This article first appeared in the Garden Island Arts Council publication ARTS in its January 2006 issue • copyright 2006 by The Garden Island Arts Council

Walking Home–First CD by Sylvia Partridge

by Anne E. O'Malley

Thinking of recording your first CD? Get ready for a whole new set of lessons. So says Sylvia Partridge, whose new CD titled Walking Home is coming out.

“Wow! Is this a growth process or what?” she says.

	Photo by Anne E. O'Malley

She bumped into all sorts of decisions such as learning to identify, honor and stand up for her own vision even if she didn’t fully understand it intellectually; learning the patience to wait until the vision becomes clear; learning to say yes and no in new ways; learning to be persistent and to keep the finished product in mind; learning to solicit opinions of others while also respecting decisions of her own; and finally, learning to be willing to spend the money it takes to express her vision—even though it took a few tries and was painfully expensive.

With the learning there were also high points for Partridge, such as being in the presence of creative performing artists who understood and expressed the vision of the music and added their own creativity. Says Partridge, “Recording with sympathetic artists is my idea of real fun!”

In the end, it was all worth it, and she’s about to be basking in that warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s called love.

“I named the CD Walking Home because my deepest intention is just to share the love that we all have in common,” she says.

“Being in the love is like being at home—it’s a feeling of sharing and belonging and togetherness and joy.”

Where did all this music come from? Steeped in music from an early age, it seems natural that Partridge turned to a life surrounded by music. An accomplished musician, songwriter and composer, she says she gets an initial hit when she feels a song starting.

“With Hanalei Bay the start was a short, three-note rhythmic phrase that kept repeating in my mind,” she says. “When I realized that the word Hanalei was three syllables and that the phrase and the word fit together, the whole song unfolded from that point and my experience and love of Hanalei was expressed.”

Beautiful Child may have awakened her. Or something did, at 3 a.m. one day, and that’s when the words came to her. “I wrote them down and sat at the keyboard working out the chords,” she says. “It happened quite fast and I resisted all temptations to write more words or music. I love it as it is.”

Partridge, who studied music theory and composition, had written a number titled California Samba for a 17-piece jazz band. Her song I Love You Dear started once she decided to use the 12 chords she used in that earlier jazz composition. It’s on the CD twice—Manulele sings it with Mike Smith accompanying on guitar and Randy Carnevali on bass; and Smith does it as an instrumental. Partridge says she’s not finished with that particular chord progression and wants to use it still again as a musical signature.

“I deeply love Hawaiian music and listen almost every morning to KKCR,” she says. “I can feel the absolute beauty of the poetry. Entering and winning first prize at the Kaua’i Composers Contests in 2003 and 2004 influenced me to do a CD of my music—I have Nathan Kalama and his friends to thank for that.

“The process of composing is uplifting—I feel a deep interest and concentration and commitment come over me. It’s important to take the time to craft it as best I can. The chords I use have an emotional content for me—some of them have their own deeper message beyond words. For instance, I am still devoted to the chords in I Love You Dear.” I want to do more with them.”

Look for Walking Home by Sylvia Partridge in music shops and at CDBaby.com.