While at a music gala in Los Angeles that didn’t quite satisfy, Australian-based pianist Galliano Sommavilla decided to make the most of his trip: he found a studio with a great piano, and created something off the cuff. The results? With a recording window lasting only one hour and thirty minutes, Galliano improvised two songs: Homeward Bound: The Santa Monica Session (parts A and B, respectively). Was Galliano able to summon his renowned brand of floating, dreamy, and emotional piano music while constrained by a fleeting swath of prepaid time? Let’s talk about it.
Homeward Bound: The Santa Monica Session Part A starts with chiming higher notes; they blink, vibe, and ring alone in the ether until lower notes arrive and lend gravity. Clocking in at 26:32, the song features lots of isolated and floating higher-register twinkles; like a voice calling out for response, for any kind of acknowledgement. And the music does respond, with answers in river-rumbling rolls and hammering lower-octave strikes.
After the twelve-minute mark and some consistent dramatic playing, the song takes a breath; it reduces; it relaxes, granting us more of those lighter chimes. At the 19-ish-minute mark, a melody occurs in higher notes, then echoed by mid-to-lower notes (this is an especially memorable bit that I truly enjoyed). And when the song ends, some of the familiar chiming returns, introducing two determined but gently played chords that signal and subtly deliver the music’s conclusion.
Homeward Bound: The Santa Monica Session Part B begins mournfully. It’s quietly contemplative but reaching towards healing with measured chords. At about the seven-minute mark, it becomes aggressive; like there’s an obstacle to overcome, but its shape and expectations keep morphing, demanding one be tirelessly tenacious in order to eventually overcome.
Around the 13-minute mark, there are soft, metered chord pushes and accompanying note flickers. Like someone catching their breath or taking a few seconds to recover, reassess, and re-engage from a different angle. And this measured pushing, this pulsing, a recapitulation of the song’s very first theme, leads us to the song’s end; with a few higher note responses, Part B slowly flutters into the sun-born distance.
But is it good?
Galliano Sommavilla has done it…AGAIN! He created a softly glowing world of deeply moving music, and this time, did so on a whim. If you’re begging for transportation to somewhere temperate, sunny, and drizzled with the occasional quiet rainfall, I implore you to listen to Galliano’s latest release (and, of course, his entire breathtaking catalog). Recommended.
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BELOW: Listen to Galliano Sommavilla and check him out on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, and Apple Music. Please support Galliano Sommavilla by visiting his website and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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