Introduction
Welcome one and all to Alan Seidler Online at www.alanseidler.com. Alan has always been a multi-dimensional character. Depending whom you’re talking with, he’s either a serious and innovative contemporary composer (nominated for the 2007 Pulitzer in Music) or a half-crazy pianist/singer/songwriter who added more than his share of zaniness and unique personal flair to performance venues throughout the U.S. and the Indie recording industry of the 1970s. Though Alan has continued to flaunt his unconventional interests and behavior through the three decades since, his primary focus has been and is to this day on conceiving, forming, molding and perfecting his serious, striking, and beautiful works. One fact no one who’s ever interacted with the man can deny, however, is that Alan Seidler is a difficult man to pin down.
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bob and I’ve spent most of my adult life as a free-lance photographer doing magazine cover shoots, working with the advertising industry and as time moved on, designing websites as well. I first met Alan in 1994 and have been both happy and honored to count him as a good friend for the past fifteen years. His natural kindness, generosity of spirit, and decidedly off-beat, unpredictable and infectious sense of humor, his command of nearly every genre of pop, blues and jazz as singer, songwriter and one of the truly outstanding pianists of his era, and most significantly, his genius as a respected and truly important composer of contemporary music for the concert hall have all combined to make him one of the most unforgettable human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing.
Since the introduction of the modern-day PC in the early ‘90s, colleagues, friends, fans and admirers urged, pleaded with, and sometimes even begged Alan to start up his own website or at least give in to the creation of one, but despite his deep respect for technology and science, (not to mention his unselfconscious love of attention), he hemmed, hawed and just plain refused, knowing he had neither the time nor the technical know-how to approach a project of those dimensions. Finally, Alan gave in after being assured that his personal responsibility to the Site’s creation would begin and end with submission of some biographical information and an occasional write-in to the curious and the faithful, so I suppose I was “elected” as designer and Webmaster until my move to Seattle five years ago.
This month, as we celebrate the eighth anniversary of Alan’s website, you are viewing a totally new and exciting edition of Alan Seidler Online under the creative design and craftsmanship of Mike Lee, the third person to occupy my former role. As you browse on, you can read Alan’s story in his own words as well as a new and complete annotated discography of Alan’s recordings on vinyl and CD and listen to excerpts from his music. Further on, there is a space for blogs, comments and questions, and you will have the opportunity to buy Alan’s works available on CD directly from the site, especially the recent Albany Records release of ALAN SEIDLER: VOCAL AND CHORAL WORKS 1990-2006, featuring his mesmerizing choral symphony, The Mystic Trumpeter with brilliant solo artists, the world-renowned Collegiate Chorale and the groundbreaking Orchestra of Our Time conducted by founder, conductor and fellow composer Joel Thome.
In closing, many people have been selflessly helpful in contributing to the creation and continuing evolution of Alan Seidler Online, and Alan wants to express his profound gratitude to them all. To quote Maestro Thome, “Run—don’t walk to discover Seidler!”, and paraphrasing my own words from the first edition of this website, all of us who have been involved with the site and with Alan himself over the years truly believe the best is yet to come.
Sincerely,
Bob A. Grant
Founding Designer and Original Webmaster (Retired)
ALAN SEIDLER ONLINE
