About the Music...

Randy Demmon's compositions include a Concerto for Flute and String Orchestra titled Interplay, a Concerto for Fleugel Horn and Orchestra titled Larch Hills and a choral setting of John Mcrae's In Flanders Fields. He has written dozens of arrangements for instrumental ensembles and voice including many unique versions of Canadian songs

Place Settings, published in 2009, is a collection of original piano music with an unusual approach and format. Most of the songs carry titles linked to places in British Columbia, mainly from the area around Salmon Arm where the composer lived as a child. In the preamble of the book there are short stories about each of these places/titles which provide a personal insight as to their significance. Each piece appears twice in the book, first in a fully written version suitable for classically trained pianists and then in lead sheet form. The "lead sheets" are meant to encourage pianists to explore and improvise using the harmonic information in the fully written format only as a reference.

A simlar format is used in the book of Christmas Songs titled Cool Changes. These arrangements of traditional holiday fare feature alternate harmonies and rhythm patterns which inject new life into these beautiful melodies.

Of the piano tunes in Place Settings, Don Thompson, the legendary Canadian bassist and pianist says, “these are really great tunes!" Michael Woytiuk, the talented pianist and teacher based in Montreal wrote “Randy Demmon has created a collection of masterpieces. These pieces are captivating with great melodies and intriguing harmonic invention.”

Excerpts From "Place Settings" CD...

HYMN (FEBRUARY 10th) is the first piece in the "Place Settings" collection. It is written in a form similar to the chorales of J.S. Bach.	Listen Now
SALMON RIVER SAMBA. The Salmon River originates near Douglas Lake in the B.C. interior and empties into Shuswap Lake near Salmon Arm.	Listen Now
HAIRPIN BLUES is a blues in the key of F starting on a G chord. It has several twists and turns along the way, and is aptly named after a delightful sideroad that curved and plunged steeply through an orchard on a hillside named Broadview, just outside Salmon Arm.	Listen Now