January 6th, 2009
There was an interesting article in the Dec. 18th issue of the Economist, regarding some possible explanations for the evolutionary development of music. One of the scientific ideas suggests that must fulfills an essential human appetite that nature is unable to quench.
This is no surprise to us as musicians and lovers of music. We know that music, both the creation and enjoyment of it, fulfills a part of our lives & minds that is essential. Now, several scientists are researching the physical needs that music provides.
What if we, and society as a whole, were to take this viewpoint seriously? How much would the music industry change if music were valued as an essential human need, basic to our survival, as opposed to inexpensive entertainment or background noise? Would we as music creators & performers take our jobs & our tasks more seriously, or with more care in the importance of what we are doing?
I think this is a natural instinct on the individual level– most musicians are utterly serious about their craft and the care with with they write or perform music. This happens naturally as music is such a long- term, life-long pursuit. I wonder how much the business side would change, though, if the idea of music as essential human need was discussed and appreciated in general.
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November 5th, 2008
Last week, we had a rehearsal for another performance of “The Music of Emme & Julie.” If you missed this concert earlier this year, you now have another chance! The concert will be held at 7pm on November 22, 2008, at the Steinway Reformed Church in Astoria, Queens.
For a change, I’ll be conducting this concert– without letting the trombone get in the way! The concert features my arrangements of compositions by Emme Kemp & Julie Mandel. The ensemble is made up of great jazz & classical musicians on cello, tenor sax, flute, trombone, two bassists, piano, and drums.
The talented Mary Lou Shriber will be singing several of Julie Mandel’s pieces. And don’t miss the chance to hear Emme Kemp– always a treat. Incidentally, if you are a Woody Allen fan, check out the movie “Sweet & Lowdown” where Emme Kemp has a great cameo at the piano in the jam session scene!
I hope to see you there for an evening of great music!
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September 25th, 2008
September is turning into a busy month. I’m working on several projects for the great, young singer Julian Sage. This young man is a talented singer who has a gift for Italian songs.
We will be working on tracks for Julian’s new album, so more information on that later this year.
Also, I am about to begin work on the score for a new film that hopefully will be released on DVD in early 2009. I hope to have some more information and share some audio samples soon.
Other recent projects:
- A big band arrangement of “All or Nothing At All” for Steven Maglio– visit Steve’s website at www.stevenmaglio.com
- Orchestral arrangement of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” for the wonderful singer Giada Valenti
- Arrangements for the wedding band Doubletake
- Arrangements & transcriptions for saxophonist Dan Kiely for his contemporary jazz project
- And I’ve been busy with several singers helping them to prepare arrangements and transcriptions for auditions and performances– so please give me a call at (888) 416-9274 if I can be of any assistance.
I’m finally settled into my new studio space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and will have some photos to share soon.
Posted in Arrangements, Film scores, Recent projects & news, Studio | No Comments »
September 2nd, 2008
I have just completed a new orchestral arrangement for the amazing vocalist Giada Valenti, who will be performing on Saturday, September 6, 2008 in the Sergio Franchi 15th Annual Memorial Concert at the Franchi Estate in Connecticut.
Come out and hear Giada singing the beautiful “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” in a new arrangement for 40-piece orchestra. The concert is an afternoon of great music on an amazing estate in Connecticut, with a full roster of talented singers and entertainers.
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July 17th, 2008
I’m excited to announce that Shiny Nickel Music will be moving to a new studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in August. This will be a new project space in a building with several other studios and composers. Greenpoint has become one of the popular neighborhoods for many artists and musicians as there are still a few commercial loft spaces available, at more reasonable rates.
I’ll be increasing my space slightly to accommodate some of my recent equipment upgrades, and the new project space will allow for easier horn and vocal overdubs for many client projects. The new space will be ideal for client meetings and listening to demos of arrangement & composition projects. Greenpoint is just across the East River from Midtown, and easily accessible by car, and public transportation.
More information to come on the move soon, but I hope to be able to show off the space by mid-August.
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May 15th, 2008
There is another chance to hear “The Music of Julie & Emme” at the Steinway Reformed Church, 41st St. & Ditmars Blvd in Astoria, Queens at 5pm on Sunday, May 18th. This concert features music of Julie Mandel and Emme Kemp, in all new arrangements by Chris Rinaman. Emme Kemp will be performing her selections, along with a feature performance by dancer Yvonne Curry.
This concert will also feature selections from “Women Composers of Queens” with a larger 10-piece ensemble (and a host of great jazz musicians) in selections by Jutta Hipp, Diedre Murray, Sarah McLawler and others.
Hope to see you there!
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May 7th, 2008
Friday, May 9th @ Noon
Queens College, Lefrak Hall Theater, 65-30 Kissena Blvd.
Music of Emme Kemp & Julie Mandel in a concert of new, commissioned arrangements by Chris Rinaman.
This will be a great lunchtime concert, so come out and join us for an afternoon of great music. I’ve been having a blast writing the arrangements for this concert. The music of these two amazing composers encompasses a wide variety of styles, from jazz to art songs to some avant-garde contemporary music and poetry. Check out more online about
Emme Kemp and
Julie Mandel The ensemble is made up of
Carol Sudhalter who is also the hard working producer organizing all aspects of this concert) on tenor sax and flute, myself on trombone, Matt Goeke on cello, and the Italian virtuoso Antonio Cervellino on double bass. The rhythm section is Linda Presgrave on piano, Brian Woodruff on drums, and Whitney Moulton on bass.
Emme Kemp will be performing several of her selections, along with dancer Yvonne Curry. There is something for everyone at this concert!
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April 15th, 2008
I just returned from a jam-packed five days in Los Angeles at the ASCAP I Create Music Expo, held at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood.
This was a great event with over a thousand songwriters & composers from all genres and all career levels, networking and participating in a variety of panels and discussions about this “business of music.” These few days were filled with memorable panels and discussions with music songwriting & composing legends such as Steve Miller, Jackson Browne, Jon Bon Jovi, Johnny Mandel, John Debney, John Reznick and many others. I’m not aware of too many other fields other than music where amazing legends at the top of their careers are eager to share their insights and stories, and discuss common issues with songwriters & composers just starting out in their careers.
One of the most important issues that was discussed involved the protection of copyright in the digital realm. Many creative industries, including songwriters & composers, are seeing their future ability to retain ownership of their works and protect their future streams of income being legislated away, as more and more entertainment and retail businesses transition to the internet. The recent Hollywood writers strike was primarily concerned with the sharing of future internet revenue between the writers and the corporations that sell that creative content.
In this current age of business mergers and worldwide corporations, the full rights of copyright holders and the model that has encouraged and nourished American creativity in all the arts is in serious jeopardy. The rights of copyright holders are under attack from lobbyists and corporations seeking to maximize profits at the expense of the creators of the media that is streamed, downloaded and sold.
ASCAP has created a “Bill of Rights for Songwriters & Composers.” Please visit ASCAP’s web page
here to read the document, and add your signature to it.
This issue, over the long term, will truly affect the depth and creativity of our music & arts climate in the United States. The internet has been a major cause of the change in the music industry, both in the way music is sold by record labels and in the way that music is being created and distributed independently by many songwriters and composers.
I sincerely hope that the internet continues to spur creativity, and become even more of a valuable asset and provider of compensation to all levels of artists, while still providing immediate information and entertainment to the consumer. This will not happen as a matter of course, and corporations need to be reminded, both from creators and consumers, that the hard work that goes into all artistic creativity is not free, and that quality is always worth paying for.
Posted in ASCAP & PRO Issues, Copyright Discussion | No Comments »
March 26th, 2008
Information on the upcoming concerts with various ensembles of the Astoria Jazz Band. These concerts feature several of my arrangements & orchestrations. I’ve arranged all of the music on the “Julie & Emme” concert. I’ll also be performing on trombone on these as well– so come out and enjoy the music!
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March 13th, 2008
I’m working this month on orchestrations for a concert of music by composers Julie Mandel and Emme Kemp. This concert is being produced by Carol Sudhalter in her Astoria Jazz Band Spring season. Find out more about Carol on her webpage here: http://www.sudhalter.com/
I’m having a great time working on this music. It is an unusual ensemble made up of tenor sax, flute, trombone, cello, contrabass, piano, bass, drums and vocalist. The music ranges from Julie Mandel’s interesting Copland-esque chamber pieces to Emme Kemp’s swinging jazz compositions. It’s going to be a great concert!
Save the date in May– The info:
Friday, May 9th, 12 noon
Lefrak Theater, Queens College
65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367
And it’s FREE!
In addition, several of these arrangements will be featured on a concert on Sunday, May 18th, 5 pm at Steinway Reformed Church (Ditmars Blvd. & 41st St. in Queens, NY). This concert, “Women Composers of Queens” features music by Sarah McLawler, Jutta Hipp, Diedre Murray. This concert will also feature my orchestration of Emme Kemp’s piece “First Awakening” with dancer Yvonne Curry.
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