<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi List,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I wanted to share with my fellow piano = technicians, information about a project that I have had the pleasure of being = involved in recently. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For the past year, I have been working = with the Japanese artist, composer, pianist, Ryuichi Sakamoto. It's been quite an = extraordinary year for me. Two tours (US and European) and several = recording projects including the opportunity to accompany him to Brazil to record = music by the late Antonio Carlos Jobim. That recording took place at Jobim's = home and I was the first technician to have the opportunity to work on the = composer's piano since his death in 1994. (mid 80's Yamaha C-7. The piano took = quite an environmental beating in the last seven years but that's another story! )</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sakamoto's latest project is a = recording to benefit the worldwide anti-landmine campaign. Perhaps many of you are = familiar with this worthwhile charity. The late Princess Diana Spencer did quite = a lot to make the cause known. Fortunately, the campaign is still quite active = and the need is greater than ever. If you have ever seen the footage of the = children and adults that have been killed and maimed by the ordinance left behind = after various worldwide conflicts, you would not soon forget it. Landmines do = not know peace. These explosives stay hidden in the earth for decades after a = truce is signed and 2000 innocent people are killed or injured every = day!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We have just completed five days of = recording in New York of a song that Ryuichi composed to be released next month = to coincide with a live performance and satellite broadcast that will take = place in Tokyo shortly after the song's release. It is quite an ambitious project = and all proceeds raised from the CD and fundraising efforts will go directly to = actual landmine removal in places like Cambodia, Mozambique, Angola, = Bosnia-Herzogovina (sp?) et. al. All the artists and technicians involved (that includes = piano technicians!) have donated their time and services to help make this = effort as successful as possible.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Please take a moment and click on one = of the links below to familiarize yourself with this truly worthwhile effort and if = you find it in your heart, make a donation.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.tbs.co.jp/zero/en/intro.html">http://www.tbs.co.jp/zer= o/en/intro.html</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://www.tbs.co.jp/zero/en/artist.html">http://www.tbs.co.jp/ze= ro/en/artist.html</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="http://zero.tbs.co.jp/en/">http://zero.tbs.co.jp/en/</A></FONT></= DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Phil Romano<BR>Myrtle Beach, = SC</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A href="mailto:romanop@attglobal.net">romanop@attglobal.net</A></FONT></D= IV></BODY></HTML>