MARK BIRNBAUM 'RAGTIME TRIP-HOP' REVIEW FROM IRELAND!

REVIEW: APRIL 1, 2011--WhisperinandHollerin
Review: 'BIRNBAUM, MARK'
'RAGTIME TRIP-HOP'
Review - RAGTIME TRIP-HOP - BIRNBAUM, MARK - - PEACOCK PIANO PRODUCTIONS INC -
- Label: 'PEACOCK PIANO PRODUCTIONS INC'
**8- Genre: 'Trip-Hop' - Release Date: 'April 2010'- Catalogue No: 'PPP368'
This CD tries very hard to marry two very disparate genres, ragtime jazz and trip-hop. When it works, it works very well.
New York City based pianist MARK BIRNBAUM has made a valiant attempt here to fuse the musical styles, investing in Neneh Cherry’s vocals for some tracks, but the main problem with the CD is that like a Prog Rock album (yet another genre!) this offers one hour of music with eleven tracks being minor variations on the same two songs.

The album starts well with ‘Welcome!’ a good rap about revolution and how everyone should unite and focus on our problems: “Time for some action, time to think real, time to speak real.” Sentiments that are heartfelt and probably echoed by millions.
‘Carnival for Eubie’ is another good track, an empowerment song, however the carnivalesque jazz piano rolls sit uneasily with some annoying hip-hop drumbeats.

Tracks like ‘Outta Keys’ have a great Scott Joplin style piano melody which is backed with some atmospheric electronics, but what lets this down is that it is expanded upon, to have an ‘Outta Keys’ bass mix, two other mixes and two vocal mixes.

‘Ragtime Trip-Hop’ the next track is a nice jaunty piano ragtime boogie, which works well, until it is immediately followed by another mix which has the most minor of changes.

The ‘Luna Keys’ mixes utilise organ rather than piano, and this works well on the original and the ‘Luna Keys Cry’ vocal mix, the vocals seemingly about love and loss:- “I waited oh, for so long/ now I will be all alone.” The problem here is once again it is followed by a further three variations of the same melody.

Overall, when this works, it works really well, however the CD is flawed by the repetition;. I would have liked to stick around much longer if there had been more variety on offer.
author: Nick Browne -
http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=7995

CD REVIEW--RAGTIME TRIP-HOP

http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=7995

Ragtime Mark Birnbaum on Radio tonite 6:30

Valerie's New York - February 4, 2011
Famed fight choreographer and director B.H. Barry (who's new show Treasure Island opens soon), and ragtime jazz pianist Mark Birnbaum are Valerie's special guests

'Ragtime Trip-Hop' from Mark Birnbaum, Pianist

New CD: A trance-like Funkadelic Hour of Piano/Keyboard Fun..with some vocals; Brian Eno meets Massive Attack----with a little help from Neneh Cherry.
1890's Ragtime meets 1990's Trip-Hop. A Down-tempo NYC Ride for 2011.
CD Baby has free samples!

Dont know what to call this music(yep,I guess it IS "ragtime trip-hop"),but I kn

author: Gary Stein

This fellow,Mark Birnbaum,is some kind of eclectic musical genius alright.Tourists who visit NYC see this wild lookin' dude in the crazy colors,the top hat and cane(and sometimes those aluminum "tin man" platform boots!) and many have no idea what a brilliant musician lurks within! "Ragtime Trip-Hop" combines Mark's unparalleled piano artistry in classic ragtime with an eerily contemporary "street" sound that is both hypnotic and strangely calming.The vocalists used here do a nice job as well,but Mark's genius for melding genres carries the day on the album and it all makes for a dark,moody but deliciously satisfying musical treat.Glad I purchased it.

Recenet CD - AB OVO (from the egg) has digital downloads!

At CD Baby - free samples of AB OVO - original piano works, some of which are 'live' performances-
It's a fun CD------I threw in some Mozart and Bach as well-----

enjoy!!!

New CD -"Ragtime Trip-Hop" - Mark Birnbaum Pianist

New CD -"Ragtime Trip-Hop" - Mark Birnbaum Pianist

CD BABY - digital download free samples!

Ragtime & Hip-Hop inspired this New York Pianist and blended itself into this quirky, funky, Brian Eno-influenced Trip.
For keyboard and piano lovers...and as a fine background to the Urban Life. Blues and some vocals add to the funky mix.
A Fun Ride for 2011!

New CD -"Ragtime Trip-Hop" - Mark Birnbaum Pianist

Ragtime & Hip-Hop inspired this New York Pianist and blended itself into this quirky, funky, Brian Eno-influenced Trip.
For keyboard and piano lovers...and as a fine background to the Urban Life. Blues and some vocals add to the funky mix.
A Fun Ride for 2011!