Bruce Kaphan is easily recognized in the music industry since he began an early career as a studio technician, engineer and producer for many highly recognized artists in other genres and had either played a role with the recording production of their album or performed with artists such as REM, Jewel, The Black Crowes, Thomas Dolby, John Lee Hooker and a vast selection of popular musicians.

The list of popular artists Bruce has encountered as a musician and during his tenure as a recording artist is quite lengthy and will surprise you as it did me when you visit his website. During the early days while living in San Francisco he was also a member of Indie / Alternative band American Music Club plus his music has been featured on many film scores and television broadcasts.

Hybrid is his current album that I recently wrote a review about here at New Age Music World. The 12 original compositions show pedal steel guitar as an appealing choice while clearing a new path of creative improvisations in light ambience and emerges as a natural contender in the vast field of music.

Bruce Kaphan and his music is described below in my review quote, along with the song video of Oregon Fire from the Slider album. This is a nice selection of Bruce performing on pedal steel guitar behind a backdrop of beautiful photography by Nick O’Kelly. Visit brucekaphan.com website to sample / purchase his music or visit his CDBaby.com page. Read his biography page and view his collective discography page. Read my review of Hybrid on our page dedicated to Bruce Kaphan. Studio photo copyright Bruce Kaphan courtesy of James Saxon

Bruce Kaphan makes a bold statement on Slider and current Hybrid album which features pedal steel guitar as the primary instrument. You will find his music is a unique blending of unrivaled beauty freshly harvested from another cross section in the vast field of music. It quickly becomes apparent this new emerging beauty will remain a lasting entity in the world of music.

Devin Rice & Erin Aas are seasoned musicians already recognized by their proficient styles as individual artists now emerging as a team that writes and performs original piano / guitar and finger styled guitar duet compositions with hand selected musicians adding polished accompaniments on their new release titled Arrival.

Residing in the state of Washington, Devin & Erin had also traveled to Imaginary Road Studios in rural Vermont to enlist the expertise of Grammy Award winning Will Ackerman, so the level of quality on the album’s production retraces their visit to a highly specialized destination.

Arrival is an album where Devin plays piano in addition to guitar along with Erin, showcasing their 15 song compilation that is adventuresome and symmetrical from the first song to the last.  After meeting for the first time several years ago, I felt their earlier mainstay as professional soloists has been doubled and enhanced using simple math, along with their broad variance in individual styles.

Devin Rice & Erin Aas, have selected skilled artists along with Grammy Award winning producer Will Ackerman, to emerge as a fortified musical team, and by virtue of each artist’s specialized skills, has attained a winning strategy with Arrivial.

Thyn Ayre is the crisp beginning song that sounds like a down to earth journey put to sheet music, like Procession, where a wonderful just right feel becomes the standard atmosphere.  These folk styled narratives flourish during the piano and guitar duets set in a moderate tempo like most of the 15 songs.

Borderline is a breezy guitar duet by Erin and Devin, while their Tribute to Robert Frost expresses a more stately approach that includes percussion rhythms backing majestic piano melodies with subtler acoustic guitar highlights.

Lively acoustic guitar and percussion rhythms are heard on the memorable song Nevada, while Something About A Harbor has piano lead in for guitar, with rich melodic tones showing depth in a natural way.  Perdido En Granada, Lullaby For Now & For JB are gentle and more introspective songs with English horn and cello support that compliment the pleasing atmosphere.

Whiskey In The Watertower is truly spirited and a nicely coordinated guitar duet, featuring Will Ackerman on the final guitar solo that resembles Pulborough Spring by taking an up-tempo direction from the primarily moderate paced piano and guitar duets with instrumentals.

Rich cello harmonics are the scenic backdrop in songs, Morning With Annie, Southern Breeze, & Stars of Winter, with the latter song taking an adventurous free flight expression during the melody and refrains that gently lands with guitar, cello, and piano uniting in an ensemble.

Although solo albums are a mainstay and pleasing source of enjoyment, Arrival is a nice departure from singular solo albums given the enriching instrumentals and contrasting styles of the two principal soloists. 

This departure notably doubles the harmonic value for the listener, along with Devin & Erin who have doubled their musical achievements together as a team, and as individuals.

Additional musicians include Derrick Jordan on djembe with Eugene Friesen & Traci Hoveskeland giving cello performances on several tracks.  Jill Haley lends her talents on English horn and Will Ackerman is featured in the final guitar performance.

Visit devinriceanderinaas.com to sample / purchase or at their CDBaby.com page.  Click on their biographies page to read about their backgrounds and how it all began.  If you would like to visit the Imaginary Road Studios go to williamackerman.com right here.

Picture copyright BigStockPhoto – MelMcNaughton

Johannes Linstead is an Award Winning Canadian guitarist and multi instrumentalist proving his acclaimed talents once again by his current release.  Showcasing his lively artisanship on Spanish guitar, Mistico becomes the well centered focal point and international meeting place for dedicated music professionals uniting from Canada, Spain, Cuba, Greece, Iran, and Venezuela.

Recently winning Best World Album & Best Instrumental Album – Acoustic in ZMR’s 2009 Awards, plus ranking #1 at eMusic.com’s World Music & Jazz / Blues charts, gives the few people not familiar with the quality of his work a little more insight.

Mistico is the successful album that commands much respect, not only by the heart beating origins of another chart topping project by Johannes and his extraordinary Contemporary Latin guitar rhythms, but Mistico becomes an extravagant music festival with top international artists performing by his side. 

Listing just the highlights of his music career, Johannes was recognized in the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards as Guitarist of the Year, had 4 Top Ten charting albums at Billboard, Best World Album JUNO Awards nomination, and 4 Best Album awards at NAR & NAV.  With over 500,000 albums sold worldwide, the long list of awards, nominations, and credits in entirety reaches a length most artists strive to achieve in a lifetime.

Johannes Linstead has a musical style not easy to categorize since Contemporary, Latin, Flamingo, Mediterranean, and World are just some of the essential New Age influences that when synchronized with a vast array of percussion instruments, seamlessly integrate into stylish musical scores that could be more easily categorized using the word festive.

The Happy Song ( Felicidad ) begins this rare international festival of  11  original songs with up-tempo flare, neatly tailored to the elevated atmosphere of the occasion while giving Johannes his first opportunity to sport the masterful guitar melodies for which he has become famous.  The accordion composition smoothly introduces a heightened amount of ambience to the opening number with much fanfare, while groove rhythms in Rico ! move gracefully in counter beat with beautiful electric guitar runs, congas, and bongo drums to interlock in dramatic fashion.

Leisurely strides in Night Dance rely on a crisp Latin styled melody with moderate vocals to generate a nice distinction to a more casual Twilight, where the sheer beauty of guitar melodies lend themselves to a veiled feel of lively sophistication.  Otros Mundos embraces percussion claves, congas, bongo and timbale while playing rhythmic intermediary companion with guitar melodies expert runs through well defined chords.

All She is ( Ella Es ) brings a light breeziness into the storyline, while Coconut Girl outlines positive imagery of the spirited occasion making up this festive album.  Rhumba styled Santa Maria with accordion harmony extends a tantalizing impression of solidarity to the sunny and joyful affair.

Durango brings the talents of many artists into the lively exotic mix, where dejembe, doumbek, and bongo percussions dispense the glitter, while guitar and accordion intermezzos engrave the melodic sparkle.  1000 Veils conveys energetic rhythms and palmas ( hand clapping ) to make a striking contrast to violin’s and Spanish guitar’s well structured verses.

Mistico ( Title Song ) enters an extravagant linage of passion where violin and doumbek perpetuate the energetic tempo and warm festive atmosphere, uniting with resolute harmony while synchronizing to become positively dazzling. 

Much like the territorial borders the world musicians in attendance encountered during the album’s production, Mistico crosses many borders itself, achieving an extravagant repertory for everyone who listens to this celebratory fiesta of music.  Viva Mistico !

The global musicians uniting to form this international festival alongside Johannes Linstead include Anastasios Bigas, Frank Marcos Aular, Jalidan Ruiz, Jordan Abraham, Geoff Hlibka, Yosvani Castaneda, Sina Khosravi, and Laura Fernandez.

Visit johanneslinstead.com to sample / purchase or visit his Amazon.com pages here.

Middle picture copyright Bigstockphoto – Siart. Below picture copyright Johannes Linstead

Today I have a present for you all

I have read artist biographies, I have seen movies and documentaries – but never have I come across such a tasteful, straight-to-the-point video presentation that just captures the very essence of this remarkable person’s artistic expression. In the video Will Ackerman tells about how he became an artist – and what a surprise it was for him to become successful. It also briefly tells the story of the Windham Hill label.

The video presentation and quality is spotless, and the songs performed to perfection. Both old and new fans will for sure find a lot to enjoy here. Bookmark it!

You’ll find it here. Also take a look around, and sample Will’s many great albums.

Ciro Hurtado is one skilled solo guitarist or guitarrista from California, whose performances include Traditional Latin, American Folk, World, Fusion, Latin Jazz, and many more popular genres, becoming adapted to many forms of personal expression.

His natural talent, along with studies at the Guitar Institute of Technology have placed him in a well recognized stature as a musician, highly regarded for his artistic technical abilities and versatile rhythms for many years now.

Ciro’s musical compositions on guitar are not limited to specific categories since his adaptable styles also range from more traditional Jazz, Flamenco, Classical, Pop, Blues, and Rock, so versatility does play an important role in his music.

Guitarrista  is the  5th  album to explore his talents as a guitarist, where many rhythms and sub rhythms on this project are abundant, in a solo album that finds many points of interest during this thoughtful encounter with individualistic expression.  Latin influences play an important factor during his many changes in style too, as both hands connect with the strings in a well versed manner.

Performing without percussion, brass, or winds, his solo touch of the strings give multiple layers of well versed melodies and nicely done sub rhythms, giving me the impression that any added musical accompaniment would be unwanted sound that just gets in the way of his unique approach to this solo guitar album.         

John P. Olsen

The intricate patterns, along with a relaxed atmosphere, greatly emphasize his individual composing and performance skills, while also telling a beautiful story to his audiences.

Some of the pieces in this album were written a few years back and others were composed specifically for this project.  Each piece has a story, a place in my life, a part of who I have become on this long  journey.         

Ciro Hurtado

Besides his solo projects, and performing with Strunz and Farah, he founded the popular group  Huayucaltia,  touring in the U.S. and other countries while opening for Sting, Jackson Browne, Carlos Vives, and other highly regarded artist. His numerous movie and documentary musical score credits are recognised in the film industry as well, since producers have also taken note of his versatility as a guitarist.

Ciro Hurtado’s prior albums  In My Mind  &  Tales From Home  both have accompaniments that blend just right with acoustic guitar, and expert performances are shown in all of his albums. 

This comes from a person who recognizes that the guitar is really just a pretty instrument, and that a beautiful outcome is always dependent on whose hands the guitar is placed.

Visit cirohurtado.com to sample here, and cdbaby.com to purchase here.

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto.com – devulderj

Something to consider is how much more pleasurable this extraordinary vacation stay could be with some great island music to enhance and complete the experience.

New Age artist Kika Kane, residing in Maui is a lifelong resident of this state of islands, atolls, and islets, composing music in the land of what most would consider paradise.

While Kika does enjoy an active lifestyle, much of his time is spent playing the easy to recognize, but harder to perfect style of Slack-Key guitar with the island sunsets as his perpetual source of inspiration.

Slack-Key is a unique finer style that originated in Hawaii during the 19th century and was developed for dancing and entertainment, only recently becoming more popular when the Hawaiian dance craze began during the 1960′s.

Kika Kane has become pretty popular with his 2 projects that are an adaptation of Slack-Key guitar. Ocean Girl is his first project, while his second release, The Sunset Sessions was nominated for Best Slack-Key album of the year at the Hawaii Music Awards.  National Public Radio’s Echoes programming has had several of his songs airing on a weekly basis for some time now.  Local television and radio have also tuned into Kika’s music too, playing many of his songs as background scores in TV commercials and airing in many resorts and hotels on the islands.

The Sunset Sessions is a nicely done blend of Tropical, Ambient, and New Age, with a pleasant mix of mid tempo guitar instrumentals that reward you with pleasant thoughts of island life or in some cases, pleasant memories of your last vacation, if you have ever had an opportunity to visit the islands.

The Slack-Key guitar technique can be loosely defined as a finger style where the musician loosens or slackens the guitar strings by tuning one or more strings, most often upward on the scales until the strings form a single cord, most often in G major.

First on the song itinerary is Here Comes The Rain.  This song’s welcoming melody makes one feel like the approach of an incoming rain event should always be taken in stride.  The carefree feeling of island living is shown in this song by a fluid back and forth movement of strumming guitar, that will likely have you swaying to the rhythm.  Even if it does rain, brief changes of tempo turn the rain event into positive thoughts, taking into consideration the colorful rainbow and magnificent sunset display that will follow a brief period of rain.

The song   A Place In The Sun translates into every fun  attraction available to you during your audible visit to the islands by an energetic opening, blending guitar rhythms in a positive upbeat mood, taking well timed breaks during each refrain to allow everyone to soak in the sun.  The Sunset Sessions reflects the positive feel, relaxing mood, and welcoming atmosphere, for which this island state is highly prized.

Hawaii naturally offers every form of music, ranging from symphonies, orchestras, and every popular genre of music under the sun,    but there is just something special about the authentic home style approach to New Age music Kika has to offer, so be sure to make your next vacation or honeymoon to the islands of Hawaii a memorable one.   Aloha !

Visit kikakane.com - sample the album on CDBaby

Picture copyright Jennifer Keller (above) - and  Bigstockphoto.com – Laurzo (below)

The label give this description of the album:

Like a child’s favorite toy or a warm summer’s stroll, unadorned, gentle guitar songs bring a comfort that nurtures the soul. Inspired by the nature of the Welsh national park where Mike Howe lives and works as an ecologist. His gorgeous first album offers fifteen original compositions that will be a welcome pause in any day… a respite when time truly stands still.

And more:

Mike Howe has come to music creativity relatively late in life. With no formal musical training and no background in the industry, this sudden outpouring of musical compositions has come as bit of a surprise.

The cover looks like this:

We all sometimes need a time out, a place where time stands still. So yes, this debut album is more than welcome!

Xavier Boscher is a very productive musician.

Hydrologic is the name of his most recent album. It is a collection of laid back songs that simply crawls under your skin and relaxes your soul.

In a genre where the piano it the most frequent instrument, a fresh guitar lead is always welcome. One could perhaps compare Xavier Boscher’s music to Pink Floyd’s more ambient segments, where the analogue synths intertwine with gorgeous guitars, but a better comparison is with art rock like Yes or Tangerine Dream. The main ingredients are a foundation of larger-than-life synths and steely guitars on top. It is as beautiful as it is relaxing.

Hydrologic starts with the track Serenity. Within 15 seconds the listener is introduced to Xavier Boscher’s powerful guitar, which adds colors to every song on the album. The thing I like the best is the way the atmosphere changes from track to track; some are positive while other are darker and more complex (like the long closing track, Mind Therapy, which really has is therapeutic qualities).

Hydrologic is, apart from the general heaviness of the synth pads, quite minimalistic in style. I am sure that rock fans who normally don’t like new age music will enjoy Hydrologic. In many ways it is prog rock meets chill out and new age; it is as good in the background as it is for active listening. The strong guitar makes it interesting, and the variation in sound gives it almost endless replay possibilities. And – best of all – it has a quite liberating no-nonsense approach to dreamy music; let’s call it guitarlogic.

It is a collection of laid back songs that simply crawls under your skin and relaxes your soul.

Sample the album on CDBaby.