As the title might suggest, the debut solo album
Without Shores was
Jeff Sawyer's chance to set out and explore his own musical ideas without restrictions or boundaries. The talented pianist and composer has long been a staple of the music scene in upstate New York as a session musician, backup musician, and, most recently, as half of the new age duo
Dreamscape.
Sawyer, who attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston, is a talented pianist with a special gift for melodies that work well in the simplest of settings. Much of
Without Shores is presented with only the piano, and those sections where
Sawyer does introduce acoustic guitar, bass, or violin are simple combinations that highlight the pure elegance of his arrangements. On "Northern Island,"
Sawyer's piano is accompanied by a dulcimer; it is an exquisite acoustic marriage entirely representative of an album that is well-written, well-performed, and simply -- though expertly -- produced.
Without Shores succeeds because of
Jeff Sawyer's compositional and instrumental talents, and one can only assume that he will have much to offer musically in the future.