Lola Perrin
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Lola Perrin

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"Lola Perrin Fragile Light"



Lola Perrin's second album expands on the success of her debut, Perpetual Motion (Blue Planet, 2004), incorporating its Perpetual Motion Piano Suite III, plus two other suites. That use of "suites" may suggest that Perrin's music has affinities with classical piano music, and indeed she has drawn comparisons with Schubert, Debussy and Ravel, comparisons which she gladly accepts, although I find Perpetual Motion most reminiscent of Erik Satie. But that is not the whole story; there are also close affinities with the minimalism of Michael Nyman or Steve Reich, Brian Eno's ambient music, or chamber jazz players such as Keith Jarrett.

However, most of all, Perrin‚s music is her own and she avoids any of the above labels by calling it "rave music for butterflies" which effectively conjures up its mood of tranquillity, combined with its affecting melodies and rhythms. It is music that tends to command attention. Recently when she played the last night of the London Jazz Festival to a crowded venue (Spitz, with a bar at the back, not noted for its silent, attentive audiences) she held the crowd spellbound and mesmerised.

In concert, Perrin's playing is often accompanied by short films by the likes of Thomas Gray or Roberto Battista, and the sleeve of this CD carries still images from some of them. However, the music is not reliant on the visuals, and it's quite strong enough to stand alone. Perrin's compositions are often inspired by visual art; she was stimulated to write her Early One Sunday Morning Piano Suite by Edward Hopper's 1930 painting Early Sunday Morning of low sunlight on a row of shopfronts; the suite replicates the painting's mood of expectation, maybe even foreboding.

The longest track here, one of two that are not parts of a suite, is "Barcelona: For Six Pianos". It is ambitious in its conception, and the multitracked piano parts combine effectively to yield a piece that will definitely appeal to lovers of minimalism. - www.allaboutjazz.com


"Lola Perrin Minimal is More"

"Quiet is the new loud": one could also apply this to Lola Perrin. Although she just doesn't create a doe-eyed - gentle guitar pop, like the representatives of the above mentioned movement. Lola Perrin plays the piano alone, and mostly her own compositions. Her playing is gentle and emits such
an inner peace that one forgets about the daily oversaturation with stimuli.
People accustomed to the current trends in listening might need a little time to adjust. Maybe that is why her agent Frank Heinecke tries to warn us: "This is no uncomplicated music. One cannot listen to Lola Perrin in the background, while one is washing dishes, for instance." Described as such, the creations of the artist who was born in New York but has been living in London for some time, now sound terribly demanding. Although, as an aside, demanding music does not have to be bad. But here everything is relaxed - not in the sense of gently blubbering New Age Sounds or slowed down
Trip-Hop-beats. No, the references here are to Jazz. Eric Serva, a critic with Radio France, pulled out the really big names for comparison in regard to her debut "Perpetual Motion": Lola Perrin makes one think of Keith Jarrett in his best days, she is to be regarded as a female Steve Reich.
Let's hope that the American will not also degenerate into an accompaniment to looking for meaning with incense and vanilla tee, the way it happened, beautifully described by Wiglaf Droste, to Keith Jarrett at times.
Lola Perrin herself does not necessarily identify herself with Jazz. She has invented the fantastical term "Rave Music for Butterflies", and since of course not everyone immediately understands that, her works could also be called Minimal Music, Frank Heinecke says. A fitting analogy. For Lola Perrin achieves the gentleness of her playing by the very fact that she holds herself back, doesn't want too much. She uses melodies consisting of few notes and repeats them, with almost unnoticeable variations.
During her performances video projections are shown in the background, created by artists from her British elective home. In Leipzig, where she will present her second album "Fragile Light", there will be films by Thomas Gray, as well as Nazarin Montag and Roberto Battista. Gray as well as Battista have been in business for over a decade, so they well know how music can be illustrated with images. Whether this is necessary is another question. As a matter of fact, Lola Perrin is convincing even without visual
support. - Kreuzer


"Lola Perrin"

Lola Perrin and her Rave Music for Butterflies
Lola Perrin, the American pianist living in London, is a rather unusual character.
She composes piano pieces that are reductions to the bare essentials; they are defined by both concentration and by the utmost of care. She organises her stage career in a similarly minimalist way. Her concert in Berlin is just the tenth in her career.

Nevertheless she is enjoying something of a cult status in London. This is mirrored in the rather complementary reviews that place her in the ancestral line of Satie, Reich, Glass and Jarrett.

The 'Perpetual Motion' (Blue Planet Records – that originally only has been recorded for demo) has established itself in the Berlin jazz club, Kunstfabrik Schlot, as the one fixed piece of music that is played once the gigs are over.

Naturally, the centrepiece of her live concert in Berlin is the seven pieces that form 'Perpetual Motion'.

As the title indicates, 'Perpetual Motion' is about natural circulating movements, the turning of never-ending events. One example of this is when the pianist simultaneously allows a simple semitone interval to be surrounded by resistance and also resolved into playful harmonies.

Her playing really goes with the impressive projections by the video artist Thomas Gray that actually only consist of filmed water. In an equally down to earth way, Perrin's work draws on the imagination of the listener; she just calls it 'Rave Music for Butterflies'. - Berliner Morgenpost


"Lola Perrin Live"

…an audience that clearly knew where she was coming from paid respectful attention to her opening 45 minutes of minimalist, meditative solo piano music: quiet explorations of slowly unfolding harmonic movement that eschewed orthodox jazz improvising but none the less reflected the ambient aspects of Keith Jarrett's solo music, as well as the repeating-pattern forms of composers such as Steve Reich.
A rolling Jarrett-like feel characterised an adaptation of Scarborough Fair, and Lola's seven-part Perpetual Motion suite mingled simple melodic motifs, harp-like gushes of notes and subtle colour changes as textures and harmonies shifted around looping repeated themes. It was hauntingly compelling.
- The Guardian


Discography

Fragile Light

Photos

Bio

Lola Perrin is your source for beautiful and original piano music which connects the listener with their imagination. If you are looking for an acoustic piano act that is straightforward to stage then look no further.

Lola has played at London Jazz Festival, Motives Jazz Festival (Belgium), Women in Jazz (Germany), First International Conference of Minimalism in Music (Wales) and to concert halls and clubs in Europe.

Please visit www.lolaperrin.com for audio, video and reviews.

Lola Perrin has a credit on a Brian Eno release.