Nancy Zeltsman

Album Notes by Nancy | Transcript of spoken words ("Preludes")

My first (mostly-) solo album in 18 years welled up in me as a bit of a surprise – and a reflection of where I am in my life. I love the craft and intimacy of these pieces, and they provide wonderful opportunities to showcase the deep voice of the marimba. The last couple years, I’ve felt especially keenly aware of the gratitude I feel to the extraordinary beings who shaped, inspired, and taught me. More than ever, I feel the weighty responsibility to carry forward their values and teachings. In particular, my musical world would not be the same if I hadn’t known the expansive musical curiosity of Ian Finkel and of Gunther Schuller. This album, in part, celebrates my heritage by including their voices and others’. Conceiving and realizing it was absorbing work – and, lo and behold, it has given me a second wind.

Program – and recommended listening sequence

1 | Avishai Cohen: Structure in Emotion | Transcr. & Arr. Rachel Xi Zhang | 5:11

2 | Olivier Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi (excerpts) | Arr. Nancy Zeltsman  | 6:28
          II. Paysage (Landscape) 
          III. La Maison (The House)
          VI. Ta Voix (Your Voice) 
                    Michael Norsworthy, clarinet 

3 | Moto Fukushima: Forming the Emptiness | Transcr. Joey Flynn |  3:31

4 | Horace Silver: Peace (as recorded by Tommy Flanagan) | Arr. Nancy Zeltsman | 3:52

5 | ­Howard Skempton: Preludes from Images | In Memoriam - ten loved ones | 18:28
     Sounds and voices montage by Nancy Zeltsman | Prelude 7, 6, 3, 2, 4, 5, 8, 1
Prelude 7 - Vic Firth on guiding principles for success
Prelude 6 - Donald Marrs on being an exacting teacher; Marcus Zeltsman on playing baritone horn
Prelude 3 - Marcus Zeltsman, baritone horn 
Prelude 2 - Joseph & Martha Zeltsman - my parents; my father on his approach to photography
Prelude 4 - Martha Zeltsman, Lyle Mays, Ian Finkel, Gunther Schuller - answering machine messages
Prelude 5 - Mochi - ailments of aging (reported by Steve Mackey)
Prelude 8 - Gunther Schuller on inner hearing & Louis Andriessen on his dreams
Prelude 1

Total playing time: 37:30 | ©℗ 2023 Nancy Zeltsman. 
All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.