transformation

Transformation

This recording is a transformation of the events of September 11, 2001 in New York City; of the pain and loss inflicted on all of us, and the heroism we otherwise would not have known.

Many lost their friends and familiy. They are left with the grave task of facing life with even greater tenacity. Pain invariably brings out depth and value in life. All who perished will be a sign and a lesson, teaching us deeper love for life and a higher respect for everything and everyone we touch.

Our potential for compassion will forever be exemplified by all those running in and rescuing so many: The fireman, the police officers, the medics, Port Authority officers and countless others we will never know who lay buried in the aftermath.

As much as it signaled a new level of destruction with repercussions felt around the world, it will be a sign for peace: The necessity for the utmost respect for each and every human being. Only understanding can be stronger than hate. Only love of life can be stronger than the wish for destruction.

I will never forget the complete devastation I witnessed and the sight of Ground Zero itself. With no preconceived song, melody or form, only the desire to transform what I had seen and felt, I went into the studio. This is the way it went song for song.

Brooklyn, NY October 2, 2001

Recorded September 26th and October 1st 2001 at Gigantic Studios, downtown Manhattan

Mixed and mastered March and August 2003 by Peter Karl at Peter Karl Studios, Brooklyn

You may purchase and listen to it through CDBaby and www.jpc.de

1.The Beginning
2.Interlude (altered piano)
3.Hand in Hand - for the couple which jumped hand in hand out of the inferno into death
4.Where to did they leave us?
5.Maybe there’s hope
6.Nobody knows the trouble I have seen
7.Baroque interlude (altered piano)
8.Steel song
9.Hope - Dispair
10.Day 3
11.Interlude II (altered piano)
12.Inferno I&II
13.The next day
14.Structural damage
15.I want them back
16.I call for thee (altered piano)
17.Hand in Hand - prologue

No’s 2, 7, 11, 16, are enhanced by putting pieces of metal and wood in the piano.

The piano is a 7'4" Bösendorfer. All songs are original except 6 which is based on a spiritual "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've seen".

The beginning was indeed the first track recorded. It was the sound check yet set the tone for the recording.

Interlude I & II, Baroque Interlude and I call for Thee were recorded with an altered piano. This came about in the second session. Originally I saw Jack, the engineer playing guitar with a bottleneck and tried it as well on the piano. I loved the broken quality yet wanted to be able to use both hands. This led to placing some microphones, claves etc. in the piano close to the dampers so that I could control the sound quality with damper pedal. It created the broken timbre, reminiscent of the fallen steel.

Hand in Hand was written for the couple which jumped out of the building hand in hand into the inferno. I looped a muted bass note and improvised on top. I wanted to express triumph of love over life.

Where to did they leave us? was the question I asked myself in light of the death of so many at once. Is there an in between place? Where their souls floating about aimlessly? Was is a long procession of souls upward as suggested by the memorial with the two light beams six months later?

Maybe there's hope... what everybody thought until the 3rd day.

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, one of my favourite spirituals. Suggested to rerecord by Karen.

Steel Song... the broken beams song.

Hope - Dispair... just that.

Day 3 - the turning point. Most lost hope.

Inferno I & II . No I is the crashing down. No II the dust as it settles.

The next day, when the general feeling was we will pull through and find many.

Structural damage again the beams are speaking.

I want them back & I call for thee the same idea - two sides of sound.

Hand in Hand prologue I still believe that this day, this event will be seen by later generations as a source of hope.