I was a big fan of the band, Chicago, when I was kid. I loved their box set release, Chicago at Carnegie Hall. The box included a huge poster of the musicians that I glued to my bedroom wall. After their debut release, Chicago Transit Authority, the name for each of their studio albums was simply a sequential number, like a software release. I was interested up until Chicago 6. Then my enthusiasm waned. The music changed, and the novelty of the numbered releases wore off. Who could possibly identify and distinguish the contents of Chicago 15 vs. Chicago 21?
I wanted a distinctive name for the next CD I'm preparing, a program of piano music never before recorded. I ran a call for scores last year to find piano music not yet commercially released on CD that I could program and record myself. The submissions poured in! I realized I wasn't looking at just one potential CD, but rather a new life's calling. I have music for many compelling and distinctive CDs, and I have continued to cultivate friendships with composers whose work is really interesting. I wanted to unify this recording work as an ongoing artistic enterprise, so I came up with a name for the project, Tangent Shores. I like the image, it suggests far-flung, beautiful locations coming together and touching.
How to name the releases? Ten years from now, I don't want to release Tangent Shores 15. I wanted an image that is distinctive and evocative. I chose to use names of stones. Consistent with the image of Tangent Shores, stones are scattered about and plentiful. Yet they are distinctive and precious, too. I intend the imagery to be metaphorical, so I don't expect to use images of stones in my CD graphics, but rather I will employ color designs that suggest particular stones.
I'm kicking off Tangent Shores by producing Amethyst, since Amethyst starts with A. I have lots of ideas for future releases. With so much music related to the night, I could one day produce Tangent Shores - Obsidian. With so much music from women composers, I could one day produce Tangent Shores - Moonstone. Ruby, Garnet, Sand. All would make great titles for a CD and I have music to fit.
I don't think I'm going to run out of rocks, and I don't think I'm going to run out of music. I expect to keep recording this rock music until I drop.
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