Illusions, by James Grigsby

Illusions

by James Grigsby

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$10 USD

1.	Levitation of Princess Karnac 03:13	info	buy track
2.	Expert at the Card Table 02:05	info	buy track
3.	Orange Tree Automaton 02:55	info	buy track
4.	Selbit's Sawing 02:20	info	buy track
5.	Pepper's Ghost 02:23	info	buy track
6.	Escape 02:25	info	buy track
7.	Cups and Balls 02:02	info	buy track
8.	The Mind Reader 02:18	info	buy track
9.	The Sphinx 02:09	info	buy track
10.	Cabinet of Proteus 02:40	info	buy track
11.	Hat Trick 02:17	info	buy track
12.	Phantasmagoria 03:05	info	buy track
13.	Asrah 02:59	info	buy track

about

MUSIC INSPIRED BY MAGICIANS AND THEIR CLASSIC ILLUSIONS

James Grigsby founded Rotary Totem in 1984 as a production company for his creative projects,including albums with the musical ensembles Motor Totemist Guild, and U Totem.

As Glenn Astarita noted in All About Jazz, “Grigsby’s music while demanding and complex is also liable to become light-hearted or whimsical...Grigsby’s shrewd and at times roguish compositional style is strikingly impressive; hence, his somewhat legendary status in the so-called progressive music industry."

After completing the 2006 album "Songs for Adults", Grigsby took a hiatus from music and concentrated on writing stories and screenplays. This period was capped by the publication of his novella "Vexations", in 2016 - illuminating the events surrounding Erik Satie’s love affair with artist Suzanne Valadon in fin de siècle Paris.

James Grigsby returns to music in 2022 with his first solo album, "Illusions", a set of thirteen compositions inspired by classic magicians and their signature stage illusions and parlor tricks. Grigsby has a lifelong fascination with the history of stage magic, especially the innovative magicians associated with the classic period of magic in the late 19th century.

Each piece in Illusions is scored with a unique instrumentation, ranging from chamber ensembles with featured instruments such as hammered dulcimer or prepared piano to a full symphonic orchestra with an expanded percussion section. To bring his scores to life, Grigsby collaborated with conductor/sound-
designer/percussionist Timothy Corpus.

The album liner notes include a short history of each of the thirteen illusions that Grigsby has interpreted in sound. The musical selections are organized into two acts, and Grigsby has created a video for each act that includes samples from the music along with text and illustrations about each illusion. – see www.youtube.com/user/RotaryTotem

Mike Eisenberg of Avant Music News remarked about "Illusions", “To stuff this much musical coherence into such a small box is a special talent... Grigsby does it on all 13 tracks. Each and every one of them is fully fleshed out and exquisitely developed in their brevity... There are so many references, styles, moods, and emotions embedded in this music that trying to mark them all would be, really, hard."

credits

released November 8, 2022

Music by James Grigsby

Sound Production by Timothy Corpus

CD version available via Ebay
www.ebay.com/itm/334621156019

CD version available via Wayside Music
www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Products/Grigsby-James-Illusions-CD__RT-spc-10.aspx

Video Previews available here:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCEgKzr754BfLqpaifg2Rfxdf_A7gdHJL

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about

James Grigsby / Motor Totemist Guild image

James Grigsby / Motor Totemist Guild California

James Grigsby founded Rotary Totem in 1984 as a production company for his creative projects, which include albums with the musical ensembles NIMBY, Motor Totemist Guild, and U Totem.

rotarytotem.com

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