Section D - Back to the bull. Now weakened (severely injured by a harpoon-like spear), he is less confident, bleeding profusely, slower & obviously suffering.

Section E - Back to a shorter version of the theme and melody. The bull is trying to survive, but he is mortally wounded & has lost stamina.

Section F - The final living moments of the bull & his ultimate death which ends the piece.

Sections D, E & F are not included in the Audio Preview.

Piece inspired by a recent viewing of a bullfight in Madrid, Spain. Though described as a cultural experience involving pageantry and tradition, I found the bullfight to be an exhibit of animal torture done up in ritualistic fashion. An evening at a bullfight - entailing 6 separate encounters & the death of six bulls - was thought-provoking for many reasons. I could expound in great detail. Suffice it to say that I was rooting (in vain) for the bull. Actually, the bulls are done for the moment they set their hooves in the ring.

There are those in the literary world who have written about bullfighting in great detail. Some of these resources are shown below. There are also worldwide organizations working to abolish this sport. Several of these groups are also listed below.

Should you be inclined to attend one of these events, I advise you to read about bullfighting before you go. This tune is written & performed as a tribute to the bulls. They - not the fight - are the focal point of this piece.

Books about Bullfighting

"Death in the Afternoon" by Ernest Hemingway

"When Bulls Cry" by Michael A. Ogorzaly

"On Bullfighting" by A.L. Kennedy

Organizations Against Bullfighting

Bullfighting: The Facts
www.stopbullfighting.org

Humane Society International

www.hsi.org

International Movement Against Bullfights

www.imab.org

League Against Cruel Sports

www.league.org

© - Kitty Allen 2015

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Hortencia, the Human Hydrant

Hortencia, the Human Hydrant
by

Kitty Allen

Preview

Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

Original upbeat & rhythmic instrumental tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on midi-keyboard, flute & laptop.

I dedicate this piece to Hortencia, an upstairs neighbor in my apartment building, who has honored me with unsolicited hydration for a period of over twenty years. During this time she has frequently flooded my kitchen & living room by falling asleep while boiling water or talking obliviously on the telephone, warped bathroom cabinetry through an overflowing sink due to congested wads of hair, & during a pinnacle performance - managed to drop her entire bathroom floor & ceiling directly down into my bathtub.

Madame Water Works, this is for you.

© - Kitty Allen 2015

Monday, April 20, 2015

Lullaby for a High-Strung Mandolin

Lullaby for a High-Strung Mandolin

Kitty Allen

Preview

Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

Original tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp, midi-keyboard, laptop PC & finger cymbals. Pedal harp effects include use of toothbrush & tuning forks.

I caught this instrument outside levitating in the front yard. It was missing a couple of strings, but it still wanted to be played. I took it inside & introduced it to the midi-keyboard. It was okay with the keyboard, but it really wanted to meet the harp. I introduced it to the harp & it became totally infatuated. It will not budge - LOVE at first PLUCK.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Do Drop In

Do Drop In

Kitty Allen

Preview

Can be heard on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & available in most digital music stores.

Original spoken word blues composed, arranged & performed by Kitty Allen on midi-keyboard, laptop & flute.

The narration acknowledges & describes the enjoyment of liquid refreshment. In this case, the beverage is consumed while absorbing and then executing the details of a rather atypical corporate assignment.

NOTE: A work of fiction - at least part of it.