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Archive for the ‘Solo Piano Songs’ Category

The Piano – Best Solo Piano Compilation Album in 2012, featuring 17 songs by 17 artists, from Reviews New Age, Alejandro Clavijo.

If you love solo piano music, new album The Piano is likely to be one of the very best new releases in the new age solo piano/instrumental category in 2012. This exclusive piano music collection of 17 top-quality songs by 17 great artists is a brand new compilation album produced by Reviews New Age founding editor and blog host Alejandro Clavijo from Spain.

Many may already be familiar with Alejandro if you have visited his Reviews New Age site, and there is another reason you might recognize the name since Alejandro’s brother is the award-winning guitarist and recording artist David Clavijo.

The Best of Reviews New Age: The Piano by Various artists is the title given to this new 2012 album. The 17 songs are the best song selections from 17 of today’s top contemporary solo pianists. Many artists are top ranked pianists, while other artists are equitably well-known names in the new age music industry.

If you are in any way familiar with artists in the solo piano category, you should be able to recognize most pianists on this compilation album that spans well over an hour in duration. Although I no longer review solo piano music, there are several artists I have featured at this site over the years by way of their piano and instrumental albums.

The Best of Reviews New Age: The Piano is already getting a lot of press simply because a comprehensive collection of the best piano songs by some of today’s best artists is by all accounts, highly desirable.

If you love solo piano music this new compilation album by Reviews New Age, is a release is certainly worthy of your time and money. Even for persons less familiar with the specialized solo piano category of music and want an introductory album, I ask you; why not begin with the best!

Visit ReviewsNewAge.com for more information and music stores to sample or purchase in either audio CD or mp3 download format. Reviews New Age is a multilingual site, so for Spanish to English translation, click on the Google Translate button option at the top.

You can find The Piano at Amazon.com and major online stores like CDBaby, Emusic, and iTunes. Listed below are the 17 artists contributing 17 songs on The Best of Reviews New Age: The Piano – compilation release for 2012. Big Stock Photo – Aysarts.

The Best of Reviews New Age: The Piano – 17 Artists & 17 Songs:

1. Doug Hammer song Maine Morning

2. Rocky Fretz song Kim’s Song

3. Ralph Zurmuhle song The Train

4. Chad Lawson song Set On a Hill

5. Matthew Mayer song Beyond

6. Navid Nevue song A Vision in White

7. Joe Bongiorno song Rise and Shine

8. Philip Wesley song Lamentations of the Heart

9. Mario Lopez Santos song Luceros

10. David Lanz song Sir George (Liverpool Farewell)

11. Wayne Gratz song Natalie’s Song

12. Michele Mclaughlin song Perseverance

13. Joseph Akins song Masterpeace

14. Lisa Downing song Night Games

15. Peter Kater song Ascent

16. Danny Wright song I Always Will

17. Julio Mazziotti song Indicios

Craig Urquhart is an accomplished pianist having a renewed focus on quintessential travels into piano music that literally speaks to the heart by virtue of his current seventh Solo Piano composition. Craig also aims to share reflective memories on this album with hopes of achieving mutual recollections which appear reminiscent to our own memories.

Within Memory is Craig’s classic memoir that takes a transcending tour into piano music that quickly becomes a meeting place to share moments of harmonious reflection, focusing on moments that everyone can relate to themselves. Residing in New York City, his regional and United States concerts have also earned worldwide audiences on the airwaves and during performances in Germany, France, and Japan.

Telling of music influences like Classical greats Chopin, Debussy, Satie and Copland, an intriguing aspect about Craig is that he also tells of contemporary influences like Pop and Rock too, so a classic contemporary structure converges with an overall expansive identity in respect to his original compositions.

Craig Urquhart holds a Masters Degree in Composition from the University of Michigan, and is a member of ASCAP, serves on the Board of Directors with the Lotte Lehmann Foundation, is a Whisperings Artist and voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The Grammys) which speaks volumes about his comprehensive musical career.

Within Memory is an album well suited for telling much about Craig Urquhart’s harmonious directive for parallel unity and poetically becomes the equivalent memoir he openly shares with worldwide concert audiences, presented by a memorable and sincere narrative from the heart.

In The Afternoon is the preamble song of 10 for Within Memory, having a bright tonal cheerfulness recited by a frame of mind you will find engaging. Before The Canvas exhibits a deeper tone and image by proficient piano chords modulation while stair stepping upward during ascending treble scales, changing perceptions with each layer.

Rapture is the benchmark showing a hopeful image to the conceptual pondering and lighter melody. Laid Back has a nice feel by a treble melody concurrent with deeper bass octaves consistent rhythm while October Bright Blue recaptures a crisp and bright piano overture while making a distinction midst the two songs. Low Tide is the deep flowing melody with pause and intonation nicely enriched with hopeful optimism and song I favored most. Prairie Flowers flourishes into a gently moving melody while traveling to and from, given the preceding treble notes lead the closely timed counter bass notes while held in a subsequent role.

Within Memory ( Title Song ) concludes the album recital for the listener, but for Craig Urquhart it begins an arranged lineup for abundant visits to many countries during his role as an esteemed concert pianist. Later this year Craig is scheduled for concert recitals in the United States, Berlin Germany, Positano and Rome, Italy.

I am certain the concert events slated for this year will be another wonderful social meeting place for notable entertainment along with an exchange of lasting memories for everyone, especially for Craig Urquhart.

Visit CraigUrquhart.com to sample and purchase his solo piano album titled Within Memory. Big Stock Photo – aysarts.

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.