Welcome to Cornucopia Music
Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organised in time. [Wikipedia]
The Synthetic Jazz Orchestra is a reincarnation of the artist formerly known as Vee LAN. This ensemble comprises a collection of virtual instruments played by virtual instrumentalists created by its very real artistic director Carl Nicholson.
This musical rebirth has resulted in the re-release of some Vee LAN classics, some digitally remastered to HD wide-screen format, others kept in the original format, some purely music tracks given a new lease of life with a video “frame” and, of course, some entirely new works with the promise of more to come.
This is the official home of the Synthetic Jazz Orchestra and is the starting point for all things musical on this site; here you will find:
- Albums – my audio albums and links to my BandCamp account and individual videos
- Videos – link to my You Tube channel and videos
- Featured music, musicians and activities (below)
Caveat: Those watching on mobile devices will experience some quality degradation as these videos are designed to be watched on large HD screens with CD quality sound.
Featured Music, Musicians and Activities
(see also Posts and Events calendar)
Pete Judge
Trumpeter, pianist, multi-instrumentalist and composer, Pete has had more lives than the proverbial cat. Visit his website and see for yourself his various musical incarnations and prolific artistic output.
Belinda O’Hooley
Watching her solo performance at the Kitchen Garden Café in Birmingham I was literally moved to tears by her beautiful playing and singing and by her sheer humanity – she spoke so lovingly of her wife and young son and, in true folk tradition, offered many songs about life and love, fears and struggles showing both humour and compassion. But traditional she is not, as her album “Inversions” attests to. As Grayson Perry is to pottery she is to folk music: a rebel with a deep sense of irony whilst at the same time respecting the skills and traditions of her art form. Go see her and buy the CDs; you won’t regret it. She is also to be found playing as a duo with her music and life partner Heidi Tidow; for more detail see their website O’Hooley and Tidow and also Belinda’s wiki entry.
Thomas Ruez
Amazing guitarist I discovered when I was living in Munich. It’s taken me a while to track him down but I’ve now managed to get all six of his published CDs. Quite an eclectic collection, crossing the traditional barriers between classical, folk and ambient. His relaxed style and fluency give his music a major feelgood factor. Not so keen on the vocals.
2 Cellos: Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser
Mind-blowing cello duo strut their stuff.
Brad Mehldau
Playing at the Jazz à Vienne music festival in 2010. Currently my favourite two solo piano pieces.
Paul G. Terry
Lovely videos and beautiful music. Paul is also an excellent music teacher; I had some lessons with him before he moved away from Brighton. He has some great resources and you can book lessons here.
Paul Terry – Last Chance
Latest offering: a sort of Pink Floyd meets Jean Michel Jarre with amazing graphics.