Rapture of the Deep is Bill Lorraine's most recent CD. The Performance of "Rapture of the Deep" was recorded on a Yamaha Grand piano aboard the Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas. Composer-pianist Bill Lorraine plays four of his best piano solo pieces – Barcelona,Rapture of the Deep,The Garden of Eden and Living in the Passion of Love and 8 original songs.
Every summer for the past 10 years I have had a 'Working Vacation' where I perform as the solo piano player for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Much of the music you will hear on this CD was inspired by the many exotic places I have visited. Bill Lorraine, composer.
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This gospel song, "City of No Regrets"is sung by Key West Conch (native Key Wester) Eddie Castillo. This song is about living a life without regret. It is often sung at funeral celebrations in Key West.
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This melody came to me while walking around the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain, my home port for 3 years while working as solo piano player for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Barcelona is one of the best walking cities in Europe.
The one-of-a-kind festival in Key West every October, Fantasy Fest, inspired this Caribbean-style song, “Key West Island Fantasy.”
“Key West Island Fantasy” is sung by Key West legendary musician, Coffee Butler, a Conch (born in Key West). This was the official song for the 1980 Fantasy Fest celebration in Key West.
British singing sensation Lynsey Simon has a long and impressive career as a singer on British television and theater. She is now a regular attaction on the best cruise ships sailing in Europe. She sings "Every Time I Feel You More," a romantic song about a love affair that takes place in Rome.
Sunset in Key West is a daily celebration. Every evening, thousand of tourists and locals meet at Mallory Square to watch the sun sink into the ocean. I wrote this music during one of those beautiful natural light shows.
My favorite city in all the world, Venice, Italy was my home port for several years when I was working as solo piano player for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. On my day off, I was the first person off the ship in the morning.
A Key West Kind of Christmas” is a new Christmas song about the wonderful difference between Christmas in the warm tropics and Christmas everywhere else in the cold wintertime, and the unique way Christmas is celebrated in Key West, where the sun is hot and the tropical breeze is present on Christmas day. Sung by the young singing sensation, Key West soprano Lina Robles.
Sometimes it is important to use music to express a thoughtful message in the lyrics. This is the case with my song, "All Along the Border. This rock song, “All Along the Border” is sung by legendary rock star Wayne Kramer of the Motor City Five (“Kick Out the Jams”). This song takes a hard look at poverty and the shameful homelessness we have in America, where in some places, homeless refugees, living under bridges, are begging from the poor.
This music was inspired by the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, this piano melody is my wife Ann’s favorite of my piano melodies. It was recorded onboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Legend of the Seas, while we were in our home port of Barcelona, Spain. I was working on the ship as their solo piano playe
This song is a love song in the best French tradition. I was playing piano at Harry’s Bar in downtown Paris, France. This melody came to me as I was walking the beautiful streets of Paris, on a moody rainy day. Recorded while aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship while docked in Venice, Italy. I was working on the ship as the solo piano player.
This ethereal melody came to me while relaxing on the beach at Villafranche, France. My cruise ship was in port, and it was my day off, and the world seemed far away. I was working as solo piano player on the ship. I recorded this music later that day on one of the grand pianos on the ship.
Daydreaming is the pass-time of the artist, that mental state where the suspension of reality engages the imagination, where ideas, images and music often come from. “He’s off in dreamland,” some say, ridiculing the practice of daydreaming, but creative people who crave new and exciting ideas understand, and they daydream all the time. I wrote this song while sailing through the fjords of Norway. I was working as solo piano player for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
“I Remember You” brings back memories that I love – special people at that moment when everything was just right – a certain place together, a glass of wine, a special restaurant, a special moment, when the outside world just disappeared and the moment was ours..
The impressionist music of "Rain" is evocative of a tropical summer rainstorm in Key West, from the slight spray of sprinkles, to a hard downpour, to thunder and lightening, to great sheets of rain, going sideways, soaking everything is sight. And then, at the end, the gradual letup in intensity, dripping to a stop, with the sun reappearing, only 15 minutes after the storm began - a typical tropical rain storm. Recorded by classical pianist Jeffrey Chappell, one of the finest pianists in the world today.
The intense piano music of "Rhapsody for Piano" is inspired by the Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin. Perfromed by the classical piano master Jeffrey Chappell.
The Frangipani Blues is a blues song about the fragrant flowering Frangipani tree, whose pink and white and yellow flowers decorate the island of Key West. Our hero has the blues because his baby has strayed, for the night, but all is not lost, and forgiveness is in his heart. A wonderful sweet perfume is made from the Frangipani flowers, a favorite of the island girls. This song was sung by legendary Key West singer Cliff Sawyer.
Sometimes it is important to use music to express a thoughtful message in the lyrics. This is the case with my song, “Occupy - We are the 99.”
“Occupy - We are the 99” is a musical anthem written to support the national grassroots movement about income inequality in the United States.
Sung by legendary bluesman Bill Blue, this song is about the grassroots movement about the vast inequality in the distribution of wealth, where less than 1% of the people own 95% of all the money, real estate and businesses in the US, a threat to the movement for Democracy and equal justice for all people. The movement is leaderless and has no political platform. This song was written and recorded with no money changing hands. All the musicians, singers and sound engineers donated their time and talents to make this song possible.
It ends with a long drum circle. I encourage you to learn it and play it live at Occupy events that bring this important message to the attention of world. The song is easy to play – it is in the key of G, and there are only 5 chords in the entire song.
It’s the Crack That’s Evil, but not the Ganga” is sung by my friend from Jamiaca. This is a song about marijuana and its relatively harmless effects, as compared to crack cocaine. Reggae is the most unique style for the pop composer. Its infectious rhythms are unlike any other style, and it carries with it the tradition as a medium for social change.
Reggae is the most unique style for the pop composer. Its infectious rhythms are unlike any other style, and it carries with it the tradition as a medium for social change .
The rock guitar instrumental song is almost a lost art form, but I still love writing songs like “Mystery Man.”.“
Mystery Man” is performed by master guitarist Woody Allen, a founding member of the band “The Survivors.” This melody follows a long tradition of instrumental rock music. The rock guitar instrumental song is almost a lost art form, but I still love writing songs like “Mystery Man.”
Writing a love ballad that is new and original, but not saccharin and trite is perhaps the most difficult job for the pop composer. “Lost in Love” is a song about a man truly in love for the first time. He can hardly believe his good fortune in finding this beautiful woman and knowing that she feels the same way about him. Deep inside, he knows he will stay with this woman and build a life around her. Sung by R & B crooner Emil Justian.
The spoken word in pop music tells a compelling story. In “Hurricane” the story is about the devastating hurricane that struck the Florida Keys in 1935.
This folk-rock song, “Hurricane” is a true story about the Hurricane of 1935, the largest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States. It hit Long Key in the Florida Keys and killed hundreds of people. Ernest Hemingway, living in Key West at the time, helped in the clean-up effort after the storm. Vocals are by rocker Barry Drill, in his best Neil Young-like voice. Narration is by the Jamie Alcroft, best known a part of the comedy team of Mack & Jamie. He tells the chilling tale of the moments before and during this giant hurricane.
I love the groove and tight rhythms of R & B style. Lay a smooth crooner’s vocals over these rhythms, and you have a very pleasing sound.
This pop-style song celebrates girls who dance in bars. They practice a unique art form - part modern dancer, part gymnast, part seductress. I am inspired by these girls and their creative craft.
“Barroom Ballerina” is sung by punk rocker Don Cognoscenti. This song is about the beauty and allure of the club dancers, sometimes called “strippers” and pole dancers, who specialize is private one-on-one backroom dancing for big money.
It's fun to write country-pop songs about Key West cowboys, living life in the fast lane, on the edge of the law.
Conch Republic Baby is an upbeat country song about a drug smuggler and hard drinker and his life on the edge in the Florida Keys. These Key West cowboys are easy to spot in sunny Key West. They live life large, and love their women the same way. Sung by the expressive and charismatic Key West entertainer, Clark Whitt.
t's fun to write tongue-in-cheek songs that make fun of obvious buffoons like Key West drug dealers. Drug Money Cadillac pokes fun at the newly-rich, obvious, drug smuggling Conch Republicans of the 1970’s and 1980’s in Key West. Sung by Key West funnyman and country singer, Clark Whitt.
“Tender Sighs” tells the story of the soft side of a rough-and-tumble country boy, in the country ballad style.
“Tender Sighs” is a country love song sung by Key West legend Dan Mulberry. This song tells the story of the soft side of a rough-and-tumble country boy, in the country ballad style.
Writing for clarinet and bassoon, with no other accompanying instruments, allowed me to explore the many wonderful sounds of these two instruments and their unique sound together. This music was written in the style of Poulenc, Satie & Debussy.
It was a great pleasure to work with two great musicians - Dru DeVan on clarinet and Betsy Griglak on Bassoon. Both play with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.
My home town of Key West is a lot like every other American town of 30,000 population. The differences begin with the palm trees, the unusual abundance of flowers, and the tropical weather. But the biggest difference is the boundry line that forms a circle around the outskirts of our city. Most Americans can hop in their cars and drive into the country, but the ocean surrounds Key West, and the town takes up all the land area. Only a thin string of sandbars and mangrove islands connect it to the mainland 160 miles away.
Before Henry Flagler extended his Florida East Coast Railroad to Key West in 1912, the only way to get to the island was by boat. So the history of Key West is the history of people who had a strong connection to the ocean. Books on Key West's history talk about the wreckers, the spongers, the pirates, the Navy, the shrimpers and the boatbuilders. Many of the first residents were ship's carpenters who built their homes with highly elevated vantage points call "widow's walks" which gave them an unobstructed view of the ocean. In their travels they brought back exotic tropical plant life from all parts of the world - flowering trees, orchids, coconut palms, mahogany, Queen's umbrella trees, and flowers that bloomed all year long like Hibiscus and Bougainvilla.
Key West is located beside a natural coral reef that breaks the ocean's waves six miles out, giving Key Westers calm beaches and crystal-clear water at the shoreline.