Time Dances Past By Lynn Tredeau

 

Time Dances Past

By

Lynn Tredeau

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have very fond memories of the music of Lynn Tredeau, it became quite a highlight around 2015 with the release of Echoes of Life, and her increasing success as the years rolled on has been impressive, here on this new album Lynn explores the narrative that once you reach a certain age, the thoughts about your life, how you have lived, and will live, becomes forever more important, than when you were an immortal youngster; in my view this explorative new album addresses those thoughts and creates a musical panacea to ease the concerns, and highlights the tranquillity that can be found within the tone and timbre of a truly good solo piano release, in this case called Time Dances Past.

The opening piece is remarkably reflective and called Her Hands, the soft pastiche of tone here is thoughtful yet progressive, and it has a sense of calm within the arrangement that manifests a soothing refrain to both enjoy and float with.

The following narrative goes in deeper in Special Wish, this is wonderfully poignant in its musical prose, the usage of the minor nature and chords here is very heart felt and deeply moving, one can also feel the dance here as well, that ever oncoming darkness of time going, juxtaposed to the energy of youthful vibrancy once experienced, in what is a true masterpiece of a composition.

The moments of rich recollections are incredibly strong in this next beautiful song called Small Town Summer, a composition dedicated to those long hot summer days of youthful perfection that you would never believe would end. Here Tredeau presents a memory palace of a composition that is both idyllic and sun kissed, and something that will never fade from the happy places within the mind; the keys are caressed here with a delicacy of happiness and joy, and the major structures create a true looking glass moment of a piece.

Thread the Needle has a more melancholy energy to its creation, the title too could have many meanings, and perhaps that’s just part of the purpose of music, each person will connect with a creation for their own reasons, Tredeau’s style manifests for me an old room covered with dust sheets and reminiscences.

To add flavours and dynamics is the skill of a true artist, for me here the composer creates a redolent memory of a piece, and in doing so touches the hem of a similar style to that of the late but great Erik Satie on her track Daisies in Her Hair, whilst on Falling Softly Tredeau manifests a more palpable remembrance in an almost snowfall of a composition, one covered with a blanket of warm yet reflective notes.

Time Dances Past is a 13 track release that is indeed the perfect autumn or fall release, it’s one of those albums to have on by the fire, as you watch the leaves drift to the earth below, on offerings like Socks on Shoes you can get that mood perfectly in a piece that could be a simple tribute to a moment that maybe personal to a single persons memory box.

There are many stunning pieces on this album, but one that caught my heart and mind was the flowing grace of the following musical narrative entitled Capture the Breeze, this one reminded me of being on the coastal regions of my past life, and watching the yachts dance upon the blue ocean that surrounded them, it manifested a sense of glee in me, and this embraces the sheer joy I feel when I listen to this extremely naturally artistic offering.

The power and the ability to change its mind emphasises the very nature of the creature we are gifted music about in this next composition called Wild Horses, there is a simplistic feeling here of the open fields and meadows that Tredeau manifests so well, and in doing so she brings a warm hug of appreciation in this sensitive manifestation.

Like the aforementioned piece Daisies in Her Hair, a song that had the honour of becoming a single release, this next composition holds that same happy prize too as we listen to When I Dream, that delightful soft and slow progression is here, it’s like Tredeau is the story teller, with her audience sitting spellbound around a winter fire, whilst on One Last Time, which is our penultimate offering we have a much more sombre offering, if ever a track created an expression of the title of this album, then it would be this one that I would point to, it’s like watching something or someone you loved slowly disappear into the mist of time never to be seen again, but you still want more, this has to be the most imploring track off the album with ease.

I have always said that Lynn Tredeau is an artist who paints with her piano; this concluding track will prove that with ease, we can hear and see the darker tones of Turn the Page, but we can still see shards of hope glistening in the last sunlight of the day. Here the artist sums up her entire project with one of the most creative and intelligent arrangements from the release.

Time Dances Past by Lynn Tredeau is a journey, a musical voyage of thought memory, reflection, and life in general; it’s a musical anthem that applauds times relentless onward dance without a care, but offers up solace in the medium of a full life lived and appreciated. This for me has to be Lynn’s best work thus far, and those that know me well, know I never use that cliché unless I truly mean it. Time Dances Past by Lynn Tredeau is a truism of a release, but it is also one of the most beautiful collections of her work so far, and one that I think should be much loved by the solo piano community worldwide.