SIMON HALE - some quotations…

“For a while, some of the songs were just acoustic guitar, drums, and vocal, but as we added other instruments, the songs began to take on much bigger dimensions. The day we recorded the strings was probably the best day of my life! I didn’t really know what to expect, but Simon Hale did an amazing job - I was literally in tears”
About Spring Awakening ”I collaborated with Simon Hale, he actually just got involved with the project and he did string arrangements for 14 of the 20 songs. We just recorded these 14 string arrangements at my studio this past Tuesday and Wednesday, and he's amazing. I just sit there and I'm blown away by what he does. So Simon and I have kind of orchestrated it together, and it's amazing to hear what he comes up with.

I need to thank Simon Hale, who should be up here with me tonight because he did these amazing string arrangements for our show, and we worked together for ten years and he is awesome. (Duncan Sheik, Tony Awards June 2007)

“The extra layers of emotion provided by the detail and design in the (string) arrangements are a major ingredient in the success of the listening experience” www.talkinbroadway.com

“..to Simon Hale who arranged & conducted the strings on this album, your work is truly brilliant and has made all the difference to this album” “Simon Hale who arranged the orchestra ..gave the song a depth of orchestration….a real thrill, you knew you had a winning song on your hands….he came up absolute trumps” (Jay Kay - Jamiroquai)

“Thanks a million for the great great work. You’ve done us proud with a phenomenal job” Ian Brown

“Deserving of special mention are Simon Hale’s string arrangements, which are as perfectly matched to the grain of Brown’s sound as Robert Kirby’s once were to Nick Drake’s.” Gavin Martin, The Mirror

“the swirling string arrangements of Simon Hale, which lends the album a melodramatic politicised tone akin to Curtis Mayfield's mid-Seventies work.” Andy Gill, The Independent

“But the person deserving most credit here is string arranger Simon Hale, who adds a symphonic breadth to the loping hip hop and funk rhythms, transforming Brown's ideas into music which sometimes sounds as if it belongs on the soundtrack to a movie such as Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon.” Paul Taylor, Manchester Evening News

“Beautiful orchestral arrangements by Simon Hale” Mick Hucknall, Simply Red

“the spectacular sonic fields of Simon Hale’s top-flight string arrangements” (James Hunter, The New York Observer)

“There are places on Humming (Duncan Sheik 1998) when Simon Hale’s string arrangements match those on Five Leaves Left (Nick Drake’s 1969 album whose string orchestrations remain the ne plus ultra of elegantly moody art-pop arranging), in delicacy and atmospheric intensity” (Stephen Holden, Arts & Leisure, The New York Times)

“Simon Hale’s string arrangements, which swell and sweep in bold, dramatic accents” Gary Graff ABC News

“the tune is enhanced by elegant orchestral arrangements courtesy of Simon Hale” Mac Randall mylaunch.com

“He is incapable of writing an unmusical phrase” (Don Ray, Music Supervisor CBS Television)

“He has a vivid sound imagination” (Sir Georg Solti)

“some wonderfully subtle string orchestrations..the classical analogy is enhanced by the presence of a chamber ensemble called The London Session Orchestra, performing some superb arrangements created by Simon Hale, often recalling the melancholy strings on Nick Drake's classic Five Leaves Left”…”wonderfully sensitive orchestral arrangements of Simon Hale”

“the superb orchestrations of Simon Hale make this CD a genuine "ear-grabber:" George D. Graham.

“The cinematic string arrangements, the deliciously superfluous woodwind flourishes, and the wistful tone of the album are highly reminiscent of (David) Sylvian's moody, autumnal compositions. (Duncan) Sheik's songwriting, while strong as ever, continues to rely heavily on the moods evoked by longtime arranger Simon Hale's sensual violin arpeggios and melodic cello lines” Chuck Colman The Yale Herald, Inc.,

“Simon Hale is an absolutely amazing string arranger, and he's done loads of stuff. For me the coolest thing about working with Simon is the depth of his musical knowledge. I can talk to him about Stravinsky and Rachmaninov and Chopin, or we can talk about Zeppelin. And he understands it all, and everything in between…..he's just amazing to work with, man .he just knows music, and he understands how to make things work with things other than just acoustic instruments” Brian Transeau (BT)

“Simon has been another gift. I’ve always liked his work and he developed our ideas. He‘s a humble musician, with a strong British sense of humour. I was deeply moved by his music” Eric Mouquet (Deep Forest/Josh Groban)

“Simon Hale has provided us the most beautiful string arrangements and inspired me in my musical creations” Bluey, Incognito

From Incognito’s 2006 release Bees & Things & Flowers; “a creative interpretation of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer in the City”, Simon Hale’s exquisite string arrangements have personality to spare during the song’s introduction. Whereas street sounds served the original 1966 hit, the strings create palpable dissonance and tension, like cracks in the pavement”