With the extraordinary participation of Maestro Claudio Simonetti (Goblin), the Woodmoon collective has released a new single in the week leading up to Halloween, on digital stores and Bandcamp. "Halloween Came First” is a Classic Rock tune playfully mocking the stereotypes of one of the most beloved and controversial folklore traditions.

Initially available on all streaming platforms, the single will later be released as a limited edition 7″ with splatter coloring, get your copy at http://www.woodmoonrock.com/shop .

The project has involved Matteo Ciminari on theremin, Marco Mattei on drums and Roberto Di Rosa on bass. All musicians have decided to donate to the Emergency N.G.O. the proceeds from the sale of both physical and digital copies, including all royalties deriving from licensing and streaming.

The Woodmoon Project is a collective of musicians led by Kristian Sensini and Jan Mozzorecchia, who have collaborated over the years with National Geographic, PBS, Verizon, Fox, Felt Music, Mediaset and Rai to create soundtracks for Cinema and Television. Claudio Simonetti clearly needs no introduction, as an international composer and musician, he is known to the general public especially for having composed many soundtracks for Italian and American films, including the unforgettable hits for Dario Argento's movies. He has also composed soundtracks for George A. Romero, Ruggero Deodato, Sergio Martino, Lucio Fulci, Lamberto Bava, Castellano & Pipolo and Salvatore Samperi. Kristian Sensini: composer of the soundtrack for the film "Rocks in my Pockets" by director Signe Baumane ( the film was one of the 20 shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2015). Next year will see the release of "My Love Affair With Marriage" the second film by the same director Matthew Modine (participating in the project as co-producer and actor). For TV he wrote the music for the sixth season of "Provaci Ancora Prof" fiction RaiUno (soundtrack by Kristian Sensini and Pino Donaggio). In 2015 he won the "Colonne Sonore Awards" for the music of the film "Rocks in my Pockets. Jan Mozzorecchia, rock guitarist and author, flanks his live performances ranging from the stage of Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles to clubs and theaters in the whole of Italy and Europe, to the activity in the recording studio, also appearing on the platinum album "La Ocasiòn Para Amarnos" (2011) of Mexican singer Maria José. He has collaborated, among others, with Steve Sylvester (Death SS) and Cesareo (Elio E Le Storie Tese). Matteo Ciminari. Composer, guitarist and theremin player. Over the years he has been involved in numerous projects between Italy and England always focused on jazz and experimentation. Rob Star, is a bass player and rhythm guitarist with twenty years of experience both live and in the studio, he has played on many stages across the United States and Europe. Marco Mattei, besides being a drummer in Danilo Sacco's band, is an author and producer with a curriculum that boasts prominent collaborations, including Anna Oxa and John De Leo.

Violist looking to explore new repertoire will be well-served by checking out a couple of recent releases from Navona featuring Brett Deubner.  The internationally-known soloist debuted with the New Jersey Symphony performing a new piece written for him by Lalo Schifrin.  He has performed with numerous orchestras throughout the world and currently teaches at Queen's College in New York City.  He is a frequent performer at the Round Top Music Festival in Texas as well.

Stanley Grill: Remember (Navona NV 6338)

Those coming to Stanley Grill's music for the first time will be struck by its innate beauty.  His music has a gentle lyricism that is particularly well-suited for the viola's warm timbre.  This comes to the forefront in the opening title work, Remember (5 Intermezzi for Earth) which features five reflective movements.  In O, Mystery!, Grill provides echoes of ancient music with more modal inflections and a spun-out idea that grows into a more energetic central section before stepping back in awe.  The centerpiece here is also the most substantial work running just under 20 minutes.  Aphorisms II opens with a gorgeous romantic line that will morph into new ideas in a more stream-of-conscious piece of different slightly-connected episodes.  It is in one sense like a train of thought that leads from one moment to the next, sometimes reflective, sometimes more impassioned.  All couched in traditional musical language that makes it quite accessible and a welcome addition to the repertoire for the instrument.  More angular righting coupled with folkish gestures appears in the three-movement In Memory.  The outer movements provide some interesting rhythmic and virtuosic material with a somber central movement for contrast.  Finally, there are 2 quite stunning movements in Civil War Songs.  The first is a set of variations on "Ashokan Farewell".  Grill's style here is quite in keeping with traditional Americana harmonic styles with a bit of modernism against the lyrical, familiar tune from the Ken Burn's PBS series.  The second movement is a setting of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic".  This is a rather gorgeous collection of music for viola that features some equally fine committed performances.  Thomas Steigerwald serves as the accompanist here making for an equal interpretive partner.

Mother Earth: Works for Viola and Piano (Navona NV 6351) 

Deubner's second album incorporates several works written and some other contemporary pieces.  Two 1970s works by Arvo Part are perhaps the more "familiar" of the works here.  The album includes the meditative Fratres (1977, with its chant-like style) and Spiegel im Spiegel (1978) which will wrap up the album with a final reflective bent.  After a very brief opening work by Polina Nazaykinskaya (For Zayd and Zizi, 2017), Deubner turns to the first work written for him.  Samarthana (2020) is a musical response by Johan Hugosson to the Nepalese earthquake in 2015.  It is a musical moment that invites listeners to reflect on this devastation.  Judith Markovich's Remember, also from 2020, is a result of the recent pandemic and is another chance to look back on important moments in our lives.  It is interesting as well for its addition of a chime to the texture.  Amanda Harberg's Loss (2007) moves us to a more poignant musical language to contemplate the death of someone dear (in this case it was written after the death of her piano teacher). The album takes its title from Maurizio Bignone's 2017 piece.  Programmatically, it serves to connect the other pieces here to our own recent pandemic lockdown and how the earth rejuvenates itself when humanity is somewhat removed from contributing to any number of harmful activities.  Here it helps provide another moment to think about how we might move forward as we return to a new normal.  Stone Rose (2014) is a three-movement work that depicts different aspects of New York according to its composer Ola Gjeilo.  That makes this an interesting companion to these pandemic-related works with that city being one of the American epicenters.  Performances here are excellent and Allison Brewster Franzetti serves as a quite able accompanist for these contemporary reflections on the world and our own place and interaction with it.  The program invites us to contemplate how we respond to these senses of destruction, loss, and connect it to our own stories.  Certainly an interesting collection to explore.