'First Snow' was composed, arranged, performed, programmed, mixed, mastered, directed & produced by myself - Augustus Black - at Woodshed Project Base in Bristol, UK. All of the instrumental parts were performed Live with the exception of the drum part which was sequenced. There are no loops or samples on this track, everything is either played or programmed. Additional Live overdubs were recorded to sync-striped tape (driving my MIDI keyboard rig) at CL Audio & engineered by Claudio Furet.

"First Snow is one of a series of 'stand-alone' instrumental tracks that I've created over the years. It was the first large-scale piece I produced after returning from Tokyo & re-installing my composition studio in Bristol. It's written for 12-piece, piano-led ensemble & features 2 piano solos & 1 lead synth solo from myself - plus additional solos on alto sax, quena & electric guitar.

This track has several rare elements which I will describe because they weren't easily achieved: (1) The elastic form of the intro is dictated by the flowing piano arpeggios, which, though rapid, follow an entirely rubato rhythmic schema - this contrasts with the clock-time of the rest of the piece; (2) the 'winter wind' sounds, behind the second part of the piano intro, were played on quena - susurration without pitch content; (3) the main theme is played on what Frank Zappa once called a 'pinto' - this is a complex, rich sound produced when two or more instruments play a single melodic line in seamless unison - in this case organ & spanish guitar, then alto sax & organ (Note: The group Caldera once used tenor sax, acoustic guitar & alto flute on the melody of 'Seraphim' - from their 1977 album 'Sky Islands'); (4) the complex chord sequence behind the second piano solo is pared down to just two monophonic lines - the electro-voice synth & the synth bass; (5) in the lead synth solo, I added extra reverb & delay to signature phrases in the mix, which is a production technique I learned from George Duke & Rob Smith RSD.

Aside from these musical & technical details, I think with this piece I was - perhaps for the first time - able to fully express my original voice as an arranger and soloist, in a serious yet uncomplicated way. Over the long term, we find ourselves moving from simple to complex - and back to a new simplicity - which has learned economy & finds more musical space. All of that took me a while - so the 'first snow' of the title also refers to my hair beginning to go grey, ha! - after many years as a musical chameleon & hired-gun.

'First Snow', then, is dedicated to my mispent youth - & to my good friend Claudio Furet for his unwavering creative support - whenever called upon - these past 30 years. Other than that - the music can speak for itself." ~ Augustus Black, 2020.