By Jill Yesko, University Relations
Dr. John Salmon, professor of piano and recipient of the 2006 Brubeck Institute Award for Distinguished Achievement, has released his third CD of piano compositions by iconic American composer and performer Dave Brubeck.
The new recording, “John Salmon Plays Dave Brubeck ‘Nocturnes’," was released by the record label Naxos in August.
“I am delighted that John Salmon has chosen to perform these short piano pieces,” Dave Brubeck wrote of Salmon’s recording project. “Many of them have a special significance to me, as I almost always write from personal experience.”
Included on the CD are "Blue Lake Tahoe," "Looking at a Rainbow," "Nostalgia de México," and 23 other cuts ranging from classical to jazz styles. Three of the pieces revolve around Brubeck’s courtship with Iola Brubeck, his wife of 64 years. "Longing, tenderness, and nostalgia are the predominant themes on this recording," says Salmon, who has had two pieces dedicated to him by Brubeck.
Salmon has edited and provided the forewords to several volumes of Brubeck's piano pieces and has written articles on Brubeck for American Music Teacher, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Clavier, and Piano Today. Salmon is a member of the faculty jazz trio at the UNCG School of Music where he has taught since 1989
For further information contact the UNCG School of Music at (336) 334-5789.
