Open Window by Robert Rich

Solo piano improvisations, recorded in 2004.

Piano was my first instrument, and I have treasured the moments of immersion into its sound while improvising with unfiltered exploration. It's the closest place I come to pure musical thought. While I would often perform brief piano improvisation in concert, I had avoided releasing my piano music because piano solo albums had become a bit of a cliché. I finally succumbed to the urge when I recorded this very personal and introspective album.

The year after releasing "Open Window" I had a serious wrist injury that permanently impaired my right hand. Although I still use piano on my recent albums, I'll never have the playing dexterity that I had for "Open Window." There's a slightly bittersweet realization that this album stands alone in my discography.

Robert Rich has helped define ambient and electronic music, with over 60 albums across five decades. Rich began building his own analog modular synthesizers in 1976, when he was 13, and later studied computer music at Stanford's CCRMA while researching lucid dreaming. Rich performs and lectures worldwide. His all-night Sleep Concerts have become legendary.

robertrich.com