It's About the Rose by Karen Marie Garrett

Both Satie and Garrett have a minimalist style of piano composition. The easy, almost ambling manner of the music belies the deep emotions that are being conveyed. Garrett displays an incredible virtuosity without the flourishes of a Chopin or Beethoven. Yet the subtlety of the music compels you and draws you into the emotions that Garrett is hoping to evoke. It’s About the Rose is a seductively beautiful effort."

Review by BILL BINKELMAN, New Age Reporter...

"What can I write that will do justice to this sublime and beautiful recording? I have put off reviewing It’s About the Rose because I didn’t know how, in words, to capture my reaction to this album, conveying how deeply it touched me. From the opening “It’s About the Rose in the Vase on the Table” and its rolling yet melancholic melodicism to the gypsy-ish “Moon Night” (featuring Derrik Jordan on djembe and violin) to the light-hearted “Café Espresso (for Ken)” which prances and dances around like a little kid overflowing with the joy of the moment to the closing reprise “Finale of the Rose” on which Garrett is joined by stellar accompanists Will Ackerman (who produced this outstanding disc), Jeff Oster on flugelhorn, Steve Schuch on violin and Derrik Jordan once again on percussion, there is no misstep, no over-reach, no wasting of a note or a chord throughout the fifty-one minutes on this recording. It’s About the Rose is one of the most evocative, deeply felt albums I’ve heard in years, and that statement encompasses many recordings. Comparable to the chamber minimalism of Tim Story at times, yet also more accessible for less adventurous listeners who need a firmer grounding in structured acoustic instrumentation, this is a CD of uncommon grace and elegance, yet never at the expense of becoming distant or overly concerned with technique as opposed to human emotion.

Try to remain unaffected by the gentle caress of cello (played by Eugene Friesen) and Garrett’s piano as they weave a delicate beauty on “Tally’s Lullaby.” Then there is “Vinot and the Seabird” which begins as a sparse piano piece and introduces ethereal wordless female vocals (courtesy of Noah Wilding) and Oster’s flugelhorn, maintaining a distinct reflective mood with some of Garrett’s more nuanced and subtle playing, emphasizing the silence between notes as much as the gently sad melody. “Waiting” and “The Piano Called” are solo piano offerings, both being quiet, reflective and somber, yet wholly accessible, rich with emotion and inviting to the listener despite the amber tint of the minor tonalities and the overall downcast mood of the compositions themselves.

What separates It’s About the Rose from other piano releases is no one thing, but a combination of elements. The quality of performances, the production by the aforementioned Ackerman, and the compositions themselves written (or in one case, co-written) by the artist all factor in; however, in the end, it’s the intangibles that reach out and grab the listener, the same way that a faded photograph of a long-past relative or a dog-eared letter from a former lover stokes the dying embers of memory and rekindles a flame that burns brightly if only for an instant. In the same way that a rainy Saturday afternoon invites us to withdraw inwards, so to does this sublime recording take us deep within ourselves. It’s About the Rose is so beautiful and so touching that it may reduce you to tears, but they may just be tears of fond remembrance, not sadness. The CD earns my highest recommendation without reservation."

WILL ACKERMAN, creator of Windham Hill Records, gold and platinum producer, and Grammy Award-winning recording artist wrote....

"Karen Marie Garrett’s previous recording, “Allure of Sanctuary”, offered an abundance of melody and emotion, making it truly a remarkable debut. Her latest recording, “It’s About the Rose”, presents an absolutely stunning evolution in musical styles, textures, virtuosity and emotional depth. She has not departed from what worked so well for her in “Allure of Sanctuary”, but has simply dug deeper to create an even richer experience.”

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