[1] Personnel Dave Sinclair : Piano & Strings Keyboard Jimmy Hastings : Flute [2] Article of the Label master's Blog From "Grey & Pink" ( side one ) to "Pianoworks" The "In The Land Of Grey And Pink" album has four tracks on side one (of the vinyl LP). Track 1, 2, and 4 were composed by Richard Sinclair, and track 3 by Pye Hastings. It is generally recognised that Dave's main keyboard feature sound on that album is his organ solo sound, particularly on side 2. Actually I agree that Dave's Hammond organ sound is an integral part of Canterbury Music from that period along with Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge's use of the Lowry organ. Much later in Dave's career, in 1980, he opened a shop near Canterbury restoring and selling acoustic pianos. During the following 25 years, ( doing a 'Proper Job',... ref: Caravan Back to Front album 1982 ) he spent most of his time in front of, on top of, inside, underneath, and behind, many thousands of pianos. It is not surprising therefore that his association with the instrument became even more pronounced. In point of fact, over that quarter century, when time permitted, he spent far more time playing the piano than the organ. With reference to the Grey and Pink album, Dave's fluent and unique piano style is particularly noticeable in the middle section of track 4, where his pointillist artistry allowed the piano notes to create a colourful canvas of delights. The amazing finger work of genius sends the notes skipping and dancing through the passage. When chatting to Richard about this, he agreed with me that it was also for him the highlight of side 1. Since first being mesmerised by that piano solo, it has long since been my desire to produce a series of Pianoworks albums trying to capture the essence of that original sound and feeling. Whether I have achieved my aim on this, the first of the Pianoworks albums, I'll leave it up to the listeners to decide, but for me, I am very pleased with the final results. Although I continue to love the music from Mendelssohn's piano suites “Songs Without Words”, for me this “Pianoworks” album has now taken precedence. posted by Crescent Label Master http://crescent.sblo.jp/article/41955152.html [3] Review from the Italian Music Magazine; Wonderous Stories A long time waiting for such a work by Dave Sinclair, the man who, hopping about Caravan, Matching Mole and (shortly) Hatfield and the North, more of everyone else insufflated “the pink of the melody” into the “greyrosy aesthetic” of the glorious “canterbury school”. Actually his compositional mood had been conveied almost exclusively through a keyboard phrasing mainly expressed by the hammond organ, one of the trademarks of Canterbury scene. Moreover a solo effort is an engaging venture even for a first-class, cunning musician. A chance for a solitary orchestration. A cause for independent melodic inlays. Dave easily stands and passes this trial and shows himself capable of new and unusual landings, revealing his variegated compositional features. Ten tracks where Sinclair exhibits his well known melodic vein with a deep and unpredictable tie to classical music: as a matter of fact we read about “Mendelssohn reminiscences” in his japanese label site. Nevertheless mentioning Chopin is not out of place, mainly in his phrasing on higher notes as in the yearning Frozen in Time. We also hear echoes of a lucid and “post-ethnic” pianistic style à la George Winston (Obama Barcarolle II), yet reworked in a cool and light key, like the sensitive Canterbury, even painted more impressionistic through the timid electronic strings pasteling. Whereas dense jazzy armonies douse Sunlight Through the Leaves. Let us notice finally the excessive beauty of Shine Its Light where the neat and ethereal flute of the great Jimmy Hastings rises among the materic waves moved by Dave’s magnificent and touching piano. Hasting’s presence is definitely successful, it gives that light “jazzy coating” wich makes evrything magically fleeting. On the whole Frozen in Time owing to its sweet elegance could even move you… Vincenzo Giorgio http://www.wonderoustories.it/DAVESINCLAIR.htm