Ladders in Lydian

 Ladders in Lydian

by 

Kitty Allen

 Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & in most digital music stores. 

Instrumental uptempo contemporary jazz tune in C Lydian. Composed & performed by Kitty Allen on harp, flutes, midi-keyboard, penny whistle, slide whistle, kalimba, analog synthesizer, & laptop.

Inspired by an on-going home improvement project with a date of completion also described as a work in progress.

Note: Project complete as of 1/21 and ultimately well worth the  hassle. Leaning ladders left last.

Articulated ladder posed on static stairmaster.

Articulated ladder posed as cat climber.

Seven-toed climbing cat.

Seven-toed climbing cat after session on electrified articulated ladder.

© - Kitty Allen  2021

Crab Canon Coloratura

Crab Canon Coloratura

by

Kitty Allen

Currently a work in progress.

Instrumental medium tempo tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on harp, flutes, midi-keyboard, & laptop. Melody is arranged so that it can be played  forward & backward. Thus, a crab canon...a musical palindrome.

Other palindrome examples: "Madam I'm Adam" 

and  "Never odd or even".

Crab Canon example:

Crab Canon by J.S. Bach - from Musical Offering
 (1747)

Crab Duo

A bit of coloratura embellishment to enjoy while the tune is being composed.

© - Kitty Allen  2020

Fatso Fermata

Fatso Fermata

by

Kitty Allen

Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & in most digital music stores.

Preview as

Fatsoe Fermata

A slow blues instrumental & spoken word tune with an uptempo bridge. Composed & performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp (with effects), flutes, penny whistle, analog synthesizer, midi-keyboard, laptop, & online weight control clinician.

Fermata

This tune was inspired by a profusion of pandemic weight gain experienced by creatures of all description. Very close to home, please see the example shown below...a 4 year old tabby cat who lives at the feeding bowl for meats, treats, supplements, & occasional nutritious dry food. Cat does not hunt & seems adverse to daily exercise. Abdomen drags at knee level, giving cat the appearance of  a football with head & legs. Dietary restriction & physical improvement are on-going. Everything is a work in progress.

Lyle (near the bowl)

© - Kitty Allen  2020

Brick Byte

 Brick Byte 

by

Kitty Allen

Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & in most digital music stores.

An uptempo contemporary jazz instrumental tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp, flute, & piccolo. Band members include Keith Richards on bass, Guy Dedell on percussion, & Ed Lange on drums.

Inspired by the sauciness & reliability of a vintage 30-year old Volvo 245SE wagon. This  extra-long sturdy machine has met driving challenges of all description in every type of New England weather. Has hauled harps, musical gear, dogs, cats, furniture, & occasional humans. Still on the road, doing the job, & looking good!

Tune originally recorded at Star Castle Recording Studio in New Fairfield, CT. Engineered by Rob Batesole. Mixed by Kitty Allen & Rob Batesole. Recently resurrected, remixed, & renamed.

© - Kitty Allen

Edd's Threads

 Edd's Threads

by

Kitty Allen

Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus, & in most digital music stores.

Experimental & somewhat avant garde instrumental tune with a jazz keyboard bridge.   Composed & performed by Kitty Allen on prepared pedal harp, flutes, penny whistle, midi-keyboard, & laptop. Canine vocals performed by Edd (shown in photos).

© - Kitty Allen  2020

Arboreal Embrace

Arboreal Embrace

by

Kitty Allen

Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus & in most digital music stores.

An instrumental ballad-style tune composed & arranged by Kitty Allen for harp, flute, & band. Performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp & flute, Tim DeHuff on guitar, Roger Kaplan on keyboard, Keith Richards on bass, & Eric Halvorson on drums.

Originally recorded at Star Castle Recording Studio in New Fairfield, CT. Engineered by Rob Batesole. Mixed by Kitty Allen & Rob Batesole.

Resurrected, remixed, & renamed. Inspired by two tall trees that appear to have grown together. Now enveloping each other with their branches while melding with their bark, they  seem to be conjoined until death do they part.

© - Kitty Allen

To Venus in April

To Venus in April

by 

Kitty Allen

 Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus & in most digital music stores.

Moody, mellow & ethereal easy listening instrumental tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp, bass flute, alto flute, C flute, analog synthesizer, midi-keyboard, & laptop.

This tune was inspired by the observation of  an unusually bright planet Venus during nightly walks on clear evenings of April, 2020. For more information on what I saw during these strolls, please visit the following link. An explanation, in much greater detail than I can provide, is offered.

http://www.space.com/venus-skywatching-april-2020.html

The photo above shows an interior view of Templete Astrónomico y Meteorológico, located in Gipuzkoa Plaza Donostia - San Sebastián, Spain. 2019

© - Kitty Allen  2020

While Sequestered

While Sequestered

by

Kitty Allen

Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus &  in most digital music stores.

Original spoken word & instrumental smooth jazz tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp, flutes, melodica, midi-keyboard, analog synthesizer, & laptop.

What to do while sequestered. Possibilities on safely & pleasantly passing time through a pandemic.

Photo taken in Basque Country - San Sebastian, Spain near a hazardous rock ledge on an Atlantic Ocean beach (2019). 

© - Kitty Allen  2020

Back Bay Beauty

Back Bay Beauty

by

Kitty Allen

Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus & in most digital music stores.

A smooth jazz instrumental tune composed & arranged by Kitty Allen for harp, flutes, & band. Performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp & flutes, Keith Richards on electric bass, Guy Dedell on percussion, & Ed Lange on drums.

Originally recorded at Star Castle Recording Studio in New Fairfield, CT. Engineered by Rob Batesole. Mixed by Kitty Allen & Rob Batesole. Recently resurrected, remixed, & renamed.

Inspired by a recent Boston adventure to re-visit memories of graduate school and of running a women's dormitory for Boston University (shown above.) Great times & a fantastic educational experience!

© - Kitty Allen

Padded Cell 248

Padded Cell 248

by

Kitty Allen

Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus & in most digital music stores.

A medium tempo instrumental jazz tune composed & arranged by Kitty Allen for harp, flutes, & band. Performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp & flutes, Tim DeHuff on guitar, Roger Kaplan on keyboard, Keith Richards on electric bass, Guy Dedell on percussion, & Eric Halvorson on drums.

Originally recorded at Star Castle Recording Studio in New Fairfield, CT. Engineered by Rob Batesole. Mixed by Kitty Allen & Rob Batesole.

Resurrected, remixed, & renamed. Inspired by a scolding experienced at the local gym.

© - Kitty Allen  

Carcass

Carcass

by

Kitty Allen

Available on Spotify, Pandora Plus & in most digital music stores.

An uptempo instrumental jazz electronica tune composed & performed by Kitty Allen on pedal harp, flutes, midi-keyboard, laptop, & melodica.

Inspired by a viewing of "The Yellow Buick" (photo above) at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Created by French sculptor & experimental artist, César Baldaccini, this piece was assembled in 1961. It consists of a car body crushed by a hydraulic press into a dense package. César developed an international reputation based on a series of these sculptures, which he called Compressions. He later worked with plastics and in 1967, as a counterpart to his Compressions, he began constructing Expansions. For this genre, he often created his artwork in public locations, using plastics that expanded rapidly & quickly solidified.

More information on César Baldaccini can be found at these website links. 

www.MOMA.org

en.m.wikipedia.org

César Baldaccini Car Compression Sculpture
All four sides of "The Yellow Buick"

© - Kitty Allen  2020