GREG MCCALLUM

• Frederic Rzewski: Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues

"Here's an imaginative recital...within the conceptual framework, there's tremendous variety, both in the familiarity of the repertoire and in its idiom. Then, too, all of the newer music is worth hearing. McCallum's own Hymn Quilt makes an excellent centerpiece... McCallum makes strong claims for the music, showing himself to be equally adept in the sweet lushness of the Still and the mechanistic drive of the Rzewski. The sound is good, and the booklet offers extremely thorough notes and an excellent collection of vintage photographs, too. All in all, warmly recommended."

- FANFARE NOV/DEC 2004

Southern Quilt features piano works written by either Southern composers or those inspired by Southern culture. This recording creates a tapestry from the diverse musical styles and human experience that the American South has witnessed over the last two centuries. By integrating the distinct genres of American Romanticism, contemporary composition, ragtime, folk, gospel, avant-garde, blues and jazz, Southern Quilt chronicles the evolution of a rich musical heritage. The album shows the profound influence that Southern culture has had on American music from the Civil War to the present. Many of the compositions on this recording help keep Southern idioms alive in the contemporary music genre. Southern Quilt celebrates both the history and rich culture of the South and the diversity and expressive power of the contemporary composer’s voice.

Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869)
The Banjo (1854-55)
The Last Hope  (1853-54)

Kerry Mills (1869-1948)
At a Georgia Campmeeting (1897)

Greg McCallum (b.1964)
Hymn Quilt (1998)

Kenneth Frazelle (b.1955)
Blue Ridge Airs I (1988)

Julie Harris (b.1948)
American Triptych (2000)

William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Summerland (from Three Visions) (1936)

Frederic Rzewski (b.1938)
Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues (1979)

MSR Classics