East and West, 1996
Paradise
I first composed this piece in 1992. My friend Peggy van Zalm and I were working on some demos of hers and there was a dinner break in the session. The microphones were already set up and I was fooling around with some rhythmic ideas and this song fell over the piano, so the engineer recorded it for me. The studio we were in was Paradise Studio and playing the piano for me IS paradise!
Desert
First mistakenly called dessert. Composed for my friend Pauline an incredible cook and great friend. Ross(the studio manager at Sony)was testing some microphones and he asked me to play the piano. I said it would be great if we could record it in case it was any good. It surprised me because it all sort of worked, the runs were relatively in time and the musical structure was so spatial. I thought of a place - that infinite space, a place I had never seen, but felt ... the desert.
East & West
This music simply reminded me of my father. I made this anglo-asian scale pattern (all the black notes on the piano keyboard) and improvised to my favourite african cross rhythm. During the recording I relaxed and soon I was simply responding to the piano's resonance ... it was almost like reverb, all those single notes bouncing around the soundboard in the piano. It made me a little sad when I listened to the result. I thought of my father as if he was a single note bouncing around a western culture. I wondered what he thought about, does he see east and west?
Harbour
To harbour thoughts ; be in a safe harbour ; float along in the harbour of our dreams ; Sydney Harbour. Metaphors for the people who live and work in this harbour.
Miles
Miles seems like such a long way. I read the Miles Davis biography. Completely inspired I wanted to name something after him. He lived an outrageous life and was such an amazing musician. The time between the beginning of my life and where I am now seems like such a distance.
Strong
... just because it sounded like that.
Breathing Underwater
When I worked on Beyond the Blue. I felt like I was breathing underwater. Beyond the Blue is a movie about Sydney's Marine life. There is no dialogue or voice over, just music and images. Beautiful eerie images. I was breathing underwater during this project, my studio was relocated to Palm Beach at the time and I thought I was part of the sea.
Infinity
The piano arrangement of the song of the same name.
Thinking of You
I often think about you - what you might be doing or where you are. What are you doing at this moment?
Solitary
These notes are all alone. They sound truly beautiful alone. Solitary is not a difficult or sad place at all. In music, to be the solo performer is a moment of honour. The notes like being alone.
Tomorrow Today
The reincarnation of today, is tomorrow. Time is a convention we use to order our lives. It's the only way our brains can deal with the detail of activity. The notes and chords fall over each other. I'm too excited. I wish the next beat would come earlier. I wish tomorrow was today
Saturday Afternoon
Those beautiful moments when you are doing that Saturday afternoon thing. The garden, the washing, the sunshine, sometimes even working. It's a lot like the feeling I have when I wake up from an unexpected snooze in the afternoon sun or that wonderful, relaxed feeling of having done a really good day's work.
Being There
I could not get there, it wasn't the right time for me. I was there in spirit. My music travelled with a friend in the form of a gift. It was almost like being there.
All music composed and performed by Charlie Chan
All music published by Sony Music Publishing
Produced by Charlie Chan
Recorded at Sony Music Studios
Engineered by Louise Taylor except Desert and Saturday Afternoon engineered by Ross A'hern
Mastering Toby Learmont and Wayne Baptist
I would like to thank my friends and family.
Sony - Paul Nearhos, Damion Trotter, Gill Robert, Michael Napthali, James Mullighan, Carolyn, Wendy, Til. Kevin Wilkins for the pictures, Sony Studios and all the people who listen to the recordings and performances of my music.