Al Conti | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | March 9, 1968 |
| Origin | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Genres | Contemporary instrumental, new-age |
| Occupations | Composer Pianist Arranger |
| Instruments | Piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 2005 –2019 |
| Labels | Shadowside Music |
| Website | www.alconti.net |
Al Conti (born March 9, 1968) is a Grammy-nominated New Age composer, arranger, producer, and multi-instrumentalist.
Al Conti is Argentine-born and currently resides in the United States. Since 2006, Conti has led an impressive music career achieving various mentions, awards and a Grammy nomination. Mystic (2016), his latest album, includes collaborations from Ricky Kej, Pamela Copus (2002), Jeff Pearce and Charlee Brooks. [1] Other notable album credits include violins from award winner Manoj George and engineers Randy Copus (2002), Jill Tengan (Britney Spears, Patsy Cline, Randy Edelman, Pimpinela, Patricia Sosa, Daniela Romo) and Vanil Veigas (Ricky Kej, Al Jewer, Jeff Oster, Kathy Sanborn, Wouter Kellerman). [1] "Mystic" entered the Zone Music Reporter's Top 100 Chart in the number 1 position in October 2016. [2]
Conti's 2013 album, The Blue Rose, immediately rose to the top #1 spot on the Zone Music Reporter (ZMR) Top 100 chart for May [3] and June 2014. [4] The album also reached #3 on the ZMR Top 100 Airplay Chart for 2013. His album Northern Seas garnered a Grammy nomination, [5] made Amazon's Top 10 list for Best New Age Albums of 2010 [6] and reached #2 in the Zone Music Reporter's Top 100 chart for October 2010. [7] His album Scheherazade topped the Zone Music Reporter Top 100 Chart at number 1 for three consecutive months, in October, [8] November [9] and December, [10] 2008. The album also garnered four ZMR Lifestyle Music Awards nominations, including Album of the Year, and won Best World Album of 2008. [11] Scheherazade also headed many radios 'Top 10' and 'Best of' lists,' as well as charting #5 on the ZMR's Top 100 Airplay Chart for 2008. His album Poeta was used as part of NPR's fundraising efforts in 2007 and his recording 'Quest for Orpheus,' from the same album, received a “Best of 2007” Award from Mystic Soundscapes Radio.
In 2008, Al Conti joined Kevin Bacon, Jessica Alba, Will & Grace's Shelley Morrison and other celebrities lending their names to Until There's a Cure to help raise funds for HIV/AIDS awareness and research. [12] [13] Conti is also a member of Artists for Human Rights, an organization founded by actress Anne Archer.
Conti has traveled widely and has lived in South America, Europe, and the United States. As an actor, he has appeared on television shows including the CBS daytime drama “As the World Turns,” in films, in numerous radio and television commercials, and on-stage in theatre productions in cities including New York City, Philadelphia, Tampa and Buenos Aires. Born and raised in Argentina, Conti comes from a family of artists in many fields. Al's family tree also includes the famous Argentinean writer and politician Miguel Cané, [12] who held numerous political offices, notably as Argentine minister of external affairs and of the Interior and Mayor of the City of Buenos Aires.
Conti is openly gay, confirming this in a radio interview [14] [15] in May 2012 when asked about personal relationships: "I have a partner who is very supportive of my work. I think this is the first time that I actually mention that I have a partner and that he is a man." He added that he maintains his privacy and never feels a need to speak of his personal life, adding, "I really never gave it a thought, I thought, you know, my music needs to speak for itself."
In 2015, Al married Kevin, his longtime partner and manager. They make their home in the Hudson Valley and Manhattan, New York City with Digby, their adopted dog. [16]
Al credits the late Bobby Susser as his mentor and dear friend, and Alison Arngrim, of Little House on the Prairie fame, for her partial guidance in coming out. [17]
As of 2019, Al Conti has retired from the music business, in an official statement made by him in 2020. [18]
Miriam Arlene Stockley is a British singer. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and her work is influenced by the African music of her home country. Her distinctive vocalise style gained international acclaim when Karl Jenkins launched the Adiemus project with Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary, with Stockley as the lead singer.
William Ackerman is an American guitarist and record producer who founded Windham Hill Records.
2002 is a new-age group composed of Pamela, Randy, and Sarah Copus. 2002 has charted twelve albums on the Billboard New Age Charts. This Moment Now won the COVR award for Best New Age Album in 2004. 2002 was named amongst the top new-age artists in Billboard's 2003 "Year in Review" issue, a list that also featured Yanni, Mannheim Steamroller, Jim Brickman, George Winston, and Enya. They most recently won Best Vocal Album from the ZMR Zone Music Awards in 2015 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from One World Music Radio in 2021.
Michael Brant DeMaria is an American psychologist, author, and musician.
Fiona Joy Hawkins, is an Australian vocalist and pianist. Her collaborations have included five albums produced by Will Ackerman. Her influences include George Winston, Michael Nyman, Chopin, and Mendelssohn.
Paul Costa Avgerinos is a Grammy-winning music composer, performer, and producer who works in the genres of ambient, space, world, electronic, and drone. Avgerinos has worked with the Dalai Lama, President Jimmy Carter, Deepak Chopra and Lil Jon. Avgerinos is a member of ASCAP and his music has been used in motion pictures, television shows, and commercials.
Zone Music Reporter is a website tracking New Age, world, and instrumental music. The site features weekly playlist, monthly airplay charts, and album reviews. Premium services are also offered to artists and their management compiling custom airplay reports for that artist. Around 2023, the site began to experience technical problems, although its managers have vowed to reconstitute and perpetuate the database.
Jay Russell Oliver is an American jazz musician, composer, record producer, programmer and engineer. He began his professional music career at the age of 19 as the youngest member of Maynard Ferguson's band. His later credits include: Sheryl Crow, The Eagles, Jimmy Buffett, Wynonna Judd, Glenn Frey, Peabo Bryson, Chick Corea, Dave Weckl, Russ Kunkel, Jay Graydon, AO Music, Celine Dion and many others.
Jeff Pearce is an Indiana-based ambient/new age musician. He has been called "one of the top two electronic guitarists of all time" by Allmusic, while reviewer John Diliberto wrote in Billboard magazine that Pearce is "one of the best" guitarists to follow the solo electric guitarist concept. Pearce started playing guitar at age 13 and discovered the music of Brian Eno and Harold Budd while in college.
Ram Gyan "Ricky" Kej is an Indian music composer and environmentalist and a three-time Grammy Award winner. He has performed at venues in over 35 countries including at the United Nations headquarters in New York and Geneva. In October 2023, Kej was announced as a UN "Goodwill Ambassador" (UNCCD) at the United Nations General Assembly by then President, Csaba Körösi.
Bryan Carrigan is an American music producer, engineer, and electronic musician that has been involved in the production of studio albums and film scores. Carrigan is also known for serving multiple roles in the recording studio as music editor, programming, and sound design.
Wouter Kellerman is a two-time Grammy Award-winning South African flautist, producer and composer who has won nine South African Music Awards. Classically trained, Kellerman performs primarily World and Roots music.
Erik Scott was an American bassist, record producer, and songwriter. Scott played bass for the band Flo & Eddie in the 1970s as well as Alice Cooper in the early 1980s, for whom he also produced. In the 1990s he was one of the founding members of Sonia Dada, which reached the number one position on the Australian music charts with their eponymous debut studio album. Scott was also the co-writer of the song "Father, Father", which was the title track for the Pops Staples' album of the same name, winner of the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. In 2008 he became a solo artist as well, with his debut studio album Other Planets. He recorded four solo studio albums in total, including the 2016 ZMR Awards Album of the Year winner In the Company of Clouds.
Michael Dulin is an American pianist and composer. In addition to performing his original music, Dulin has appeared both solo and with orchestra in performances of classical music. He has also toured as keyboardist with the Motown group, the Temptations.
Kerani (1968) is a Dutch composer, orchestrator, and producer of Hungarian heritage known for her sophisticated and meticulously crafted music, infused with classical influences. She is recognised for her contributions to various media projects, including documentaries, short films, and trailers. Over the course of her career, Kerani has released eleven albums, each showcasing her unique artistic vision. Notably, Kerani has been honoured in the US with the distinguished ZMR Music Award for Best Neo-Classical New Age Album on three separate occasions, underscoring her significant impact on the genre.
Erwilian is an American musical group featuring acoustic instrumentation, led by soprano recorder, violin, and hammered dulcimer. The group blends elements from celtic, world, and folk music into an original cross-genre style classified as New Age. Since its formation in 2000, the group has featured various multi-instrumentalists in its lineup. Current members and primary instruments include founders Scott Melton (guitar) and Jordan Buetow (recorders), Bethel Melton, Malcolm Lee (bass), Matt Garcia (harp), John Hintze (percussion), and Keely Rendle (violin).
Flow is an American New Age music group consisting of pianist/vocalist Fiona Joy from Australia, guitarist Lawrence Blatt, trumpeter and flugelhornist Jeff Oster, and guitarist Will Ackerman, all from the United States. The band's name is an anagram of the initials of their names.
Jeff Oster is a Grammy-nominated American musician who specializes in trumpet and flugelhorn in the New Age music genre. He is a member of the four-piece band Flow. Oster's style has been described as "Miles Davis meets Pink Floyd." He is a three-time winner of the Independent Music Awards and ten-time winner of the Zone Music Reporter Awards. He was featured on the Laura Sullivan's Grammy-winning album Love's River. Flow's debut album reached number 4 on the Billboard New Age Albums Chart in 2017.
SEAY is an American award-winning New-age music artist and humanitarian who has gained prominence as both a vocalist and composer. She has released multiple recordings, many of which have received awards and nominations. Her 2016 release In the Garden featuring collaborations with Grammy Award winners Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman charted on the Billboard New Age albums chart for five weeks peaking at #3 and won the Zone Music Reporter best vocal album of the year.
Tom Eaton is a Grammy-nominated American multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and mastering engineer. He is known as the composer of multiple albums, and as a producer and engineer who works with Grammy Award-winner William Ackerman.
