Record Producer Gary Katz
(‘Steely Dan’ – Donald Fagen’s ‘The Nightfly’)
Offers His Rare “View” On The New Album
Read Gary’s Full Letter Below…
From the desk of Gary Katz:
Music is and has been the energy source of my life. I don’t play..well, hardly, I don’t read, well, not really, and at the same time I have an innate understanding of various musical genres by “feeling it”.
I know how that sounds, (and even more so in print), but if I was sitting in front of you I feel assured I could convince you of my inexplicable reality, which I’m sure is not singular to me. I say this because I’m going to talk about and “review” a new album, an exercise I inherently have negative feelings about concerning “The Arts,” except, on those rare occasions, when I do it.
To ‘Hidden Soul Of The Fjords’, a collaborative effort between Lazerus Winter and co-creator Heidi Torsvik, which is a beautifully crafted, musically induced emotional journey. In full disclosure, I worked with Lazerus closely for some time, some time ago, and admire his musical growth, creating beautiful orchestrations complimenting Heidi’s extraordinary vocal textures and overall original musical sensibility; it is a package worth opening.
The haunting opening bars of “Presence”, the 1st movement of 4, are quickly joined by the equally haunting textures of Heidi’s vocal entrance, which melts in to create the perfect mood and tone for the emotional journey you’re about to take through and beyond the infectious groove of Reflections in “Heart” in the 4th and last movement.
Put your phones on or your buds in, lean back and you’ll feel and be chill!
Gary Katz
New York – 9.2020