When I Remember
Kevin Kern pays tribute to the rich musical traditions and stylistic influences that continue to inspire his unique creativity and signature sound. When I Remember is a solo piano collection which celebrates a lifelong bond between a composer and his beloved instrument.
"What I find most impressive about the music of Kevin Kern is its expressiveness. His ability to imbue a composition with emotional insight and shadings of sentiment is remarkable. Even more so, that he is able to interpret this with characteristic subtlety, sophistication, and understated refinement. Kevin’s expertise in creating musically based descriptions of scenes, what he calls “Sound Painting,” is, I’m sure, both a gift he was born with as well as a skill he has developed and honed over a lifetime.
The classically inspired opening track entitled “We Should Waltz” is a perfect example of Kevin’s ability to paint pictures in sound, as it quite visually evocative to the mind’s eye. For me, this graceful song in ¾ time conjured an inner vision of people in elegant garb from a bygone era gliding fluidly across the dance floor of a grand ballroom. Another of his influences is heard in a romantic jazz ballad entitled “Say You Love Me.” One thing I was noticing and appreciating is that while some of Kevin’s playing can be elegantly understated, it is rich in nuance and emotional evocativeness. The album’s title track is a particularly good example in the depth of feeling its wistful melody conjures. And in the next track, an interesting contrast is drawn in the jazz-inflected “Rise and Shine,” which reveals a more light-hearted and playful side of Kevin’s musical spectrum. “Chopin’s Touch” requires no explanation as to the source of inspiration, and is quite a lovely tribute to this great composer." ~ Michael Diamond, Music and Media Focus