San Francisco, CA (Top40 Charts/ PR That Rocks) Composers
Lynda Arnold and
Daniel Berkman have released their debut CD, "Hammer Inventions. " The 18 original instrumental compositions consist of acoustic piano orchestrations with electronic layered sampling, the latter of which were created entirely from sounds and noises generated from a wide variety of acoustic pianos, including several Yamaha pianos, which the duo endorses. The skilled multi-instrumentalist duo, who are also seasoned electronic music production artists, deliver a series of varied, eclectic and captivating acoustic piano moments, replete with enchanting and engaging layered textures, that are all at once delicate and ethereal to grandiose. A fresh take on the instrument, "Hammer Inventions" defies the boundaries of the piano and fans of
George Winston, Philip Glass, Steve Reich and
Autechre are sure to find the tracks appealing and entrancing.
Arnold and Berkman will tour "Hammer Inventions" throughout Northern California in the Winter 2011/12 and
Spring 2012, appearing at regional performing arts centers and leading Yamaha piano retailers.
"Hammer Inventions" was born out of a spontaneous piano 'four-hand' improvisation session and quickly evolved into the far more ambitious production that it has become. After a dozen piano writing sessions, Arnold and Berkman recorded the compositions while concocting, creating and incorporating unique sounds and effects for the additional layered effects. Layered piano sounds, samples and effects include 'prepared piano' (John Cage homage), plucked, bowed, toy, backwards, and detuned piano, as well as more effected and sampled sound expressions. Other sound experimentations include screws and bolts between and on the strings of Lynda's prized 1984 Yamaha G2 5/8th Grand Piano to create drum sounds, plucking and bowing strings. A piano sample library by Sonic Couture adds more sustained, and string-like sounds, adding to and accentuating to the vast array of layers on the already intricate musical arrangements.
Acoustic piano recordings took place at Broken
Radio Studios, San Francisco, on
George Winston's Yamaha C7 piano with engineer Matt Boudreau assisting, as well as in
Lynda Arnold's home studio.
Lynda Arnold is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (voice, flute, piano, and guitar), and electronic musician/sound artist who has been producing, performing, and developing her own sound for over 10 years as 'Divasonic;' an ethereal, song driven electronic music project with multiple album and single releases on six different international record labels.
Lynda is also a seasoned music and audio production educator at the leading independent professional music production school west of the Mississippi, Pyramind Training.
Daniel Berkman is a San Francisco-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, electronic musician, looper, producer, film and dance score composer and innovator of electro-acoustic music, specializing in the Gravikord and Kora (a 21-stringed West African harp), on which he has produced three acclaimed musical releases; Heartstrings'(1996), 'Feverdreams'(1998) and 'Calabashmoon'(2005).
Daniel is the son of John Berkman, a renowned Broadway pianist of over 60 years, who wrote incidental dance music for such Broadway hits as Follies, Sugar, Minnies Boys, and worked along side Stephen Sondheim.
