This page contains a brief overview on the album CHARLIE PRAWDZIK: Dreamworld. Learn more about the artist and explore the track lists and website. If you find any information that needs to be corrected, please let us know.

 
"A true esthete for the jazz idiom, Prawdzik's new CD Dreamworld explores beautifully some of the lesser played standards..."

--George W. Carroll/The Musicians' Ombudsman
www.georgewcarroll.com

THINKING MAN'S MUSICIAN

Playing with the likes of Louie Belson, Lou Marini, Johnny Desmond, Jake Hanna, Bill Chase The Decastro Sisters, Jerry Jerome and Bobby Rosengarden over his 45-year jazz career, Charlie Prawdzik is a musician's musician.

Beginning as a professional pianist while still in high school, Charlie moved on to the University of Notre Dame and graduated with a degree in music theory before spending nearly 35 years as one of the most sought after jazz pianists in Dallas.

While at home with his tight-knit trio on Dreamword, he is as comfortable in a big band and also remains one of the most demanded vocal accompanists in South Florida, his home since 1995.
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FROM THE MUSICIAN'S OMBUDSMAN ...

Romanticist, Inveterate romantic, aesthetic....These are words I can only use to describe jazz pianist Charlie Prawdzik's CD version of The American Songbook. A true esthete for the jazz idiom, Prawdzik's new CD, "Dreamworld" explores beautifully some of the lesser played standards, as in the case of the stunning jazz ballad "To Love & Be Loved" from the film "Some Came Running." I must say Prawdzik exhibits a formidable level of interpretive feeling to his playing. Plus, he's an utterly interesting personna to watch as he becomes 'one' with his instrument.

He offers the listener two originals as well, as part of this project: "Cantique" & the signature song: "Dreamworld." At first thought, one allows that music is the ideal vehicle to convey emotion through the use of sound, & touch, (as in the case of piano), etc. It should be therefore clear that even the raw materials of our own emotions have little correspondence to the raw materials of music. I bring up this comparison to affirm that a strong emotional element is present in the original work of Charles Prawdzik. These originals which he renders, undergo a conscious formalization @ his hands. Prawdzik's original music presents us with a carefully distilled & crystallized example of emotion itself. This musical experience can only edify the listener, & make us all the better for our efforts.
NB: Anyone interested in this fine disc can order @:charles941@webtv.net

George W. Carroll / The Musicians' Ombudsman
Website: http://www.georgewcarroll.com

EXPERIENCE CLASSICAL JAZZ

Musical expression and human emotion intertwine to form an array of interpretative experiences. While some music collections successfully target one emotion or experience, a far more appealing compilation allows listeners to tie their own reminiscences to each individual tune.

Dreamworld, a cascading progression of jazz selections with a smooth, classical feel, successfully accomplishes the latter.

Charlie Prawdzik combines two originals with the likes of Chopin, Mancini, Berlin, and Styne to form a collection of moving, classical themes and tight-knit, up-tempo compositions. The result is a pleasant and emotional stroll through works that span 170 years, each painting a unique and personal picture for every listener.

Supported by Mark Nuenschwander's classical bass technique and Chuck Parr's steady drum punctuation, Charlie has simply arranged compositions he likes to play, and the results are exceptional.

"A Beautiful Friendship" by Stanley Styne and Donald Kahn, (Jule's and Gus' sons, respectively), begins with a smooth feel. Previously recorded by the likes of Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney, this warm instrumental version allows a quick, but comfortable escape into the music.

"Prelude" reaches back into 19th century and then seamlessly becomes a contemporary, thoughtful jazz piece wrapped around Charlie's tight improvisational technique.

"To Love and Be Loved/Some Came Running," is a mini-medley beginning with a Jimmy VanHeusen-Sammy Cahn tune--a moderately paced bossa nova. The arrangement is then transformed into Elmer Bernstein's moving love theme from the 1959 movie starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. It features Mark Nuenschwander's arco virtuosity and is the most moving piece of the entire compact disc.

"Look for the Silver Lining," a Jerome Kern-Buddy DeSilva tune written for Kern's 1920 musical Sally, was popular through the 1940s and returns here with its up-beat, happy disposition.

"Cantique" is a light, prayerful Charlie Prawdzik original written in 2001. The tune stays true to the entire collection's theme and maintains a thought-provoking progression throughout, while its last two chords appropriately say "Amen."

"They Say It's Wonderful," Irving Berlin's up-beat composition from the 1946 musical, Annie Get Your Gun, features Chuck Parr's steady rhythm and quick-time ability while operating within a well-established framework built at the keyboard.

"The Sweetheart Tree" was written by Henry Mancini for the movie, The Great Race, with Natalie Wood singing the Jerome Kern lyrics. Mancini had an uncanny ability to combine classical and jazz elements in his compositions. Charlie adds his own spice to make it a perfect fit.

"Israel," the Johnny Carisi standard in minor, appeared first on Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool in the early 1950s. It appears here, however, as a nod to Bill Evans, who later recorded numerous versions of the tune, and whose technique and talent has been a great influence for Charlie for more than 40 years.

"I Fall In Love Too Easily" is a beautiful Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn ballad Frank Sinatra made famous in the 1945 musical, Anchors Aweigh. A contrast to the more-complex, "Israel," its undeniable romantic signature is vintage Styne.

"Dreamworld," is a Charlie Prawdzik contemplative love theme that influences a variety of emotions and appropriately sums up the entire work. It does so not as a "farewell," but instead conveys a dreamy reminder that this collection will be there whenever listeners get the urge to escape or reminisce--an urge that Dreamworld will encourage again and again.

--From Dreamworld liner notes

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Track List:
1. A Beautiful Friendship
2. Prelude
3. To Love & Be Loved/ Some Came Running
4. Look For The Silver Lining
5. Cantique
6. They Say It's Wonderful
7. The Sweetheart Tree
8. Israel
9. I Fall In Love Too Easily
10. Dreamworld

Suggested CDs:

• Rick Gallagher
• George Mitchell

Other Genres:

• JAZZ: Smooth Jazz
• EASY LISTENING: Lounge
• FEATURING PIANO