Composer Ted Jacobs was presented with a concept - turn the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson into song. "I knew Stevenson as the author of Treasure Island and Kidnapped," he recalled. "The poems transported me back to my childhood. I felt that if I were to undertake this album, I had a significant responsibility to these words and especially to the author." The result were the 1999 and 2000 albums, A CHILD'S GARDEN OF SONGS and THE DAYS GONE BY.
Now Jacobs has returned to those poems once again. "Twelve years later, it is an honor to play in Stevenson's garden again," he said. His new CD, BACK TO THE GARDEN, presents another dozen orchestral celebrations turning Stevenson's prose into verse.
A self-taught piano and guitar prodigy (at age five), Jacobs became a staff writer at Sony Music, producing songs for various artists. His songs have appeared on SCRUBS, CHICAGO HOPE, and ACCESS HOLLYWOOD, among others. But he has returned to his Stevenson project for the simple pleasure it has given him to produce children's music.
Of course, reviewing a CD of poetry turned to song means that I quote the poems:
we may see how all things are,
seas and cities, near and far,
and the flying fairie's looks
in the picture story books.
It's good to have the ocassional CD for the newborn to six year old set. The 10 year old has his own tastes, but we need to create a selection of (age-appropriate) selections for the baby. Jacobs' newest release harkens back to simpler, more innocent times. And that strikes the right chord for us.
BACK TO THE GARDEN is available on September 20, although MP3 downloads are now listed at Amazon.com.
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