CARR TALK

It made me very sad to see the review of Richard Carr’s excellent CD. I have been selling many forms of contemporary instrumental music in my business for 12 years and listening to many forms of music for years way beyond that. Since this is my business I can tell you that Dean Shapiro’s review of When Soul & Heart Collide could not be more dead wrong. We are blessed to have a pianist in New Orleans of Richard Carr’s talent. If Dean does not understand the concept of New Age piano, he should let others do the reviews on it. Richard has grown with each release and now has qualities that many pianist will never capture and in fact When Soul & Heart Collide has songs that I feel will be classics for many years to come. We are blessed to have a pianist in New Orleans that rivals George Winston, Michael Jones, David Lanz and John Boswell. But then again maybe Dean does not know or understand the fabulous works of these artists either. In short I can’t stand when people who do not understand the music tear it down. Artists work too hard to create and deserve better.

–Erik de Jonge, Bep’s Antiques & Music, New Orleans, LA

I am writing in reply to Dean Shapiro’s review of Richard Carr’s When Soul and Heart Collide. I have been trying very hard to understand Mr. Shapiro’s "P.O.V" of Mr. Carr’s music, but I feel that he has completely missed the point!

Amidst the technical references and comparisons to Handel, Mr. Shapiro failed to acknowledge (or maybe doesn’t realize) the feature that I find most fascinating and unique: Nearly every track on this CD, as on all of Richard Carr’s releases, is a first time improvisation; nothing is ever written or composed prior to a recording session, and nothing is ever altered after it is recorded. The remaining tracks are improvisational to start, but are recreated and fine-tuned in that same style until the perfect sound is found. I find the fact that he is able to compose "on the fly" to be a very special quality which adds another scope to the music; when combined with the profound passion heard in each piece, and the strong left hand involvement, (which is quickly becoming Carr’s trademark) it becomes a multi-faceted jewel.

"There’s an agonizing sameness to most of these tracks that make them virtually indistinguishable from one another." I do not understand this statement at all, unless Mr. Shapiro had one track set on "repeat" "Familiar Stranger" in no way resembles the title track or "Tender Love," nor does "Headlong Into the Wind" even vaguely simulate "Chasing the Dream" or "Into the Sunset." Each piece has its own personality and set of emotions.

"Perhaps the greatest flaw here is Carr’s one-dimensional P.O.V. As we all know, life isn’t all sweetness and light and the best music of our Western culture reflects that." As does Richard Carr’s music; Mr. Shapiro must have noted that the recording itself is dedicated to Carr’s piano teacher/mentor/friend who recently passed away, and that "In Memoriam" was composed in his memory. "Touch of Life" was composed for a friend who is struggling with illness and unable to do the things she used to. No, life is not "all sweetness and light," but it is obvious that Carr wishes to lend a positive energy to even the most unbearable of situations.

In addition, Mr. Shapiro appears to be working too hard when he is listening to the CD. The liner notes are Mr. Carr’s interpretation of the music; Mr. Shapiro is trying to follow the notes word for word and see the music as the artist does. (A "purely constructive" suggestion Mr. Shapiro: Put the liner notes away, free your mind, listen, enjoy, color outside the lines! Relax and let the music form images in your mind which are personal to you. There are no rules: that, Mr. Shapiro, is the main point that you missed.)

–Faye Abbott, New Orleans, LA