Kathryn Kaye - Patterns of Sun and Shade (2015)

Kathryn Kaye is a composer and pianist whose music transcends genres and categories. Classically trained as a soprano, pianist, and organist in the U.S. and Germany, her evocative and haunting melodies are at the same time simple and profound, emotional and yet restrained. Among her sources of inspiration are classical music, jazz, New Age, and the hymns and folksongs of the Appalachian Mountains of southeast Kentucky, where she grew up.

Kathryn continues to work with Will Ackerman at his Imaginary Road Studios. Her first two albums, Dreaming Still and Heavy as a Feather, were critically acclaimed, and both were nominated for Best Instrumental Album-Piano by Zone Music Reporter (ZMR). The third album,What the Winter Said, won Best Holiday Album of 2013 from ZMR, and went a long way toward securing her place in the top tier of contemporary composer/musicians.

Kathryn's latest album, Patterns of Sun and Shade, was released January 1, 2015, and finished the month of January in the number 1 spot on the Zone Music Reporter (ZMR) Top 100 Chart. Produced by Will Ackerman and Tom Eaton along with Kathryn, it features accompaniment by Will and Tom, as well as Tony Levin, Eugene Friesen, Jeff Haynes, Jill Haley, Gus Sebring, and Charlie Bisharat. Several are Grammy winners and all are world-class musicians who have played with the likes of The Paul Winter Consort, Peter Gabriel, The Pat Metheney Group, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yanni, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Shadowfax, Faith Hill, Sheryl Crow, and the Rolling Stones, among many others.

The reviews have been great. Michael Diamond of Music and Media Focus wrote that, "Kathryn's style is her own, and above all else, articulates the language of her heart. Sometimes the softest, simplest melody speaks volumes emotionally and resonates with the listener in the most profound and personal of ways. The sensitivity heard in Kathryn's playing is not something that can be taught, but comes from deep within."

Tracklist:

01. Julia's Eyes
02. Elk Creek in the Fall (feat. Gus Sebring, Jeff Haynes, Tony Levin, Tom Eaton & Eugene Friesen)
03. The Hills That Lead Me Home (feat. Jill Haley, Gus Sebring & Tony Levin)
04. Something Like a Dream
05. Festival of Leaves (feat. Tony Levin, Gus Sebring, Jill Haley & Jeff Haynes)
06. Willow Waltz (feat. Will Ackerman, Tony Levin & Jill Haley)
07. Adrift in Fading Light (feat. Charlie Bisharat, Tony Levin & Jeff Haynes)
08. Mom and Pop's Waltz
09. Tiny Sliver of a Moon (feat. Charlie Bisharat & Tom Eaton)
10. Patterns of Sun and Shade (feat. Gus Sebring, Tom Eaton & Jill Haley)
11. Distances