New Age Music World

Archive for the ‘Piano Music’ Category

Arturo Mayorga is recognized as a dancing pianist but don’t get me wrong, Arturo does not literally dance while playing piano. However if he were to attempt this feat, I am certain it would be as graceful and dignified as what I have heard in his first classic New Age piano CD.

Equal to his talents as a composing musician, Arturo Mayorga is nationally ranked in the competitive sport of Ballroom dancing, where Waltz, Tango, and Swing are scrutinized before watchful judges who watch for the accepted criteria of a dancing couple locked hand in hand. Now with a concert piano as his partner, Cascades embraces the identical movements found in classical dance by having a choreography timed with proper speed, motion, and balance.

Like so many musicians, a parent’s considerate gift of a musical instrument at an early age is what began his interest in music. Arturo states that it was at this early age that he realized the impact of what one person playing an instrument could have on another. Arturo continued music through high school then college. His scholastic studies were in math and science, but composing music was also on his mind so he started the framework songs for the Cascades album during this time period. While judging this CD for myself, I found the 10 classic piano songs of varying moods left me feeling they were a personal revelation of his emotional thoughts put to music.

Cascades begins with first song Sunrise. This mid tempo piano and violin duet sets the standard for a graceful heartfelt ballet, where each timed movement is balanced by the piano melody considering violin takes a second seat by following the lead. There is much emotional content since a melancholy feel is present, lending to a touch of sadness, yet adding character and definition, leaving a beautiful image of what you have just heard in your mind.

While judging this debut album for myself, I found the 10 classic piano songs of varying moods left me feeling they were a personal revelation of his emotional thoughts put to music.

The Last Night of Winter aligns well with the piano’s duo partner in allowing violin to take the lead in portion of the melody during this faster paced song, where full 360 degree rotational dance pivots, and those brief stationary pauses always see during pivot turns, can be pictured in your mind if you try.

The title song Cascades is a true champion in freestyle, where a faster tempo piano promenades with every rise and fall in piano key note steps, reaching the full height in posture, rhythm, and speed.

Violin notes then connects with the melody posturing in a more formal manner while piano strokes sweep along the keyboard at a dizzying pace. The positive upbeat piano movements seem to sweep you off your feet at critical moments, leaving you breathless at the finish.

Arturo is successful at engraving a full range of emotional content and movement into his classic orchestra style music. Cascades is a wonderful piano and instrumental album with beautiful rhythm.

Knowing Arturo Mayorga’s background in dance, one can easily imagine themselves sitting in the audience watching him in motion while listening to his music. From where I happen to be sitting, Arturo appears to be a winner.

Visit the dancing pianist dressed in black at ArturoMayorga.com and his music store digstation.com.

Cover art courtesy of arturomayorga.com – Photo copyright Big Stock Photo – aysarts.

Australian composer and pianist Fiona Joy Hawkins has 4 award winning projects at present. Her most recent Blue Dream album is successful in placing an exclamation mark after her name when recognizing Fiona’s outstanding abilities and claim to fame in international status.

Fiona Joy Hawkin’s many achievements include charting at #1 on World New Age radio charts spanning 9 countries, Best Piano album in the NAR Lifestyle Music Awards in 2006, and as finalist in 2 genres in the Los Angeles Music Awards in 2007. Fiona also won an award in the Classical/Jazz category in the Music OZ Awards in 2008, and after being a finalist 5 times, she ranked finalist in 4 categories including Album of the Year in the NAR Awards in 2009.

Ice: Serve Slightly Chilled is innovative, dynamic and bold, confidently stated by yours truly. With an inventor’s approach, Fiona Joy Hawkin’s Ice composition is patently administered on her Steinway Concert piano as a new musical prototype. What impressed me the most was a momentary departure from her exceptional, yet more Contemporary albums that won her claim to fame. Portions of the Rock overtones present in this album challenge some of our basic assumptions of the term Piano music. Another concept is a transition in the way Rock music has been perceived in the past, creating a new approach in the way we view the term Rock music.

It is on the Ice: Serve Slightly Chilled release where Fiona’s patent innovation in New Age, Contemporary piano begins, charting an adventurous course in the way a musician blends Classical New Age, Popular, Chill Out, Jazz, World and Rock. With an inventor’s approach, Fiona patently administers a new music prototype on her Steinway Concert piano.

The Ice album discloses more than an improvement made to a existing musical product. Fiona takes an inventor’s approach in redefining the fundamental basics of the way we perceive Piano and Rock music.

The 10 songs on Ice are issued titles with an icy thermodynamic theme, setting the spine chilling mood in motion by providing a mid tempo application of classic New Age Chill. The song Iced Rain discloses a trademark Fiona Joy Hawkins piano arrangement, yet grants an exclusive design concept by applying a mixture of genres and unique instrumentation.

While Aboriginal Didgeridoo echoes an indigenous woodwind call to the wild, ebony and ivory piano keys appear to reach an entire range of octaves to establish a new dimension in piano music that is spine tingling. Thunderous percussion unites with electrified guitar to diagram the upbeat momentum for this ground breaking discovery by commingling Classic piano and Rock music into a single entity.

Cloud Chill is a song innovation that starts out as a meteorological weather advisory on the horizon when native Didgeridoo once again reverbs an ancient voice into the past, present, and future. Fiona’s epic design in piano rhythms then integrate with electric guitar, blending into musical matter cool enough to penetrate what we term Rock music.

Fiona Joy Hawkin’s novel piano composition first finds a crack and expands, breaking the solid barrier of Rock music from a familiar genre, shattering what was once a large form of music into tiny little pieces into a new music entity. The Ice project discloses more than just an improvement made to a prior existing musical product. Fiona takes an inventor’s approach in redefining the fundamental basics of the way we perceive Piano and Rock music.

The 2 songs I just described titled Iced Rain and Cloud Chill are playing on our Stars Radio so that you may hear this invention in music for yourself. You may also read my review of her latest album titled Blue Dream, and then discover the online art gallery and music website of fionajoyhawkins.com.au. Picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com.

It seems that few instruments can compare to a piano for personally illustrating the emotion and feeling of what an artist wants to share with another. The piano is a divine instrument to play or to simply listen while others perform. I am certain many readers like myself have also had the opportunity to play the piano as younger adults either willingly or unwillingly under the guidance of their parents, which ended with varying degrees of success.

Fiona Joy Hawkins from Australia is the noteworthy artist I would like to highlight today since she has achieved unbridled success as a touring concert pianist. Fiona has reached the number 1 spot in World New Age radio charts across 9 countries, achieving the Best Piano Album in the NAR lifestyle music awards in 2006, and winning the classical/jazz category in the Music OZ Awards for 2008. These are accomplishments even her parents never would have dreamed possible.

Fiona Joy Hawkins has also received multiple nominations as finalist in classical jazz categories in 2007 and 2009 in multiple genres, among her respectable achievements as an Australian born composer and pianist.

Fiona’s most recent 2008 Blue Dream album on the Little Hartley Music label, described as Contemporary World fusion piano music. The release places the listener into a relaxed mood by many refined variations ranging from the poignant quiet moments of thought, to reflective moments with varying rhythms and orchestration phases on the 22 song album which does blend together well from song to song.

Fiona Joy Hawkins most current album Blue Dream is a piano and instrumental collaboration with other artist that has received top music honors and again extended the worldwide admiration for her work. Fiona is recognized as an awarding winning pianist who covers New Age, Classical, Contemporary, Jazz and World Fusion genres, it’s easy to see Fiona’s Blue Dream release was worth the wait!

While already widely recognized, the Blue Dream album should help her break into international markets. One can consider the 22 songs on this album as chapters in a book, that after reading each chapter, the next phase of this story becomes more revealing when finishing all verses, and working your way towards the final chapter.

My favorite track 9 blends powerful, yet soft vocals, only to crescendo into a moving inspirational piece, blending into the next novel chapter. All song chapters and illustrations in Blue Dream will hold your interest by preventing you from putting the book down, and my favorite track 9 blends powerful, yet soft vocals, only to crescendo into a moving inspirational piece, blending into the next novel chapter. Farther in the storyline, Track 12 opens with a classic piano solo interlude as vocals add definition. The plot thickens in this musical storyline by increased keyboard momentum and fine instrumentals, which divulge even greater amounts of dialog on this narrative.

Recorded and produced by Grammy Award winner Will Ackerman, there are a host of talented musicians who solo and accompany Fiona Joy Hawkins on her Blue Dream release. To their credit, they greatly influence the beauty and refinement of the album, without ever exceeding the award winning pianist intentions, and the message she masterfully portrays on the 88 ebony and ivory keyed Steinway concert piano.

Fiona Joy Hawkins is also a painter with her own online art gallery, where paintings can be purchased, along with her 4 available CDs. The novel website to visit is fionajoyhawkins.com.au. Picture Copyright Big Stock Photo – aysarts.