Posts Tagged ‘Jillian Aversa’

We told you about the Tubular.net April Fool’s joke. Before we move on, we just have to mention Jillian Aversa’s nice joke too:

I want to share my most recent musical project with you!  Andy (“zircon”) and I consider this our best video game arrangement to date.  It was a challenge to achieve the perfect balance between the game’s source material and our own original material, but we think the end result was a success.

You can listen to the end result here.

We are big fans of Jillian Aversa here at .nu. We recommend all our readers and listeners to check out her debut album Origins, which made the very top of our 2008 top list.

Jillian has now produced two vocal demos that you just have to check out. One is an orchestral singing demo and one is in contemporary genres. You can check them out here. She is just so talented.

One of the best new age music albums of the recent years is Jillian Aversa’s Origins. Songs like Hajime and The Winds of Change have almost become modern classics on online channels like New Age Stars. And now Jillian has this exciting news to all her fans:

My next solo album – yessss!  I have kept this under wraps for a while because the concept was still in development, but I have happily (and enthusiastically) settled now.  What is the big inspiration, you ask?  Atlantis.  An ancient civilization lost under the sea in a single day… it is a legend that has captivated so many cultures for centuries, and I can’t wait to explore it. 

And more:

I am really psyched about this project, and hope to have it finished this coming Winter, if all goes well.

We here at .nu are BIG Jillian fans – and are psyched about this project too! Atlantis is as always a nice theme for a new age music album – atlantis music it is like a sub genre of its own. I’m thinking of albums such as Andrew Brel’s Golden Atlantis and William Zeitler’s Elegy for Atlantis.

Follow the project on Jillian’s homepage – where you can subscribe to her newsletter.

A reader asked me what my favorite Christmas album was – and the question caught me a little off guard since I have plenty of Christmas favorites… But if I were to choose one, just one album, it must be Jillian Goldin Aversa’s Christmas EP from last year, called Through Sand and Snow. It is like a musical journey with traditional Christmas songs as the guiding star. At the end of the travel is the perfect Christmas spirit.

The holiday EP opens with the 1 minute long Prelude. The ‘walking through snow’ sound, the eerie synth and Jillian’s ethereal voice is a nice build up to the second track: John Jacob Niles’ classic I Wonder as I Wander. Most versions of this song tend to be too sacral or too serious if you will. But the light and rolling drumbeat, which I guess is only a mixed sidestick sample, is marvelous. Jillian’s positive voice gives a new perspective to the usual melancholy of this popular Christmas carol.

The next track is What Child Is This, or Greensleeves. The arrangement is gentle and tasteful. Jillian’s breathing marks the rhythm, which is a nice effect. Both this track and the next, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, are traditional and could easily been included in any collection of Christmas music. It is a high quality production with a general appeal: you don’t have to like new age music to enjoy these tracks.

With Walking in the Air the EP takes a small break from religion. I am used to hear the song sung by a young boy in the animated film The Snowman, but Jillian does a great job. The bell synth gives the song a magical atmosphere, and the different layers of vocal intertwine beautifully.

Silent Night is a perfect album closer. Jillian’s version is long, dreamy and simply irresistible. It starts with a warm sounding synth pad and a distant piano in the background. The different layers of sound create a total listening experience, almost like listening to heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! The EP ends with 30 seconds of cozy log fire sounds.

The cover artwork is by Daniel Kvasznicza. It captures the atmosphere of the songs. Here you can see Jillian walking through a desert landscape of either sand or snow, it is hard to tell. But it sure is beautiful. A piece of art.

Through Sand and Snow is a quite different Christmas album. It is just such an album you want to put on when you have looked through your 100+ Christmas albums and found nothing to listen to. It is heartfelt and beautiful, without any of the usual Christmas glitter. And that is for me that is a big thing.

You can sample and buy the album on CDBaby.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Jillian Goldin Aversa about this album last year.

FL Studio is one of the most popular music software available, and version 9 of the program has just been released. This program is used by professionals (like Mike Oldfield) and hobbyists alike. And, lo and behold, new age music’s very own Jillian Aversa (Goldin) is featured in the program’s demo song!

Sample the song below (it is not really new age music but more like electronica), where you also can see how the program looks like.

We here at .nu simply adore Jillian – and her debut album was awarded our “Best new age music album of 2008” price.

Nothing less than four exciting titles are due out this fall on MG Music. And if that was not enough, two of new age music’s finest artists have joined Medwyn Goodall’s label! But more on that later. First the upcoming titles:

Druid has been one of Medwyn Goodall’s most beloved albums since it was released back in 1990. In many ways it was his breakthrough album too. Now the follow-up will finally be released! So start preparing, because Druid II is coming!

Aroshanti will release the album ZEN – Searching within Silence. Here is a description of the album provided by the label:

Aroshanti is an artist who improves with huge leaps with ever release. Zen is undoubtedly his best work to date. Already gaining recognition for his performances on Medicine Woman IV, OM 2, Reiki II, Aroshanti has created the perfect CD for meditation, healing and deep relaxation. The music has such a sense of pause and space without ever over doing it. It glides, floats around you effortless providing the perfect ambience.

Olof Hammar is also back this fall by popular demand. The album is entitled Upon a Celtic Shore. It will for sure be Celtic, melodic and full of energy.

And now, lastly, the two new artists on the MG Music label, both US based: Jillian Aversa (Goldin) and Marc Enfroy!

They are without a doubt two of the most talented artists in this genre. We here at .nu choose Jillian’s debut album as the best album released in 2008, and Marc has been incredibly popular on New Age Stars all year long. Marc’s new album will be re-released on the MG Music label. I’m sure they will do really well under Medwyn Goodall’s masterful supervision.

Christmas is not only about nicely wrapped gifts, food and family gatherings, it is also about travel. Either it is Joseph and Mary’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, or an endless line of people in today’s world waiting at the check-in counter at the airport, Christmas is about travel. This is also the theme on Jillian Goldin’s new Christmas release Through Sand and Snow. It is a 24 minute long EP with 6 beautiful tracks. The EP is both traditional and original at the same time, and yet another proof of Jillian’s incredible talent.

When her debut album Origins was released in April it took the new age music scene by storm. Jillian’s voice, her lyrics and the overall production of the album was like a breath of fresh air in a music genre where artists who debuted in the 70s and early 80s still play all the lead roles. The new age music scene desperately needs new talent, and here Jillian is our best hope. I must also mention Andrew Aversa (aka Zircon), who also contributed to the production.

The holiday EP opens with the 1 minute long Prelude. The ‘walking through snow’ sound, the eerie synth and Jillian’s ethereal voice is a nice build up to the second track: John Jacob Niles’ classic I Wonder as I Wander. A few months back Jillian posted a small clip from this song on her webpage without the voice layer. It was obvious to me that this would be a great version of the song, with a very interesting arrangement. Most versions of this song tend to be too sacral or too serious if you will. But the light and rolling drumbeat, which I guess is only a mixed sidestick sample, is marvelous. Jillian’s positive voice gives a new perspective to the usual melancholy of this popular Christmas carol.

The next track is What Child Is This, or Greensleeves. The arrangement is gentle and tasteful. Jillian’s breathing marks the rhythm, which is a nice effect. Both this track and the next, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, is traditional and could easily been included in any collection of Christmas music. It is a high quality production with a general appeal: you don’t have to like new age music to enjoy these tracks.

With Walking in the Air the EP takes a small break from religion. I am used to hear the song sung by a young boy in the animated film The Snowman, but Jillian does a great job. The bell synth gives the song a magical atmosphere, and the different layers of vocal intertwine beautifully.

Silent Night is a perfect album closer. Jillian’s version is long, dreamy and simply irresistible. It starts with a warm sounding synth pad and a distant piano in the background. The different layers of sound create a total listening experience, almost like listening to heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! The EP ends with 30 seconds of cozy log fire sounds.

The cover artwork is by Daniel Kvasznicza. It captures the atmosphere of the songs. Here you can see Jillian walking through a desert landscape of either sand or snow, it is hard to tell. But it sure is beautiful. A piece of art.

Through Sand and Snow is like a musical journey with traditional Christmas songs as the guiding star. At the end of the travel is the perfect Christmas spirit. The album could have been longer though, but it is not too short either. The only thing I am missing is a less sacral, happier song. But then again all real new age artists release several Christmas albums in their career. Hopefully Jillian Goldin is only at the very beginning of her musical journey.

// BT Fasmer

You can sample and buy the album on CDBaby.

BT Fasmer (*) of NewAgeMusic.nu has interviewed Jillian Goldin about her debut album Origins and the Christmas EP Through Sand and Snow.

* To create a Christmas album is something different from a normal album. Please describe the process. Was it hard to choose which songs to record?

Jillian: Indeed, it was difficult to narrow down the list! I knew that I wanted to try my hand at several traditional carols, but I also thought it would be refreshing to include arrangements of a couple of lesser known pieces – namely Walking In the Air from the wonderful animated film The Snowman, and the Appalachian spiritual I Wonder As I Wander.

Possibly the greatest challenge was figuring out which songs had the potential to work with my original vision: a magical nighttime journey through the wilderness, on Christmas Eve. I was wary of selecting any traditionally happy sounding carols in major keys… But Andrew and I were overjoyed when we started finding inspiration for our arrangement of Silent Night. Everything had to have a certain ancient, ethereal quality.

* The album is only 24 minutes long (23:48 to be precise). Would the album, or EP, have been longer if you had more time to work with it?

Jillian: It’s funny you should ask, because my answer may surprise you: no. I knew that there would not be time for a full length album before the holiday season… So with that in mind, I tried to think of ways I could pull of an EP as a special and cohesive project, rather than a collection of songs thrown together as an afterthought. It was quite fun watching the album take shape! Every sound and musical idea was meticulously planned in order to serve the greater whole, since I knew it would have to be short and sweet.

Don’t be surprised if you see a new holiday album from me in the future, however! There are so many great carols that I would love to get my hands on… and perhaps I’ll write a few original wintry pieces as well.

* After listening to the results of your recent Origins Remix Contest (samples under Media on Jilliangoldin.com), I must say that it was highly successful. How was it to have other artists working with your material?

Jillian: I was blown away by the quality of work submitted to the contest. Hearing my own songs arranged in such original and interesting ways was more delightful than I could have imagined at the outset. I will definitely, definitely have more remixing competitions in the future!

* Today music production is all about computers and sequencers. I understand that you do a lot of the production yourself. Do you enjoy the technical aspects of music creation?

Jillian: It’s sort of a love-hate relationship. Choosing samples, mixing, and mastering is *incredibly* tedious when you are as picky as me, because part of what makes this kind of music sparkle is the production itself. I always have a very specific vision in mind, but translating that into sound is usually a tiring process of trial and error. That’s why I am thankful to have the help of my fiance, Andrew (a.k.a. zircon): he is masterful!

* What can your fans expect from 2009? Do you have a plan for a new album?

Jillian: I hope to release another full length album by the end of 2009, but I haven’t arrived on a concept just yet. Anyone interested in following my progress may want to join the mailing list at Jilliangoldin.com, as I send out monthly updates with song previous and other project announcements.

* Thank you, Jillian. Best of luck with the new album, and have a great Christmas!

You can sample and buy Jillian’s albums, Origins and Thorugh Sand and Snow, on CDBaby.

Read our Through Sand and Snow review here. Artwork by Daniel Kvasznicza.