Let’s do something different
today to broaden your musical horizons. Many years in the making, Jill Tracy brings
us at last her superb compendium of mysterious piano compositions. Recorded in
the eerie town of Lily Dale, New York, The
Secret Music of Lily Dale features Ms. Tracy playing the grand piano all
alone in Lily Dale’s ancient auditorium. The arrangements that form this gem of
an album were raw, spontaneous melodies she recorded in the moment with
background sounds of birds, crickets, rain, thunderclaps, and wandering spirits.
Here is the official summary of The Secret Music of Lily Dale: “A rare
peek inside the famed little town that talks to the dead—with both sights and
sounds. An unprecedented project, Jill Tracy reveals a sonic exploration of
Lily Dale, the private community of mediums and Spiritualists in upstate New
York. These are her elegant, mystical, late-night piano recordings channeled
alone on an antique grand piano inside the 1883 auditorium, site of séances and
spirit communication for over 100 years. Bask in the vast, otherworldly
ambience, the magical Leolyn Woods, nighttime thunderstorms, Lily Dale's
beloved bells, chimes, and nature. During her nights alone at the piano, you’ll
witness mysterious sounds that appeared on the recording that defy explanation.
Beautiful, contemplative, and mysterious... be transported into a truly magical
place few ever get to experience.” The 69-minute album comes with a gorgeous
50-page (digital/hardbound) book chock-full of Jill’s writings and photographs
of her time spent in Lily Dale.
I’ve been a huge fan of Jill
Tracy for over a decade. I stumbled upon her music by chance on Bandcamp sometime
in 2011 and have followed her ever since. Her 1999 album, Diabolical Streak, is one of my top ten favorite albums of
all-time. Every now and then, she plays with her Malcontent Orchestra in and
around San Francisco on Halloween, performing a live soundtrack to F.W. Murnau’s
seminal 1922 Nosferatu film. I’d love
to make the trip from Montreal to Frisco one day to catch a showing of this
classic movie while she plays the soundtrack on piano in the same room. That’s
actually one of my bucket list items.
The
Secret Music of Lily Dale features a collection of 17 entrancing
melodies full of mystery. It’s a fully immersive sonic excursion best
experienced in the dark with headphones on to hear all the subtleties and feel
the textures of Jill’s performance. Some of the highlights of the album for me
are “Through These Gates the Veil Thins”, the incredibly atmospheric opening
track, its follow-up, “Crystalline Sky”, “The Bird Song” where the melody is sung
back by the birds, “Pink Clouds in the Grey”, the hypnotic “The Night Resonance”,
“Twilight in Leolyn Woods” (especially the second part), the lovely “Rain Waltz”,
and the haunting “Midnight Spirits of Lily Dale”. The final piece is a soothing
recording of ambient nature sounds titled “A Meditation at Inspiration Stump”.
The accompanying 50-page book is
a visual delight. Jill gives an account of her time spent in Lily Dale and its
surroundings. She also traces the 130 plus year history of the southwestern New
York State town and shares her process of how she went about this project. It’s
filled with exquisite photos, some historical, others simply spooky snapshots
she took. It makes me wish I’d bought the hardbound book instead of the digital
album/PDF!
This is an album I’ll treasure
for years to come! Listening to The
Secret Music of Lily Dale is akin to embarking on a magical trip through a
portal to a strange, secret world. Whether you’re a neophyte to Jill Tracy’s
unique brand of dark cabaret/post classical music or a long-time fan of hers, this
collection of pieces is guaranteed to seduce and enrapture you.
Jill Tracy on Bandcamp: https://jilltracy.bandcamp.com/
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