Stories » London's 'Occupy the Pianos Festival' explores the relationship between music and meditation / iNews

Stories for August 05, 2020

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    John Finbury - American Nocturnes is a collection of evocative pieces that spotlights the composer's mastery in an intimate setting / Anne Carlini
     
    Posted At : August 4, 2020 12:00 AM

    Produced and arranged by Finbury (an American composer based in Andover, MA), Bob Patton, and co-produced by Emilio D. Miler, American Nocturnes (out now via Green Flash Music) is a collection of eleven evocative pieces that spotlights the composer's mastery in an intimate setting. Featuring some rather unorthodox instrumentation, not least a harmonica and an accordion, together with guitar, cello and piano, the album also embraces moments of improvisation amongst the melodic works. This quite alluring appealing album rounds out with the soulful, harmonica-led 'I'll Pray For You' (featuring Roni Eytan), the stunning accordion work of Vitor Gonçalves on 'My Hometown,' and then closes on a solo piano rendition of 'Waltz for Patty.' In his own words: "This project is a collection of songs I have composed over the past fifteen years. It is music inspired by my historical listening and piano playing experiences including the Chopin Nocturnes, desert island piano music of unsurpassed beauty." "That is what I am after, and why I feature the piano in all the tracks and call the songs Nocturnes. The emotions in this music are strong." READ THE FULL Anne Carlini REVIEW

  • Maria Schneider - Data Lords makes 'NPR Music's No. 1 Albums And Songs Of July'
     
    Posted At : August 4, 2020 12:00 AM

    The musical tastes of the NPR Music crew are a delightful jumble. On this edition of All Songs Considered, we pick our favorite music released in July 2020. From Nate Chinen, WBGO - Newark NJ
    Long before we saw the early signs of a reckoning from big tech companies, the illustrious composer-bandleader Maria Schneider was sounding the alarm. But how do you translate an argument about intellectual property and data mining into the realm of large-ensemble jazz? On the title track of her astounding new double album, Schneider answers that question with a gathering mass of sound, a mounting sense of dread and some hard-stuttering rhythmic effects. SEE THE NPR PAGE

  • Laila Baila plays 'Satellite' from 'Out of the Dust' on 89.9WUCF - Live From Studio A
     
    Posted At : August 4, 2020 12:00 AM

    Laila Biali has been winning over fans and critics alike for years. Her first JUNO nomination came back in 2011 for the album Tracing Light. In 2019, Biali took home the JUNO award for "Best Vocal Jazz Album." Known for her engaging stage presence and popular appeal, Biali's music fills the space in between traditional jazz and contemporary pop - alongside artists like Brit sensation Jamie Cullum and fellow Canadians Nikki Yanofsky, and Diana Krall. On her new album Out of the Dust, Biali addresses the ups and downs of life (including some very personal recent downs), but always with a positive outlook for the road ahead. Join Kayonne Riley as she speaks with Canadian pianist and singer-songwriter Laila Biali about her solo Live From Studio A performance and the song "Satellite" from 'Out of the Dust.' They chat about the song's origin and development, and, staying connected to audiences during the pandemic. Live From Studio A: Laila Biali airs Thursday, August 6 at 8:30 p.m. on WUCF TV. Watch the attached video

  • 2002 - Celtic Fairy Dream is #3 'New age music guide - Best New Age Music Albums So Far for 2020'
     
    Posted At : August 4, 2020 12:00 AM

    2020 has been a different kind of year, no doubt about that. But when it comes to New Age music, this year has been amazing! The age of Covid19 has given us some truly extraordinary albums. Enjoy this list of top five New Age music releases from the first half of 2020! The list has been compiled based on the popularity of the releases on Newagemusic.guide, your votes on our request page, and review ratings. At the end of the year, we will publish our usual Top 10 Albums list (here is the list for 2019) – where the below albums for sure will play an important part. But rest assured, 2020 has plenty of more excellent music in store for us! "Celtic Fairy Dream" by 2002, the follow-up to the group's highly successful "Celtic Fairy Lullaby" (2016), couldn‘t have been released at a better time. Taking a break from negative news has never felt better. Indeed, 2002 has always been one of the best New Age music bands, but today it is more apparent than ever that Randy and Pamela Copus' daughter Sarah lifts the band to incredible new heights. Take my word for it: Even Enya would be amazed by "Celtic Fairy Dream". It has musical magic dust sprinkled all over. SEE THE New age music guide PAGE The fairy theme aside, "Celtic Fairy Dream" is really a down-to-earth release with many classical inspirations that will give joy to new and old fans alike. It is a great installment in 2002's Celtic Fairy series, and the songs "Castle of Dromore" and "The Green Fields of Autumn" are destined to become New Age music hits. It is tempting to ask; When will 2002 release an "Orinoco Flow", "May It Be" or "Caribbean Blue"? My answer is simple; It is a matter of time. "Only time."

  • Michael Whalen - Sacred Spaces is #1 'New age music guide - Best New Age Music Albums So Far for 2020'
     
    Posted At : August 4, 2020 12:00 AM

    2020 has been a different kind of year, no doubt about that. But when it comes to New Age music, this year has been amazing! The age of Covid19 has given us some truly extraordinary albums. Enjoy this list of top five New Age music releases from the first half of 2020! The list has been compiled based on the popularity of the releases on Newagemusic.guide, your votes on our request page, and review ratings. At the end of the year, we will publish our usual Top 10 Albums list (here is the list for 2019) – where the below albums for sure will play an important part. But rest assured, 2020 has plenty of more excellent music in store for us! When the pandemic started, Michael Whalen's "Sacred Spaces" was like an answer to a prayer. The album is also profoundly existential in nature, dealing with the search for a higher power. The French expression tour de force comes to mind many times while listening to the album – partly because of the highly creative soundscapes and partly thanks to Whalen's exceptional melodic talent. Last year Michael Whalen released the solo piano album "Cupid Blindfolded", to high acclaim and great reviews. About this year's album, Michael says: "Over the past decade, I realized I am 100 percent responsible for whatever my relationship with a higher being might be. When I first had the idea to do an album about the search for a higher power, I was imagining an orchestral project - a symphony. There was a point where I ran out of gas, maybe because part of me didn't really want an answer. A couple of years ago, I revisited some themes I'd written and thought that maybe I should do this as an electronic project." The result is "Sacred Spaces". It sounds like a cliché, but "Sacred Spaces" is what the world needs right now.  SEE THE 'New age music guide PAGE

  • Daniel Barenboim - Elgar 'Sea Pictures,' 'Falstaff' is a lovely performance / theartsdesk
     
    Posted At : August 1, 2020 12:00 AM

    It's to mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča's huge credit that I found myself listening to the texts Elgar set in his Sea Pictures more closely than usual. She's superb – rich-toned, and with excellent diction, her efforts highlighting my problem with this song cycle, namely that the poems set are a tad variable. "Where Corals Lie" and "Sea Slumber Song" work for me, but "The Swimmer" is too wordy by half. This is still a lovely performance, Daniel Barenboim's well-drilled Staatskapelle Berlin nail Elgar's style, the textures never too thick. All fine, though you really need this disc for Barenboim's Falstaff. This long, Straussian "symphonic study" was a flop when premiered in 1913, though Elgar claimed to have enjoyed writing it more than anything else he'd written. It's a grower, a piece that needs repeated hearings to work its magic. I'm always floored by the quirkiness of the opening theme, an earworm that's impossible to sing. Try it and see. Barenboim understands this music's subtlety and psychological depth, and his performance has both belly laughs and pathos. Falstaff's descent into sleep and the bittersweet "Dream Interlude" are sweetly done here, and Elgar's curt ending is painful but appropriate. It's played with real warmth and affection, the Berlin brass and winds especially impressive.  READ THE FULL artsdesk ARTICLE

  • Max Richter's 'Voices' envisions a better world / NPR Q&A
     
    Posted At : August 1, 2020 12:00 AM

    When thinking about putting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to music on Voices, Composer Max Richter tried to capture the essence of "the world we haven't made yet." Richter has scored soundtracks and had his music placed across film and television, including recent Hollywood movies such as Mary Queen of Scots, Hostiles and Ad Astra. But Richter's also a composer who's not afraid to take on political issues in his music. In his previous works, he's responded to the conflict in Kosovo, the Iraq War and the 2005 London terrorist attacks. On his latest album, Voices, he takes inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. NPR's Gemma Watters spoke to Max Richter about the echo between the post-World War II world and today, finding a narrator after watching If Beale Street Could Talk and the way the album fits into the present moment, even though he started work on it 10 years ago. Listen to the interview

Top 10 for Aug

  • Ilan Eshkeri & Shigeru Umebayashi :

    Ghost of Tsushima

     Milan Records today releases GHOST OF TSUSHIMA (MUSIC FROM THE VIDEO GAME) with music by ILAN ESHKERI and SHIGERU UMEBAYASHI.
  • Max Richter :

    Voices

     Over a decade after its inception, ground-breaking composer Max Richter announces the release of VOICES – a major new recording project inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
  • Marcin Wasilewski Trio Joe Lovano :

    Arctic Riff

     The first-time teaming of Poland's dynamic Marcin Wasilewski Trio and big-toned US tenorist Joe Lovano brings forth special music of concentrated, deep feeling, in which lyricism and strength seem ideally balanced.
  • Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile :

    Not Our First Goat Rodeo

     Sony Music Masterworks today releases Not Our First Goat Rodeo, the long-awaited follow-up album to the GRAMMY Award-winning The Goat Rodeo Sessions, with Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile.
  • Harry Connick Jr :

    Stars Still Shine

     GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning singer and actor Harry Connick, Jr.
  • Bettye LaVette :

    Blackbirds

     Blues Hall of Famer Bettye LaVette has decided to release her stirring rendition of "Strange Fruit" ahead of schedule as it says as much about the history of American racism and the state of the country today.
  • Terence Blanchard :

    DA 5 BLOODS OMPS

     Milan Records today releases DA 5 BLOODS (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE) with music composed by six-time GRAMMY® Award-winning trumpeter and composer TERENCE BLANCHARD.
  • Jimmy Heath :

    Love Letter

     Verve Records releases Love Letter, the first all-ballads album from magisterial tenor saxophonist-composer Jimmy Heath.
  • Ludovico Einaudi :

    12 Songs From Home

     Ludovico Einaudi today releases a special 12-track digital collection, ‘12 Songs From Home', out digitally on Decca Records on 8thMay 2020 with artwork drawn by the composer.
  • Christopher Tin :

    To Shiver The Sky

     TWO-TIME GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER CHRISTOPHER TIN SIGNS TO DECCA GOLD ANNOUNCES MAJOR LABEL DEBUT ALBUM  - TO SHIVER THE SKY Recognized as the first artist to win a Grammy Award for music written for a video game, composer Christopher Tin will release a new album titled To Shiver the Sky on August 21.

London's 'Occupy the Pianos Festival' explores the relationship between music and meditation / iNews

Posted: April 19, 2018 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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I am sitting on the floor of a church in Shoreditch, a shaker in my hand, attempting to respond musically to a series of abstract, contradictory statements: making a hard sound that is soft, a private sound that is public, and so on. Initially self-conscious, as others join in, I soon find myself fully focused and absorbed. As I should be: this is mindful music. The exercises vaguely remind me of my hippie upbringing, but mindfulness has become a buzzword in recent years, in music as elsewhere; this weekend, the third full Occupy the Pianos festival, in London will be exploring the relationship between music and meditation. The notion of being truly present has obvious benefits for both listening and playing; really getting in the zone – immersed but listening closely – is surely the ideal state for a concert-goer.

Curated by pianist and composer Rolf Hind will take place between 20-22 April at St John's Smith Square. Studded with many freshly written works, and radical takes on music and concert-giving, this festival features new and radical piano music at its core. At the festival's heart is an ever-growing team of brilliant musicians whose approach is outward looking, unconventional and curious. Artists include Rolf Hind, Elaine Mitchener, Loré Lixenberg, Nancy Ruffer, David Alberman, Zoë Martlew, Siwan Rhys, Ben Smith, George Barton, and more.a

 

READ THE FULL iNews ARTICLE

Crossover Media Projects with Various

  • Various

    Orff: Carmina Burana Live From the Forbidden City

    Recorded live to the highest industry standards in front of the magnificent scenery of Beijing's Forbidden City, this unique gala concert celebrates the 120th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon. The concert features conductor Long Yu and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, both freshly signed as exclusive recording artists to Deutsche Grammophon, and performances from Aida Garifullina, Daniil Trifonov, Mari Samuelsen, and more.

  • Various

    A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper

    Impulse! has brought together some of the great progressive jazz musicians of our time to pay tribute to The Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper will be available on vinyl for Record Store Day on November 23, available on CD, digital, and streaming platforms on November 30, with a wide vinyl release on January 18, 2019.

    A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper includes performances and interpretations by artists such as UK saxophonist and Impulse! recording artist Shabaka Hutchings, Impulse! pianist Sullivan Fortner, Verve recording artist Miles Mosley, Onyx Collective, percussionist Antonio Sanchez, guitarist Mary Halvorson, The JuJu Exchange and more. 

    This stellar lineup represents some of the great progressive jazz artists from around the world: Shabaka from the UK Jazz scene, Miles Mosley and Cameron Graves from LA's West Coast Get Down, Onyx Collective from NYC, Makaya McCraven and the JuJu Exchange from Chicago.  

  • Various

    Beethoven

    Many people picture grim-faced Beethoven, shaking his fist at the heavens and persisting through deafness and illness to compose works of transcendent beauty, but he also stirs emotions that feel both deeply personal and ubiquitous. There are moments of red-cheeked optimism, quiet introspection, playful dances, heroic declarations, a restless search for the sublime. And while Beethoven is perhaps most famous for his sonatas and symphonies, he composed an opera, chamber works, songs, sacred music, incidental music for the stage, even dances. Taken together, these selections paint a rich portrait of Beethoven's humanity, which has attracted artists of the highest caliber such as Leonard Bernstein, Carlos Kleiber, Janine Jansen, and Martha Argerich. Some of these recordings are legendary, but all of them jump out with their undeniable virtuosity and brilliance. This collection may remind you of that iconic portrait of immortal Genius suffering for Art, but it will also reacquaint you with an artist from another time who somehow captured so much of the human experience.

  • Various

    The Royal Wedding - The Official Album

    Decca Records is proud to release The Official Recording of The Royal Wedding, one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year. Having recorded the entire service live at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle today, every piece of music, the readings, blessings and the vows will be available to listen to permanently on all streaming services in just a few hours: a first for a Royal Wedding. The physical album, on CD, will then be released into retail stores around the world from 1st June. 

    The musical highlight of the moving and joyous ceremony was British cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, one of the most exciting musicians of his generation, who was personally asked by the bride and groom to perform at their wedding. The 19-year-old musician took centre stage for the all-important signing of the register. Dressed in a black Paul Smith suit with vibrant pink tie, Sheku played three beautiful pieces: "Sicilienne" by von Paradis, Schubert's "Ave Maria," and "Après Un Rêve" by Fauré. He was accompanied by orchestra*, as the Royal Couple officially became husband and wife. Knowing he was performing not only for the Royal Family, 600 invited guests in the Chapel, and an estimated global audience of up to three billion people, the talented teenager was thrilled to be involved in the occasion:

  • Various

    Hopes and Dreams - The Lullaby Project

    History was written in 2000 BC, and 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of Brahms' Lullaby, so this precious musical tradition has deep cultural and emotional roots. These personal songs bring people together, span generations, and tell stories about where we come from, who we are now, and our hopes for the future. The legacy continues with the release of Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project on Decca Gold (Verve Label Group). The recording is inspired by the Lullaby Project, a program of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute which pairs pregnant women, new mothers, and family members with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project features fifteen lullabies written by parents from across New York City, as performed by Fiona Apple, the Brentano String Quartet, Lawrence Brownlee, Rosanne Cash, Joyce DiDonato, Janice Freeman (The Voice 2017), Rhiannon Giddens (Nashville), Angélique Kidjo, Patti LuPone, Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs), Dianne Reeves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pretty Yende, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

  • Various

    Jazz Loves Disney 2: A Kind of Magic

    The second installment of the Jazz Loves Disney series, Jazz Loves Disney 2: A Kind of Magic features guest artists including Angélique Kidjo, Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Jacob Collier, George Benson, Madeleine Peyroux and more, taking on beloved melodies from the Disney canon. The album will be released on Verve Records on November 10.  The Jazz Loves Disney series celebrates the nostalgia and universal appeal of the music of Disney films. The rich catalogue of Disney songs that span genres and generations inspired producer Jay Newland and arranger Rob Mounsey to continue the series. 

    7 NEW  106 TOTAL
    SYND:     NPR, CBC
    Direct: SiriusXM
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Portland, Detroit, Denver, Memphis, Orlando, Albuquerque, Wichita, Madison WI, Honolulu, HI(Statewide), Barcelona, Berlin
    INTER: Canada, UK, Spain, Germany, South Africa
    Online: LaughingPlace, Troonradio, Quisqueya, udiscovermusic, The Healthy Mouse, The Daily Shuffle, Dis411, NextBop.com, MOJA, GreenArrow, Jazz Gallery 41, The Jazz groove, Sun Music, Jazz Weekly, Radio Free Amsterdam

    19 Jazzweek ADD's

  • Various

    The Passion of Charlie Parker

    The Passion of Charlie Parker is a new album from producer Larry Klein that tells the story of Charlie Parker using his music as inspiration for new songs that narrate his life. Guest artists include Gregory Porter, Madeleine Peyroux, Kandace Springs, actor Jeffrey Wright, and more. The album will be available on impulse!/ Verve digitally on June 16, with physical release to follow on June 30. Larry Klein says, "With this album I've endeavored to do something new and different in an effort to illustrate who ‘Bird' was as an archetypal character, and to draw attention to the huge impact that his work had on Jazz." Rather than create another tribute of traditional bebop tunes, Klein partnered with lyricist David Baerwald to create a musical play that tells the story of Charlie Parker's life while still playing with the jagged melodic nature of Charlie Parker's compositions.

    7 NEW  123 TOTAL
    SYND:     Jazz After Hours, Jazz Happening Now, Jazz Inspired, Voice of America
    Direct: SiriusXM
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Portland, Miami, Detroit, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Austin, Denver, Albuquerque, Orlando, San Antonio, Sacramento, Louisville, Knoxville, Madison WI, Rochester, Tampa, Honolulu, OR(Statewide), WV(Statewide), VT(Statewide), KS(Statewide), MS(Statewide), HI(Statewide), Toronto, Vancouver
    INTER: Canada, UK
    Online: GreenArrow, Jazz & Blues Report, KUHS/Vaya, Soulandjazz.com, Jazz Weekly, Radio Valencia, Que4 Radio, Freaky Party, theguardian

    45 Jazzweek ADD's