New Age Music World

AOMusic has an exciting release entitled – …and Love Rages On!

I have an AOMusic album review for their new release in a couple of days, but I first wanted to post a beautiful world music song video of Ena na Lena from their release – and Love Rages On!

Richard Gannaway, Jay Oliver and Miriam Stockley who make up the leading AOMusic group, have completed a special project that unites forces with an international lineup of guest artists, and beautiful children’s choirs from around the world.

AOMusic’s – and Love Rages On! – is special given the excellent contemporary instrumentals are in unison with ethnic vocal harmonies of children’s choirs and ensembles from four continents worldwide which makes a very exclusive release. The 9 songs feature children’s choirs from Africa, America, China and the People’s Republic of Georgia. Until I tell you more about this special world fusion album, enjoy the AOMusic video below and visit their homepage.

Visit the aomusic.com homepage. There is a 10% donation on all music downloads at the AOMUSIC 4 HAITI campaign. Banner is courtesy aomusic.com.

Grammy nominated composer David Arkenstone has teamed up with Emmy Award winning director Jan Nickman on a new project. Together they have created an amazing nature film in unison with David’s magnificent instrumental soundtrack CD. When the film and cinematic music score are experienced as a single collective, it’s easy to see their project together is more than admirable, it is an absolute masterpiece!

The Echoes of Creation soundtrack by David Arkenstone is an excellent new release from the award winning, three times Grammy nominated composer who has produced a lengthy list of great instrumental albums over the course of his long career which spans decades. His popularity as a favorite artist of many persons including myself is apparent when you consider he has sold over one million albums throughout his career. In addition, recognition has arrived in other forms since he has been listed in the top 10 Billboard New Age charts twenty times.

David Arkenstone and his popular music repertoire can range anywhere from Ambient, Celtic, Contemporary, World, and New Age Fusion, is a unique characteristic of his vast discography which practically guarantees there is a favorite album for just about everyone. As an accomplished musician he is accustom to playing a wide variety of instruments, some of which include electronic keyboards, piano, cello, flute, harp, mandolin and a number of guitars. David is also a percussionist, sings vocals on some of his albums, and even tours as a concert performer.

The Echoes of Creation film highlights a variety of inspiring landscape footage of the Pacific Northwest, California and Alaska which was filmed from an eagle’s eye point of view. Some of the photographic footage captures scenes of three thousand years old sequoias, to an aurora borealis, and many more natural landscapes and scenic settings. With the holiday season drawing nearer, what an excellent Christmas gift the CD/DVD would be!

The soundtrack CD matched with the colorful nature film was photographed in high definition and aired nationwide on Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) and contains poetic narration by Karen Hutton. There are a variety of formats, so if you prefer the CD soundtrack or film on DVD, there are several purchase options.

David Arkenstone’s recent CDs entitled Celtic Journeys & Ambient World are both great albums too. They go a long way in pointing out the remarkable diversity of his song writing aptitude by using album title comparison alone. When you consider David Arkenstone’s impressive capabilities as a multi-instrumentalist and experience as a popular artist, it’s clear David was the perfect choice for this nature inspired film. View the Echoes of Creation official trailer on my page for David Arkenstone.

Visit the davidarkenstone.com homepage to sample or purchase the CD soundtrack. Visit echoesofcreationmovie.com to order Echoes of Creation on CD or DVD formats. Photos are courtesy davidarkenstone.com.

David Arkenstone is the Grammy Nominated musician who recently composed the Echoes of Creation movie soundtrack for Emmy Award winning director Jan Nickman, and his inspiring nature film that bears the same name. The scenic backdrop for the landscape footage filmed in the U.S. is the Pacific Northwest, California, and Alaska.

The Echoes of Creation DVD soundtrack by David Arkenstone is a beautiful instrumental score that seems to bring out the very best of what director Jan Nickman had in mind while producing this equally stunning film. Together as a team they have produced an audio visual product that is beyond comparison!

For the award winning musician David Arkenstone, the Echoes of Creation soundtrack comes to be his most recent CD release in his already extensive list of popular orchestral albums. The instrumental songs on David’s soundtrack are Deep Beauty, The Most Sacred Art, Tides of Eternity, Riding the Invisible, Journey of Forever, The Inevitable, Embrace Everything & Echoes of Creation title song.

Below is the official Echoes of Creation video trailer.

Visit the davidarkenstone.com homepage to sample or purchase the CD soundtrack. Visit echoesofcreationmovie.com to order Echoes of Creation on CD, DVD or BlueRay formats. Cover art is courtesy echoesofcreationmovie.com.

Mark Barnes is a multiple award winning composer and producer with several exceptional album releases available, and another new project on the way entitled Alive which is nearing completion. After listening to his two most current CD releases, I can almost say with near certainty that the Alive CD will be comprised with more dramatic instrumental music with cutting edge electronics like I heard on his first two albums. I enjoyed meeting Mark so let me tell you more about him.

Mark Barnes has enjoyed the honor and distinction of producing award-winning music over the years, having won the Independent National Artist of the year award in 2008 from the Phoenix Music Awards.

He was the recipient of the Hollywood F.A.M.E. Award for Music & Cinema at the 18th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards, and a top 20 finalist in the instrumental category for the 11th annual edition of Unisong, an International Songwriting Contest.

In 2009 Mark Barnes won the Soloist of the Year Award at the 19th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards, and Composer of the Year award at the 20th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards in 2010. Another recent honor was the 2010 Genre Award in Music at the Pride in the Arts Music Awards, which was sponsored by Rainbow World Radio.

Mark’s most recent music award was for Best Original Song composition at the 2011 TCI Film Festival with co-writer and two-times Academy Award Nominee Carol Connors. Their win for best song was for a documentary-drama film score song titled A City Within A Dream.

The Awakening & Temporal Infinity is the two most current releases from Mark who is a U.S. resident from the state of Florida. He also happens to be a touring musician currently planning his 2012 concert tour that will present his live performance combined with digital animation and live action video. His objective is to display a stunning visual effect in correlation with each song so that concert attendees can visualize his music. To me, I can picture the effect similar to an audio visual concert designed for the hearing impaired.

The Awakening is the most current album featuring 14 songs that are an ethereal blend of New Age, Ambient and Electronic. Like most of the albums and individual downloads I sampled, The Awakening is an album that seems to highlight his skill as a pianist and composer who possess a full repertoire of engaging melodies. Likewise there is a magnificent counterpoise to his piano compositions by the synthesizer element which extends the range and depth and gives each piece a deep feeling of inner beauty.

The title song The Awakening & To The Edge Of The World are moderately time piano pieces that are good examples for his personal style of instrumental and synthesizer arrangements, some of which have strong percussion backing.

The Prayer was the best song I thought by portraying the deeply emotive melody on an epic scale that is comparable to the grand instrumentals in Back To Bali. The song Sunday Morning Dance is more of an exception to other songs since the primary focus here is a lively paced electronic techno rhythm with strong percussion to match.

Mark Barnes who is a voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammys) has another fine New Age, Ambient, and Electronic release titled Temporal Infinity. This earlier album is perpetually uplifting like The Awakening, but of a gentler variety on the 13 song composition. I thought both could be a best album or best song award winner.

The Awakening & Temporal Infinity each has their own melodic perspectives while giving a perfect illustration of this artist’s style and diversity. When listening to both albums the two interconnected aspects of his classic based melodies with expert synthesizer complements made me appreciate the fact I was listening to not only a multi-award winning composer and producer, but a seasoned music professional.

Visit markbarnsmusic.com to sample/purchase or visit his Amazon.com page. Photos are courtesy Mark Barnes Music. Visit carolconnors.com to read about the amazing career of Carol Connors, who herself will be the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award in Composition this November at the Los Angeles Music Awards. Congradulations Carol Connors!

Mannheim Steamroller has released a 2 CD disc album in their Fresh Aire Music series that is a “best of the best” from the popular series. The 25 songs selected by the band founding director Chip Davis are some of the most popular songs in the entire 8 disk Fresh Aire series.

The Fresh Aire Music of Mannheim Steamroller is the title of the 2 CD’s special edition. Along with being the number 1 Christmas music artist in history, and their sensationally popular Christmas concert tours, Mannheim Steamroller has been awarded 16 gold records, 7 platinum and 4 multi-platinum records over the course of their early New Age music beginnings.

Rather than quote a price for the 2 CD Fresh Aire albums at MannheimSteamroller.com and Amazon.com I can tell you this album is very modestly priced. With the holiday season just around the corner this is truly a quality music product that would make a thoughtful but inexpensive Christmas gift!

Mannheim Steamroller’s song Morning from Yellowstone: The Music of Nature is the video below. A few days ago I wrote an article about “The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis” concert tour in 2011 so if you would like, you can check for concert venues in your area by my links below.

Visit the MannheimSteamroller.com homepage and read their concert schedule. Purchase or sample the Fresh Aire album at Amazon.com and read my pages on Mannheim Steamroller. Photo and cover art is courtesy mannheimsteamroller.com.

Mannheim Steamroller founder Chip Davis has recently announced his annual holiday celebration “The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis” will begin their Christmas concert tour season on November 10, 2011 and will continue until December 31, 2011. It’s a fact Mannheim Steamroller is the most popular Christmas music artist of all time!

The Mannheim Steamroller Christmas tour schedule for 2011 has been released, and is currently posted at their website in entirety. After the 25 year anniversary tour last year, Chip Davis will continue the holiday tradition of live performances for audiences around the country. Mannheim Steamroller concerts have constantly been in high demand for many years, so presently two individual bands will perform about 90 concerts during the 2011 concert season.

The West Coast Tour begins with a concert at the Crystal Grand in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin on November 11, 2011 and continues through the ending concert at the Abravanal Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 23, 2011.

The East Coast Tour begins with a concert at the Emens Auditorium in Muncie, Indiana on November 10, 2011 and continues through the ending concert at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas on December 30, 2011. Again, I would like to point out the dates shown above are beginning and ending concert dates only.

Visit MannheimSteamroller.com homepage for news and the full concert tour schedule posted at their website. Sign up for the M.S. newsletter for the latest info, and shop at the Mannheim Steamroller store for a wide range of gift ideas.

Concert photo is courtesy Janet Taylor & mannheimsteamroller.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.

Secret Garden enthusiasts have a new release coming called Winter Poem. For those who stay current with Secret Garden news, it was during my recent interview with Fionnuala Sherry when she gave the release date of November 7th 2011 for their new album Winter Poem.

The Winter Poem album cover has yet to be unveiled but this may be days from now knowing the release is about a month away. With Rolf Lovland and Fionnuala Sherry’s Secret Garden’s Inside I’m Singing from 2009 being their most current release, and a fine album, excitement is growing for Winter Poem when released November 7, 2011.

Fionnuala Sherry’s new solo album Songs From Before appears to be receiving a lot of attention too. This is Fionnuala’s contemporary instrumental album that is a revision on many of Ireland’s most beloved melodies which also contains some unreleased material too. Echoes Radio chose Songs From Before as Echoes Top 10 for June, CD of the Month in July, and then number 3 album in the top 25 in August at Echoes.

Secret Garden’s Eurovision Song Contest award was also a broadcast television documentary on RTE (Irish National TV) called “A Little Bit Eurovision” plus Fionnuala will be a special guest to perform live with Westlife on September 10, 2011. Westlife as you may know had won the UK Record of the Year Award on Top of the Pops with the Secret Garden song You Raise Me Up. With all of the current attention given to Secret Garden and Fionnuala Sherry, Winter Poem already sounds promising.

Visit secretgarden.no and fionnualasherry.com. Read my interview with Fionnuala Sherry. Photo is courtesy secretgarden.no.

Alvaro Villa André from Tarragona, Spain is the site host for The Music Explorer, a music blog devoted to all fans of New Age, Chill Out, Ambient, Electronic, Trance, Ethnic, Instrumental music styles. In addition to hosting The Music Explorer, Alvaro composes music. Recently he composed his fifth track titled Avaherz – In Space I believe.

Composing music in the style of legendary German artists like Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk, he uses composer software called Magix Music Maker, which enables him to compose his own music version with sound samples. His video is shown below, and I would also like to take a minute to tell you about my good friend from Spain.

Alvaro Villa André had to overcome some obstacles early in life, but his physical handicap called Cerebral Paralysis has not been a deterrent to living a happy and normal life. Like anyone with disabilities knows, these obstacles can be overcome!

Earlier while living in Germany for thirteen years with his parents, he discovered New Age and Adult Alternative music for the first time. Artists like Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Mike Oldfield’s Crisis album were some of his closest influences. Later on he began to discover many more great influential artists including Suzanne Ciani, Patrick O’Hearn and Grammy Award winner Will Ackermann.

In the 1990’s Alvaro Villa André began dance instruction at the Contemporary Ballet Group in Galicia Spain, and later began to teach and give classes in Contemporary Ballet to young adults with physical handicaps which became a rewarding experience. From 1999 to 2001 he was involved with a local radio station in Cataluña Spain called Music Explorer. There he wrote the program commentaries about various artists, and chose the song playlist for the radio station.

In 2008 he began to publish news articles at Futbol in Spain (futbolinspain.com) where he wrote about soccer statistics. In 2010 he began combining his own poetic and literary writing about New Age Music, and began to publish Las Cronicas de Avaherz/ The Chronicles of Avaherz (avaherz.blogspot.com) which featured his articles about New Age YouTube videos. This led to his decision to host a music blog of his own and publish New Age, World music and similar style music videos.

The name Alvaro chose was The Music Explorer. Today he lives with his wife in Tarragona, Spain. Alvaro has been a great help to me and the artist I cover since he has posted many Music World video articles and has space reserved for my site including my site banner and RSS feed.

The New Age Music World artists featured at The Music Explorer include; Coburn Tuller, David Clavijo, 2002, Spencer Stanley, Louis Colaiannia, Jon Anderson, Jose Luis Serrano Esteban, Asher Quinn, Blackmore’s Night, Uwe Gronau, Matthew Schoening, Kathryn Kaye, Marc Enfroy and Yanni. There are also articles about Suzanne Doucet’s New Age Music Circle and the ZMR Album Awards in 2010. On behalf of the artists I represent and myself, Thank You Alvaro Villa André!

Note: This site is down for undetermined length of time. Find music news on my article titled: New Age Music Blog.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is a popular movie as is the search for The Secret Movie Soundtrack which was composed using the original songs from a number of various composers. Currently there is not an official movie soundtrack or content list of songs that I can tell you about but there is an audiobook that contains song compositions from the movie.

Mirage of Hope (chilled mix) by Hemstock & Jennings is a trance style remixes at YouTube which features one song from Rhonda Byrne’s popular movie The Secret. One characteristic you will find in the Mirage of Hope song video is a deeply mysterious setting. Here is where you can watch the 9 video YouTube mix for Hemstock & Jennings. The song video below featuring music from The Secret can be purchased on the page for Mirage of Hope (chill mix) at iTunes.

Tangerine Dream is one of the most respected progressive, Avant-garde New Age bands of all time. This statement remains true every passing day as it was in the early 70’s, when they proved to be the most influential group to shape cutting edge electronic synthesizer music into some of our favorite classic albums of all time.

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.

Fionnuala Sherry is the celebrated violinist and fairer side of the music duo Secret Garden, along with becoming the most current artist to be featured by a musician interview at New Age Music World. While Fionnuala’s fame and success as a music partner with Norwegian composer and pianist Rolf Løvland of Secret Garden has earned them both admiration by millions as a team, Fionnuala Sherry who resides in Ireland, can claim a brilliant success of her own by the release of her first solo album entitled Songs From Before.

Songs From Before is Fionnuala Sherry’s unique and personal revision on some of the most beloved melodies of Irish heritage. In addition, her contemporary instrumental album with 10 songs total also includes some unreleased original compositions that beautifully highlight her expertise as a violinist and vocalist.

Her instrumental CD in entirety is a moving experience and inspirational beacon showing her in a new light, yet her solo release continues the true to character tradition, in regards to the fine violin melodies for which she is famous.

Fionnuala Sherry’s solo album Songs From Before also happens to be a very popular album that had risen to the number 2 position of the Top 25 for June on Echoes radio program within days of the release. Her solo release was also awarded Echoes CD of the Month for July on Echoes radio, a popular online radio program that is broadcast on 130 radio stations in North America.

Review publicist, and New Age Music World host John Olsen recently had the opportunity to interview the internationally renowned violinist Fionnuala Sherry, so today we are pleased to present their conversation to her fans and to our site visitors.

             Interview with Fionnuala Sherry in 2011.

John Olsen:  Let me begin by expressing my gratitude for approving of my interview request on short notice Fionnuala. Your first solo album is now available in North American markets after a successful earlier release in Europe.

I have read Songs From Before was a project in the planning stages for many years, and you have wanted to introduce your contemporary revision on traditional Irish classics for some time now. Why did this album become such an important artistic statement you wanted to express musically?

Fionnuala Sherry:  I am so happy now to have produced this CD as I have lived with these old Irish tunes for all my life and the strange thing is that as a professional violinist I never had the opportunity to perform them.

I think they have always influenced me as these beautiful airs have been a musical backdrop to my growing up and it felt just right for me to revisit them. I felt I had now learned so much over the years that I could this time hopefully bring all I have learned to the table and give them a new and contemporary edge.

John:  What were the circumstances that led you to produce Songs From Before at this point in time?

Fionnuala Sherry:  The timing was right. I had taken some down time away from Secret Garden in fact I stopped playing for nearly 2 years. I guess I was just burned out. Slowly the passion returned and I felt if ever I was going to record these beloved songs it was the perfect time.

John:  Songs From Before is an album comprised of mostly traditional melodies of Ireland, which is somewhat in contrast to your Secret Garden arrangements. Did you find performing modern revisions of familiar Irish melodies more of a challenge or merely a variation in how you regularly compose music?

Fionnuala Sherry:  I approached this CD with the same discipline as to other Secret Garden albums. The key for me in producing the right kind of sound was teaming up with Kjetil Bjekestrand. A wonderful Norwegian composer and programmer who “got” what I was trying to do. He also came with fresh and innocent ears to these tunes having no earlier knowledge of them. Through him he helped to give me the freedom to write around the airs and to approach them in a new way.

John:  I have to admit I am less familiar with traditional Irish melodies so wondered if you give everyone some historical context of the songs you have re-created. Are they primarily hymns or ballads?

Fionnuala Sherry:  They are really neither, Irish airs were just that they could be sung with sometimes added lyrics, or they were simply played on a fiddle, or whistle or harp etc. When these tunes were handed down from generation to generation they were in the form of verse only which was repeated and repeated.

We are more familiar nowadays with songs having the form of verse, chorus, maybe bridge chorus etc. So the challenge for me to work these simple (one verse only) airs into a more substantial composition was with the additional writing and arrangement which Kjetil and I worked on together.

John:  Do you plan to release another solo album someday Fionnuala?

Fionnuala Sherry:  Yes I would love to and hope that will happen.

John:  I understand you were raised at home with a family of musicians. Could you tell us about some of your early experiences growing up in a house full of musicians?

Fionnuala Sherry:  It was great fun most of the time as there was always something going on and my parents gave loads of parties and in true Irish form everybody always had a party piece, so there was lots of singing and playing.

But like all kids there were also times when I was very envious of my friends out on the road when they were out playing and kicking a ball etc. when I was stuck in rehearsing. Many are a time I would have loved to have swopped places!

John:  With your Secret Garden album Inside I’m Singing being your second most current release, I am sure everyone would like to know if you and Rolf Løvland have another Secret Garden project planned in the future?

Fionnuala Sherry:  We are about to release our latest CD which is due out on November 7th. It’s called “Winter Poem.”

John:  This is great news your new Secret Garden CD is nearing the release date! The title Winter Poem has a very nice ring to it. Even before your celebrity prominence with Secret Garden you had projects with music superstars including Bono of U2, Chris de Burgh, Sinéad O’Connor, The Chieftains, and many more popular artists. Would you tell us about your associations with these great artists?

Fionnuala Sherry:  The good thing about growing up and working in Ireland is how small the country is and so it’s easy to get to know everybody. I was lucky that when I turned pro I began to work a lot in the different studios as a backing musician to these amazing artists and it was a wonderful time as there was such a dynamic feeling everywhere with fantastic people producing brilliant music. I am still amazed that when I tour all over the world as we have been fortunate enough to do so how many Irish acts appears in the charts! For such a small country the output is incredible!

John:  Along with the respect people have of you for being one of Ireland’s most successful songwriting musicians, you have also had stars like Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Westlife, 11 Divo and Celtic Woman making popular hits with your song compositions. I imagine this must be pretty gratifying to you and Rolf Løvland?

Fionnuala Sherry:  Rolf is the master of the writing; I am there as his guiding hand and co-producer, but it has been an incredible journey for us and especially with the song “You Raise Me Up.” It feels like only yesterday when we first began teasing out the melody to that song and now 10 years have passed! But even back then we knew it had something magical – and it has been a rollercoaster all the way.

John:  Speaking of your Secret Garden arrangements, I truly enjoyed watching numerous music videos of your concert performances including the orchestral DVD titled; A Night With Secret Garden. During these concerts you seem so energetic yet relaxed and poised, all in one motion. I take it you are quite comfortable performing live on stage in front of a large audience?

Fionnuala Sherry:  I suffer from the worst stage fright you can imagine, every night is as terrifying as the previous one and there are nights I don’t think I will make it. For me it’s like doing an enormous bungee to get out on that stage! But then something special always happens with the audience and once I relax it becomes magical. I wish it could be easier for me but accept now that I will always be nervous.

John:  I read your concert and studio instrument of choice is an English John Edward Betts violin from 1790 time period. When did you acquire this violin, and can you tell us some of the history behind your vintage instrument?

Fionnuala Sherry:  When I got my first full time pro job in the RTE Concert Orchestra, the first thing the principal conductor said to me was to get a better instrument! He hated the sound of what I had. So my eldest brother kindly lent me the money as I was broke and a wonderful old German violin dealer I knew helped to locate this instrument for me.

It was instant love as it is smaller in size than normal which suits my small hands. It didn’t sound very good at first as there were a lot of dead spots as they reckoned it had not been played for nearly a 100 years before me! So I had to work very hard with this instrument which still gets better and better, I love it.

John:  You have so many achievements for you to choose from on this question Fionnuala, but I would like to know what you find most rewarding as a professional musician?

Fionnuala Sherry:  I think it’s been able to communicate through the language of music which is just about emotions and feelings and when I see the effect it has on people, and if it helps them get away from all their daily grind for even a moment – that is the most satisfying thing.

John:  Thank you again for giving me this opportunity to present our interview together as a feature Music World publication. I look forward to providing more news coverage about you in the days ahead. Before we close for now, is there anything you would like to tell your friends and fans that have supported you over the years?

Fionnuala Sherry:  I am so grateful to everybody that has supported me over these last years. Without you, I or Secret Garden would not exist, so from the bottom of my heart a thousand thanks and hope you will all continue to enjoy this musical journey with me.

Visit the fionnualasherry.com homepage and valley-entertainment.com music store to sample or purchase her solo album – Songs From Before. You may also find her music at Amazon.com or iTunes. Then visit Fionnuala Sherry and Rolf Løvland at the secretgarden.no homepage and web shop page. You can read more on our pages dedicated to Fionnuala Sherry.

Photography courtesy Andreas Pettersson – FionnualaSherry.com – SecretGarden.no.

New Age Music and popular, mainstream music by celebrity artists is becoming even more diverse these days. Many artists within the New Age genre often have additional musical influences including Popular, Progressive, Rock, Adult Alternative, Soul, Folk, Jazz and other subcategories. Likewise, many of yesterday and today’s top artists who produce popular hit music have ventured into song melodies considered far from the swift currents of  mainstream music.

Tasmin Archer is a popular artist from the UK who became an international sensation back in 1992 with the release of her very first album entitled Great Expectations. Being one of my favorite artists for many years after hearing her first release, I can tell you her other albums like ON, Bloom & Shipbuilding are a variety of songs that can be viewed as popular or mainstream music, but ascertaining one specific music influence in her music becomes much more challenging. She is indeed adventurous!

Tasmin Archer’s smash hit song Sleeping Satellite from Great Expectations led to international recognition, reaching number one top album in the United Kingdom and Ireland, in addition to reaching international chart success in many countries.

The wonderful Great Expectations album with 11 songs reached number 8 in UK Albums Chart and attained gold disc status at years end. Tasmin was later bestowed another honor when she won an excellence in music BRIT award for the Best British Breakthrough Act.

Tasmin Archer has a sense of adventure on Great Expectations you will discover. Her lyrical point of view on all of her albums is straightforward, with a down to earth expression in touch with current day ecological and social issues.

The accompanying musicians are John Hughes and Robbie McIntosh on guitars. Keyboard players are John Beck and Paul Wickens. The percussionist is Charlie Morgan and Gary Maughan played a Fairlight synthesizer. Backing vocalists with Tasmin Archer are Tessa Niles and Carol Kenyon.

Shown below is the extraordinary song video called Sleeping Satellite from the Great Expectations album by Tasmin Archer.

There are plans for a new album by Tasmin Archer in 2012 which is welcomed news!

Visit TasminArcher.com to sample or purchase Great Expectations & Best of Tasmin Archer, and find additional albums on her Amazon.com page.

Cover art courtesy tasminarcher.com.

Read the review for Great Expectations by Tasmin Archer.

Great news Tasmin Archer fans – There are plans for a new album by Tasmin Archer in 2012!

Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman, both legendary musicians and former lead members of the Progressive Rock group Yes, have announced their current tour dates later this year in 2011. If you are a regular visitor to Music World then you have already read Jon Anderson is currently making appearances during his 2011 Summer Concert tour in support of his brand new release Survival & Other Stories.

Rick Wakeman has likewise been performing during his concert tour earlier this year in the UK. In addition to Rick Wakeman’s 2011 UK concert tour he has also teamed up in a recent collaboration with Jon Anderson on their most current release The Living Tree.

In regards to the Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman concert tour, it’s anybody’s guess what the song lineup is at this point, but concert goers may hear classic song favorites like Starship Trooper & Owner of a Lonely Heart, and a number of songs from their current album together The Living Tree.

The new Yes album – Fly From Here is another brand new release and a popular album with Yes fans, who have waited ten years for another album. After ending their U.S. Summer Concert Tour, Yes will begin their European Fall Tour in November 2011.

The year 2011 turned out to be a rock solid year of concert tours and brand new music for fans of Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Yes, and Progressive Rock music enthusiasts everywhere!

Visit the official websites; jonanderson.com and Rick Wakeman at rwcc.com. Visit Yes at yesworld.com.

Tour info is courtesy jonanderson.com.

Jon Anderson & Rick Wakeman Tour Dates 2011;

October 19 2011 – Potawatomi Casino Milwaukee, WI

October 22 2011 – Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead Munhall, PA

October 23 2011 – Lisner Auditorium Washington DC

October 24 2011 – Concert Hall New York, NY

October 26 2011 – Kleinhans Music Hall Buffalo, NY

October 27 2011 – The Palace Theatre Albany, NY

October 29 2011 – Tropicana Casino Resort Atlantic City, NJ

October 30 2011 – Temple Performing Arts Center Philadelphia, PA

November 1 2011 – Capitol Center for the Arts Concord, NH

November 2 2011 – The Ridgefield Playhouse Ridgefield, CT

November 4 2011 – Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ

November 5 2011 – Sherman Theatre Stroudsberg, PA

November 6 2011 – Theatre at Westbury Westbury, NY

November 8 2011 – Hanover Theatre Worcester, MA

November 10 2011 – Grande Theatre du Quebec Quebec City, QC Canada

November 12 2011 – St. Denis Theatre Montreal, QC Canada

The Independent Music Awards or (IMAs) have released the list of category award winning musicians during their tenth annual awards competition. During the prestigious IMA annual awards ceremonies, which represent and honor international Indie artists, publicity and recognition for the musicians involved reaches an estimated 50 million people.

David Clavijo from Seville, Spain won the Best New Age Song category with his song titled Promises from his current New Age, World Music, and Chill Out album release The Landing (Special Edition). There are other organizations that recognized David Clavijo, and his award-winning album too.

The Independent Music Awards are determined by a two part tier judging panel and voting process by fans and visitors who rate the nominees at The Vox Populi Jukebox. The nominated artists are then selected by this process to produce an award winner in each category. Below is the impressive song video for Promises, which shows the cinematic aspects of his release.

Congratulations David Clavijo!

Visit davidclavijo.com to sample or purchase. Find more at independentmusicawards.com and my page for David Clavijo.

David Clavijo from Seville Spain seems to have a natural inclination of what multi influential New Age music is all about. I felt his performance on acoustic and electric guitars along with piano and keyboards are a fine line balance that blend together quite nicely by having these diverse instrumental strengths.

Acclaimed composing Jazz pianist Lisa Hilton has released her newest instrumental album entitled Underground. Lisa’s continuity for producing trendy and progressive music that takes the high road over the years may not have surprised those who know her best. After the release of 12 significant recordings, her earlier albums have indeed helped pave the way to place her name recognition alongside other top Jazz artists.

Lisa Hilton from Southern California was raised in a family of musicians after having taught herself to play piano and compose music at an early age, before setting her sights on formal educational studies in classical and twentieth century piano. Her early love of music in a variety of styles became the early foundation before a transition into the contemporary Jazz excursions in which Lisa is so highly regarded today.

The progressive nature of her work as a pianist have not gone unnoticed either since her songs have received airplay prominence on hundreds of radio stations including the United States, Canada and other countries internationally. This includes syndicated programs like NPR Morning Edition, Sirius XM Radio, along with numerous online radio stations which have led to strong radio chart listings at College Media Journal, Earshot Jazz and JazzWeek radio charts.

Lisa Hilton’s thirteenth album entitled Underground features her band performing 9 songs that are quite adventurous in compositional style, even by her own standards. Recording and producing an album every year since 1997, her band features world-class musicians Larry Grenadier on bass, Nasheet Waits on percussion, and J.D. Allen performing tenor saxophone.

Together this talented group does a magnificent job of openly communicating Lisa’s reintroduced vision of Jazz expressions as a team, and during their key roles in the spotlight as soloists.

The title song from the Underground album is lively and up-tempo with great counter rhythms, which offset the quietly laidback moments in Just A Little Past Midnight & B Minor Waltz. The bands interactive poise is apparent on the stylish song Blue Truth and throughout the classic swing and sway of Jack & Jill during Lisa’s extensively driven movement up and down the keyboard.

Lisa Hilton is a great talent who personifies Jazz improvisation with creativity and imagination. While Underground, Nuance, & Twilight & Blues reflect her achievements as a Jazz musician, and are refined lexes in their orientation to New Age albums, her distinguished piano performances of improvisation either as a soloist or with the band under her direction is definitely worth a listen. Lisa Hilton’s newest release is boldly expressive in Lisa’s already exploratory viewpoint as a Jazz pianist. Clearly an innovative escapade in elegance, Underground is like a smooth journey down a newly paved road.

Visit lisahiltonmusic.com to sample / purchase or visit her Amazon.com page. Read our pages dedicated to Lisa Hilton.

Photo courtesy Michael Weintrob. Cover art courtesy lisahiltonmusic.com.

Coburn Tuller from Springfield Missouri has released an innovative new album that has rapidly caught the attention of many review publicists recently. One reason for the upsurge of interest may be in direct relation to the unique melodic sounds heard on his first album, which are sounds produced from a musical instrument he invented named The Tones. 

Coburn Tuller had first conceived the idea for his one of a kind instrument during a nighttime walk in 1996. After hearing wind chimes lightly touching in a gentle breeze he discovered the random series of sound sparked his creative imagination. Coburn then determined that aluminum tubing of accurate length, diameter and dimension produced an original sound modulation when struck with a mallet. Coburn then devoted the next 15 years perfecting his unique instrument.

The Tones is a musical instrument that stands over 8 foot tall, and consists of 3 pyramid structures supporting 90 aluminum and brass tubes of various size and dimension, which range from 7 inches to over 6 foot in length. The sounds produced are like a new form of ambient music by the sound modulation which is totally unique, but one most likely considered a percussion instrument normally used in an orchestra like tubular bells. Regardless of how this instrument is classified the distinctive sounds, unlike drum beats, enable the creation of an independent melody.

Butterfly Tones is a relaxing album featuring 9 melodies which reveal this instrumental freedom of melodic expression. This natural resonating characteristic of bell tones becomes apparent on every piece, where multiple layers enhance a distinct harmony while Coburn ascends and descends through the scales using select octaves and tempos.

On the Butterfly Tones release you will notice every note produces a clear and precise harmony rather than a series of arbitrary sounds like you would hear on wood or metal wind chimes. The natural tone reverberation on his instrument is apparent on every octave of the bells which ring true, and create a tonal echo which can linger for minutes during a song. This is the most exclusive characteristics of the instrument with the only exception being the ingenuity of the inventor.

Visit the butterflytonescd.com homepage and read what others are saying on Coburn’s reviews page. To sample or purchase or visit his CDBaby.com page or Amazon.com page. Below is a song video of Once Again from his Butterfly Tones release. Read my review on our page dedicated to Coburn Tuller.

Rarely does an artist of any genre create an entirely new and unique sound identity they can claim entirely as their own. Butterfly Tones by Coburn Tuller, featuring 9 songs of melodic bell timbres is definitely one of the most exclusive musical arrangements I have ever heard. Coburn Tuller has not only created an innovative source of beautiful harmony for a broad multicultural audience, but his first contribution to the New Age music genre is by the same token, a new source of inspiration.

Tangerine Dream will be a headlining band performing at the annual Moogfest 2011 during their October visit to the United States. The music festival lineup will have scenic venues in the Blue Ridge Mountain region of North Carolina.

The annual 2011 Moogfest which celebrates Bob Moog, the inventor of the innovative electronic Moog synthesizer that bears his name, takes place in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina.

This special weekend concert event scheduled for October 28, 29 & 30 will feature over 60 exceptional artists, most of who are recognized internationally. The weekend passes for Moogfest 2011 are sold exclusively at moogfest.com.

The Moogfest event highlights contemporary and electronic music pioneers who have led the way to make their own synthesizer music innovations past and present. Citywide venues include the Asheville Civic Center Arena, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, and the world-renown Orange Peel Social & Pleasure Club.

Visit tangerinedream-music.com for the latest news. For concert info and weekend passes visit moogfest.com.

Thief Soundtrack by Tangerine Dream.

Movie Soundtracks & Film Scores have provided many classic moments in film history over the years by transforming a great movie into an extraordinary motion picture simply by utilizing the appropriate score to create theatrical excitement and drama to the actor’s character identity.

Tangerine Dream is after all a New Age music icon whose influence over the years should not be in doubt by anyone. With over 20 movie soundtracks alone to their credit, they have given much to the film industry by their electronic music.

Tangerine Dream’s influence is apparent today as it was in the year 1981 when Tangerine Dream provided the Thief soundtrack for the Michael Mann original motion picture Thief. The movie has an R rating, and is based on the book The Home Invaders by Frank Hohimer. The staring actors James Cann, Tuesday Weld, James Belushi and Willie Nelson portrayed their roles quite convincingly I might add.

During the movie score for Thief Soundtrack, the synthesizer and electric guitar laden song Diamond Diary was used extensively during the first 9 minutes of the opening scene. The song video below gives one an excellent feel of the movie atmosphere, plus there are few spoken words to interrupt the song taken from the actual movie scene. The police scanners even add a bit of excitement to the video.

Tangerine Dream band members performing on the Thief Soundtrack are Edgar Froese on keyboards, electronic equipment and guitar. Christopher Franke on synthesizers, electronic equipment and electronic percussion. Johannes Schmoelling on keyboards and electronic equipment. Craig Safan composed and performed the song Confrontation.

Visit the official tangerinedream-music.com and Amazon.com to sample or purchase the Thief Soundtrack.

Here is the YouTube song video of Diamond Diary with the opening scene from this classic movie.