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NightShade Productions • 49 Thorndike Street • Brookline, Massachusetts USA • 02446

Discography

Recordings as a harpsichordist

1. Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti - Titanic Audiodisc Ti 18 (1976)
2. Harpsichord Music of William Byrd - Titanic Audiodisc Ti 25 (1977)
3. Concerti of Two Harpsichords (transcriptions by Tom Pixton of originals by Antonio Vivaldi, with harpsichordist Edward Parmentier) - Titanic Audiodisc Ti 45 - (1979)
4. Harpsichord Music of J. S. Bach - Centaur Compact Disc CRC 2015 (1980)
   

Recordings as an accordionist,
vocalist, and producer

1. Rags to Racenicas: Flying Tomatoes - Nightshade NS104CD (1995)
2. Passport: The BiCoastal Band - Nightshade NS105CD (1996)
3. South by Southeast: The Pinewoods Band - Nightshade NS108CD (1999)
4. Celebrate Fifty Years of Dancing: Boston Branch RSCDS CD (1999)

Reviews as an accordionist

"Tom Pixton's robust Cajun accordion was wonderfully strong, his singing in the uniquely hollered Cajun style both rowdy and lilting." - Scott Alarik, Boston Globe, April 29, 2000

"The New England Romanian Ensemble was excellent, its wondrously dissonant music masterfully played." - Scott Alarik, Boston Globe, December 15, 1997

"...notable performances contributed by accordionist Tom Pixton and violinist Susan Worland of the New England Romanian Ensemble. These masters of their various arts have the true spirit of performance, and they project their enjoyment across the footlights." - Jon Lehman, Boston Patriot Ledger, December 17, 1997

"...contagious, klezmer-flavored craziness of the New England Romanian Ensemble." - Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Phoenix, December 19-25, 1997

"New England Romanian Ensemble Triumphs Again:" Folk Arts Center of New England, Newsletter, Winter 1998:

"From the first wayward notes of the opening pan flute solo, those of us fortunate enough to attend the Folk Arts Center's Benefit Bash concert knew we were in for a remarkable experience. This year the New England Romanian Ensemble was joined by Damian Draghici, a fourth-generation Romanian pan flute virtuoso now studying jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Damian plays with unearthly clarity: The sound is pure and sweet; each note has a shape and a meaning; each note contributes its part to the inexorable forward motion of the music; and each note touches the heart. This is the very best that music can be. This is world-class musicianship, no matter what the instrument, no matter what the style. Such virtuosity on an instrument as difficult and treacherous as the pan flute is little short of miraculous.

"The New England Romanian Ensemble is itself quite a remarkable undertaking. It is led by the indefatigable and multitalented Tom Pixton, whose well-thought-out program gave each of the lead musicians a chance to shine. In the "Suite from Famous Pan Flautists," Damian Draghici played music from the great pan flute virtuosos who preceded him--including Damian's own ancestors. Tom Pixton treated us to plenty of accordion fireworks, and songs sentimental and lighthearted by turns. The "Maramures Suite" featured Susan Worland's sweet and soulful violin playing, ably accompanied by Ralph Iverson and Jack McCreless. Patrick Yacono took the lead on gajda for the lively bagpipe dance Cimpoi. For me, though, the high point in the concert came in the "Dobrogean Suite," where the melodies passed back and forth between the pan flute and the accordion. Here Tom Pixton's usually brilliant accordion playing took fire from Damian's lead and achieved some of the same preternatural clarity as Damian's pan flute playing.

"Also worthy of special note was the Ensemble's other guest artist, bassist Massimo Biolcati. Bass players are often the unsung heroes (or villains) of musical ensembles. Massimo played with a verve and energy that enlivened the concert from beginning to end. If I didn't know better (Massimo is actually an Italian jazz musician), I would have sworn he had been born and grown up playing this music.

"Barbara Pixton on tambal and Julia Poirier on tambura contributed throughout with solid rhythmic and harmonic textures. All in all a remarkable achievement by the New England Romanian Ensemble." --Toby Weinberg, Folk Arts Center of New England, Newsletter, Winter 1998

Reviews as a harpsichordist

"Harpsichordist builds rich show" - Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 7, 1983:

"Tom Pixton, the Boston-based harpsichordist and harpsichord builder, performed yesterday in the Art Museum's Gartner auditorium. He was actually appearing in both capacities, since the instrument he played was one he built just this year.

"His program was heavy with Bach (five preludes and fugues) and Scarlatti (six sonatas), with introductory forays into the music of Frescobaldi and William Byrd.

"Pixton is an assertive, almost Romantic player. He likes to tackle demanding showpieces, which he performs briskly, with sturdy fingers and good articulation. He will pause dramatically to point up a fermata in the music, and he seldom lets sag the tension created by long-spun musical lines.

"He began with three Frescobaldi pieces in observance of that underrated composer's 400 birthday. Then came a Byrd group, including two fantasias and an aria variata called "The Maiden's Song." In all these pieces, Pixton's command of the keyboard was firm. Polyphonic voices were well delineated and rapid running passages cleanly delivered.

"The same high technical level held up through his set of four preludes and fugues from Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" - those in D major, E flat major, F sharp major and A major from the first book. After intermission, he added something rather unusual to this list - the early A minor prelude and fugue (BWV 894), one of Bach's most overtly brilliant and virtuosic. He tossed it off with real flair.

"The Scarlatti sonatas - two each in D, F sharp and B flat - were highly virtuosic in character. Pixton took all that flashy music at risky tempos, and was able to sustain each piece to its brilliant conclusion. It was an impressive technical display on his part.

"The two-manual harpsichord he played, modeled after a 150-year old original, has a clear and liquid sound and speaks evenly in all registers.

"Pixton played quite well and most of the music he chose came from the top shelf of masterpieces. - Robert Finn, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 1983

"Tom Pixton, a striking and intense young man from Boston, played the harpsichord with dedication and enthusiasm." - Francis Church, Richmond News Leader, September 1982

"Pixton's playing is done with a good sense of overall design, moves to a splendid climax, and is powerful and brilliant." - Early Music Magazine, April 1982

"Mr. Pixton brings a refined sensibility to his performances. The instrument that Mr. Pixton built, modeled on a harpsichord by J. D. Dulcken from 1745, has a wonderful sound and is particularly responsive to his fine sense of articulation" - The American Recorder, November 1981