Bill Leslie finds Simple Beauty
Bill Leslie has a sensational new release that is truly a refreshing experience for the senses and one new release I feel certain people of all ages will enjoy listening to. Simple Beauty is the name Bill Leslie gave his personified current album and just as assuring like the title suggests, a natural attraction of refined beauty is the harmonious ingredient everyone will find within.
While Bill Leslie is easily recognized as a composing musician and leader of his traditional and Celtic fusion music group Lorica, he is also a 5 time Emmy Award winning journalist and newscaster for WRAL television network and a multiple Journalist of the Year awards recipient in North Carolina. In addition he composes traditional and Celtic fusion music as soloist and in concert appearances with his band Lorica.
In fact Bill Leslie was an early roommate and helpful mentor to popular musician, radio, television, and Entertainment Tonight Show host John Tesh. These good friends have recently had the opportunity to perform together again during a September 2010 concert at Meymandi Hall in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts located in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Simple Beauty is the 2010 all instrumental album now charting in the number 1 position for the month of September at ZMR and reflects the inspirational countryside of The Carolinas, along with a personal improvised structuring Bill had conceived after his studies with renowned Irish musician Michael O’Domhnaill and his Celtic influences.
On the Simple Beauty release Bill composed 10 original songs patterned in accordance with 4 traditional ancient Irish melodies so the composition in entirety results in a highly melodic blend of Instrumental New Age with a Celtic alliance that is harmoniously arranged with a done just right perfection.
Like his early debut Peaceful Journey, which received a number 1 ranking on ZMR World Music charts, Bill’s current has all the hallmarks of reaching equal success. Christmas in Carolina was named Best Holiday Album and I am a River charted number 2 and also contain some wonderful instrumentals.
Blue Ridge Reunion had also secured a number 1 position with Zone Music Reporter charts, along with year ending honors of being named Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year in 2008.
An instrumentalist at heart, Bill Leslie performs acoustic guitar, piano, bass, whistles and keyboards. The musicians in accompaniment on this album are Bill Covington on Grand Piano, Brent Cotton on Acoustic Guitar, Jennifer Curtis on Violin, Nancy Green on cello, Will Leslie on percussion and Linda Metz on flute.
Simple Beauty is an appropriately titled work of harmony whose scenic wonder and peaceful surroundings emerge by the truly great instrumentals, making this current natural and wholesome new release a sensational find for everyone.
Visit billleslie.com to sample / purchase or visit his CDBaby.com page. You can find out the very latest at Bill Leslie’s What’s New page.
Cover photo by Bill Leslie
Steve Orchard shines on Sundancer
One of the more uplifting aspects of being a review publicist is getting to know many of the great artists producing music today on a personal level. In a recent interview with a musician from the U.K. everyone had a chance to learn he had a recording audition during his interview at the record label music icons The Beatles had founded in 1968 called Apple Records.
Steve Orchard is the musician traveling that long and winding road to 54 St. James Street, London to Apple Records and this story is just one of many he shared during our interview together. Everything has come together for Steve Orchard since today he is an MG Music Label artist and representative member of the Medwyn Goodall circle of friends highly revered for their outstanding music and integral voice each artist on the label is known for producing.
Steve Orchard is a multi instrumentalist composing and performing original music for many years on guitar, mandolin, harmonica, keyboards, piano and various skin drums. His prior albums Voyages Beyond Midnight, Salt Water Café & The Consequences of Kisses are great albums too and some earlier songs reveal the fact that Steve is also a fine vocalist.
Sundancer is an emblematic second album in his Trilogy Series and just like first in series Raindancer, nicely reflects the rare qualities of relaxing yet energetic melodies that I felt achieve universal appeal. Moondancer is the third album in the Trilogy Series, which makes this trio a well timed release during the 25 year anniversary events now taking place with Medwyn Goodall and the artists comprising the United Kingdom based MG Music Label.
Sundancer is a glowing accent to the Trilogy Series and where first in series Raindancer, with deeper tones and synthesized rhythms set the mood, Sundancer has a fun energetic symmetry and feel of Island music by a well placed illuminating atmosphere. One element greatly uniting the two is their relaxing yet energetic qualities and multiphase array of percussion rhythms.
The first bold impression of beaming radiance appears in energy driven song Soar. Percussion inscribes an upper tempo outline while keyboards and acoustic guitar imprint pleasing colors by their light but nicely melodic tempering while becoming your first indication the lively sun dancing theme is going to be fun and exciting.
While Sundancer is centered by a primarily upper tempo and is full of energy set in motion by an array of percussion and instrumentals, there are plenty of laid back relaxing moments too and none more apparent in than what you will hear in Lagoon & Tethered. This coequal ambiance with deeper rhythms during refrains are likewise found in the sultry oasis song Heat !
Many songs are layered midst more moderately timed tempos like Rainman, Unrepentant & Deadly Arrow, where an ensemble of percussion and steel drum accents prepare the harmonic profile for acoustic guitar, flute and keyboard contrasting melodies, with brighter phrasing infiltrating the deeper passages with full solid clarity.
Playing in the Sun & Borboletas are upper tempo songs with wood flute becoming the essential melody producer, and where single or long drawn out notes are often heard from others playing either the woodwind instrument or by effect, here a free flowing multiple note melody backed by accordion, keyboards and percussion nicely balance the full of energy attribute.
Pacifica is the positive upbeat song rounding out the 11 total on Sundancer. Knowing Steve Orchard is a bright and serious composer today as he was yesteryear, I’ve got a feeling he had composed Sundancer with a fun and energetic theme in mind all along which is like some of our other all time fun favorites, so for me this is what makes Steve Orchard’s releases memorable eight days a week.
Visit steveorchardmusic.co.uk to sample / purchase the album. The Trilogy Series is also available in the brand new MG Music USB Format. You can learn more about the USB Format at MG Music and then sample / purchase the entire Trilogy Series at mgmusic.ltd.uk. Read our recent interview together on our pages dedicated to Steve Orchard.
Sundancer cover design copyright David Orchard. Picture copyright BigStockPhoto – Albo
The Riad Abdel-Gawad Ensemble
The Chicago World Music Festival 2010 is just concluding their annual city wide venue regularly hosted by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and since the inception in 1999, has entertained over a half million visitors in traditional and contemporary music concerts given by music professionals spanning the globe.
Riad Abdel-Gawad is a violinist just concluding his performances with his ensemble at the Clarke House Museum & South Shore Cultural Center during this international multi cultural event which over the years has had representation of seventy five countries. His concert venues during the Chicago World Music Festival were held just recently in September 2010 and in addition, Riad Abdel-Gawad has extensively toured the U.S. this year with his ensemble from Cairo Egypt. The newly released Egypt : Mother of the World was designed to coincide with his U.S. ensemble tour and the numerous venues where people have had a chance to hear his multi cultural music during live performances.
Riad Abdel-Gawad is a Southern California resident and Harvard graduate with a PH.D in Musical Composition, also a University of Southern California and University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music graduate. When his educational and Western classical influences are joined with his Middle Eastern ensemble a wonderful cross section of music blends into a much broader World influence. Also having toured many countries as a violinist, in addition to a large presence in online radio programming, his recognition has nicely reached an international audience.
Egypt : Mother of the World is his 2010 Middle Eastern, World, New Age, Contemporary release featuring four additional musical talents comprising his ensemble. Egyptian born Riad had written the original compositions and all musicians are highly recognized artists in Middle Eastern music and perform on traditional ethnic instruments so the listener is greatly rewarded with colorful and authentic works of beauty.
The professional musicians playing on this album include Yousri Abdel-Maqsoud on percussion, bongos, duff, riqq ( tambourine ) Saber Abdel-Sattar qanun ( plucked dulcimer ) Hesham Makarem oudist oud ( lute ) and Mohamed Foda ( Fouda ) nayist ( bamboo flute ) The physical CD includes a large colorful 16 page foldout booklet describing the meaning and inspiration behind each piece and makes a nice bonus.
Egypt : Mother of the World is an excellent introduction for those less familiar with Middle Eastern music and for those coinsurers, the album is an unrivaled work of art given by some great talents. Riad performs on a violin tuned several tones lower keeping with traditional Middle Eastern standards and this tuning in tonal pitch does make the recognizable variations apart from Western music clear.
The quality of this professional ensemble and their authentic style of music can be felt from the first of fifteen songs which as it turns out, truly does deliver a wonderful atmosphere while becoming a global festival and cultural event in music.
Visit the musicariad.com website to sample / purchase or visit his Amazon.com page.
Clifford White Story of Atlantis
Creative talent and New Age music are identical terms in reference to the multitudes of creative and influential musicians producing music today. This can be said of all genres of course and just like all genres, New Age had a group of select artists in the primordial years whose earlier influences formed the inception and foundation of our genre.
Clifford White is a musician living in the United Kingdom defining our New Age genre then and this is true today. His biography as a musician began during an era when there was much less of a foundation to build upon and had to rely primarily on his own creative intuition as a vital resource. Clifford White’s inception into the New Age genre first emerged in 1985 at age 17 when he released a phenomenal album entitled Ascension which quickly established Clifford as a leading composer and producer whose music greatly influenced our genre in the early years.
Atlantis is the 2010 MG Music label release Clifford White just produced in his present day Sanctuary Studio in St. Albans, Hertfordshire and it is nice to know his talent for producing outstanding music and creative intuition during modern times is just as ingenious today as in earlier years. Currently Clifford presides over his multi faceted 21st Century New Media Ltd business which specializes in media consultation of Internet, film, software, television and media related training courses. In addition to his musician website he also hosts the New Age Music News website and his presence in the New Age genre today remains on the forefront.
Clifford White has made Atlantis into an exciting Electronic composition based in theme on the lost underwater city adventures first recounted in the writings of Greek philosopher and mathematician Plato. Knowing Clifford has made explorations of his own by using a broad range of influences and innovations with every successive album, these novel synthesizer effects translate into a modern Progressive album that reaches Epic and Cinematic proportions while recounting the ancient city lost beneath the waters.
Atlantis ( Title Song ) is the first of 11 exploratory melodies on this Electronic expedition transcending folklore of the past into a modern day chronicle overflowing with depth and creative imagination. One innovation of many is the unique metrical timing by using the middle C note on piano. Balanced with precision, this synchronized rhythm gives the impression of a heart beating with excitement while the main keyboard melody and regal orchestration begin to herald in this majestic opening song. Catacombs has a more mysterious allure given the ever present key changes made throughout the keyboard melody with percussion timing and synthesizer enhancements furthering this deeper realm in atmosphere like the dreamy sequences in moderately timed song Xtasea.
The Kingdom has Contemporary guitar rhythms along with an energetic beat illustrating a brighter atmosphere to the mysterious underwater city, while the Groove qualities in Time Tunnels with percussion accents also maintain the traits given by these more modern progressive qualities. Voice of the Aegean with a gentle guitar melody resembles the lighter variation of calm like on the song Summit which too conveys a relaxing ambiance by a more moderate tempo. Ascendant & Exodus are comprised of more prominent synthesizer surroundings with percussion sequences of bells, woodblock and xylophone.
The Epic characteristics heard in New World begin to surface during the first measures when beautiful orchestrations given by horns and choir vocals infuse classic imagery of the legendary kingdom of antiquity for which this theme is based upon and like a paradox, Atlantis the album was composed with a modern ideology but where they share common traits by their amazing stories and early foundations that had first began on solid ground.
Visit cliffordwhite.co.uk to sample / purchase his new Atlantis release and then go to his albums page. You can also visit his NewAgeMusicNew.com website then our interview and review pages dedicated to Clifford White.
Cover art by Medwyn Goodall – picture copyright BigStockPhoto – Dirk Paessler
David Clavijo orchestrates The Landing
When listening to New Age music, the multiple genres and subgenres of World, Ambient, Contemporary, Instrumental, Chill Out, and Groove in most cases are heard from one album to another. Today I have a chance to tell you about a novel new release that explores the multitude of influences I have listed throughout the entire album.
The Landing ( Special Edition ) is polarizing by this balancing act of multiple influences and is simply a wonderful feat of artistry from beginning to end, plus The Landing in original form with 6 songs has achieved worldwide airplay while catching the attention of not just the buying public, but some music retailers too after landing directly onto their best sellers section.
David Clavijo from Seville Spain seems to have a natural inclination of what multi influential New Age music is all about and I felt his performance on acoustic & electric guitars along with piano & keyboards are a fine line balance that blends together quite nicely by having these diverse instrumental strengths.
The compositions of David Clavijo likewise have universal appeal after featuring in television commercials, soundtracks, festivals and cultural events held in Spain. In addition, his music has acquired a global audience by extensive radio airtime having also collaborated with many international labels in the Ambient & Chill Out categories, so there are additional compilation projects you can find featuring his original scores.
The Landing ( Special Edition ) has 10 songs and is a natural acquisition for those who like lively instrumentals with wonderful upbeat rhythms since every songs carries at least a moderate or upper tempo with liberal percussion accents. Another point of interest is almost every song exhibits piano and electric guitar harmonies with appealing vocals which nicely enhance the music environment.
Dancing on the Moon features a nice orchestration for the beginning song, where piano, oboe and violin weave a bold and dynamic theme into a colorful interblending that instills a cosmopolitan touch of class. Light soprano vocals with excluded lyrics also regulate this effect on several songs like Distant Love, where electric guitar runs revolve into a memorable Rock styled rendition that is in direct contrast with a lighter piano melody.
One of the more unique methods of exploration is the usage of upper register notes on piano which inscribes a lighter perspective while comingling the stronger melodic guitar runs and deeper tenor vocals. Es Vedra likewise paired mid register piano notes with upper range octaves backed by guitar runs and deeper tenor vocals, making an admirable blend by this interchange.
Sailing in my Dreams projects a more mysterious presence given the deeper keyboards and piano melody accents suspended in moderate timing by bass percussion. The longest song Nowhere gives a wonderful mood to relax with by the lighter arrangement. The World influences in African Spirit are moving by an ethnic choir of children vocals set to a nice percussion rhythm and turns out to be a pretty colorful song.
Las Dunas is the first of 4 new bonus songs added to the original The Landing lineup and like most songs, carries an upbeat tempo and has a modern groove feel with soprano vocals backed by saxophone and guitar. East Winds has a far reaching atmosphere by long extended electric guitar long notes, where Uttara Kanda blends exotic influences from the lands of India and with indigenous percussion, brings a spice of life presence into the picture.
Promises with an orchestra blend is the last song on The Landing ( Special Edition ) and while the Original album was indeed a success, this latest release with the 4 bonus tracks holds even greater expectations for this promising new multi influential release that really is quite special.
Visit davidclavijo.com to sample / purchase or at his CDBaby.com page and major retail outlets. Learn more about David Clavijo at his website profile page. You can connect with David Clavijo on his social network sites MySpace page & FaceBook page.
Picture copyright BigStockPhoto – Copestello
Ann Licater in Doorway to a Dream
Ann Licater has just released a brand new follow up to her opening debut Following the Call, a release which received nomination of Best Native American Album and listing in the top 12 Contemporary Albums in 2007.
This first effort began her journey of recognition as a top solo flutist performing on Native American, World and silver alto flutes and had begun the chosen pathway towards her next success.
Doorway to a Dream is the 2010 release by Ann Licater that again displays her level of expertise in both traditional and indigenous flutes while accentuating the fine attributes woodwind instruments can produce. The 14 original songs and improvisational compositions this time around however are during collaboration with accompanying musicians and becomes a perfect album discovery for those who appreciate the smooth sounds of tranquil and relaxing music.
Ann Licater is well rehearsed in classical silver flutes having began her own journey into Native American & World flutes years ago after listening to the unique sounds indigenous flutes can produce, having studied with master flutist R.Carlos Nakai at the Renaissance of the Native American Flute which nicely reinforces the comprehensive skill level of her already accomplished classical flute studies.
Many of the indigenous instruments Ann plays on this album are selected for their unique tonal qualities and include Native American-style, Chinese Rosewood Xiao, Zapotec Triple Clay, Anasazi and Alto flutes.
In addition to her recordings Ann teaches in workshops and during concerts, describes to her audiences the origins for each of the numerous clay and wood instruments featured during her appearances.
Doorway to a Dream is a natural contrast to her first solo album by inclusion of recognized artists who incorporate their talents and help expand her original compositions by collaborative instrumentation of Middle Eastern Tar, African udu Coral electric sitar, Edo period Japanese shakuhachi, flugelhorn, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboard and World percussion.
Whether you are searching for music with the unique intonation flutes can produce when placed in the hands of an accomplished musician, or simply enjoy the finer sounds produced by music professionals, Doorway to a Dream is a natural choice.
The world class musicians accompanying Ann Licater on various songs throughout this album and you are sure to recognize are Jose’ Neto, Jeff Oster, Peter Phippen, David DiLullo, Troy Arnett, William Hoshal and Shambhu. Mastered by Award Winning Engineer Stephen Hart.
Visit fluteforthesoul.com to sample / purchase or at her CDBaby.com page.
Photo courtesy of Greg Crowder
Michael Stribling tells of Paradise Lost
In the millennium before the nation of America was founded and a new way of life was envisioned, Native Americans lived brave and free throughout the land. History tells of the conflict and injustice imposed upon indigenous people thought to be hindering this new way of life, but in fact Native Americans were already living the proverbial American dream in sacred lands they viewed as paradise.
Michael Stribling has released an album to commemorate the past while honoring every Native American who lived and died protecting their sacred homeland. To me, Michael’s dedication struck a familiar chord concerning our present values and the high price paid to keep the diverse ethnicities comprising the America of today free.
Paradise Lost is Michael’s seventh in an enduring lineage of New Age Electronic albums making an impact in the genre, winning awards and universal acclaim during his years as an accredited musician producing outstanding ambient music. His electronic discography like recent The Promise which dealt with life transitions is indeed a success and in my role as review publicist, quickly identified his exemplary artistry in the first few measures, so Paradise Lost is not worlds apart from earlier albums, but is clearly a monumental one as those familiar with his music would agree.
Paradise Lost has 12 symbolic songs defined by three movements and while retracing the ancestral life experiences of Native Americans, the perspective I determined from this viewpoint ranged from total relaxation to energetic, so you will find Paradise Lost is not gloomy or somber and I felt more epic in nature. Another point worthy of mention knowing this album recounts the Native American experience, conceptual electronic orchestrations are the expressive medium given during this rendition so a harmonious contrast to more traditional depictions by wood flutes, chanting or bass drums.
Prairie Dawn is first of 5 songs to reveal a distant gaze upon the majestic landscape and of people living during this historic period, emerging with a more ambient view of tribal culture where spacious orchestrations echo the expansive lands of our past. French horn heralds in Guardian of the Plains, then strings become like strands of wheat gently moving in the breeze while flute sets the melody upward in flight during Forest Heart.
Synthesizer projects a windswept Eagle Above, River Below, then growing excitement and tempo ensues while racing among the scenic timberlands in Hunting Party.
March of Destiny is first of 3 songs to reference the battle over territorial supremacy and true to song title, a crisp drum cadence is timed in lock step rhythm to a salutary march across the open wilderness while horns make the melodic call to arms. A swirling crosswind of mystery surrounds the more ambient Approaching Storm with blended electric guitar strides and again in Vision Quest where a drifting cloud of haziness finds origins by long extended atmospheric notes.
Paradise Lost ( Title Song ) is first of the final 4 songs to represent the loss of humanity and prized territories, shown by contrasting synthesizer runs, an elevated prominence boldly reaches an ascending summit while heightening the majestic image this project in entirety symbolizes. Lament for the Land is more tributary by a solemn narrative that is likened to the soulful Hymn for the Fallen.
Return to the Spirit World is a song telling of a higher perspective during Michael’s closing adaptation, and while entering into an ever rising plateau of instrumental ambience, each expansive layer also finds equable ground for every note to build a foundation upon, coinciding with the present unified territories everyone observes from every corner pointing North and South, East and West.
Visit the leela-music.com website to sample or purchase at his CDBaby.com page or Digstation.com page. You can also visit Michael where he hosts his free online radio program at leela-radio.com website and our pages dedicated to Michael Stribling.
Cover art copyright Michael Stribling – Picture copyright BigStockPhoto – ta_samaya
Michael Stribling | 
Leave a commentPeter Jennison in Longing For Home
During times of war most sovereign nations remain dependent on men and women serving in the military for defense and protection of their country. While protecting the freedoms and individual rights of private citizens, returning soldiers acquire imbedded memories that last a lifetime and clearly the grandest memory of them all is during the homecoming when reunited with their families.
Peter Jennison is a U.S. Army Captain and MEDEVAC helicopter pilot returning from active duty during the war in Iraq with revealing memories he witnessed from a firsthand perspective. An American living at home in Florida now, his latest CD composed during the time period he served in Iraq is meant to evoke imagery of the conflict as a more peaceful musical experience for every listener, along with providing renewing therapy for soldiers and families upon their return home from service.
Longing For Home ( Songs From War ) is a New Age Contemporary Instrumental release Peter Jennison composed for piano with renown musicians supplying refined instrumentals in most of the 10 songs. This album also has the notation of being a Will Ackerman production and with Corin Nelsen providing the mixing and mastering, their Grammy Award winning expertise can be perceived as a winning strategy by the quality work they produce.
In another strategic move, Peter Jennison enlisted highly recognized artists on his album including Jeff Haynes on percussion, Eugene Friesen on cello and Steve Schuch on violin. In addition, Will Ackerman performs on guitar in one song and vocalist Noah Wilding gives soft vocals on two songs. This album also holds the honor of being some of the last performances given by the late Tom “ T-Bone “ Wolk, a highly regarded multi instrumentalist remembered in part by his outstanding talents.
War is a song with lighter phases in the beginning that build with increasing drama as piano, violin and percussion recreate a battlefield image during a dramatic illustration projected within the arrangement. Nicely shown by a precise context, increasing tempo and percussion rhythms project distant artillery rounds, where chest moving recoil and ejecting shell casings seem all too real.
Peter Jennison composed his album with much regard to stories from the heart and mind. This is apparent in his compositions where most songs portraying a tranquil atmosphere with a strong sense of drama and emotion can be easily felt and is consistent, during his solo piano expressions and in songs with instrumental refrains.
Performing on a Steinway B, the emotional feel of 4 Solo Piano songs; Hold Me in Your Heart, The Promise, Anthem & Longing For Home ( Title Song ) are classic and uplifting yet each one holds a certain melancholy as if telling of the days spent apart from family and the additional weight of uncertainty this carries.
The piano and instrumentals of violin during Time Passage convey this more poignant feeling where piano, cello and bass in High Mountain Dreams has a relaxing atmosphere. The bass guitar and piano duet band together as one in moving song Desert Storms, then a piano melody combined with, guitar, violin and vocals in The One breaks into a resolute wave of harmony, in music finely empowered to portray the sentiment most of us will never experience firsthand.
Longing For Home ( Songs From War ) is indeed told from a U.S. soldier’s perspective, made more real since this story is voluntarily given by someone who has honorably faced and met the challenges war can bring. And while recounting American men and women risking all in service to their country, reverent tribute is given to those lives we honor in memorandum of, also celebrating the virtues of every U.S. soldier as a regular citizen and a beloved family member.
Visit peterjennisonmusic.com to learn more. You can sample / purchase at his CDBaby.com page or Digstation.com page.
Note : A portion of the proceeds from every album sold will be given to charities that support veterans and their families.
Picture copyright BigStockPhoto.com – JustASC
Acoustic Ocean in Reflections on Still Water
Acoustic Ocean has just released a fine new follow up to their debut album release Light Returning and like many of the relaxing destinations of Hawaii where the musicians reside and the song titles suggest, becomes a restful retreat into music that tells of the natural beauty one would experience on the islands for themselves.
Since the founding team members of Acoustic Ocean are skilled therapists and all 4 performers on the album live in Hawaii, their unique perspective with daily experiences of island living have helped recreate the relaxing atmosphere for you.
Reflections on Still Water is a New Age, Contemporary Instrumental album retaining a great sense of calm by 9 original compositions and 1 spiritual melody of instrumental beauty that is clearly prominent from the very beginning.
Peggy Morgan and Bette Phelan, as the former folk singer-songwriting duo Morgan & Phelan, toured together for 20 years performing in the US and abroad at a wide variety of venues which numbers in the thousands. Over the past two decades as a duo their music has been featured on television along with aquiring widespread radio airplay, receiving many awards and notoriety over the years together before founding the New Age artist title we recognize today.
The year 2008 first marked the beginning of Acoustic Ocean and while the genre may have changed, their style in creating original works of relaxing music has fortunately remained constant.
Peggy and Bette are both certified Kripalu Yoga teachers, therapists and have specialized skills in many areas related to stress management so their better living skills enabled a well suited entrance into the New Age genre. On this album the team has enlisted Kay Aldrich playing cello on 3 songs and Anne Berliner on flute in 1 song which turns their wonderful instrumentation into another perspective of beauty.
The album cover shown in Reflections on Still Water gives you a visual hint of the elemental beauty you will hear, plus with the primary instrumentals of Celtic harp, Dulcimer, mandolin, acoustic guitar and fretless bass, the mental images of this restful destination reflect an even clearer picture, translating into a relaxing sound experience all within easy reach of the imagination.
Visit acousticoceanmusic.com to sample / purchase or their CDBaby.com page. Learn more about this team at their morganandphelan.com website.
Cover photo copyright Bette Phelan
Interview with Gandalf
Gandalf is an internationally acclaimed composing musician and producer from Vienna Austria identified as a New Age, Contemporary Instrumental and World artist. During the past 30 years of his career, his progressive music and global persona has helped neutralize the customary social borders in multicultural music for years.
Gandalf is currently planning a future orchestration to celebrate his 30 year Anniversary in 2011 and this composition will become the centerpiece to mark the celebrations. There is also a live performance in Vienna scheduled to accent the occasion of his milestone achievement and becomes the first topic for discussion during this 2010 interview published prior to his 30 year anniversary.
The affiliate website hosts for NewAgeMusic.nu & NewAgeMusicWorld.Com are excited to bring our visitors the present day interview John Olsen has conducted with this global musician and invite all visitors and fans to learn even more on our respective website pages dedicated to Gandalf.
John : I wanted to first thank you myself Gandalf, and on behalf of our visitors for taking time away from your more creative endeavors. I feel certain our visitors and your fans do appreciate this present day opportunity to learn more about you and the outstanding music you produce.
Many are already anticipating your 30 year anniversary you have slated for 2011 which will be here before long, and currently you are planning a new orchestration project with live performance in Vienna to accent your milestone achievement. Is everything being kept a secret for now or can you provide some details about your next orchestration and the live concert event scheduled for 2011 ?
Gandalf : At this stage I don´t want to tell much in detail about the new project, this will all be presented due to the launch of the album and the concert in 2011.
The composition is meant to be the essence of my musical excerience and development in the past three decades. The leading instruments are guitars, piano and percussion, a small symphonic orchestra (woodwinds and strings) and a male choir.
The work is in good progress, a lot has already happened, but there is still much to do. Currently I am finishing the orchestral score, the recordings are planned in October. The album producton shall be finished until the end of this year.
John : Thank you for the insight you have provided. Your 20 year anniversary was quite extraordinary which included your first live performance in Vienna and the CD / DVD collection on the BSC Music label titled Live In Vienna. Would you describe what your first live concert felt like on a personal level and was your first stage performance the positive experience you had imagined ?
Gandalf : Actually, this DVD/CD is the first official release of recordings from a performance in Vienna, of course there have taken place a lot of performances prior to this one. My really first big performance in Vienna was in 1982, when the album Visions was released. I had just started my career a year before and the reponse from the audience was a real sensation, the concert was completely sold out (more than thousand people) and the album climbed up to #2 in the album charts over night. This was far beyond my imagination! It was just great and lifted my motivation to continue with my work.
John : In addition to your studio recordings you began venues of live solo concerts on acoustic guitar and piano in the United States, along with live concerts in Austria, the Netherlands, and during Woodroot Festival in Germany. With the increasing number of venues, are live performances more rewarding for you as a musician than studio recording, and if so why ?
Gandalf : A live performance can not be compared to anything else, this is where the music happens in the very moment. Today performing live is more important for me than ever. If you record an album in the studio you spend much time to get your performance recorded as perfect as possible, on stage you only have this one chance and that is the fascination about it, no song sounds exactly the same twice, you never know what is going to happen every other night. And sometimes there is real magic and you can feel it from the first note you play and the audience can feel it. I would not want to miss this.
A live performance can not be compared to anything else, this is where the music happens in the very moment. Today performing live is more important for me than ever.
Gandalf
John : What was the early turning point where you decided to pursue music as a career and could you tell us about your music history throughout the years ?
Gandalf : After having played in various Progressive-Rock lineups during the Seventies I found out that I had a musical vision which I could not realize with a conventional band so I started experimenting in a very simply equipped studio at home just on my own, playing and recording all instruments by myself. And this was the first time I really felt satisfied about my work so I recorded my first album Journes To An Imaginary Land and my friends were so enthusistic about the result, that I played the material to someone from a record-company and I got a contract.
That´s how it happened, I just followed my intuition and after some time I realized that I was able to make my living from making exactly the music I played out of my heart.
John : The Gates to Secret Realities was the transitional album during your move to World music influences. What was the defining moments or reasons for your decision to begin composing World influenced music ?
Gandalf : My travels to India and other countries opened up my horizon and I found out more and more, that music is a universal language. It has the ability to dissolve borders between different cultures. There were so many elements in music from other parts of the world that inspired me and I wanted to integrate such influences and expand my personal style, trying to create some kind of a Global Music.
John : During your continental travels, what experiences and ethnic cultures have led you to discover and then recognize music as the unifying source that indeed helps abolish the boundaries in various musical styles and categories ?
Gandalf : The first special encounters I had in India when I jammed with musicians there. We were not able to communicate much by words because of our different languages, but we had so much fun communicating through music.
Also on my Brazilian tour in 1995, I could not speak Portugese at all, but the music opened up the hearts of people and the feedback was amazing.
This was where I met Emily Burridge from England. She had lived with a Tribe of Indians for a while and was very inspired by there way af looking at the world and their rituals. So when we played together in Brazil, we decided to record an album together, and this was Gates …
John : You are referred to as The Painter of Musical Landscapes plus your music has a story to tell. What thoughts, images or message do you hope your listeners will acquire from your music and what are the ideal circumstances where you are most productive in composing music ?
Gandalf : Nature is the most imortant source of inspiration for me, this is where I find my balance and open the channels of my creativity.
Over the years I found out, that the music already tells its story, whether I am aware of this or not. It reflects my inner landscapes and feelings. If you for example play it to children and let them paint, the pictures that come out show symbols of love, peace and hapiness, so there is not much else I need to tell people besides the music itself. Sometimes a story that accompanies the music is nice but not really necessary.
John : Your music has been featured in television and video media productions. I wondered if you find visual scores more challenging to produce than your more traditional album compositions, and how do they differ when you begin composing ?
Gandalf : It is just, that your inspiration is initialized by a different source. If there is a certain story you want to express by your music, you first must get fully into the story and then, the pictures or the words will evoke musical ideas.
Sometimes books can be inspiring, I did project with lyrics from The Prophet by the Libanese writer Khalil Gibran, and also wrote a soundtrack to the book The Stones Of Wisdom by a friend of mine, Ronald P. Vaughan.
Basically, every impression in your life can be an inspiration for a new piece of music. On fair in Los Angeles I once met a painter, he told me that he is creating visual songs, so I said, I am creating audible pictures.
Over all the years I tried to follow my musical vision as honest as possible and did not try to adjust to any market or trend-situation and I think this is one of the reasons, why I am still here. If you try to bend your personal way due to fast changing marketing situations, you may soon get lost.
Gandalf
John : In the early years you were highly regarded mainly in Europe and other countries prior to your current widespread recognition and status in U.S. markets. Did acquiring a presence in broader international markets influence your music style to fit European or American tastes or was your transition to each country non apparent in your music identity ?
Gandalf : I never really cared much about such matters, it happened more the other way round. When my musical style changed throughout the years it became more or less interesting for different markets. For example, back in the Eighties when I had some Spanish guitar on the opening track of the album The Universal Play it suddenly was released in Spain and South America. Over all the years I tried to follow my musical vision as honest as possible and did not try to adjust to any market or trend-situation and I think this is one of the reasons, why I am still here. If you try to bend your personal way due to fast changing marketing situations, you may soon get lost.
John : Again, Thank You Gandalf. B.T. Fasmer and I do appreciate this present day opportunity to present our visitors this interview and we will both continue writing more about you in the future. Before we go, is there anything you would like to tell your fans or bring up we haven’t mentioned ?
Gandalf : I just want to thank you and everyone who helps promoting my works and all my fans for purchasing my records and thus helping me to carry on with the music.
We now invite everyone to visit the gandalf.at homepage then read his biography page. Visit BSCMusic.com website to purchase / sample his music, then read our pages dedicated to Gandalf.
Gunnar Madsen by his own Two Hands
Some young adults begin their early working careers by taking whatever job is at hand and find the road to success. Some hope to achieve the road to success when handed the family business. Either decision requires talent and determination of course, but the universal message often heard about either choice is to always have your individual hopes and dreams.
Gunnar Madsen from Berkley California has achieved an impressive level of success most would hope for at this stage of his bright career. You can visit his website to learn all about his career choices through the years and I feel his grand success as a Grammy Nominated pianist and award winning composer, singer, writer, sound designer, filmmaker and actor are career decisions that might have even impressed his family.
Two Hands is the New Age, Cinematic Piano, Instrumental 2010 release from Gunnar Madsen and eighteenth CD he has produced. This album is a more especial and innermost portrayal of his musical works in relation to his earlier compositions with the a capella group he founded called The Bobs. His first solo album Spinning World is a closer likeness with Two Hands, in a uniquely diverse discography that includes award winning family CDs, an Epic Orchestral recording and even a pop art Rock album titled The Power of a Hat.
The recipient of countless music and theatre awards, his Grammy Nomination was for a song arrangement by The Beatles and has received ASCAP Awards for 15 consecutive years, plus his music is featured in some episodes of the widely popular HBO series Sex and the City and films Breaking the Rules, A Special Providence, The Break Up & Just a Kiss. Gunnar Madsen also does voiceovers, providing the film voice for Don Cheatle when he portrayed Sammy David Jr. in the Emmy Award winning HBO film The Rat Pack and this is just a partial listing of many credits during his career so far.
Two Hands was recorded at the industry regarded Skywalker Sound Studio and includes 16 songs total. Three songs have contrasting instrumentals where notable guest violinist Irene Sazer, a member of the improvisational Jazz and Classical group Turtle Island String Quartet lends her elegant expressions.
The first violin portrayal by Irene Sazer on Kerenyl is more subtle while gently tracing the melodic depth on strings as Gunnar leads on piano. Ordinary Day & Red Bird make a beautiful piano and string duet from the pair, extending the symmetrical harmony on each song while interblending into a narrative full of melodic drama.
Solo Piano ballads of Cinematic proportions are the sequential songs where Gunnar reveals the innermost reflections of his work and in a manner of classic distinction. Outlined with a conceptual feeling of depth, some of the more melodramatic and intriguing phrasing performed on songs like Nino and Me, Down Moon & South Trail are offered with a personalized touch.
Frank Grows Flowers responds with an upbeat tempo and imaginative runs while dancing along the piano keys in every measure and the lighter reflective moments, yet none the less expressive songs The Blackbird Whistling, Brandon & Oak Sky are more introspective in their structuring.
Break into Blossom begins with a lighter metrical sway and soon unfolds into bolder imagery by exploring a more robust presentation of greater intensity before returning into restful state of contentment and has a resemblance in style with In These Lonely Regions & Down Moon, given the more pronounced dynamics of diminuendo and crescendo variances.
Much like the memoir notes on the inside album cover detailing each composition, Gunnar Madsen traces every song on Two Hands with a gifted accounting of his diverse imagination while delivering a beautiful finger to key statement and like the valuable reward of success that is never just handed to anyone, it all began from the talent and determination of an individual who started with and continues to have, hopes and dreams.
Visit gunnarmadsen.com to sample / purchase or visit his CDBaby.com page. You can also purchase at Amazon, iTunes and most music outlets. Read more about Gunnar Madsen on his biography page.
Picture copyright BigStockPhoto – jocelynbaker
Jeffrey Fisher Portrait of Satyagraha
When one takes a moment to consider what daily life would be like without The Arts, everyone can quickly realize that more traditional teachings of math, science and biology are vital to every one of us individually, but the expressions of music, painting and poetry are an equally consequential part of our culture and personal identity.
Jeffrey Fisher from Southern California has chosen to make The Arts his principal focus during his diverse life as a composing musician. While some might pursue more fundamental scholastic studies, the more conceptual and creative aspects of art, poetry and teaching have nicely become a mainstay to his more individual endeavors and this reflection is transferred to his music. Natural surroundings and his unique inner imagination are on display again by his current nature inspired release.
Satyagraha – Songs of the Earth is his New Age, Ambient, Meditative, Instrumental 2010 release drawn from the imagination and past experience of this multifaceted artist who has improvised well while composing and performing music in nearly every genre.
The album title Jeffrey Fisher chose of Satyagraha translates to read The Power of Truth and references the non violent and principal ideals of Gandhi. In addition Satyagraha became the name for his nature retreat in the San Jacinto Mountains where this album was first brought to the surface and then recorded.
Satyagraha – Songs of the Earth is a nature inspired album that represents the serene and dramatic virtues of nature as realistic and one of natural beauty, much like the artistic rendition displayed on the accompanying cover art Jeffrey Fisher himself has painted using watercolors.
In a similar representation of the portrait shown, his music is serene and even though a performing artist on numerous instruments, his melodic improvisations on a 160 year old bass violin is the primary instrument for instilling color and the harmonious points of view in his music.
In accompaniment with the natural warm tones of bass violin, most of the 8 songs on the album are blended with the woodwind tones of Navaho flutes, keyboards and percussion which intermingle with the essential brush strokes to paint the final picture of nature using a very personal touch and with the artful imagination one would expect from both a musician and individual.
Visit HealingMusicoftheSouthwest.com to sample / purchase or at his CDBaby.com artist page.
Satyagraha cover art copyright Jeffrey Fisher
Premiere of Ground Swell by David Mauk
Music and Movies are two of the most popular internet search terms used today. These two forms of entertainment by themselves are enough to spark our interest alone yet when audio and visual productions are merged into a movie soundtrack, film score or popular music video, the results achieve an even more exciting sights and sounds experience.
David Mauk from Las Vegas Nevada is a composing performer with plenty of experience in the entertainment business while advancing in popularity from his 12 Months debut released in 2009. His first album created much excitement for many and equally so for David since 12 Months received nomination at ZMR for Best Electronic Album and also earned David a Best New Artist nomination for the year.
Ground Swell is his 2010 release, unique not only by the great mood effect of his classic yet easygoing electronic compositions but some songs were inspired by American realist painter Edward Hopper and Ground Swell is a CD / DVD collector’s edition that beautifully captures the early American century with Cinematic drama and makes a nice collection by any standard. The 5 bonus video clips are nicely correlated with his unique brand of classic electronic music and are a beautiful addition to the audio CD since the extra sensory effect of video makes it easy for anyone to visualize his ambient music becoming a modern times movie score.
The National Geographic Society has already realized the dynamic effect of his compositions by integrating as their official music with many exhibits including King Tutankhamun, Golden Age of the Pharaohs, Real Pirates and Cleopatra museum exhibits, in fine music that enhances the experience for every museum visitor.
David Mauk has given everyone 2 excellent reasons to appreciate his music in 2010. The Ground Swell CD alone is a free flowing natural display of bright ambience offered with a harmonious and casual impression, plus the DVD greatly points out the Cinematic enchantment that makes his music special.
Ground Swell is in effect an Ambient, Electronica, New Age album with a total of 14 songs. The 5 song descriptions I will provide from the CD are ones also listed on the bonus DVD, in this all inclusive CD / DVD collection and you will find the 9 additional songs are sequential to the atmosphere and ideals this album in entirety represents.
Dawn in Pennsylvania has a singular piano melody backed by a deeper synthesizer profile that gives depth to the overall bright and casual mood and is effective at producing a story line of realism by a light atmospheric point of view with cymbal taps and percussion enrichments. Summertime is like an ode of joyous celebration the summer season always represents, marching right along in attitude by a majestic piano movement. Lower piano octaves maintain the rhythm while upper ranges move up and down the scales in half steps while bell tones ring in the seasonal event.
Chop Suey relies on tenor drum and percussion rhythms as a prelude to keyboard producing the light staccato note melody with a casual feel. During refrains the dynamics are rearranged to a deeper tenor and nicely embolden the song while adding tonal drama. Queensburo Bridge carries nice rhythmical metrics by strings subtle back and forth sway while light synth notes and key changes introduce sparkling overtones into the melodious theme.
New York Movie is a dreamy song that transports you to a different place and time with strings becoming the prevalent character in the lighter melody. Percussion plays a more indirect role by sharp woodblock notes and when xylophone enters, the soft percussion detailing projects nice sparkling tones in a secondary rhythm.
David Mauk made 12 Months an impressive introduction into New Age music. Ground Swell is another fine classic that makes musical entertainment an even better experience, offering his appealing to the senses experience like the premiere attractions many people are searching for at this very moment.
Visit the davidmauk.com homepage and then sample / purchase on his music page. Learn more about David at his MySpace page and then our pages dedicated to David Mauk.
Cover art copyright Kelly Stamblesky – Smith. Picture copyright BigStockPhoto.com – Ondrej Garaj
David Mauk | Leave a commentInterview with Steve Orchard
Steve Orchard is our interview guest today at NewAgeMusic.nu & NewAgeMusicWorld.Com and we welcome our visitors and Steve’s fans to read the recent interview John Olsen has prepared with this outstanding musician. We invite everyone to learn even more on our pages dedicated to Steve Orchard.
John : Thank You for sharing a moment of your time with us today Steve. B.T. Fasmer and I appreciate this opportunity and I am certain your fans are excited to have this chance to find out more about you too. Steve, would you provide a timeline description of your music studies beginning with your earliest introduction to the present ?
Steve Orchard : Yes, Well I probably go back to piano lessons at 7 years old and then combining guitar lessons at 8. My one fault would be that I have always been an impatient, inquisitive player of various musical instruments always wanting to discover how things worked quickly and then improvise. As my Father would say, “Jack of all trades and master of none”.
I played a pretty mean trumpet in the school band and enjoyed singing in the church choir. My family was very musical. I had an aunt who was a piano teacher. When she regularly visited us, from Birmingham, she would want to hear my progress. She once nearly keeled over when I produced the sheet music for What a Day for a Daydream by The Lovin’ Spoonful ! Outrageous !!!
One side of the family were very properly trained with piano & violin playing and into classical and show tunes, whereas my other granddad was a pub pianist. He ‘vamped’ and ‘boogiewoogied’ his stuff and played harmonica at Christmas parties…. It was hilarious when I think back. It seemed to me that he was more joyous in his approach to music. It’s a belief I still hold today that made me a little rebellious in my approach to making my own music. At an early age I bent a wire coat hanger so I could play harmonica & guitar at the same time, just like Dylan & Donovan. It only resulted in me nearly losing an eye and breaking a tooth. I was the school ‘show-off’ doing plays & pantomimes and guess I fancied a career in something to do with the performing arts. Like most kids I was influenced by the pop of that generation.
I was into that ‘Hippy’ thing and meditated, burnt incense and read a lot of Buddhism….
Steve Orchard
In my teens I enjoyed the diversity of progressive rock, like Yes & The Moody Blues, also the gentle folksy guitar melodies of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, plus the piano troubadours Billy Joel & Elton John & also, the early electronic sounds of Tomita & Mike Oldfield. I was into that ‘Hippy’ thing and meditated, burnt incense and read a lot of Buddhism…. Took myself a bit too seriously! I was a bit of a ‘geek’ and lived for my music writing little tunes with terrible pretentious lyrics from about 15, spotty, years old.
John : You are a member of the Medwyn Goodall circle of friends as a MG Music label artist. Can you tell us some of your experiences as a member and what it is like to be a MG Label artist ?
Steve Orchard : I first heard Medwyn Goodall’s Druid in the July of 1991, in an art gallery in St. Ives Cornwall. It just blew me away and couldn’t put it in any category that I recognized. It was more than music… It was an awesome soundscape and I just knew that it fit me like a glove. I bought it instantly from the gallery on cassette, to play on my ‘state of the art’ Walkman!! When I returned from my holiday I bought it again from New World, on CD. And so began a long period of buying up anything to do with Medwyn Goodalls music.
My wife Julie & I started to correspond with Medwyn and he graciously autographed all our CD’s. He was very open and quite funny. I’ve kept everything he ever sent me, every doodle and every ditty, including all the Christmas cards ( worth a fortune on Ebay …. only joking ) In our early letters ( this was before emails ) I never told Medwyn that I was a musician, thinking that he may feel I was “chasing my own ambitions”…. unthinkable I know but musicians have been known to do it !!! ha ha ha
I think I broke the news very humbly, without wanting to sound ‘pushy’ and tarnish this rather lovely correspondence that we were enjoying. He invited me to send anything anytime …. WELL !!! Boy, did I send him some rubbish, poor guy. 
I hadn’t found my NEW AGE feet yet and although I enjoyed this new genre, I couldn’t quite capture it in my own compositions. He was my mentor, DEFINITELY. He guided me, no doubt, to where I am today. After a few stumbles, falls, and many experimental tracks, I sent a track called Lull in The Storm from something I was working on called The Consequences of Kisses album. He invited me to produce a new project for MG Music !!!
You can imagine that this was a dream come true. To be working for the man that I had held in such high esteem for so many years. I soon discovered the family at MG Music is a wonderful bunch and all the other artists swap ideas and tips generally between us. The amazing Paul Sills soon became a great friend & Charmaine, his wife & Meina, his daughter, travelled down to spend an enjoyable weekend with us. We had discussions late into the night and played each other’s new or experimental tracks whilst the rest of the world slept.
I realize how unpretentious and genuine all the MG artists are. Chris Green and I talk on the phone regularly ( very clever & funny guy ) then Simon Lovelock & Clifford White have spent ‘time out’ to critique and give ‘sound’ advice, both brilliant technicians of the art. In the past I have found musicians to be very protective and guarded with their work but not here. The wonderful thing is, we are all so different and diverse yet all the same family, producing a vast mix of choices within the same genre, all under the safe and knowledgeable direction of the man himself, Medwyn Goodall. Be warned budding New Age composers, he will not accept second best on his label.
John : In your own words Steve, how would you best describe your music and what are the main components that uniquely sets your music apart from not only MG label artists, but so many other New Age musicians ?
Steve Orchard : My music almost always originates from a guitar base and is then transcribed onto keyboards. I find the guitar a comfortable friend that I can embrace quietly without any sense of rushing to ‘lay down’ on paper or in the studio. Sometimes I live with a melody for months before it develops into a workable phrase or shape.
I have a terrible bad habit of not documenting tracks I have recorded. I have folders, in my studio, bursting with hastily scribbled chords and lyrics…. Someday I may return to them for inspiration, that’s if I can decipher them, but I hate going back. I prefer to always look forward with my writing. In the making of Raindancer I did a lot of research into the South American rainforest and I story boarded ideas & concepts onto the walls of my studio. Another strict rule I have is I never ever go into the studio unless I am in a happy, contented mood. I like to think that when you listen to a Steve Orchard album that, my positive optimism shines through. Sundancer was almost entirely written in my garden during the summer of 2009. It’s sunnier than a ripe melon !!! As Medwyn says, it has lots of energy & warmth. I think his buzz word for the album was ENERGY !!
John : During the early years in Bristol your music was played on BBC Radio and utilized in music scores for various media programming. In what ways has your music been featured ?
Steve Orchard : It seems like a life time ago now but in the 70′s I was in a very popular duo of the time called Mossy, with musical partner Barry Webb ( he’ll be pleased I mentioned his name. ) We played a residency in the cellar bar, at the notorious Bristol Arts Centre. It was a mixture of folk covers and our own written ‘offerings’. We earned a lot of respect locally and had a loyal following amongst the local artists, musicians & regional TV personalities ( I seem to remember being invited and attending a lot of crazy parties ) We were also good ‘fodder’ for the colleges and festivals. At that time we did 3 half hour shows for BHBS radio which led to a spot on BBC’s Friday Folk Nights. BHBS were still playing the jingle we did for them up until a few years ago ( probably when the tape finally disintegrated ) We had a lot of fun but mutually called it a day in 1980 when we both had growing family’s. We remain great buddies.
Unbelievable now with all this technology, that I sent out my first demos on ‘spool’ tape. Perhaps most ended up in the bin but one hit home and I was invited up to Apple’s old offices in St. James Street London for an interview/audition. They gave me a good look over and I felt optimistic but, sadly nothing ever became of it. I still have the letter though, dated 6th September 1972 and at the bottom are the printed names of the two directors…. Yes, you guessed, J O Lennon & G Harrison. In the ’90′s I was asked to do the incidental music for ‘Star Runners’. It was a short promotional sci-fi film directed by Andrew Dymond who, I believe, went on to produce ‘Star Hyke’ which was sold to American TV. I wrote about an hour’s worth of instrumental music but only half of it finally reached the finished movie….. My son Daniel & I had a lot of fun going on an all night shoot for the film, eating Mars Bars and drinking Coca Cola all night to stay awake!! The studio day was also fun where we recorded my work, with the help of a prehistoric sequencer, onto video tape and mini disc ( very nostalgic ) Later, with the advent of Channel 5′s birth I was asked by an agent to go up to their TV studios in London to perform one of my own compositions for a forth coming daytime TV show, which I did….. The day flew by in a blur and all I can remember is the hideous cost of car parking on the Tottenham Court Road…. Scandalous !!!
… and I was invited up to Apple’s old offices in St. James Street London for an interview/audition. They gave me a good look over and I felt optimistic but, sadly nothing ever became of it. I still have the letter though, dated 6th September 1972 and at the bottom are the printed names of the two directors…. Yes, you guessed, J O Lennon & G Harrison.
Steve Orchard
John : You were a band member earlier in life and in addition, widely recognized as a soloist in South West & London England during the 1990’s. Could you tell us about this time period of events you experienced and I just imagine there are some good stories you could tell everyone ?
Steve Orchard : Blimey… How long have we got ? I worked a lot. Mainly covers for the pubs, clubs, hotels and summer seasons at holiday parks. I also did gigs for Army & Navy bases. If you are into performance then it is an incredible apprenticeship. You learn a lot about audiences. I spent 8 consecutive New Years Eve’s away from my wife & kids entertaining 1000′s of drunken party people. When the nights success relies on only YOU…. that’s quite a responsibility ( oh and the bingo & raffle ) I performed all over the South West with 3 nighters in London gigs sleeping in theatrical digs above a pub (not something I can recommend) It’s like an athlete. You build up muscles. You know when to be funny and when to keep your mouth shut!! ( Did I mention I did stand-up ? Don’t do it if you want to retain your sanity ha ha ha !!! )
I’ve known great musicians who were lousy entertainers and great entertainers who were rubbish musicians. In 2001 I realized that this was not what I wanted to do anymore. I wanted to return to my roots which was writing & recording. It was in my heart and the only way I could ‘look at myself in the mirror’ as a serious musician. Continually gigging, performing other people’s material makes you slightly morose and can leave your creative side sadly lacking. True, I do miss the adrenalin rush of an audience but what I do now feels right for me and hopefully my audience is out there still enjoying my performance.
John : Recently I wrote a review for Raindancer and have made plans to review Sundancer & Moondancer when released. Could you tell us more about your Dancer Trilogy and what each individual album illustrates ?
Steve Orchard : Yes, they are companions to each other. I hope my listener/audience hear Raindancer and think, ” Wow! I liked that I’d like to taste some more of that.” Raindancer is very jungle/tribal with some twists and turns in its rhythm’s. I had this picture in my mind of cutting ones way through dense foliage to find a clearing populated by remote civilizations ( does that sound crazy ? ) The indigenous animals and fauna were all playing a part in my composing. Raindancer is where I discovered my New Age capabilities. With the generous direction of Medwyn, I am proud of this album. Sundancer, as I mentioned is all about energy. Islands in the sun and deep tropical seas yet cooling sounds in the midday heat. Rhythms play a big part of this album also and will make people want to move and children dance. My youngest son David is a gifted illustrator having produced many published children’s books has preliminarily designed both, Sundancer & Moondancer album covers. Obviously this is still to be confirmed but his work on all my other albums can be seen on my website.
Moondancer …. Is still under wraps. Suffice to say, this is the cool of the evening. The Moon is out in a cloudless night and a billion stars lead us to imagine what life could lay beyond them. This album is entirely recorded on my new studio and at this date still has to be completed but I have some ‘can’t quite keep still’ ideas in my head. I would just say, “Watch This Space!”
John : There is a lot of great instrumentation on the Raindancer album. In addition to acoustic guitar what are the instruments you play, and recently you told me about an upgrade to your project studio, so could you tell everyone the story behind this recent upgrade ?
Steve Orchard : Raindancer is a completely ‘live’ album. By that I mean that it is layered onto a hard disc in the same way as working with analogue ‘tape’. That’s not to say it suffers from any sound quality but I felt I needed to embrace a tiny bit more technology going forward. My main keyboard friends are my trusty Korg Triton & Roland Sonic Cell, with expansion boards, plus some other concoctions!!! Anyways on with a story…
By now Medwyn and his lovely wife Wendy had become my good friends. He invited me down to his home in Helston, in Cornwall, for a visit and to look at his studio with perhaps, an insight into the more sophisticated way he works. WOW !!! I only say that because a lot of your fellow members and readers of this site will be saying WOW !!! He was considering completely re-building his studio and giving me the opportunity to ‘adopt’ & ‘adapt’ his studio. This is ‘THE STUDIO’ which is responsible for selling over 4 million albums. It was January and the worst winter the UK had seen in 30 years. I was doubtful whether I would be able to make the journey as heavy snow had fallen over most of the South West. I travelled the day before our meeting and the journey was a little ‘hairy’ ( that’s a British expression for OMG !! …. another icey patch!!! ) I just had to go and meet this man face to face. He had a reputation for being ‘very private’ and not conceding to personal visits to their beautiful Cornish home.
I have to say, that information could not be more wrong. From the outset he was warm and friendly, and we spent the long day in his studio exchanging much humor and banter. I felt relaxed in his company immediately. To be sat elbow-to-elbow in the studio with him was an unforgettable experience. Such ease of understated talent was remarkable ( no, not me, him…. only joking ). Wendy arrived home from there very busy offices and warehouse in Helston and they were gracious enough to take me out for a memorable meal that evening. Suffice to say, I returned the following day with the ‘HEART’ of Medwyn’s studio and since then have amalgamated it into my own studio I think, really successfully ( you will need to wait for the completion of Moondancer to make that appraisal ) I personally can’t wait… It’s going to be special !!
John : On behalf of our visitors and your fans we Thank You again Steve. Before we go is there anything you would like to bring up or tell your fans ?
Steve Orchard : I have made so many friends all around the world with the release of Raindancer. It has been a privilege to be able to share my music at last, with so many enthusiastic people. This is what encourages us composers to continue to ‘up our game play’ to continually raise the standard, stretch, and find the best we can be. In the spirit of all MG Music Artists I will always try to answer all emails and help other budding musicians in their quest. Everything is possible. It has been a long journey but I still feel opportunities lay ahead of me. So many friends & family ( my closest love & confidant Julie, my wife of 31 years…. She’ll be pleased I mentioned her name again! ) have supported me over the years even when I may have floundered…. A good friend once told me, ” The thing with you Orchard, is that you are PERSISTANT ” Oh Yes!”…. & keep smiling !
Visit the steveorchardmusic.co.uk homepage right here. Sample his album at his music page and learn more about Steve on his biography page. Visit his MG Music profile page to sample / purchase then learn more about every MG label artist at the mgmusic.ltd.uk website.
Sundancer & Moondancer covers by David Orchard. Raindancer cover by Medwyn Goodall. Other pictures copyright Steve Orchard.
Musician Interview with Davol
Davol is our interview guest at NewAgeMusic.nu & NewAgeMusicWorld.Com and knowing the positive nature of his music, we hope to create a little excitement of our own today. Davol is a widely popular musician easily recognized by his Electronic Contemporary Instrumental melodies that readily elevate the mood sensation and their highly melodic rhythms in turn offer an inspiring upbeat atmosphere.
Davol’s music eloquently brings a positive and energetic influence to the forefront of New Age music and today we hope to encourage every visitor to learn more about him. Review publicists B.T. Fasmer and interview host John P. Olsen have published earlier reviews of his current album Good Sign and we invite you to read these reviews on our pages dedicated to Davol.
John : Thank You for sharing your time with us Davol. Your April 2010 release Good Sign is an excellent album and another fine release of the 6 albums total you have produced since your decision to pursue music as a new career in 1989.
Good Sign is successfully making waves with your large fan base and ZMR charts presently have listed at # 2 for May. This is great news naturally, but I personally believe much more recognition may be in store for Good Sign. What are your thoughts on the direction this album is heading and do you set out to win awards and earn top recognition ?
Davol : Although I always try to keep my music at a high standard, I was pleasantly stunned to see how this album has taken off! This is the first time I’ve worked with the renowned promoter Ed Bonk, and it’s been quite rewarding. Every aspect of a creative project is educational, including the promotional side. As for awards, we’ll see what is possible … maybe you could help me out with a Grammy nomination ? ! 
John : Hey, B.T. and I will see what we can do …. Lol ! What you said about Ed Bonk is true. We consider Ed a good friend and hear the exact sediments from his clients all the time. Everyone speaks pretty highly of Ed Bonk ( Lazz Promotions )
Your scholastic training in jazz, classical piano and harpsichord were early prerequisites in your move toward the more modern music influences you produce today. Would you provide our visitors an outline of your studies and music history ?
Davol : When I was quite young I started with the trumpet. But the monophonic nature of it frustrated me, so I became interested in piano at the age of 12. I studied classical piano a bit, and harpsichord a little in college. I’m actually now studying jazz piano with a local jazz master. It’s challenging and fun. I’m probably his most remedial student, still learning the basics! In a sense, I kind of feel like my compositional work exists very separately (in my brain and heart) from my previous musical training. Obviously there is some kind of relationship and influence, but I really feel like the electronic music I write is more influenced by my love of pop music.
John : You have a PH.D and had begun an already successful career as a medical researcher and microbiologist until 1996 when you then chose to begin a commercial venture producing multimedia music. What were the timeline of events that led to your decision to pursue music as a new career and was this career move an easy choice for you to make at the time Davol ?
Davol : Oh gosh no, it wasn’t easy. I had worked so hard to become a medical researcher and get my doctorate, but I was also very burned out. I was doing music professionally WHILE I was finishing my PhD in microbiology and continued doing both simultaneously over the years. The problem was that to be a really good scientist, one must be very focused. In other words, you work in the laboratory in the daytime, and you’re expected to read journals and write papers in the evening. I wanted only to write music in the evening! So there was sort of a mutual incompatibility with the two careers. When I left science, I felt that I had learned a great deal and had published significant work. That was satisfying. I actually did return to science in the last 5 years, sort of in a roundabout way; I was a public health educator for a Hepatitis C non-profit organization. I was giving educational talks about HepC, mostly to ex-convicts who were on parole. It was a very unusual and educational experience.
John : I read at your website that many of your albums are designed with a theme in mind based on events during the time period. What themes are behind Mystic Waters & A Day Like No Other ?
Davol : Mystic Waters was released in 1989, a time when “fantasy” albums were all the rage. So, it was conjured up with that genre in mind. There was a sense of peace and tranquility, a sense of fluid movement, like water.
A Day Like No Other marked a pretty big change in my life, sort of a reinvention, as I hadn’t released an album for 7 years (since Open Book). I wasn’t sure that I would do any more albums, frankly. I was burned out and was now producing on my own label. Also, ADLNO was the first album I ever wrote and produced without any co-producer. In other words, I had to finally trust myself, in a very singular sense, and believe in what I was doing! Also, ADLNO was the first album I wrote in a completely software-based studio environment, so the toolset and sound palette was utterly different from the past. It moved me more into a guitar-based sound that I find very appealing for the pop-style in which I write. So, the ADLNO album represented everything “fresh” and “new” to me, hence the name.
John : Nice reinvention Davol since A Day Like No Other happens to be one of my favorite albums ! There were some particular circumstances happening during the production of Good Sign. What was going on at the time and how did you maintain the Davol can do attitude ?
Davol : Yes, some challenging things … a couple of close loved ones struggling at the end of their lives and passing on, I had to move my mother into a retirement home, find a home for her dog, empty her house and sell it, etc, and a 14-story high-rise was built directly across the street from my home. That meant 1.5 years of incessant noise, my street closed off every day, etc. It was overwhelming. Oh, and I almost forgot, the interior of my house flooded, TWICE.
Due to the construction, I ended up working on the Good Sign album in the evenings. I would start work after dinner and finish at 2:00 am. It was a very unhealthy lifestyle for about a year, but hey, I got it done!! I think the album truly was my catharsis, so the focus was JOY, OPTIMISM, and POSITIVITY!
John : After listening to several prior radio interviews at your website and it’s pretty easy to recognize you are a positive and upbeat person as you were saying and just like your music reflects. Is it your intent to instill a positive influence into all of your music and just how exactly do you transfer a positive personality trait into musical notes ?
Davol : I guess I have always tried to keep a positive outlook in life. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the tedious minutiae of the day-to-day, but important to never lose sight of the fantastic gifts we all have. Certainly I try to convey that optimism in my music, but hopefully without being cliché or trite. That can be a fine line, I know. It probably sounds like a really old fogey thing to say, but I’m so glad that I was young when I was! Fashion ads were largely about people with smiles on their faces when I was young. Nowadays, so much of the advertising looks like a bunch of mean, unhappy people wearing sunglasses and deadpan looks – so much pretense and attitude. I like the concept of “hope”, so I would never make a good Buddhist
I think there is also often a slight tinge of melancholy in the music I write. Sort of a mix of bright optimism blended with a small amount of “reality/regrets/disappointment/loss”. I prefer that 90:10 mix. I can certainly appreciate very dark music, it’s just simply not my forte to write in that genre, so I typically don’t.
John : Yes, I love the dramatic notations you infuse into your work. Has today’s technology made a big impact in regards to the way you have composed music in the past, and what electronic equipment do you use ?
Davol : Yes, definitely. I work on a Mac, using the sequencing host Logic Studio. My soundset includes instruments from every major software synth manufacturer. I’m particularly fond of MusicLab’s RealGuitar product. It’s the BEST for acoustic guitar strums that layer so beautifully with my synth textures. It gives everything a wonderful energy and feel. Using a software-synth studio has advantages and disadvantages, but I’ve chosen to simplify my life by not using any hardware instruments anymore. I could never turn back now.
John : Good Sign features a song called Truth 2010. This is the first time you have made the Truth song available on CD and is the remix of your conceptual Truth Video that created a dramatic reaction among many people and considered political in nature. How and why did you produce the Truth Video, and what where the political and competition events occurring during production ?
Davol : That was a creative vanity project that appealed to me at the time. And I had never done a video and wanted to learn how to create and edit video. Needless to say, THAT took a great deal of time, but was fun. That was back in 2007 and there was so much political discontent in the US, that I wanted to take a few steps backward and comment on the fact that so much of our “reality” is based on media stories that, for all we know, may have very little to do with the truth. If the past is any judge, everything should be suspect. But we pick and choose, deciding that story “x” is reasonable and we believe it, but story “y” is crazy and we reject it. We do this in history and have created a revisionist history that is written into textbooks. If we know that about history, why don’t we view current events reporting with the same skepticism? So, to return to your question, my focus wasn’t so much on the current politics of the time, but taking a glimpse at the last 100 years or so of US history, in particular.
John : Do you plan to release more CD albums and song videos in addition to the current ones featured on YouTube, and I ask this half joking Davol, but do you consider yourself a political activist in a sense after the Truth Video ?
Davol : No more politics! Read my lips! I really want to focus on what I do best, simply write music. And that is where my heart and head truly reside. So, no more detours or distractions from the music. Videos take so much time, that I don’t care to be involved in that either, although others are certainly welcome to consider such a project using my music – I’m open to that. Albums are definitely my focus for the future. As for CDs, well, they will soon be obsolete
John : It has been a pleasure to meet you Davol. B.T. Fasmer and I will keep our visitors informed on the latest news about you so let’s keep in touch. Before we go today, is there anything you would like to tell your fans or bring up that we haven’t talked about ?
Davol : I came so close to abandoning my music career before the A Day Like No Other album, that I just want to thank everyone over the years who has emailed me or left a comment on my Guestbook page. It is truly those supportive words, stories of moments in people’s lives where my music touched their hearts that have kept me creating. I thank you all, and hope to keep providing music that will intrigue and touch listeners in a meaningful way.
John and B.T. Fasmer, thank you so much for supporting independent artists and this opportunity to share with fans.
We encourage our visitors to learn more about Davol and the place to find him is his davolmusic.com website homepage. Read his biography page and go to his music page to purchase / sample or at CDBaby.com page. Then read our reviews of Good Sign at our pages dedicated to Davol.
Steve Orchard Excels on Raindancer
The United Kingdom based MG Music label has much to be proud of these days. The 25 year anniversary for Medwyn Goodall and Clifford White alone is reason to celebrate, yet MG label artists Steve Orchard and Paul Sills also have excellent releases planned this year. You will find the quality artisanship delivered by this close circle of friends is special with each artist retaining their own integral voice which to me makes MG label artists significant.
Steve Orchard is a New Age artist from the United Kingdom quite masterful at producing electronic instrumental music composed with many improvised mood sensations that nicely culminate into a repertoire of lively rhythms blended with a kaleidoscope of colorful melodies. The end result is one singular voice implanting a vivid melody image right beside a natural and reposeful atmosphere.
Raindancer is his current release and first in a trilogy series based in theme on 3 natural elemental word, with each in series containing the dancer suffix. Sundancer & Moondancer are future releases and I can already tell you that his spirited dancer series illustrates a rare quality of relaxing yet energetic melodies that readily achieve universal appeal. His prior albums Voyages Beyond Midnight, Salt Water Café & The Consequences of Kisses are highly regarded earlier works and certainly worth a listen too.
Steve Orchard made a great impression on me with his first in series Raindancer. This admirable collection of beautiful melodies exhibit the standard of excellence and integral voice Steve Orchard so boldly represents, brightly illustrated by his picturesque first release in the alluring Dancer trilogy.
Steve Orchard is a prolific singer songwriter having composed and performed original music for many years on guitar, mandolin, and harmonica, various skin drums, piano and keyboards. His music was featured on BBC Radio, film scores, local radio jingles, plus Steve was a band member in 100’s of concert venues with other artists and a well recognized soloist in South West & London England during the 1990′s era.
Raindancer begins the initial splash of bright colors painted on a fresh musical canvas in a vivid song portrait titled Tribal Fire. The lighter vibrato in soprano vocals make the primary background shades to flute’s breezy hues, nicely accented by snare drum taps and free flowing rhythms. Keeper of the Sacred Trees & Cajon Sun are enhanced pan flute and keyboard melodies attuned to light synthesizer bordering while percussion assists by even handed rhythms in a fine blending of tropical harmonies.
Acoustic guitar then takes a turn holding the primary melody brush in Cajon Moon, primed with a steady synthesizer outline backed by flute and tenor drum. Guitar and pan flute emblazon the impression by a faster tempo in free flowing songs Amazona, Pathway Through The Forest & Festival, with each song inscribing bright reflective patterns by progressive guitar rhythms, flute expressions and percussion cadences that portray a flamboyant resemblance.
Passion Flowers & Where Rivers Meet are compositions with airy Latin & World influences which make easy going songs by light flute notes dreamy ambience and gentle tracing by guitar strums having a soft percussion mix in the first, then tenor drum outlining in the second. Road to Manaus has a dreamy groove concept by light flute refrains intertwined with deeper keyboard and acoustic guitar that travel along a harmonic pathway together with even symmetry. The orchestra phrasing with strings and resolute percussion smoothly enhance the delightful mood illustration in this song.
Anocondas Caress completes the colorful spectrum and gives one a chance to admire the total picture on this album filled with exotic surroundings. In an exclusive move during composition, this song is quite captivating using two metrical rhythms where flute nurtures the primary melody while guitar draws on half step chord rhythms during a concurrent secondary melody, rising in chord phrasing to nicely elevate the tropical atmosphere.
This beautiful song in proportion to the entire album is a nice exhibition of the integral voice Steve Orchard so boldly represents and in addition, sets the standard of excellence for his all inclusive Dancer Trilogy.
Visit the steveorchardmusic.co.uk homepage right here. Sample Raindancer on his music page and learn more about Steve on his biography page. Visit his MG Music profile page to sample / purchase then learn more about every Medwyn Goodall label artist at the mgmusic.ltd.uk website.
Cover design and layout Copyright MG Music courtesy of Medwyn Goodall. Below Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – wtolenaars
Bruce Kaphan Creates a Hybrid
Pedal steel guitar is a stringed instrument that often receives no respect in relation to New Age music in part because the instrument is often classified in the Country and Hawaiian music scene only, but believe me the ground rules have changed and is primarily due to one man.
Bruce Kaphan from California has taken petal string guitar to a whole new level in New Age music for years, making this instrumental transition not only a surprising one but a dazzling one, giving even music purists a reason to love pedal steel guitar with his earlier release Slider and now Hybrid. The reason behind his new adaptation in an otherwise strict classification was pretty much the colorful sound quality it provides and a love of exploratory music.
What many find interesting is that Bruce Kaphan began his early career as a studio technician, engineer and producer for many highly recognized artists in other genres, where he either played a role with the recording production of their album or performed with artists such as REM, Jewel, The Black Crowes, Thomas Dolby, John Lee Hooker and many others. During his early days in San Francisco he was a member of Indie / Alternative band American Music Club and his music has been featured on film scores and television broadcasts.
Hybrid is an album with 12 original song compositions by Bruce Kaphan who makes it crystal clear right from first track Pohaka La that you are listening to a unique composite of exotic blending with unrivaled beauty harvested from another cross section in the vast field of music and it quickly becomes apparent this new emerging beauty will remain a lasting entity.
Pedal steel guitar happens to be the prominent instrument in Hybrid and a natural selection after listening to songs like Gleaming Towers, Legacy, Silenzi & Renewal, which breaks new ground by classifying the instrument as a main entry melody contender versus a mere supporting instrument.
Songs like piano enhanced Maya and guitar renditions in Senbazuru & Loops for Larry are displayed in a new manner and show the instrument as an appealing choice while clearing a new path during improvisation in light ambience while reproducing a well conceived follow up for his Slider – Ambient Excursions for Pedal Steel Guitar 2000 release.
In an age where hybrids in all shapes and forms are becoming more relevant daily, Hybrid seems like a natural contender when placed side by side among traditional New Age albums and the lighter exploratory metrical patterns of Jazz, Hawaiian and Country in Hybrid are a prized natural attraction that shows well beside other music forms while earning the respect it deserves.
Bruce enlisted numerous artists on this album including, Jake Shimabukuro, Jeffrey Wash, Kent Darnielle, Salar Nader, Matt Brubeck, Real Vocal String Quartet, David Immerglück, John Loose, Paul Olguin and Karl Perazzo and Real Vocal String Quartet that is featured in Okanagan Jubilee.
Visit brucekaphan.com to sample / purchase or visit his CDBaby.com page. Read his biography page and discography page.
Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto – nsilcock
The Gates to Secret Realities by Gandalf
Many musicians are content to remain within a specific genre and are a complete success in their artistic focus. Then there are other notable musicians where a natural progression is realized, developing into a unique artesian style and by their inner convictions, become a virtuoso by what they offer the music world.
Gandalf is an internationally acclaimed composing musician and producer from Vienna Austria first identified as a New Age, Contemporary Instrumental and World artist. While transitioning over the past 30 years of his career, his progressive directive and persona has helped neutralize the customary social borders in multicultural music for years.
Gates To A Secret Reality on the Prudence label is an open manifest of his ambitious return to classic World music. This 1996 album is one of fascination and perhaps a secret gaze into what Gandalf is planning for a future orchestration slated to celebrate his 30 year Anniversary in 2011. This future CD currently being composed is the centerpiece for the occasion, plus a live performance in Vienna will be the setting that accents his milestone achievement.
It was during continental travels to Europe, North & South America and Asia where Gandalf began to realize the prevailing attitudes and many similarities of every continent greatly unites each of us, verses creates a divisional line between countries.
This open border view is much a part of his global World Music ambitions, and perhaps why his style encompasses a unique image while making a valid statement in relation to his cultivated talents and international status.
Gates To A Secret Reality featuring 11 songs with over an hour of world class music is an earlier expedition not to be missed. Gandalf is a multi instrumentalist performing acoustic and electric guitar, charango, piano, keyboards, mellotron, balaphon and indigenous percussions. Enlisting Emily Burridge from England and Peter Aschenbrenner from Vienna, Emily performs vocals & cello and composed 3 songs while Peter is another fine talent performing flutes, soprano saxophone and some backing vocals.
This ensemble in unison has made the album a unique listening experience and beginning with 3 songs Dreamcatcher ( Part 1 ) vocals and flute instill a celestial atmosphere while Gandalf steps up to give an astounding Rock styled electric guitar anthem. This is much in relation to The Power Of Nature & Man’s Promise To Mother Earth performed by the united trio where vocals, flute, keyboard and electric guitar proclaims a powerful majestic atmosphere and is most memorable by any standard.
Many songs journey along more moderate terrains regarding style and tempo yet the fascination remains deep and on a grandiose scale. Footprints In Red Sand is relaxing by the flute and keyboard interludes before building momentum with electric guitar that greatly increases depth of the impression.
Majestic Mountain View is an apt title shown by cello, keyboard and flute setting their sights on a light background depth and then again in windswept song Voice In The Wind, then bells signal the tonal imagery in piano and guitar melody on Along The Milky Way.
Some songs like Ascending On The Eagle’s wings, Dreamcatcher ( Part 2 ) & Floating Down The Silent Stream are lighter ballads nicely elevated by cello Flute, keyboards and saxophone giving a cinematic feel by lighter orchestrations portrayed in a lavish way.
The Wheel Of Life is a moving concerto lightly revolving in time, thought and deliberation, swaying in a gentle way by an enchanting flute melody backed by wondrous piano rhythms. Cello is fluently engaged to intensify the atmospheric warmth and progressive movement this song and the album in entirety envisions, perhaps giving us secret insight into the celebratory atmosphere Gandalf has in mind for us in the year 2011.
Visit Gandalf.at to sample his music and find out more on his biography page. Visit the Munsing Germany based bscmusic.com homepage and then his BSA Music profile page to sample / purchase his music.
Picture copyright Bigstockphoto – EcoShot
Finding the Good Sign in Davol
When you hear New Age Contemporary Instrumental music having great rhythms and a wonderful upbeat atmosphere expertly blended with beautiful electronic melodies, this may be a promising sign you are listening to one of many quality songs produced by Davol !
Davol has just released Good Sign which decisively aligns itself to symbolize my description above and become an encouraging assertion to those in the music world already familiar with his first name artist title they are indeed listening to someone known for producing top quality music.
Successful in many aspects of his life, after obtaining a Ph.D. in 1989 his earlier career as a medical researcher and microbiologist were judiciously shelved in 1996 when he began a commercial venture producing multimedia music. During the same year his debut Mystic Waters became another personal success and made it to # 15 on the Billboard New Age Chart, where it remained a lengthy 25 weeks.
The decision to pursue a full time music career was fantastic news to those who already knew of his premium quality melodies, plus the worldwide usage of his songs involving television, radio, video and numerous multimedia production scores has clearly magnified this proficient artisan to many more.
Good Sign is an album that upon closer examination is rapidly multiplying in popularity and already making waves with his fans since the April 2010 release date. ZMR has set at # 3 for the month of April, so another positive finding for the very latest from Davol.
The 4 additional albums A Day Like No Other, Open Book, Paradox & Nature Of The Beast are all relatives to his current yet each one is a natural variation that evolves into their individual class, each interrelated by a characteristic source of fascinating drama.
Davol has exceeded his artistic intentions with Good Sign and the early reactions granted to his progressive album does replicate the characteristic source of fascination one will find in his entire discography. Good Sign is symmetrical to Davol’s principal expression of innovative quality music accented with inspiring drama.
Scarborough Days is the first song of 8 tracks that gives you a clear indication of the momentum and direction of this definitive album, along with the resulting positive influences his entire discography symbolizes. This lively song highlights the optimistic upbeat feel and beautiful keyboard synthesizer melodies those who collect his albums know so well and treasure.
Good Sign ( Title Song ) is more moderate by a light ambient feel that will brush a dark cloudy day away for anyone and promptly replace it with a bright sunshiny day full of color simply by the rich interwoven keyboard melody.
Truth 2010 is an electronic Dance / Club influences remix featured during the popular online video now available on this album. A heavier percussion tempo prepares the groove rhythms before exploration into deeper shades of electronic intensity and is very much in time when comparing to his conceptual Truth Video which captures the superficial and unbalanced influences often portrayed in television media.
Nautikos is another favorite by displaying a natural sophistication and contemporary elegance given the positively upbeat keyboard melody blending notes to perfection. This song steadily integrates harmonic spectrums in sound while harboring the glowing standard of inspiration Davol can readily achieve, making this album and his entire music collection an exceptional find for anyone.
Those already familiar with his captivating music have another reason to celebrate. Newcomers will perhaps experience this sweeping source of fascination for themselves and learn why everyone is excited about this promising new discovery by Davol.
Visit davolmusic.com to sample / purchase or visit his CDBaby.com page. You can also find out more about Davol at his biography page and MySpace.com page.
Picture Copyright BigStockPhoto.com – Yakobchuk
Interview with Bryan El
Bryan El is the artist title recognized for producing Classical Symphonic New Age music in a highly effective format that makes a grand impression while shedding new light on each and every one of his modern day electronic interpretations. You will find his compositions readily capture your attention right from the first few measures up to the final notes.
Bryan El is our featured interview guest where the topics of Bryan’s 2 albums, Out of This World & Spiritual Evolution and his stunning song videos are open for discussion in addition to a detailed look into what makes Bryan’s individualistic approach to music so appealing.
Interview host John Olsen recently had the opportunity to visit with Bryan El and today we publish their conversation so that our readers can learn more about the ambitions of this New Age musician easily recognized by his remarkable electronic symphonies.
John : Thank You for taking time out for our interview Bryan. Recently I wrote album reviews and posted several song videos from Out of This World & Spiritual Evolution because I felt our readers would find your projects are boldly unique from many other forms of electronic music just like B.T. Fasmer and I did. I have read many comments from your fans that support my statement too, so it was only logical to ask for an interview so everyone, including your fans could learn more about you.
Let me ask you this first. Many times an artist will say they have another musician’s influence or they “ sound like “ another more recognized artist. I personally feel you break new ground with electronic music in many respects and do not “ sound like “ another artist. Do you agree and share the same thoughts or do you feel your music closely resembles another artist ?
Bryan El : Many people have a habit of comparing the sound of one artist with another. I believe each individual composer is trying to find their own “sound”. This can be based on several different songs and styles they have heard throughout their lives and have been unconsciously inspired by them. Of course I have my own sources of inspiration as any artist does but I feel I am still evolving my own “sound” as I keep producing new projects.
I honestly couldn’t say what my music will sound like ten years from now and that’s what makes it so exciting. You will always be able to identify similar instruments being used by different artists like pianos, strings and violins, but what matters to me most is the way an artist mixes these together into something unique…. A melody which expresses an emotion like a story that has never been told before.
John : Help me determine what exactly sets your music apart from so many others Bryan. Is it because your music is Classical Symphony styled, or could it be that your upbeat modern day compositions are the reason you seem to rise above the crowd from many other electronic composers ? What are your thoughts Bryan ?
Bryan El : Good question. It’s hard to give your own music a “stamp” of its own kind and I don’t really like to compare my music with other artists in terms of “uniqueness”. Each artist is trying to capture emotions in their own way and the beauty of it is…. there are no rules how to do it. It allows composers to experiment by tweaking their own sounds and combining different styles into one to create something new and original. Eventually it’s up to the listener to determine what sets a specific type of music apart from others.
John : Out of the many genres available for a musician to explore, what led to your decision to embrace New Age and then explore the surreal Classical Symphonic music ?
Bryan El : It wasn’t a decision really. It’s not like at some point I decided “hey let’s try the electronic new age category for a change”. I actually experimented with different things never knowing where I’d end up before I started a project. I’m not trying to fit a certain “genre” either. It has never been my intention to compose symphonic electronic music as people may call it. It’s just the global mix of so many different aspects and influences in my life that led me to create this and I am continuously searching to expand my boundaries.
John : Since your artist title of Bryan El consists of you alone, how exactly do you construct your projects to acquire a full orchestra sound, and do you mind telling everyone what equipment you use while recording ?
Bryan El : Except from the hardware sounds I get from my Motif 6 synthesizer I am using a mix of VST plugins which I load into my Cubase sequencer. The orchestra sounds like violins & cello’s come from an amazing VST plugin called EastWest’s “Symphonic Orchestra”. The sounds from this VST have been individual-note recorded giving me the freedom to bend the notes to my own will with every detail. The choir vocals come from EastWest’s “Symphonic Choirs” which has a speech utility where you can actually type what the VST plugin should sing in any desired composition. It’s state of the art. Most electronic sounds come from the ReFX Nexus plugin. The Nexus is really awesome. It lets you tweak your own sounds in such detail. I don’t know what I’d do without it. Finally the groove is done with Stylus RMX.
I believe each individual composer is trying to find their own “sound”.
Bryan El
John : Would you tell us about your introduction to music starting from your earliest introduction up to present day ?
Bryan El : The earliest I can remember is my mother playing these cassettes with very melodic new age/electronic music when I went to bed as a child. I remember it relaxed me so much and some of those tunes are burned in my memory for life because they had such a deep impact on me. I believe some of those tunes were by Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, Karunesh and Aeoliah.
It’s no surprise that when I got a little keyboard for my 10th birthday I couldn’t stop playing with it. Then came the Playstation era. Apart from the many cool games it had there was this awesome music program for it called “Music”. It opened my eyes to all possible things that could be done composing music. It was a basic sequencer which allowed you to freely place your own notes and adapt everything to the smallest detail.
Of course when I listen back to some of the tunes I made on it, I find the sound is quite poor compared to professional sound studio’s but it was a great start for me. When I was about 16 I got hooked on this cool midi sequencer called “Fruityloops” and made some dance tunes with it which I played at my friends parties. The Fruityloops was a next generation for me and much more sophisticated, far better sounds and effects. I was mostly inspired by dance-trance artists like Tiësto, Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren at the time and I learned a great deal by listening to their sounds, but it wasn’t until I got my Motif 6 synthesizer along with Cubase SX that I started to do some serious composing. I was 20 years old and could finally do what I always dreamed of and make it sound exactly the way I wanted it to. It was only a matter of time I discovered the internet would become a great tool of sharing my music with the world and I was surprised by the amount of positive feedback. I never taught I’d ever get the chance to release my own CD…. let alone two of them :p
It’s a dream come true thanks to AMAdea. The thing people never seem to understand is that I never actually attended any music school or learned how to read notes. When I have a melody in my mind I just systematically search and set each separate note in my sequencer instead of playing it live. It’s quite a time consuming process but patience is always on my side. I think this proves that anybody can make music if you are determined enough to express your emotions. I’ve never believed anybody should learn a specific set of guidelines and rules when it comes to music, I am autodidact and teach myself by learning from the music world around me.
John : Since you are one of the many great AMAdea Records Label artists, have you compiled any projects with other AMAdea Records label artists ?
Bryan El : Indeed there are many great artists distributed by AMAdea but I haven’t had the pleasure to work with any of them yet. Who knows what the future brings, but for now I’m concentrating on a third solo album.
John : Many of your fans have said the song Solaris is among their favorites out of the many great songs you have produced. Is Solaris your favorite also and what do you believe is the reason this song is so popular among your fans ?
Bryan El : Each composer has his own favorite baby and this one’s mine. Solaris is selected for airplay on several internet radio stations around the world. I’ve also produced a trance remix of it which has become quite popular on YouTube. The exposure may have caused the tune to become such a hit among my fans.
When I have a melody in my mind I just systematically search and set each separate note in my sequencer instead of playing it live. It’s quite a time consuming process but patience is always on my side.
Bryan El
John : Your YouTube music videos are some of the best songs combined with visual effects I have seen and many would agree they are well conceived. Is constructing a song video and getting everything to correspond exactly the way you want it complicated technically ?
Bryan El : The most complicated thing is to come up with an idea for the video. Once you have that it’s not that hard to assemble the video itself. I’m a music composer and not a movie designer so I had to come up with the solution of using existing footage to present my own music with. I have hundreds of DVD’s and have enough footage about anything you can think of so then I just listen to my song while I imagine what the emotion is showing me. Then I search for fitting footage to the music.
For example…. on my Solaris remix I used small parts of footage from a Tiësto concert dvd and pasted the parts together, muted the original sound, placed my own remix on top and adjusted the footage speed to match my own remix. Eventually it looks as if DJ Tiësto is playing my remix on one of his concerts. All you need is a good video editing program like PowerDirector and you can start editing. Of course none of my video’s are for sale as the images come from existing copyrighted material, but because the amount of footage used is so small it can legally be used under the term “fair use” on YouTube.
John : Could you tell us what do you have going at present, where you are at, and what can we expect ?
Bryan El : I am planning a third album as you know and many ideas have been roughly recorded. Be patient though…. It will take me at least a few years to get this new album ready. I can’t tell everyone much about it yet but all I can say to the fans is… it will be worth the wait !
John : I am certain it will be highly anticipated and many like myself look forward to your next release. I just wanted to thank you again Bryan. Expect me to write even more about you in the future here at our NewAgeMusic.nu & NewAgeMusicWorld.Com websites. Your music along with the videos you produce displays your talents in a profound way. B.T. Fasmer and I wish you continued success.
Bryan El : Thank you John & B.T. Fasmer! You guys are great and it’s an honor to be on your websites. I also want to thank my fans for their support (it pays for my studio 
) and thanks to AMAdea for distributing and promoting my music and for really caring about their artists !
We now invite you to visit Bryan’s new website at bryanel.com right here. You can also visit his MySpace.com page & CDBaby.com page. Learn more at his profile page and then discover the many fine AMAdea label artists at the Bulgarian based AMAdeaRecords.com homepage. The bryanel.com website is also a great place to sample his music and read the latest news about Bryan El.
*AMAdea Records has just announced the grand opening of their independent music store outlet. You may read about the news here then visit their new amadeastore.com website to read about the specials and vast selection of popular music encompassing every genre they are now offering their worldwide visitors.
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