Red Chard by Rich O'Meara
This album offers a trip down most of the musical paths I like to follow. The marimba is my home base for creativity and I love the sound of many marimbas playing together. Meanwhile, music for film and theater present an irresistible challenge for me. Drumming, playing found objects, ambient and electronic music; it's all here.
One important facet of my music is free improvisation. There are three pieces that fall into that realm - Red Chard part 1 (solo marimba), Red Chard, part 2 (percussion), and Unnerve US (drumming with keyboards). The latter two also feature one of my favorite improv partners, Kevin O'Meara. For RC part 2, we edited four different improvisations and layered them to create the piece.
This was also an opportunity to call upon some other important musical friends to add their amazing talents. Tsubaki Dance is a commissioned piece, written for Kana Omori and Wes Crawford, for their duo project. Due to COVID-19, they were not able to perform it live together this year. I couldn't be happier that they allowed me to feature their premiere recording here.
The last piece on the album, Edgar's Dirge, needed to rock out a little more. So, who better to call upon than Mike Cullens, Bob Dellureficio, and Dave Newhouse. These three really took the piece to another level.
OK, Red Chard, what is that about? It's my favorite green vegetable. The leaves are beautiful. It sounds like my full first name, Richard. It's very nutritious and tastes great, especially with lots of garlic.
Click on the info button for each track for more info.
Tracklist
| 1. | Rainbow Bridge | 3:45 |
| 2. | Tsubaki Dance | 8:55 |
| 3. | Seven | 1:53 |
| 4. | Ghlash | 5:48 |
| 5. | Clock is Ticking | 2:34 |
| 6. | Island Spinning | 6:11 |
| 7. | Impromptu | 9:57 |
| 8. | Unnerve Us | 3:50 |
| 9. | Red Chard, part 1 | 1:13 |
| 10. | Red Chard, part 2 | 2:49 |
| 11. | Edgar's Dirge | 5:00 |
Credits
Artists:
Wes Crawford - drums (2)
Mike Cullens - drums (11)
Bob Dellureficio - electric guitar (11)
Dave Newhouse - alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, bass clarinet (11)
Kevin O’Meara - drums (4,8,10), bowls (3), percussion (3,10)
Rich O’Meara - marimba (5,6,7,9,11), vibraphone (3,6,8,11), keyboards (1,3,4,5,8,11), percussion (1,3,4,5,10,11), doumbek (1), virtual marimba and vibraphone (1)
Kana Omori - marimba (2)
Recording and mixing:
Rich O'Meara - Greenwood House, Bethel CT & Made in Marimba Studio, Silver Spring MD
Craig Bowen - Tempo House, Baltimore MD
Steve Steckler - Asparagus Media Studios, Silver Spring MD
Hiroshi Chu Okubo and Nakagawa Yoshiko - HCO Music, Tamagaku Studio, Japan
Additional mixing and mastering by Ian Beabout - ShedSounds Studio, Wheeling WV
Front and back cover photographs by John O’Meara. Inside cover photograph by Rick Bowser. Cover design by Rich O’Meara.
All tracks copyright 2020 Rich O'Meara (ASCAP) and Made in Marimba Music (ASCAP), except (6) and (7) copyright 2006 and 2011 Keyboard Percussion Publications.
License
All rights reserved.Tags
Rich O’Meara is most known for his compositions for marimba, which are performed throughout the world. His work has been featured in live theater, on the NPR program “New Sounds”, and the PBS documentary “Music Instinct, Science and Song". He has performed with Silent Orchestra, Colla Parte, Sandbox Percussion, Trio O, One Earth Percussion Theatre, Dan Deacon, and CMF.