My Elliott Smith tribute CD's been out for less than a week now, and i thought I'd pass along some of the choice articles that've come out in the past few days.

It was a great pleasure to have John Soeder, the pop music critic of the Cleveland Plain Dealer over to the house for the really great Sunday Arts section piece that came out yesterday. There were some nice quotes from friends Tom Voegli, Ed Yim and Da-Hong Seetoo, as well as some beautiful pictures taken by Plain Dealer photographer Dale Omori, including a front-and-center shot of muse/mews/companion, Moochie the Cat.

I had a nice chat with Wynne Delacoma of the Chicago Sun-Times, and she was also kind enough to not only write a sympathetic profile, but to review it as well.

A rather in-depth appraisal of the record which appeared in PopMatters.

A snide and incredibly rude (but still a three-star) review in Rolling Stone.

A very nicely written review of my first all-Elliott Smith recital at the beautiful Chicago Cultural Center which appeared in the Chicago Tribune.

A mixed but sincere review which appeared in CD Reviews.

An enthusiastic review at Kevchino

I also spent some quality time at Indre Studios in Philadelphia with John Diliberto taping an all-Elliott segment for the PRI-distributed 'Echoes'; airdate TBD.

And i had a wonderful time with NPR host and correspondent Michele Norris taping a chat and performances to appear later on All Things Considered. Great to be at the NPR studios in DC for that. It'll be a great piece. Michele and I had a satellite chat together for ATC when True Love Waits came out. It was great to be with her in person.

Here's the Pitchfork review. Same guy who hated me last time, this time more articulately, I 'd say, so whether he likes it or not, I seem to be getting through to him.

Steve Hochman of the LA Times weighs in with his take on my Getty Center concert. i had a great time playing there. It was an especial honor having Elliott Smith's father, Gary, and stepmother, Marta, at the concert. Thanks also to Sarah and all the staff there; they made it a very nice place to play a piano concert.

Comments

[Brandon]

My sister recently sent me your Elliott Smith tribute CD and I think it excellent and captures much of the musicality that you find in his music. P.S. I am a young saxophonist and I love From the Top.

thanks!
i hope you apply to come on the show.
everything you need is over at fromthetop.org.
best of luck with everything,
chris

[Susan Keitel]

Just heard you play Speed Trials on "From the Top".......loved it.......bought your Elliott SMith CD from Amazon.......now want a piano score for all of it. Is the score available?

susan-
i've made a radiohead piano book, and it's taken me so long to recoup the expense of self-publishing that volume that i'm a little gunshy about doing right away. i will hope someday to have the courage and the resources to make the arrangements available, and i very much appreciate your enthusiasm.
enjoy the record.
best wishes,
chris

[Ashley Mack]

...Unrelated to your Elliot Smith tribute (which I did throughly enjoy), but related to you nonetheless. I'm incredibly fascinated with your renditions of Radiohead, having collected both the True Love Waits CD and Hold Me To This CD. Is there a score available for either CD? P.S.--If you ever need any cover art, hit me up. I'm a painter.

ashley-
i've put both albums' worth of my arrangements into one book, available only here on the website at the $TORE page. you'll be especially interested to know that it's as much an artbook as a music book. steve byram has not only done all the artwork for my three piano arrangements albums (and he's working on the art, now, for my nick drake record coming out in the spring), but he was a real collaborator on this piano book: there's artwork on every page of the book as well as quite a few full-pagers of steve's on the odd-page-numbered songs.
you can view some sample pages on the site, too.
thanks for your appreciative words.
best wishes,
chris

[Ashley Mack]

crap, typed the wrong URL. here's the right one.

[Kathy Parkin]

I've just finished listening to Home to Oblivion and I want to thank you for your beautiful renditions of Elliott's songs. I've just dicovered Elliott's music in the past year and it has moved like no other music(except perhaps some pieces by Beethoven that can bring me to tears). I never wanted to purchase any of the other tribute albums - Elliott's music seemed too pure to me to be performed by other artists. But you truly understand the man and his music. I like to think that Elliott has somehow heard your versions of his beautiful songs and would certainly approve!

kathy-
i like to think that, when i play other people's music (which is basically what i do as a classical pianist), i'm channelling them in a way; trying to get at the core idea behind the song, and fulfill the best promise the song holds, at least within the confines/perameters of solo piano. with elliott's music, we not only have his inestimable talents on record, but a treasure trove of live performances, each showing a different way for the song to go while always holding true to the nature of the song. there's also something truly unique about elliott's music, as testified by your own reaction to it, and my never tiring of hearing him do songs i've heard literally hundreds of times: there is no reducing them to hyper-personalized, autobiographical miniatures; they are whole realities, entire dramas self-enclosed and integral. so many songwriters strive only to 'express themselves', and end up sounding whiny and instantly obsolete. elliott spoke of deep truths and worthy perpetual musings, philosophical in the most universal sense of the word and work.
i am very flattered that my versions add to, rather than supplant, your admiration of his music.
warm regards,
christopher

[ann benson]

I heard an interview with you on NPR today, May 18, 2008, and would love to have a transcript of your comments about piano playing and what it would do for the world! They were great. Have you written a book recently? Thanks for your help with this. Your playing is new to me - and it's super.

ann-
gosh. i'm not sure what interview you heard. i imagine whatever it might have been taken from would be accessible on npr.com.
wish i could be more helpful.
might be fun to write a book someday.
best wishes,
chris