Every time, it works. That’s what happens when you collaborate with Rob Michael. It’s an amazing fact that you find inspiring musicians through social medias whom you’ve never physically met before and ended up finding a common ground to be able to work together. Rob’s instinct for the music coupled with his immense talent and versatility certainly makes it possible.

Rob and I worked on a short piece of music I wrote back in December 2011, in aid of Save the Children Fund  (http://yukiesmith.bandcamp.com/track/above-the-clouds)  This is our second long-distant collaboration; this time we did it purely for our mutual enjoyment, and to share with people around the world, so it’s free to download!

Originally I wrote this piece of music as piano solo for my teenage/adult students. Pentatonic-based melody and sparse yet harmonically satisfying arrangement is usually a way forward with older beginners, I find. To me, often this type of compositions lends itself to potentials to grow into something more. For this piano & guitar duet version, I reworked my piano part to allow for melodic conversation with a guitar to develop through shifting metre and harmonies. Rob’s mellow and eloquent improvisatory playing weaves through piano tones like a singing voice. I think we managed to achieve the sound we’d hoped to achieve here.

Please consider this release as our musical gift to you all, so it’s free to download. If this piece of music speaks to you in any way, we feel that our mission is completed. I hope you enjoy it and share with others!

Additional info
I’m planning to make a music video for this tune using photographs focused on city/town/village scenes with/without people going about with their daily lives. It may take time but hopefully I’ll be able to upload it on YouTube in the near future.