#ICYMI RootsTime reviews: Charles Xavier – Pandemic Piano

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Tag: Happy Note Records”The flag covers the load” is a saying that can 100% apply to the new album “Pandemic Piano” by American musician Charles Xavier from San Francisco, California. In his home port he is better known by his call sign ‘The Xman’. With “Pandemic Piano” he is now releasing his latest seventh album, a record he recorded during the corona pandemic period. This record follows six years after his previous release “Happy Note Records Sampler 2016”.

This new album contains a total of 28 pieces of self-composed instrumental piano music that range from half a minute to six minutes for the longest-lasting piece “Sexual Vibration Chakra”. In those different tracks he also alternates between ambient rock, neo-jazz and melodic pieces that sometimes lean towards world music and New Age. Those looking for accompaniment music to listen to while meditating will undoubtedly find what they are looking for in “Pandemic Piano”.

To give you an idea of what to expect on this album, we include two pieces of music in the form of audio videos. First Charles Xavier plays the song “You Know”, the very first track on this record and after that we can relax for three minutes on the song “Swallow”. For those who have already taken a seat behind the piano keyboard, there may be some ideas here to try for themselves.

The instrument piano only came into the life of Charles Xavier at a later age, who at the age of 16 was mainly interested in drumming. But it was the jazz music he learned during his ‘arranger and composer’ studies at the famous ‘Berklee College Of Music’ in Boston and subsequent studies at the ‘Creative Music Studio’ in Woodstock, New York that definitively took him to the white stage. -and-black keys of the piano.

The loneliness and seclusion during the lockdown period due to ‘Covid-19’ served as the main source of inspiration in composing these dreamy pieces of piano music, although that is not really apparent from the titles he has given to these mini works. “Pandemic Piano” is a pure solo album with only piano sounds played by Charles Xavier who also took on the role of album producer. We can therefore especially recommend this record to those who like to lie back in a lazy chair and enjoy quiet moments and contemplation, possibly accompanied by a loved one and/or a nice glass of wine by candlelight or warm dimmed light.