Chrysanthemum by Daniel Crommie
Originally issued on cassette in 1993, Chrysanthemum is released for the first time digitally, with one bonus track. Comes with complete track info, reviews, photos and cover art in PDF form.
"Between his eclectic electro-folk band Group Du Jour, his duo with keyboardist Jamie Haggerty and his solo projects, Crommie must rank as one of Portland’s most prolific artists. It sometimes seems that he puts out more work than he should, stranding occasional gems on albums with too many failed exercises. But this shimmering collection of instrumental pieces is a potent faith-restorer for the flagging fan.
Crommie plays a variety of synthesizers, flutes, drum machines, etc., layering them into lush tone poems and sketches or idealised aural scenery, like Cocteau poems or Maxfield Parrish paintings translated into music. His stylistic debt to Bill Nelson’s art-pop experiments, Ian Anderson’s hard-breathing flute technique and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s highly textural soundtrack work are as admirable as they are obvious; they are the right tools for Crommie’s own fertile muse.
Perhaps a line from the cassette’s accompanying poem sums up “Chrysanthemum” best: “A serviceable burst of grace.”
Marty Hughley / The Oregonian / 1993
Tracklist
| 1. | Tidepool of the Sky | 3:39 |
| 2. | Nightshade | 2:53 |
| 3. | Worldpool | 4:19 |
| 4. | Skyline Sketches | 3:35 |
| 5. | Years Away | 2:55 |
| 6. | Bete Noire | 1:31 |
| 7. | Cowardly Old Moon | 3:49 |
| 8. | The Dark Place I Dwell | 8:26 |
| 9. | Aulos and Eros | 3:32 |
| 10. | The Cactus Dreams Big | 1:03 |
| 11. | Unfamiliar Flowers | 5:22 |
| 12. | Trouvere Melody | 3:55 |
| 13. | Centaury | 2:46 |
| 14. | Finale | 0:21 |
| 15. | North for the Winter | 9:15 |
Credits
Daniel Crommie: synthesizers, drum & percussion programming, flute, sopranino, soprano & tenor recorders, bowed psaltery, electric dulcimer, double pipes, wood flutes, clay flutes, sundry percussion, Casio SK-1 sampler and ten buck guitar.
With:
Michael Maldonado: soprano sax on “Tidepool of the Sky”.
Jamie Haggerty: KORG M1 synthesizer on “Worldpool” and peasant heads & shackles on “Trouvere Melody”.
Bruce Gelman: additional synth on “North for the Winter”.
All tracks composed by Daniel Crommie except “North for the Winter” which was co-written with Bruce Gelman.
Recorded at The Living Room in September & October 1991.
Produced, engineered & mixed by Daniel Crommie.
Mastered at Cyberage by David Fulton.
Special thanks to Janie Mitchell for her florid poem.
Cover art: Janie Mitchell Design: Daniel Crommie.
Copyright 1993 / 2013 New Weave | newweave@gmail.com
License
All rights reserved.
Daniel Crommie is a progressive directed songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (mandolins, dulcimer, balalaika, recorders, flutes, synthesizers, etc.) and producer (Janie Mitchell, Kaitlyn ni Donovan, Lew Jones, Karen Searcy) who has released over three dozen solo albums, numerous albums with Group Du Jour, Echo System, Saturnalia Trio & DC Sound Collective over the last 35 years on New Weave.