Archive for the ‘Visit NewAgeMusicWorld.Com’ Category

Much like the seasonal changes we encounter daily at various locations around the world, many musicians I encounter have their own change in atmosphere in relation to the music they produce. Their adaptations in style and structure can sometimes be expected to a degree, but most times it is tempered just like the weather and cannot be easily predicted.

Matt Millecchia is a great example of a guitar player making a more profound change in his performance style by releasing of all things, a New Age album. Currently residing in New York, Matt is most acclimated to performances with various Metal Rock, Punk and Folk bands over the past 20 years and really not a matter of being a hot to cold disparity by this, but this departure certainly is polarizing. Interestingly, he is also a senior engineer who takes precision measurements on one of the most powerful lasers ever produced so is uniquely familiar with the technical aspects of extremes.

Silhouette of a Season is his more equalizing New Age Contemporary Instrumental debut with 12 original compositions featuring Matt on 4 Solo Guitar songs. Employing another key change in style, he specializes in the flat-pick method of acoustic guitar verses a more common finger style and has also enlisted notable artists most will recognize.

Taking the legendary journey to Imaginary Road Studios in Vermont, Grammy Winner and founder of Windham Hill Records Will Ackerman has produced and performs guitar with Matt on two songs. Another Grammy Award winner Corin Nelsen engineered, mixed and mastered this album so the quality shines by their expertise, plus the all inclusive list of top musicians on various songs which includes Michael Manring on bass, Eugene Friesen on cello, the late T-Bone Wolk on bass and accordion, Derrik Jordan on electric violin and percussion, Jeff Oster on flugelhorn, Steve Schuch on acoustic violin, and Samite on flute.

Silhouette of a Season shows a natural beauty in composition and performance while dramatizing a glowing atmosphere during each of the 12 songs placed mainly in a moderate tempo. All have a pleasing feel of radiance and song Arrivials is the first prelude into the many qualities you will experience on the entire album. Orchestra and electric violins provide a swaying motion while guitars evenly enhance this refined image by counter rhythms and then again in a more pronounced Summer Tears.

Antietam Spring is a light introspective song where accordion and guitar inscribe a peaceful feeling while achieving a pleasing sense of intrigue and perhaps only natural given the interesting choice in instrumental harmonies.

The guitar pairing of flugelhorn in Mist and cello in Acid Lake are like the percussion, guitar and flute instrumentals in Sphynx where each artist imparts their proficient expressions while revealing the fine naturalistic atmosphere envisioned for each song.

Matt takes a graceful departure apart from more familiar genres by the 4 Solo Guitar improvisations of Georgia Springs, Expectations, August Eclipse & Moonset and while adapting this gentle change of seasons with over 20 years of experience and by using the flat-pick method without sub-rhythm overdubbing, the transition is made solid by a fine performance, along with his artistic stance on the evenly represented concepts of harmony.

Silhouette of a Season is an album anyone can become acclimated with every single day of the year and since the glorious presentation given by every musician transposes a fine exploration in atmosphere, their precise harmonies bring to light an integral shine for success which to me, turns out to be an even more predictable quality.

Visit mattmillecchia.com to sample / purchase or at his CDBaby.com page. Learn more about Matt on his biography page.

Photo copyright Matt Millecchia and Cover courtesy of Marcia Birken

Bruce Kaphan from California has taken pedal string guitar to a whole new level in New Age music for years, making this instrumental transition not only a surprising one but a dazzling one too, giving even music purists a reason to love pedal steel guitar with his earlier release Slider and now Hybrid.

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.

Clifford White is a legendary musician living in the United Kingdom defining our New Age genre in many respects. I find his personal biography and true life success story which sets him apart from so many other musicians incredibly powerful and real.

Clifford’s insightful inception into the New Age genre emerged as a teen back in 1985 when he released a phenomenal hit entitled Ascension, establishing Clifford as a leading composer and producer that greatly influenced our primal genre in the process.

If you knew Clifford and the significance of his story through the past 25 years you would agree too and knowing his past servitude to our genre, everyone can expect even more contributions in the future since his dedication remains steadfast and paramount.

Clifford currently presides over his multi faceted 21st Century New Media Ltd business specializing in media consultation of Internet, film, software, television, media related training courses and even designed the MG Music website for Medwyn Goodall.

In addition Clifford created the New Age Music Network social forum and operates his New Age Music News website where his business and technical knowledge is eclipsed only by his abilities to compose and produce classic music that greatly defines our beloved genre.

Ascension ll – The Healing Touch on the MG Music label bestows another great testimonial to the aesthetic values of Clifford White and his principal leadership towards a music genre that promises peace, beauty, and calming tranquility with every defining moment. The reverent interludes of 9 classic songs heard in Ascention ll offer gentle concertos with wonderful orchestration in each passing moment of time.

Ascension l l – The Healing Touch is his 2010 sequel that revisits the very essence of Clifford’s younger creative spirit, yet now with newly enlightened perceptions as an acclaimed artist. His music incorporates ethereal sensations in ambience that nicely reinforce the melodic persona of harmonic purity that are identifiable to the achievements of Clifford White and a lifetime of dedication to the progression of New Age music.

Visit cliffordwhite.co.uk to sample / purchase Ascension ll and then be sure to read the Full Biography on Clifford White. Here is our dedicated page at NewAgeMusicWorld.Com. Visit his multi faceted 21st Century New Media Ltd business and the Medwyn Goodall MG Music.com website. Here you may visit his New Age Music Network social forum and his New Age Music News website. Photo Copyright Clifford White.

The Power Within is one song from Ascension ll that gives a fine example of his work and is featured below in the song video, along with an album quote I wrote on my review titled Defining New Age Music.

Clifford White first composing the historic international best-seller Ascension back in 1985 now celebrates his 25th year commemoration by the powerful and inspiring Ascension ll – The Healing Touch. The biography of Clifford White reaches another chapter in his life and music, telling much about the man and his insightful dedication to the New Age persona.

David & Steve Gordon are internationally acclaimed 30 year music legends pushing the musical boundaries yet again by 2 releases in 2010. The time consuming search for finding great music just got a little easier and I plan to bring you more about the band of brothers who founded the Sequoia Records Label.

The Gordon Brothers are easily recognized by many since these Award Winning producers, composers, and classically trained instrumentalists also founded the acclaimed Sequoia Records 26 years ago and will find they are a reliable and trusted source for great music.

Knowing their defining contributions to our genre and after my recent introduction to David and Steve, I look forward to telling you about their new releases since they consistently shape the landscape of New Age, World, Ambient, Nature, Chill Out and Electronic music in many respects.

New Age explorers of music by their early conception of nature sound creations and early dawn of their Sequoia Records Label, these 2 music innovators have attained world class recognition, grossed over 1.6 million units in sales worldwide and in the process, and even helped write the definitions for our primary genre and subgenres.

David and Steve Gordon have been recognized too since their original music was commissioned for many film and television scores over the years, charted several times on Billboard and a recent New Age Music Retail survey has listed the team as the fifth overall favorite in our beloved genre which tells you about their fine achievements, recognition and life work.

Gratitude is their latest contribution in the Relaxation and Meditation series highlighting Native American flute with enhancing keyboard imagery that when integrated as a whole creates a natural feel with the pairing and becomes conducive to a revitalizing atmosphere.

Gratitude has a calming sensation which briefly takes you back to their innovative days of nature sound ambience first heard in primordial album Misty Forest Morning if you listen close enough. On their current however a more prominent Native American Flute interchange becomes extended when partnered with drawn out electronic enhancements, nurturing depth while maximizing the level of richness in tonal balance.

The electronics blended with woodwind passages impart moments of peace and solitude in a relaxing sanctuary of refined ambience. While sharing equal time and thought on this album, the Native American flute passages at times, becomes the calming voice from the past that shares a respective dialogue with modern day electronic ambience.

Buddha – Lounge 7 is the second release and a compilation of Chill Out Electronica tracks from around the world, and a great choice for those pursuing exceptional Chill Out music that also happens to be widely popular these days.

This Sequoia Records album enlists an extensive array of 9 hand selected global talents sporting their individual interpretations of Electronic Chill Out, Groove and Lounge, with David and Steve taking a role on 3 originals of the 12 songs which presents over an hour of first class music.

Buddha Nova, Secret Lotus & Cobalt Transport are the 3 songs from David and Steve, and it is always a challenge to pick just one favorite, but lively percussion enhanced Buddha Nova with a light tonal keyboard melody did make an impression on me.

The progressive feel of Secret Lotus and mesmerizing percussion enhanced Cobalt Transport are first class too and you will find my favorite pick is simply a matter of personal taste.

This compilation album in entirety features Achillea, Tya, Jens Gad Presents, Artemisia, Paul Heinerman, Helene Horlyck, Jaya Lakshmi, Lodestone Resonator, and Opera to Relax.

Buddha – Lounge 7 is just one in the edition series in an even more expansive 16 Chill Out / Groove compilation albums from the production and mixing team of DJ brothers who showcase an abundance of global music talents you will recognize in addition to their individual album arrangements, making your search for fine music so much easier.

Visit the sequoiarecords.com homepage and then visit David & Steve Gordon’s biography page. Here is their Meditation, Relaxation and World collection page and where you can sample Gratitude. Here is their Chill Out Electronica collection page and where you can sample the latest Buddha – Lounge 7. If you are new to The Gordon Brothers here is a link to their best sellers page.

Photo Copyright Sequoia Records

Cadence Spalding is a multi talented singer, songwriter, and performer I have interviewed and published a review on recently. Many know about her Save The World release and solo performances with husband Mars Lasar on his albums by our interview, but there are so many more aspects to Cadence Spalding I wanted to tell you more about her.

Cadence is preparing for her role as a television network host for a Children’s program in California having already performed in a teaching role for years by her Miss Jenny television personality designed to educate and entertain children in the California community.

Along with her active role at many special events in the state, Cadence has scored, recorded and performed original music for children’s musicals that benefit renowned charities, including donations of original scores for documentaries, independent films and commercial CD / DVD’s.

In 2008 Cadence composed the scores for both the original and the remake of For The Children, a documentary originally narrated by James Coburn for Share Incorporated based in Beverly Hills, California.

Save The World is Classic New Age where her radiant vocals host a lovely mix of ballads finely tuned to perfection in the purest sense, and where Cadence instills her personal message of peace, harmony, and dedication to the family unit for all who share the same logic, devotion, and mindful perspective.

NewAgeMusic.nu had chose Save The World for the # 1 position of our Best Album of 2009 awards, placing Cadence Spalding at the top since we decided her debut album represented a title that answers the “ what is New Age music ” question the best and illustrates everything that is great about New Age music.

Save The World began her debut solo album as a singular artist while also glowing radiantly as a soloist on many releases from Mars Lasar, who provided his expertise and renowned talents on the mixing, vocal layering, and technical production of her debut which nicely enhances the aesthetic value of her first solo album.

This release is available as a CD only or in a suggested and widely preferred CD / DVD collector’s edition featuring top quality visual photography by Mars Lasar that is a beautiful work of art.

Visit cadencespalding.com to sample / purchase. Read her Biography pages that tell about her diverse life work and Miss Jenny character when leading her children programs. Read our interview together and my review on our page dedicated to Cadence Spalding.

Visit marslasar.com to sample / purchase his many releases. Read his biography here then read our interview on our page dedicated to Mars Lasar. Below is an album quote from my review titled Music to the Power of One and a video of title song Save The World.

Cadence Spalding is one person doing their part as role model for bringing about a greater awareness by her Save The World album. The 11 tracks pertain to the noblest of desires in conveying her message of what one person alone can accomplish by caring for mother earth, caring for those who cannot help themselves, and by caring for one another as a family unit.

Bryan El is the artist title known for producing great Symphonic New Age music in a highly effective format that sheds new light on every one of his modern day electronic interpretations. Bryan is also recognized by his prized videos highlighting his unique brand of electronic music that when combined with visual effects, create a truly memorable experience. Spiritual Evolution is his current album put to video that begins a stunning new interpretation of his classic symphonies. Here is my impression of his album in a recent review quote, and we invite you to view the compilation video from his current album Spiritual Evolution.

Spiritual Evolution marks the second Bryan El album, where some stereotypical guidelines in music are crossed, and synthesizer boundaries seen in many modern electronic influences begin a new interpretation. To me, Bryan boldly speaks this universal language loud and clear, marked by his spirited crusade of premium brand electronics in a fascinating second symphonic proclamation.

Visit bryanel.com to sample / purchase his music, then read his profile page at the AMAdea Records label. Our pages dedicated to Bryan El show videos and album reviews for both releases Out of this World & Spiritual Evolution.

We have reviewed many of the albums that are on the Zone Music Reporter Awards list for 2009. John P. Olsen on NewAgeMusicWorld.com has posted a list of reviewed albums. Here you can get to know the albums and the artists too. Enjoy!