Paul Halley
Order the "Still Life Album"
from Susan Osborn
Paul Halley, organist at Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NY (and organist with the Paul Winter Consort for many years) came to Orcas Island in Mid-January 2001 to record an album, Still Life, with vocalist Susan Osborn (who was also soloist with Paul Winter). Halley left the Consort in 1999 to concentrate on a solo career. (See his website, Pelagos.) During a break to adjust the equipment at an Orcas Island mountain top recording studio, I caught shots of Paul as he refined his arrangement of Beethoven's Pathetique. The songs will be original lyrics by Susan and her husband David Densmore to Romantic classical themes such as "Pavane for a Dead Princess," Vivaldi's "Winter," a theme from Dvorak's "New World Symphony," a Bach Sinfonia, and the "Hymn of Peace" from Sibelius's Finlandia. This final work ended that day's session. Glad to say the duo "stuck it" with such finality that Susan was in tears. We all were.
The piano is in a room above a deluxe stable, below the hilltop control room. The horsies got a nice concert this day as the sound reverberated through the floor through the ceiling of their stalls. Behind the wood panel at the right is an assortment of drums and percussion instruments. To the right side of this long room are guest beds, behind me is a deluxe sewing room (wife's hobby) and kitchen.
The hands of a master. Below, hard at work "de-composing" Beethoven.
Meanwhile, in the peanut
gallery...Here's the lush wood-paneled recording studio (room architecture
designed by John Storyk, a NY architect) with Reed at the mixing console.
He looks out over a panoramic view of the San Juan Islands. Above the broad
window was a 24" TV monitor, showing image of Paul at the piano. Below,
the photo has been adjusted to show details of the studio monitors (custom
designed by George Augspurgher from LA) and video screen, both tilted perfectly.
The whole setup was Impeccable! Observing at the back of the room is pianist
Mary Meyer, who rehearsed the pieces with Susan. The slots behind her store
24 guitars. Cool, eh?
Where's Susan? Didn't
get any pictures of her recording, but she sang her part in the "isolation"
alcove to the right of this...
... lap pool. She had a
nice view, also, wouldn't you say? Although she couldn't see Paul, she
heard him over her headphones. She said they have worked together so often,
they can almost breathe as one. From hearing their recording session, I'd
agree. Oboeist Nancy Rumbel,
Native American flutist Gary Stroutsos,
flautist Ann Lindquist, and cellist Ritambhara Tyson are guest artists.
Still
Life will be released on Pony Canyon Records in Japan and on Susan's
Golden
Throat Records here in the states, mid-June, 2001.