NUMBERS, COLORS AND PEOPLE (2009)

Recorded in one day at Philip Glass’s studio, the album is all instrumental piano with a soft pedal style that would become Shapiro's trademark. A truly Ambient work, it shows how far American Ambient has come since the days of La Monte Young or Windham Hill's George Winston. While neither avant- garde or completely soporific, the music has all the richness of Debussy and Satie coupled with the crystal clear production of Michael Riesman and mastering of Michel Geiss. Not only is it the place to start with Shapiro's oeuvre, it also contains the classic tracks Quiet Kissing and Mint Green. The latter’s astonishing success on the Internet and as theme music belies its origins. In fact, Mint Green was directly inspired by the Cocteau Twins's track My Truth from their 1993 album Four-Calendar Café.

INTIMATE CASUAL (2012)

An album of hazy piano instrumentals that took two years to write. Eschewing fancy studios with fancy pianos, Shapiro opted to record at his Brooklyn home using his Suzuki upright piano. It incorporates a mute damping pedal that enhances the gossamer feel of its ten beautiful tracks. Possibly one of the finest Ambient piano albums ever recorded, the album also includes Shapiro’s cover of Energy Flow, the famous solo piano piece by fellow New York resident Ryuichi Sakamoto.

PIANO 3 (2016)

Another jewel in Shapiro’s rich chest of music, the opening track, the Cocteau Twins inspired Royal Purple, conveys a rich serenity and an almost stillness in Ambient calm which pervades through out the album. The 14 pieces include new compositions alongside some of Shapiro’s favorites from his catalog of music written for theater and film.

Album notes by Mark Prendergast, author, The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Trance— The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age

Release Info:

NUMBERS, COLORS AND PEOPLE (2009); Airbox Music Catalog #AB11; UPC / EAN: 634479934766

INTIMATE CASUAL (2012); Airbox Music Catalog #AB20; UPC / EAN: 885767496873

PIANO 3 (2016); Airbox Music Catalog #AB23; UPC / EAN: 889211690053