Midnight at Monteton
My hottest, freshest, just-out-of-the-French-oven new jazz CD. With original compositions such as “le tour de Jack” and “Deux Chapeaux,” and knock-out performances by the Farrelly/Markiewicz Jazz Quartet and other brilliant Indianapolis musicians. Not to be missed. (It is my personal favorite, after all.)
Featuring Jim Farrelly/sax, Sandy Williams/guitar, P.J. Yinger/trumpet, Mark Ortwein/bass clarinet, bassists Fred Withrow, Jack Helsley, Dave Murray, and Steve Dokken, Gene Markiewicz/drums, and Kevin Kaiser/percussion.
"A terrific, jazzy release! From ballads, to swing, to blues, Becky Archibald's first record with a jazz combo offers a different and welcome sound. Listen, and you'll agree: Once Is Not Enough." --Don Wolff, St. Louis radio host of I Love Jazz
Mood Swing
This one is special. It’s very personal, and one of my favorites. If you are only going to buy two of my CDs, I would recommend Midnight at Monteton and Mood Swing.
The drastic shifts in moods from one piece to another, and within the pieces themselves, brought to mind the title “Mood Swing.” Most of these pieces were performed in the “Mood Swing” concert held in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 7, 2006. I played solo there, but wished that I could have brought some of my friends to play with. So as a bonus, I’ve added a few ensemble tracks, featuring Ingrid Fischer-Bellman/cello, David Bellman/clarinet, Richard Graef/French horn, P.J. Yinger/trumpet.
“Thoughtful. . .melodic. . .passionate. . .influenced by classical training, but full of jazz improvising.” –Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene
Listen and buy now at CDBaby Buy autographed copy
Buy now at CDBabyThe Christmas One
On the other hand, you really shouldn’t miss out on The Christmas One. So many people say it’s their favorite.
Recording of Exceptional Merit, Wisconsin Public Radio, WRST-FM
About Track #12, The Christmas Song: Will Griffin of WPLN noticed that the ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting in this song has such a sincerity to it. In fact, the entire lyric has a nostalgic sincerity. It tells us how wonderful Christmas is and then wishes the same for us. I wanted to capture that generous, dreamy, yearning quality of the song and sing it to you with the piano.
NPR feature: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5050381
The Light at the End of the Blues
Then again, The Light at the End of the Blues is so full of emotion. The music really takes you on a journey, as they say. But it’s true! A moving 9/11 tribute, but also, the uplifting and light-hearted “Jaggedy Rag.” You can’t miss with this one!
There is a swirling sea of musical influences that seem to color the music that I write. This time the color turned out to be blue.
“Becky’s music shows how many influences can be shaped into a unique voice by a gifted musician.” --Will Griffin, host, Nashville Public Radio’s Live In Studio C.
The Long Ride Home
Speaking of journeys – The Long Ride Home speaks for itself. I actually wrote the title track IN THE CAR! Perfect for road trips. Plus it has “Sumthin’ Funky,” one of my personal favorites.
Winner, Best Solo Instrumental CD, Just Plain Folks Album Awards
About Track #8, Delaney’s Song: When I was very angry at my daughter one day I stormed over to the piano and pounded for 10 minutes. Luckily, I had my recorder on, and was surprised at how many beautiful sounds came out of that angry session.
“Her music unfolds like I expect a good story to unfold.” --Bob Boilen, creator, NPR’s All Songs Considered. http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/openmic/index.php?episode=15
Searching
But we can’t forget about Searching! The title track is still my son’s favorite, so if you really want something special, you should probably pick up a copy of my personal favorite – Searching.
Nominated, Best Instrumental CD, Just Plain Folks Album Awards
About Track #1, Searching: I began writing this piece as a birthday gift to my mom. Through the writing, I discovered that I could write, had a passion for writing, and now understood the next answer to the question, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’
“Some performers need heavy arrangements to get their musical ideas across but on songs like ‘Searching’ Becky is able to show how much a soloist can say with one great performance.” --Brian Austin Whitney, founder, Just Plain Folks.