Salmon Is A Jumpin'

Composer and pianist John Salmon professor of music at UNC Greensboro. He has performed and recorded both classical and jazz. This is certainly a jazz record, but the music has hints of classical. There are some good compositions here. To my ears, his playing is heavy-handed; I’d like more subtlety and variation in dynamics.

All instrumental. No FCC issues

1 * Mid-fast. Light hearted & cheery. Bach-like intro & references. But it’s still jazz. (2:59)
2 Fast. Heavy pounding. Lots of chords, arpeggios, & rhythm; not much melody. (4:08)
3 Slow, faster at end. Melancholy. A bit like impressionist classical (e.g., Debussy) (6:46)
4 * Fast. Very lively, spirited, melodic. Brings to mind an Ella Fitzgerald song. (2:16)
5 * Slow, bluesy ballad with an old-timey style. A lot of feeling put in it. (5:08)
6 ** Mid-fast. Powerful, exuberant. Touches of South American dance themes. (3:55)
7 ** Varies slow to fast. Mix of modern classical & jazz. Somber, harsh, fascinating. (3:16)
8 Mid-tempo. Fragments of pretty melody blended up with heavy chords. (4:12)
9 Mid-fast. Complex & heavy, fantasy on a popular song. Only fragments remain. (3:53)
10 Mid-slow. He presses various piano keys rather firmly; doesn’t go anywhere. (3:21)
11 * Mid-tempo. Dramatic & stirring with interesting melody passages. (5:04)
12 Slow, peaceful. Written by his grandfather. Between prayer & lullaby. (5:05)
13 * Mid-fast, loud, forceful. A technical showoff piece. Still compelling. (1:08)
14 ** Mid-fast with swing. Hip melody. Very entertaining. Best track here. (2:13)

- Soothing melody, nicely orchestrated
- Songs start slow and picks up speed, but cyclic for the most part - slow - medium fast - slow (in the end)
- Very energetic and peppy

My favorite:-

You can play any songs from this nice collection and it could calm your mind

3 is best - very peppy