Norway based artist Tron Syversen

Peaceful Journey is one of nine releases by Tron Syversen, who is a classically trained pianist and trumpet player. Throughout his music career, Tron has studied jazz improvisation and has performed with a number of bands and choirs. One significant orchestra was Norway’s prestigious The Kings Guards Band.

I read Tron finds inspiration for his peaceful music in customary sources like nature, poetry and art. However, I would imagine the eons old Fjords of Norway, viewed from his North Sea cabin near Oslo are the ideal scenic panorama while he composes serene songs that embrace the equally natural setting of his Nordic homeland.

Given Tron Syversen’s picture-perfect locale, clearly few artists could claim a more magnificent setting and natural ambiance to channel their work. It is from inspiring realism the quality melodies on Peaceful Journey find a natural bearing.

Peaceful Journey is one of Tron Syversen’s finest symphonic albums made specifically for peaceful relaxation. Of his 9 serene releases, Peaceful Journey best defines his improvisational abilities as a jazz pianist, whose long heritage as a music composer includes closer to home Norwegian Folk melodies.

The instrumental splendor on Peaceful Journey is clearly picturesque by the fine cohesion conveyed by every performing artist. Tron Syversen’s composition unifying piano, guitars, and vocals with English horn, flute and cello, is a pleasing, open invitation for listeners to simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery.

The Peaceful Journey album is an instrumental beauty that also happens to feature some of Norway’s finest artists and their accompaniments on the 9 songs total. Co-producing vocalist Elin Lokken complements this album wonderfully by her wordless vocals on a number of songs. Three of the guest musicians have performed for the duo Rolf Loveland and Fionnuala Sherry of Secret Garden.

The three artists who have performed with Secret Garden are Per Elias Drablos (bass), Rolf Kristensen (acoustic guitar), and Henrik Eurenius (English horn). Peaceful Journey also features Glenn Kristiansen and Jorn Takla (acoustic guitarists), and Randi Krogvoid Lundquist (flute), Silje Katrine Gotaas (cello), Sunniva Bergsaune, Ase Haga and Lise Sorensen (electric and acoustic violinists).

You can visit TronMusic.com to sample or purchase or find at Amazon.com. Photos are courtesy tronmusic.com.

The 54th GRAMMY® Award Nominations for the New Age Music genre

The 54th Annual GRAMMY® Awards will be televised live on CBS from Staples Center, in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. The CBS Television Network will air the live awards program at 8 p.m. ET/PT. I know two of the five artists nominated this year, and have written album reviews for Al Conti’s Northern Seas album and Michael Brant DeMaria’s Gaia album, if you would like to read my album reviews of two nominated releases for 2012. I published an interview with Michael Brant DeMaria in January of 2011, and there is an earlier Michael Brant DeMaria interview in 2009, for more about Michael.

The GRAMMY® Nominees for Best New Age Album are shown below alphabetically. I have sampled all five albums and can say they are all great releases. You can sample or purchase each GRAMMY® Nominated album by clicking on the direct links to each CD or MP3 album at Amazon.com.

54th GRAMMY® Nominees for Best New Age Album;

1. Northern Seas by Al Conti - Shadowside Music. Sample Northern Seas at Amazon.

2. Gaia by Michael Brant DeMaria – Ontos Music. Sample Gaia at Amazon.

3. Wind, Rock, Sea & Flame by Peter Kater – Point Of Light Records. Sample Wind, Rock, Sea & Flame at Amazon.

4. What’s It All About by Pat Metheny – Nonesuch. Sample What’s It All About at Amazon.

5. Instrumental Oasis – Vol. 6 by Alejandro Zamora – Z-Records. Sample Instrumental Oasis – Vol. 6 at Amazon.

 Read more about the 54th GRAMMY® Awards at Grammy.com and here is the complete list of GRAMMY® Nominees.

Photos are courtesy of their respective artists & grammy.com.

Spectrum by Hennie Bekker

An Anthology Of Relaxing Instrumental Music is the subtitle of his Spectrum album, which I found to be an wide assortment of melodic songs pointing to the diverse abilities of a truly world-class musician. The entire life work, credits and achievements of Hennie Bekker could easily fill the page of this article alone, but I can briefly say the review of his life work is very impressive.

Hennie Bekker is a multi-platinum musician who has spent his entire music career exploring a wide array of genres, from new age, electronic, instrumental, world music, and practically everything in-between. His nature inspired soundscape designer albums in the Kaleidoscopes, African Tapestries & Hennie Bekker’s Tranquility series are fine examples of his ever increasing variation in style, as is his highly acclaimed work with Dan Gibson’s Solitudes – Exploring Nature with Music series. Their Solitudes series was so popular the releases reached gold, platinum, double and triple platinum status.

Hennie Bekker chose another new direction by becoming a leading member of the techno/dance 3 member group BKS. The group BKS ended up winning a prestigious Juno Award from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), which is equivalent to an American GRAMMY® Award. Film scores and recordings for television and radio can also be included in his growing list of lifetime achievements.

Spectrum is a relaxing album highlighting the entire range and variety of this artist who has composed and produced over 60 albums to date, along with his compositional arrangements and collaborations that number well over a thousand. In a way Spectrum can be considered a “Best of Hennie Bekker Album” since of the 14 songs total, eleven of these songs are recordings selected from his finest music collection to date.

I couldn’t help but think that it would be worth a minute of your time to check out the world-class music Hennie Bekker has spent his entire lifetime perfecting. Visit henniebekker.com to sample or purchase Spectrum, or visit his amazon.com page. Photos are courtesy henniebekker.com.

Jon Anderson and Vangelis are names you will recognize, but haven’t you ever wondered who the contributing artists are on some of Jon Anderson’s releases? Today I want to tell you about a career musician who has performed on album collaborations with Jon, but also has many fine releases of his own, including his Tribute to Vangelis which in itself is a commendable piece of music and fine compliment to the intricate works of Vangelis.

Christophe Lebled contributed on the famed Yes singer, Jon Anderson’s newest release Survival & Other Stories by performing his rich instrumental soundscapes. And there is more news about the two since Jon has again requested Christophe collaborate on a brand new project in 2012.

Their newest project is a re-creation of the entire LP Olias of Sunhillow – Live in 2012. The original Olias of Sunhillow release incidentally was Jon Anderson’s first solo album where he played every instrument and sang entirely by himself.

Jon Anderson who had joined with Vangelis years ago going by the musician title Jon & Vangelis had this to say about Christophe Lebled’s release Tribute to Vangelis;

“It has been almost impossible to find a musician who can make music as Vangelis does, and here we have Chris Lebled, a wonderful music man very capable of morphing into many styles of music, and sound very unique at the same time. I have a wonderful energy with Chris, and feel blessed to enjoy a rich working relationship.” Jon Anderson.

Christophe Lebled from France, (left in photo) began training on classical piano and then keyboards when he discovered progressive rock music, and the most influential and popular artists of the time period which, as you might have guessed were Jon Anderson of Yes and band Genesis. Their influence in music during this time period cannot be overstated.

During the 1980’s when new wave was popular Christophe instead chose the direction of jazz and took up formal studies of harmony and arranging at the American School of Modern Music. Studying with artists Barry Harris and Kenny Baron, he began to develop his uniquely individual touch of composing.

Christophe then intermixed a new cultural sound to his repertoire and entered the world of Latin music during the 1990’s in Paris France. It was during this period the Voxterrae label, discovered his talents and enlisted him on several projects like No Stress, Be Natural, Pure, and many others. Christophe Lebled’s first release in his own name was About Us, and later Tribute to Vangelis.

Tribute to Vangelis is Christophe Lebled’s original interpretation that not only re-creates the sound of Vangelis, but rivals him in some areas on his release. While keeping the same melody and harmony structures, the sound and atmosphere is uniquely his own but a masterful re-creation in the graceful sound of Vangelis. Until Jon and Christophe’s 2012 venture together – Olias of Sunhillow is released to the public, check out Christophe’s site and his music.

Visit christophelebled.com and sample Tribute to Vangelis at amazon.com. Photos are courtesy christophelebled.com.

Coburn Tuller from Springfield Missouri is a New Age artist releasing an innovative new album that is capturing the attention of many review publicists, and the buying public upon its initial release. One reason for the increasing interest given to his debut album is undeniably the relaxing qualities of his music. Another reason could be related to the unique melodic intonations heard on his first album which were produced from a musical instrument he invented and has named The Tones.

Coburn Tuller’s first album release is entitled Butterfly Tones. It is a rare occasion when an artist can discover a completely new and original sound identity for themselves, but this is the given circumstance with Coburn Tuller.

The exclusive Butterfly Tones release which features 9 songs of melodic bell timbres has proven to be an innovative source of musical harmony, and one of the most original arrangements available in recent memory.

New Age Music World host John Olsen recently had the opportunity to meet Coburn Tuller in person for their interview which covers topics about Coburn’s first release and his one of a kind instrument. Included are accolades of praise made by some of the industry’s top New Age review publicists. Music World is pleased to present this interview to Coburn Tuller’s fans and to our site visitors.

Interview with Coburn Tuller;

John Olsen:  It was truly a pleasure to meet you and your family for the first time Coburn. My wife and I also had a great time meeting some of your friends and the impromptu concert you performed for everyone on the unique instrument you invented and have aptly named The Tones.

Coburn Tuller:  Glad you enjoyed it. It’s always a pleasure to have good friends over and playing the Tones is always fun.

John:  Would you like to begin by telling everyone the circumstances of how your idea for The Tones first began?

Coburn Tuller:  It was during one of my midnight walks when I heard the sound of wind chimes wafting through the evening air. I’d heard the tinkle-tinkle kind of chimes before, but these were the new generation of beautiful sounding wind chimes that had just come out. That was in October of 1996. The nest day I was passing my favorite metal store and just cruised in to see what they might have in the left over bin. Among the chunks of aluminum was a round tube that when struck with a mallet sounded for almost 2 minutes. I was mesmerized. So I went back to get some more and soon had 7, then 14 and then 20 Tones to play and experiment with. Thus began 12 years of various designs and many detours until the present set emerged.

John:  Our interview together includes pictures of your instrument, but to give everyone a better idea of what is involved, could you describe the materials and dimension of The Tones?

Coburn Tuller:  The present set was completed in 2008. It consists of 90 tones of aluminum and brass ranging from 7 in. to over 6 ft. in length. The three wooden pyramid frames are slightly over 8 feet high and the entire set is 7 feet deep x 9 feet across. All together is weighs almost 750 pounds.

John:  You were telling me that over the past 15 years you have devoted a lot of time perfecting your instrument which must have been a real challenge at times. What were some of the early prototypes like, and could you describe some of the challenges involved with fabricating a new musical instrument?

Coburn Tuller:  There were a variety of early designs. At first I simply suspended each Tones in cradles of fishing line at each node. After a few months I rigged a set of 25 Tones into a frame with two layers, one on top of the other like a marimba or two layer amadinda. I tried simply bolting the Tones in place but found that they had almost no ring at all, so I went back to the string idea experimenting with various types of cord and eventually went back to heavy duty fishing line for this model. I played this design all through the first winter and following spring until I had more time to experiment.

I next tried other kinds of metal, copper, aluminum conduit and stainless steel-whatever I could find at the salvage yard. The stainless sounded more like hitting a pipe but the other two had promise. Mind you, I had to work my normal business as a set builder so there were weeks and even months when we had a big set to build that I had absolutely no time whatsoever for Tones.

I suppose the biggest prototype was the five layer instrument I began around 2000. It was to have 2 layers of aluminum thick wall, one of aluminum conduit, one of copper and a fifth of brass if I could find it at the scrap yard, which was where a good portion of the metal came from.  I did get the first two layers built including the damper system designed to allow the Tones to be muted by degrees depending on how hard you pressed on the pedals. But I suspended the project when it failed to ring like I knew it could if only I could build it correctly. You see, the main impetus has always been the sound and even when other people would complement me on the sound it made, I always knew there was another dimension of sound in there somewhere.

About this time I noticed that I was playing one note more than any other. At first I thought I just liked the G tone best, but eventually I noticed that particular note had vibrato as well as sustain. This caused me to rework the entire set and replace every note with one that had vibrato. Quite the chore since only one in 5 or 6 Tones has that quality.

In 2002 we started a yoga studio and I built a set of 7 Tones that hung vertically from a simple sweeping Zen type frame. We used it for om meditations before and after yoga practice. It was a little tricky since the Tones would swing and clang together if you were not real careful how you struck them. One day, one of the strings broke and the Tones crashed to the floor. In frustration I asked my then sweetheart Ellen, “What should I do now?” She leaned over and peered at the wreckage and said,”What if you hang them horizontal.” Brilliant! Then I saw that they could have a pyramid shaped frame and I was off and running in the direction that led to the present set. It took another 2 years to build the first pyramid set and an additional 3 more years for the other two pyramids, but the sought after design was finally coming together.

The biggest challenge all along has been that there is nothing else like it so I had no one else’s experience to go on. I just had to keep at it until either I stumbled upon the right course or, as so often happens, someone else suggested something that turned out to lead to the best way to do it.

John:  Was tuning each aluminum tube to a true pitch one of the most challenging aspects, and could you tell us the tuning scale or harmonic pitch of The Tones?

Coburn Tuller:  Tuning was very involved. I had design a tuning device that consisted of a strobe tuner like what piano tuners use along with a frequency counter so I could know exactly each tone’s vibration. I would cut and listen, then trim by degrees until the note was right.

Shaving off too much, even the thickness of a sheet of paper, meant the Tone was too sharp and went to recycling. Even shooting a coat of clear finish on a Tone could make it sharp. My final method was to rough tune, finish, then fine tune and hope I didn’t go over. All in all, to get the 90 Tones I have now, I have been through more than 600 pieces of tubing.

The scale, too, is tricky because I wanted to tune to what is called Just Intonation, the scale that early classical music was played in and that is closest to the vibration of the major chakras. That way, the Tones would have a healing and relaxing effect. Since no other instrument is tuned to this scale, that was also a rather involved process.

John:  I can see how involved the development has been. Now we have a better idea of the instrument you performed on for your first album entitled Butterfly Tones, could you tell us your early music history and educational background in music?

Coburn Tuller:  I started playing guitar as a young teenager and especially liked open tunings.  I built my first dulcimer at age 17 and even made a few for sale over the years. In 1978 I joined a Belly Dance Troupe called Arabesque. I was the leader of the band on a special two neck dulcimer/guitar instrument I fashioned from my Grandfather’s old Harp Guitar.

In college I took up piano and synthesizer as part of a music and dance major.  In 1979 built a special 3 neck dulcimer I called the Dulcitar, following that in 1982 with a Yang Chin or Chinese Hammer Dulcimer, both of which I used to write the music for some of my dances and video pieces while at the university. I also wrote the songs and incidental music for a children’s production while there.

John:  Knowing your earlier experiences as a musician, was it easy to make a transition and begin composing music for a completely new instrument, and how did you compose the music for your first album?

Coburn Tuller:  Actually, I originally thought I would build and sell Tone Sets, but there was always one more improvement to make and when I had the present set completed, the music just started coming through. Fortunately, I had done recording before so it wasn’t a completely new and overwhelming proposition. It did take almost 3 years, however, to compose the 9 tracks on this CD. Sometimes it was merely waiting for inspiration but often I would get a new idea while fine tuning a particular note or I would hear a train whistle in the distance and hum a counterpoint which would begin a new piece. Sometimes I just hit the Tones and let them ring and played with melodies under the sustained notes. One day my sweetheart Mary said, “Just play the low and high C note,” so I did and that developed into Mystic Dream. I guess the short answer is various ways of composing.

John:  When you composed Butterfly Tones, did you write the musical notations for the 9 songs on a music sheet, or do you compose and perform by memory alone?

Coburn Tuller:  I perform entirely by memory.

John:  You and I had talked about the many possibilities in which your music can be applied to instrumental scores simply because of the unique intonations of your instrument. If the opportunity arose, would you consider collaborating with another musician by having other New Age artists utilize your music for a combined project together?

Coburn Tuller:  Definitely. I would welcome collaboration and would love to be part of another project.

 John:  Given the fact there is a lot involved in composing, producing, and marketing an album, do you find being a recording artist who has marketed his first album a rewarding experience, and what are some of the challenges to marketing an album yourself?

Coburn Tuller:  Fortunately, I published a book in 1995 so had some experience with marketing then. This introduced me to the major New Age distributors and magazines. The internet, however, has changed almost everything about the marketing game so it’s been rather a steep learning curve with much more to come. The biggest challenge is obtaining album reviews and seeing them published so that potential fans can learn about the music and be encouraged to listen to the clips online. I also have ads in the major magazines that go to buyers for the New Age Bookstores and boutiques. As always with doing anything yourself, it takes a lot of time but is rewarding when a project becomes successful like this one is becoming.

John:  I read some great reviews on your website reviews page.  Would you like to tell us what some of the other review publicists like me have said about The Tones and the innovative musical arrangements you have created on Butterfly Tones?

Coburn Tuller:  The reception from major reviewers has been extraordinary!  All in all, I couldn’t be more pleased with the excellent reception this CD is garnering.

Michael Diamond called the Tones “a stunning work of art” that “produces exquisite sounds that reverberate and sustain creating a sea of harmonic overtones.”

Kathy Parsons suggests the music as “an ideal accompaniment for massage, meditation and relaxation by taking a person’s focus into a new musical realm altogether.”

Bill Binkelman describes the music as “rich, resonant bell-like tones with amazing, sustained durations that overlap like ripples in a pond.”

Steven Ferrino said “I am noticing the ambiance of my office coming to life with the vibration of the notes filling the room. The playful notes seem to have a life of their own as they bounce off the wall.”

Alejandro Clavijo of ReviewsNewAge.com wrote my newest album review. Alejandro said; “Coburn Tuller has created a lovely album, unlike any other music CD on a percussion instrument. The instrument has a fascinating harmonic richness, depending on the intensity of the blow, the brightness and sound can vary in intensity and this creates a beauty that resides in each composition.”

John:  I agree with them totally! The positive statements from these review publicists are a superb reflection of your work! Recently you told me you are planning on another project. Is your second release going to be similar to your first or do you have something else planned on your second recording?

Coburn Tuller:  I have been talking with one musician friend in particular about putting some violin and/or mandolin tracks on my upcoming CD I plan to begin this fall.

I think the next CD should have something new that expands on what has come before. As such, I have just completed the addition of a set of copper Tones to the main set which brings the count up to 120 Tones. The copper Tones have an almost Asian quality to them and a shorter sustain which allows for a different kind of melodic interplay.

John:  Sounds wonderful! We look forward to your second release. Coburn, I enjoyed meeting you, and hope we can arrange another get together soon. In closing, is there anything you would like to comment on that we haven’t talked about?

Coburn Tuller:  Just to say I love the music The Tones can create and I am thrilled I can share it with your special audience.

Visit Coburn Tuller at his butterflytonescd.com homepage and visit his CDBaby.com or Amazon.com to sample or purchase. Read what others are saying on Coburn’s reviews page, and find more on our page dedicated to Coburn Tuller.

Photos are courtesy butterflytonescd.com.

New Releases from Tangerine Dream are as innovative today as they were during the early years. With their numerous live performance CDs, DVD, soundtrack, and studio albums, Tangerine Dream continues to produce outstanding new music today, and with their proven track record, this iconic group will carry on the tradition of excellence many years forward.

The first new CD release is The Gate of Saturn – Tangerine Dream Live at the Lowry Manchester 2011. This is a 3CD full length recording that includes a colorful 16 page photo booklet taken during the live concert.

Mona Da Vinci is a 1 CD album of newly released material. The Angel of the West Window – Gustav Meyrink is a project based on a novel Austrian author Gustav Meyrink wrote in 1927. The Island Of The Fay – Edgar Allan Poe contains 1 CD and is first in a series of future projects.

If you are a Tangerine Dream fan, (and who isn’t) check out the new CD releases from Tangerine Dream. Visit the official website of Tangerine Dream at tangerinedream-music.com for the latest news and to sample albums. Then you can visit Eastgate Music Shop for CDs, DVDs, shirts, posters and everything TD. Cover art courtesy tangerinedream-music.com.

Sounds from the Circle 111 is the 2011 CD release from Circle members who submitted their New Age, and related sub genres music for consideration. Host and founder of the music circle, Suzanne Doucet then produced this rather special album which contains 40 songs and holds over 3 hours of music. It takes around 4 months to compile Sounds from the Circle albums and organize the songs for a smooth and uniform arrangement of the 40 quality songs offered in a variety of melodic themes. The CD can be played in mp3 compatible CD players or in computer CD-ROM drives, which will download into an iTunes player. The album can likewise be purchase and downloaded on iTunes.

Sounds from the Circle 1 & 11 are two earlier compilation albums in a similar format which became a popular playlist of songs for online radio stations, including the popular 365 Stars radio station my friend and colleague B.T. Fasmer hosts. For the artists, Sounds from the Circle releases have distribution involving important music conferences and trade shows like INATS & MIDEM. Another nice feature for the fan is the cover insert that lists each artist’s name, track, album title and website which makes it easy to find out more about the artists of special interest to you.

Sounds from the Circle 111 features some great musicians, and is in fact a unique compilation album like no other you will find available today. Created in the universal atmosphere among friends who belong to the New Age Music Circle, the far reaching diversity of performing musicians on this international release becomes another integral quality that makes this release special.                    John P. Olsen

New Age Music World has featured six out of the forty musicians listed on the album over the years. Bill Wren begins with the first song En Mai from the One Day in a Life album. Kori Linae Carothers has her song Blue Ice from the Trillium album. Marc Enfroy has the song A Good Heart from Unconditional, and David Mauk has his title song from the Ground Swell album. Jeffery Fisher is another with Bird Dance from Satyagraha (Songs of the Earth) and then Suzanne Doucet completes the Sounds from the Circle CD with final song OM from her As it is Now release.

Visit Suzanne Doucet & members at NewAgeMusik.ning.com. Sample & purchase Sounds from the Circle 111 at iTunes. You can find more great music at NewAgeMusic.com & NewAgeUniverse.

Cover artwork courtesy Suzanne Doucet & The New Age Music Circle.

Moondancer is the conclusive result in his highly imaginative Dancer Trilogy Series, reaching a point where it couldn’t get any better than what I have heard so far with the first two.  Then again, it becomes clear Steve reaches for the stars on the rhythmic dancer series featuring earthly qualities of rain, sun and moon elements.

Steve Orchard from Bristol, England is quite masterful at producing electronic instrumental music composed with improvised mood sensations and a progressive repertoire of lively rhythms.  If you have read our interview or earlier album reviews you know that 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 and a recognized soloist in South West & London England during the 1990′s.

Drawing inspiration from the natural environment, Steve’s first in series Raindancer is based in a tropical soundscape where beautiful South American rhythms are explored with flutes, panpipes, acoustic guitars, keyboards percussion, along with a wonderful array of elements by synthesizer.

Sundancer is an emblematic second album in Steve Orchard’s Trilogy Series, and like the first album, the second reflects rare qualities of relaxing yet energetic melodies that I felt achieve universal appeal.  In fact the energetic symmetry, illuminating atmosphere and Island music impression did help propel Sundancer to the eighth award winning position in our NewAgeMusic.nu Best Albums Awards for 2010.

Moondancer is the twilight and glowing counterpoint keeping well in contrast to the first two albums, but I do want to point out that Moondancer is far from being a boring or lull you to sleep album.  Here again you will find radiant melodic imagery right beside a natural and reposeful atmosphere, and this is where an emphasis on the dancer suffix comes into play.

Counting Stars begins the twilight sequence of the series with a light keyboard melody set in a deeper background and like Apollo’s Return, mysterious imagery is not the prevalent consequence with this first song, or the entire album as a whole.  Moondancer is carried out with a deeper contrast in style as the moon prefix implies, yet is very complimentary to the first two albums sunnier atmosphere so you will find this album preserves many of the same rhythmic qualities which are an integral part of the entire dancer series.

Phases & Tides, Nebula and Grimaldis Comet are three songs that help make this distinction clear since bongo drums and other percussion enhancements gently counterbalance deeper keyboard tones, infusing shades of light which in turn introduce a more illuminating atmosphere.  The soft flute melody in moderately timed Nocturne creates an interesting contrast when combined with the twinkling effect by keyboard.  Lost Contact has a deep futuristic feel by the dreamy keyboard and synthesizer tones while Earth Glue adheres to the counterbalance theme by a wood flute melody and percussion woodblock beats, and the intermittent chanting does convey a strong tribal influence too.

NewAgeMusicWorld.com & NewAgeMusic.nu feature many outstanding musicians who are all are capable of producing mood elevating music to either help you relax and unwind, brighten your day or even inspire you by notes that seem to dance.  The Dancer Trilogy Series from Steve Orchard is an all-inclusive colorful kaleidoscope of vibrant melodies, and this latest is no exception.  It is lively music rhythms in step with a wonderful radiant design. 

Visit the steveorchardmusic.co.uk homepage and sample or purchase Moondancer on his music page. Read my interview with Steve Orchard and album reviews on our pages dedicated to Steve Orchard.

 Moondancer cover design copyright David Orchard.  Big Stock Photo – mpemberton.

The new year has lots in store for Yanni fans !

On February 8th the first album of all new material composed by Yanni himself since 2003 will be released (last album was Ethnicity). The title is Truth Of Touch. The album will contain a complete track listing of 13 songs.

You can sample this epic new release at truthoftouch.com.

We are promised “The Return of Yanni As We Know Him” And WOW, what a feast this is turning out to become! These first clips shows truly that Yanni is back in shape, and ready to give us breathtakingly beautiful, larger-than-live music for those special moments.  And in connection with the release, a lot of products have been made available at the Yanni Store. Here you can buy t-shirts, umbrellas and posters.

Truth Of Touch will for sure be one of next year’s major titles, and we can – from what we have heard so far – say that it will be a worthy return from Yanni.

]]> http://www.newagemusicworld.com/new-album-from-yanni-in-february/feed/ 0 http://www.newagemusicworld.com/steve-orchard-shines-on-sundancer/ http://www.newagemusicworld.com/steve-orchard-shines-on-sundancer/#comments Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:29:05 +0000 John P. Olsen http://www.newagemusicworld.com/?p=5580 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 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 every label artist 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 edition a well timed release during the 25 year anniversary events taking place with Medwyn Goodall and every fine artist 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 overall relaxing yet energetic tonal qualities and their 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 a 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 evenly 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.

Steve Orchard is a bright and serious composer today just as he was in yesteryear and 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 the steveorchardmusic.co.uk homepage and sample or purchase Sundancer on his music page. Read my recent interview with Steve Orchard on our pages dedicated to Steve Orchard.

Sundancer cover design copyright David Orchard. Picture copyright BigStockPhoto – Albo.