Holly Bowling - Distillation of a Dream: The Music of Phish Reimagined for Solo Piano (2015)

Holly clearly gets it. Her love for the music of Phish combined with her amazing talent at classical piano, creates a wonderful listening experience for both Phish fans and Classical Music fans. This is a must have for any Phish fan but this should appeal to many who are not fans of Phish.

Holly Bowling is a classically trained pianist who began playing piano at the age of five. There’s one major distinction, however, that separates her from other similarly studied musicians. That is Holly’s devotion to the legendary rock band Phish. Having attended over 300 shows by the Burlington-based quartet, she became obsessed by their famous rendition of “Tweezer” from Lake Tahoe on July 31, 2013. It led Holly to transcribe this 37-minute improvisational masterpiece note-for-note and arrange it for solo piano. The process, both painstaking and fulfilling, inspired her to transform other Phish songs and well-known live jams into solo piano interpretations. That journey has ultimately led to her debut album, Distillation Of A Dream: The Music Of Phish Reimagined For Solo Piano, a 2-CD set featuring 15 songs, three of which were transcribed from live renditions, including the initial 7/31/13 “Tweezer” that was the impetus for it all. Holly’s breathtaking interpretations of Phish classics like “My Friend, My Friend,” “The Squirming Coil” and “Harry Hood” are paired with deeper cuts like “Talk,” “Sleep” and “The Inlaw Josie Wales.” The recordings serve not only as a tribute to the modern day kings of jam, but stand on their own as fully developed classical pieces.