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The Sounding Board by R J Lannan |
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RJ Lannan is the reviewer for The Sounding Board. |
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| The Weight of Time |
| By Timothy Davey |
| Label: Lying Down Music |
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| The Weight of Time tracks |
1. The Weight of Time 
2. Only the Lover Sings
3. Windmill Interlude #1
4. Over the Back Fence
5. Dreams of Rain
6. Windmill Interlude #2
7. Cranky Britches
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8. Achilles Blues
9. Windmill Interlude #3
10. I Have a Notion
11. Not So Long Ago (When Things Were Better)
12. Rhythmicus
13. Windmill Interlude #4
14. Idyll
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Period of Buoyancy |
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For some, the weight of time is ponderous, heavy and restraining. It rules the day, the night and the life. It forces us to be creatures of habit and slaves of repetitious function. For others such as pianist Timothy Davey it is light, flowing and almost frail, but always tangible, like the familiar sound of a ticking pocket watch that is clear, dependable, and constant. Timothy uses time as a guide, a place keeper and a stalwart friend. His new solo piano album The Weight of Time is completely different from his first album Scenes From the Neighbourhood which had a contemporary feel. This new album is full of long, thought out progressions, pensive moments and lots of mood altering music. There seems to be an overwhelming sense of urgency in the music represented by some serious jazz impressions. But we like different, don't we? Timothy further entertains us with his copious observations in the liner notes of the album. Quotes, poetry, photographs and soliloquizing prose give us insight into the heart and mind of the musician. Because it is there is not a simple explanation as to why we climb the mountain. Climb the mountain he did and this is a bountiful chronicle of the journey by a dedicated artist.
Over the Back Fence is a childhood memory for Timothy set to music. It is the trepidation of a young boy who sits on the top of a ladder and wonders what the real world is all about and what it holds for him. We all have our picket fences, back porches, bedroom windows, and backseat car windows as vantage points for such thoughts. It is the stuff that imaginations use to power our dreams.
Cranky Britches is a Vince Guaraldi tribute if perhaps only in melody. Try to remember that enthusiastic music you have heard in every Charlie Brown Special. It is the soundtrack to every Monday morning you ever regretted, every Friday night you did not and all the times in between when you wanted to scream at the world. Timothy captures the frustration and exasperation like some mad uncle on the piano. This is a song for the excitement of it and you cannot help but smile and dance along if only in your heart as you live the experience.
There are four Windmill Interludes scattered about the album like minute-long intermissions on the journey of life. Like the windmills that Timothy spied on his land travels they stand tall and ever vigilant waiting to takes the slightest breeze and turn it into mechanical energy - something real and productive. On the album they are places where we can mentally rest and catch our collective breaths until the next burst of musical energy. After the first one, I looked forward to the discovery of each new one.
Not So Long Ago (When Things Were Better) reminded me of an old time hymn. Perhaps thing were better when they were simpler. An acoustic piano never blows out a pre-amplifier. The music suggests that things are getting better. We can sit back and observe that candle light is far superior to LEDs and starlight trumps all. Smiles mean a lot more when they are face to face instead of on the web cam. And words unspoken can mean more to the human heart than any electronically generated greeting card.
From exuberant childhood to inert adulthood, we look forward to a time when we find balance and peace of mind. In the tune Idyll we find that sense of balance, that feeling of accomplishment where we look back and smile and admit that we made the good fight and somehow managed to come out on top even if only for a moment or a speck of time.
The Weight of Time is as much a musical narrative of Timothy's life as it is of our own. It is the bell shaped curve of our lives, the hills that we have climbed and the shaking of the fists when we reached the top. It is also the downhill journey that we take as we reflect on the paths we have chosen, the lovers and friends we have met along the way and the perhaps more importantly, what is next. What will time allow? For the ending of this review I offer my own favorite quote about time.
"The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness; and knows that yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream."
Kahil Gibran
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Rating: Very Good  |
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- reviewed by RJ Lannan on 12/27/2008 |
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