Tiny Leaves is the music of composer Joel Nathaniel Pike. He is based in the borderlands between England and Wales with his wife and three children, and he has made this really quite lovely four track album using only piano and strings. Full of yearning and pastoral reflection, this is perfect music for letting go and just being as the nights draw in and summer leaves us for another year.
'This is my third album entitled 'Notes On Belonging' and is the culmination of over a year of exploration into musical landscapes inspired by the Welsh term 'cynefin'. The word which has no English equivalent, when translated means the environment in which you live, to which you are naturally acclimatised, and also in other translations, describes the sense of belonging, or even longing for home. The whole project from beginning to end is rooted in a rural corner of Shropshire to further harness this idea of belonging. The musicians are local to this area and the music was composed and recorded here. I also have been wanting to do a project with only four tracks to challenge myself to write longer pieces that come together to form more of a whole piece of music, having enjoyed this idea in post-rock albums and classical LPs.
The cover of the album "Light (Sound November)" by David Tress, sees the fulfillment of a dream, from a long love for his paintings from my own art school days, to linking up with this prolific Welsh Landscape artist. His celebrated work explores similar themes of relationship to habitat which is a timely coming together with this project. Remarkably the painting was made by the Pembrokeshire artist only a few miles from where the album was recorded in Shropshire, further affirming the theme of belonging to a place. The music was written alongside rehearsals with featured artist/violinist and viola player Faith Brackenbury, whose vast experience in Jazz and folk violin has further expanded my writing to newer territories. The track 'Cynefin' has been performed recently during a UK tour with Julianna Barwick, and a dance video has been created by choreographer Rachel Burn.'
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