ALBUM REVIEW BY MUSIC & MEDIA FOCUS

Album: Signature – Synchronicity

Artist: Fiona Joy

Website: http://fionajoy.com/

The new release by Australian pianist/composer Fiona Joy represents one of the more interesting and unique

projects I’ve encountered recently in my 35 years as a new age music journalist. Just about one year ago, I wrote a

feature article about her previous release, Signature – Solo, which out of the 11 albums she has recorded was her

first solo piano CD. With this new release, Signature – Synchronicity, Fiona reprises these same piano compositions,

but adds accompaniment by a host of world-class musicians, recorded at GRAMMY winning producer and

Windham Hill Records founder Will Ackerman’s iconic Imaginary Road Studios. Some tracks were also recorded at

Crash Symphony Productions in Sydney.

Having written feature articles about a number of Fiona’s previous albums, including Signature Solo,600 Years In A

Moment, Sensual Journeys, Christmas Joy, Blue Dream, and a concert review of a performance by Fiona and

Trysette, I have watched her career blossom into becoming the internationally-recognized artist she is now. As Will

Ackerman noted: “One of the brightest lights in the contemporary instrumental genre, Fiona Joy is poised to move

into stardom and we only have to watch to see it happen.”

At this time, Fiona is simultaneously preparing for another grand tour of China, a new recording session in the

U.S., and a feature concert with her Blue Dream Ensemble at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre (Sydney)

— an extension of the Sydney Women’s International Jazz Festival – scheduled for August 2016. On her last tour of

China, fans have nicknamed her “The Piano Angel,” not just for her romantic melodic songs and lush

arrangements, but also for her gracious and mesmerizingly ballet-like performance style in concert. Fiona’s music

has earned her numerous awards, nominations, and number one spots on the charts for radio airplay. She also

contributed to the Winds of Samsara album by Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman which won a GRAMMY in the new

age category.

Among the things I enjoy sharing in my feature articles are a bit of the back-story behind an album and its tracks,

as well as a glimpse into the artist’s creative process. In my interview with Fiona, she was gracious enough to share

a number of facts and details about this. Here she gives some background with regard to the name of the two

albums in this series: “I named it ‘Signature’ in honor of my left hand which has osteo-necrosis (bone death) and

has been remarkably resilient to date given the doctors prognosis. I have left the medical fraternity shaking their

heads in disbelief that my hand has held up this long. I wanted to say thanks to the very thing that decides on the

longevity of my career… my left hand.”

Fiona also shared a bit about her creative process: “I write all my music to stand alone as solo piano pieces. Only

on rare occasions do I write with other instruments in mind during the formulation process, and yet I consider

myself a multi-faceted composer, because as soon as I have the bones of the song constructed I can ‘hear’ other

parts. Because of this, I have always had a fascination with presenting the songs totally solo (which I did

in Signature Solo) and then re-recording in a studio environment adding the many layers of instruments and vocals

that make up how I ‘hear’ the songs after their initial conception. That’s how the two Signature albums came

about – one solo, live, single take, and the other a fully produced and orchestrated and edited version.”

She goes on to say: “The other interesting fact is that Signature Solo and Signature Synchronicity are both recorded

by ex-Windham Hill producers. Signature Solo was produced by Cookie Marenco at the OTR Studios of Blue Coast

Records near San Francisco, and Signature Synchronicity was produced by the Founder of Windham Hill Records

– Will Ackerman (with Tom Eaton & James Englund).” I was honored to be invited to one of Fiona’s solo recording

sessions with Cookie Marenco and had the opportunity to hear the music over their state of the art audiophile

system. Incidentally, Fiona’s music is available in audiophile formats, as well as on standard CD. With regard to the

recording of the two versions, Fiona shared: “I wanted to do the single take live energy performance for the solo

album on the Steinway at Cookie’s studio, and an edited orchestrated version for the second part of the Signature

series using my Australian-made 97 key Stuart and Sons piano. The songs are note for note identical in terms of

writing (except for the title track which is a little more improvised.)”

The term “synchronicity” is defined as: the coming together of inner and outer events. On Fiona’s homage to this

phenomenon, her deep inspiration and artistic vision combine with the exceptional talents of the gifted musicians

and producers she had the good fortune to work with. The opening track, entitled “Ceremony,” is a song which

Fiona wrote for her wedding and begins with a lovely and lighthearted piano arpeggio that unfolds in a way that

brought to mind the path a couple might follow as they begin their life together. This lively version of the song is

beautifully accented by layers of ethereal vocals provided by Fiona and Borbala Bodonyi, as well as percussion by

Jeff Haynes (Pat Metheney Group), and the keyboard pads and bass of Imaginary Road Studios producer and

engineerTom Eaton, whose own excellent music I recently had the pleasure to write about.

Fiona’s misty angelic vocal is a highlight of the track called “Grace,” which she wrote for a fan who shared that her

music helped her through a profound personal tragedy. Another distinction is that a version of this song was

featured on the GRAMMY winning album by Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman mentioned above. Adding to the

poignancy of the song is frequent Will Ackerman collaborator Jeff Oster on flugelhorn, the soulful cello of Eugene

Friesen of The Paul Winter Consort and Tony Levin on NS bass, who has played with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson,

Judy Collins, and more. Another vocal by Fiona is featured on a wistful tune entitled “Once Upon The Impossible,”

which she describes as written about: “love that has tried its hardest but cannot work.” This album seems to

include more vocal tracks than I remember hearing on Fiona’s previous albums. Interestingly though, her vocals

have a whispery, ghostly quality that blends in with the instrumentation rather than standing out as in traditional

vocal recordings.

On a track (no pun intended) called “Invisible Train,” a feeling of forward motion is captured by Jeff Haynes’

percussion, and an atmospheric element is created by one of my favorite instrumentalists, Premik Russell Tubbs

who plays and EWI, or electronic wind instrument. Premik has recorded and performed with huge list of top artists

including Ravi Shankar, Santana, Lady Gaga, Sting, and more. Up next is a pleasant surprise, and one that was not

on the Signature –Solo album in this form. It’s called “Grace (Chill Version)” and is a reprise of track 2 but with a

twist. This version includes Fiona’s son, Nick Hawkins doing beat-box percussion, as well as the ambient horn

maestro himself, Jeff Oster on flugelhorn, Tony Levin on bass, electric guitarist Marc Shulman, percussion by Jeff

Haynes, and Borbala Bodonyi adding vocal layers. I love the cool contemporary feel they’ve given to the song, and

the way Fiona’s vocals drift dreamily over the instrumentation.

One of the songs that was most intriguing to me personally is “From The Mist,” which Fiona describes as a “Celtic

fairy march,” and is inspired by her Irish and Scottish heritage. What made this of particular interest to me is the

fact that I produced a music video for the solo piano version of the song a year ago. The accompaniment in this

version certainly adds another dimension, with the Irish whistle of Paul Jarman lending an air of authenticity to this

lilting tune. Although there isn’t room to discuss all the songs, I would, however, like to mention the other

musicians who have contributed to this project: James Englund – additional percussion, Noah Wilding – vocal

layers, Rebecca Daniel – violin, soprano vocal layers, and Will Ackerman himself on acoustic guitar.

But of course, the brightest spotlight belongs to Fiona Joy; a truly a remarkable composer and pianist whose

graceful and elegant piano work is as technically impressive as it is emotionally evocative. In fact, the depth of

feeling that goes into her music is one of the things that distinguish her in the new age music genre.

Fiona’s compositions range from subtle and understated to more elaborate and ornate but always exhibit the

emotional expressiveness she has become so well known for. In addition to her exquisite piano playing, Fiona’s airy

vocals imbue the tracks they are on with an ethereal ambiance that reminded me at times of Enya.

While Fiona’s music has a maturity and sophistication, much of it derives from images in her childhood. As she

shares: “The fairy-tail theme was my way of exploring subjects that fascinated me from as far back as my child-

hood. Those childhood stories and dreams of princesses and towers and rainbows and all things magical have been

explored with a modern day adult perspective.” Whether these themes are stated overtly or not, I think that the

listener picks up on them subliminally, which further enhances the enchanting quality that so many find in Fiona’s

music – I know that I certainly do.

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