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Topic: Ann Sweeten
"Ann Sweeten possesses a remarkable talent. A musician whose extensive classical training is immediately apparent, she is also someone who writes from a great emotional depth. As her producer it is a joy to hear someone who exploits the entire potential of the piano, finding both dynamics and beauty in all 88 keys. Her pieces have a broad stylistic range and yet create a cohesive program of music very distinctively hers. This is a brilliant recording from start to finish." William Ackerman Her previous CD, A Place in the Sun, debuted at #2 in radio and was nominated for Best Instrumental Album - Piano at the NAR Lifestyle Music Awards 2006. With two earlier albums hitting #3 on the radio charts and airplay across the nation and worldwide, Ms. Sweeten is quickly becoming one of the most popular pianists around. In this, her 7th release in a decade, she attains yet a new level of performance and composition. Grey Sky and Bittersweet is produced by Grammy Winner and Windham Hill Records founder, Will Ackerman, at Imaginary Road Studios on Steinway Grand Piano, Model B.
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at 3:12 PM CDT
Updated: Wednesday, 26 September 2007 3:17 PM CDT
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Updated: Wednesday, 26 September 2007 3:17 PM CDT
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Kitaro picks up the path of his sacred journey through Shikoku, an island that has 88 temples, each with its own distinct temple bells. The Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 3, is the latest in a projected multi-disc series in which the Japanese keyboardist has been recording those bells and working them into the matrix of his music. Taking its name from Kukai, a Japanese monk and founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism in the 9th century, the series follows a path that gets more languid with each album. The synthesist has jettisoned most of the sappy strings that marred his previous journeys, opting for floating, ambient spaces centered around organic sounds. "Crystal Winds" might be the most carefully formed, albeit rhythm-free and melodically amorphous track Kitaro has composed in years. It builds from a floating array of Native American flute, zithers, Balinese gamelan, temple bells, and harmonic singing merging into filter-swept synthesizer before a brief santoor melody is teased out of it. It's not long before Kitaro tosses in electric-guitar leads on the grandiose sweep of "After the Rain," replete with his patented whooping Korg lead lines. If he'd left out the sampled choirs and strings, it might've risen above generic easy-listening new age, which is still preferable to "Winds Blow over the Hill," a thinly veiled lift from his own Silk Road that makes it sound like a score for a sanatorium. But Kitaro redeems himself with the last two tracks, a hypnotic jam with some uncharacteristically raving guitar over a sequencer ostinato called "Voice in Blue," and "Circle Dance," a ritualistic piece for bells, flute, and what sounds like metal mixing bowls. I kept looking into the kitchen to see if my wife was making something, but I liked the way it added three-dimensionality to the piece. With The Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 3, Kitaro gives us hope that the trek might be worth continuing. --John Diliberto 
There's nothing more fulfilling than closing a musically diverse year with a complete work of art. Carolyn Southworth's "At the End of the Day" has the fragile beauty and soulful depth of a painting; every note is a graceful stroke of the brush. Labels such as "New Age" or "jazz" cannot aptly describe the haunting, evocative qualities of these gorgeous instrumentals. Southworth's stunningly rich piano playing already dazzles from the beginning, the poignant melodies that transform the title track into a transcendent, magical piece. What makes Southworth's piano playing so engrossing is the emotional pull they create; they simply draw you in unlike many of her peers who keep their distance, letting us admire the sounds they create but not feel them. --Adam Harrington, Whisperin & Hollerin (UK), December 2006 Southworth's piano is smooth, soothing and fresh from the opening title track to the reverent "Nocturne." Each work is melodic and catchy but also deep with emotion and musicality. Southworth has created a CD that will appeal to fans of healing new-age music. But it also set the bar high for fan's expectations. It can stand alongside such new-age artists as David Lanz, Suzanne Ciani and Tingstad & Rumbel. --Scott Iwasaki, Deseret Morning News, Music Editor, October 27, 2006 
Melody and pulse spin outward in a fusion of vibrant musical dialogue that soars through spatial imagination and passion to create astonishing dimensional compositions. Jeff Oster's new CD True is the brilliant formation of this congruent expedition... Oster's musical expression of flugelhorn and trumpet opened up an original sphere in the New Age/ World-Jazz genre last year, with his debut CD entitled Released. A CD infused with harmonious structure and moving, fluid sound captivated fans and critics alike. True embarks on a deeper exploration of Oster's innovative musical style, with an accompaniment of premiere musicians and co-writers. The line-up includes phenomenal musician and producer Will Ackerman, of Windham Hill, who produced True... World-class musicians include Keith Carlock, drums; T. Bone Wolk, guitar and bass; Philip Aaberg on piano, synthesizer; and Michael Manring, bass. In addition, Oster also enlisted the incomparable vocal talents of Melissa R. Kaplan, Ugandan artist Samite and Noah Wilding... True conveys multiple music configurations, yet seamlessly arrives in a cohesive expression. The album's tracks stratify from cosmos to world ethos with varying intensity, intonation and beat. 
Review A perfect musical marriage. I love Iris's compostions and piano playing and Tom's compositions and guitar playing so putting the 2 together is for me perfection. - Reviewer: Dr Catherine Galatola --website posting 
Easy listening acoustic finger style... 
Jeffrey Fisher is a very talented composer, but also a highly respected spiritual teacher, Tai Chi master and painter. His album "Triumph of the Spirit" is inspiring and enlightening. "Triumph of the Spirit" marked an evolution in Jeffrey Fisher's career as a composer, presenting music born of an unprecedented collaboration with Taos, NM-based painter Charles Collins and his "Between Worlds" collection of paintings. With this album, Fisher delivers five breathtaking works, including the title song "Triumph of the Spirit", creating symphonic poetry, enlivening Collin's paintings with sound. 
In MUSIC FROM MY HEART, Margie paints a portrait of self-expression and moving heartfelt emotion She says, “I love it when songs just come to me, and I love it when they come in dreams. I enjoy the challenge of trying to solve the puzzle of what I almost hear, the chipping away of the idea to get it right. I really love collaborating and have written songs with a large number of super talented players and writers. I feel very blessed about this and about sweet inspiration, because I have zillions of ideas that are always buzzing around. Music is for everyone. It has been a thrill to teach, compose, play, and, I hope through music, speak directly from my heart.”