Lantern is a short album; 19 minutes divided into four tracks. From the very first rapid G notes on the first track you can hear and feel Dan Kennedy’s piano skills. The Steinway is played with identity, giving each song a special touch; youthful and mature at the same time.

The first track Dulcimer In G is fresh and full of life like the first day of summer. Here Glen Velez plays percussion and T-Bone Wolk bass. Samite gives a nice vocal. So the opening track is not strictly speaking “solo piano” – but the Steinway has the leading role. The thing I like best about the opening track, is that the intensity varies much; more than once you think that the track is ending – and then it starts again. A very good effect. The drum is also nice.

Track number two, Ballad, is different. It is slow and full of feelings. It is a bit sad, but thoughtful is a better word to describe it. Here you can enjoy the rich sound of the Steinway. The track is little over three minutes long, and is over before you know it. Beautiful and sad at the same time.

Dear Girl is like a love letter. In the beginning you can almost hear the boy telling about his love and his passions through the sound of the piano. Then there is a shift, where the mood becomes lighter. Perhaps the girl is finally responding with a smile? The ending is gentle.

The last track, Cycle, is fast and played quite hard. Noah Wilding’s beautiful vocal adds a layer to the song. It is a good track to round up the album with, since it has that certain element of conclusion; there is almost an ending around 1m40sec and then this theme is repeated at 5m30sec.

I must mention the high quality recording. I only got the 256 kbps MP3 to rely to, but they sound truly great. It is a statement of how great Will Ackerman’s studio is. It must be a dream for any pianist to play there.

Yes, the album is short – but not too short. I am not saying that a couple of more tracks wouldn’t be nice, but that Lantern is a complete album in every way. In a world where most new artists need 14 tracks and at least 60 minutes, it is in a way refreshing to find someone who uses 4 tracks and 20 minutes to perfection.

May this be the short start of a long and successful career.

You can sample and buy the album on or on CDBaby

Also, take a look at Dan Kennedy‘s site.

* How was it for an up-and-coming new age artist to work with the master himself, Will Ackerman?

Dan: I was nervous at first entering Will’s Imaginary Road Studios and walking past the gold records and all, but Will is such a professional that he allowed me to work and just play my best. Susan had some sandwiches and brownies for us, and things were quite relaxed after that. Will also has an outrageous sense of humor which I appreciated — sessions are long and he — and his engineer Corin Nelsen — both know how to keep things loose and fun, without losing site of the fact that they are creating a product whose audiophile sound compares to any record coming out of New York or L.A.

* Did you compose more than 4 songs to Lantern, some who didn’t make the cut?

Dan: Yes, there was a fifth piece I gave Will originally on the demo tape which he passed on, a kind of tempo-shifting, jazzier number. But Will definitely has opinions, and looking back, I was glad I trusted those opinions. Closer to the recording dates Will asked me if I had a ballad, and I chose one on an old demo tape from 1985, and it became the tragic tune Ballad

* Please describe your creative process.

Dan: I start by impovising at the piano, and I am really just playing for fun, playing what I would like to hear. I don’t feel I have any control over the original musical ideas, or kernels, as I call them. I remember my favorites of these, then develop them from time to time. I will have the sections of a piece planned out ahead of time, but every performance will contain variation. I like to improvise on concerts, too, so no version of one of these “structured improvisations” is ever the same. On Cycle, there is a long section at the end where I veered off and created this whole new extremely quiet part — and Will just let the tape roll. It is probably my favorite moment of mine on the record.

* Do you plan to be an independent artist, or will you sign a record contract?

Dan:I certainly have enough material saved up to make a full-length, but before anyone will offer me a contract an independent artist such as myself has to “do the footwork:” build up a fan base, and play out. I would like to be signed someday for help with distribution, marketing, concert promotion, etc.

* What now? What is the next big project?

Dan:Probably to get the lawn mowed (laughs)! We live on an acre and three quarters out in the country in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA, and that is a big job! But more to your question, the next big project in music is really ongoing: I am giving concerts locally, getting the word out, because I feel my music is special in that it flows from the new age tradition, but has other elements such as blues and rock, seeping into it. There are so many variables in today’s music business; I feel that making good, honest music is all you can do, and that that is true success.

* Thank you for the interview, Dan. Please create more great new age music!

You can sample and buy the album on or on CDBaby