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David Lanz | |
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| Born | June 28, 1950 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | New age, Jazz music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, Tastiere |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | Narada, Decca Records |
| Website | www |
David Howard Lanz (born June 28, 1950, in Seattle, Washington) is an American pianist and composer. His album Cristofori's Dream topped the New Age Music Chart in 1988.
Lanz attributes his interest in the piano to experiences during his childhood in the Pacific Northwest. He was inspired to play piano by his mother. [1] She played songs by Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole on the piano and became his first musical mentor.
Lanz started his performing career as a teenager during the 1960s. In 1971, he recorded an album for Mercury Records with the Canadian group Brahman. He played keyboards on the hit song "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks. In the late 1970s, he was musical director for the Seattle band the Sweep, with Ken McCann as singer, Peter Pendras on lead guitar, Glenn Ayers on drums, and Hugh Gerrard on bass. Saxophonist Robbie Jordan was added to the group after a gig in Boise, Idaho.
Lanz shifted to playing solo acts in local clubs. At a nightclub in Seattle, he began to perform his own compositions and moved from rock to jazz and blues.
The 1980s saw the birth of a new type of musical talent in Lanz. During this time, with the help of a friend, he began composing what would now be considered New Age music. From the 1980s onward, he has released a steady stream of albums, including his ground-breaking album Heartsounds, his first solo album, which boosted the popularity of his record label, Narada.[ citation needed ]
Lanz's goal is to have his music create an atmosphere of hope and enlightenment. In an interview with Barnes & Noble, Lanz stated that he wanted to create an atmosphere similar to that of Steven Halpern's music, but with a "more popular hook in it". [2]
Lanz has said, "[The piano] is the most divinely inspired instrument on the planet. It presents a great attraction to our left-right brain relationship. My goal is to create entertainment that also provides hope and enlightenment."
In the front of his Musicbook, The David Lanz Collection, he writes: "At the piano, I'm able to communicate in a way that is very intimate and direct. My approach at music is a bit like talking to a friend. You don't have to be very complicated when you speak. If you say what's in your heart, it's usually very simple."
Lanz's style spans the popular songbook as well. His 2009 release, Liverpool: Re-imagining The Beatles, made with Xiao flute master Gary Stroutsos pays homage to the music of The Beatles.
David Lanz, "Solos for New Age Piano" copyright 1991 NARADA Music Inc. pp. 2–3
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Wonderwall Music is the debut studio album by the English musician George Harrison and the soundtrack to the 1968 film Wonderwall, directed by Joe Massot. Released in November 1968, it was the first solo album by a member of the Beatles, and the first album issued on the band's Apple record label. The songs are all instrumental pieces, except for occasional non-English language vocals, and mostly comprise short musical vignettes. Following his Indian-styled compositions for the Beatles since 1966, he used the film score to further promote Indian classical music by introducing rock audiences to instruments that were relatively little-known in the West – including shehnai, sarod, tar shehnai, tanpura and santoor. The Indian pieces are contrasted by Western musical selections, in the psychedelic rock, experimental, country and ragtime styles.
Sentimental Journey is the debut solo album by the English rock musician Ringo Starr. It was released by Apple Records in March 1970 as the Beatles were breaking up. The album is a collection of pre-rock 'n' roll standards that Starr recalled from his childhood in Liverpool. As a departure from the experimental quality that had characterised solo LPs by George Harrison and John Lennon since 1968, it was the first studio album by an individual Beatle to embrace a popular music form.
Narada is a record label formed in 1983 as an independent new-age music label and distributed by MCA. From 1997–2013, the label was owned by Virgin Records on behalf of EMI. Since 2013, it is a fully owned subsidiary of Universal Music Group and distributed by Capitol Music Group's Blue Note Records. The label evolved through an expansion of formats to include world music, electronica, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar, and piano releases.
Alan Leonard Broadbent is a New Zealand jazz pianist, arranger, and composer known for his work with artists such as Sue Raney, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Chet Baker, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Natalie Cole, Warne Marsh, Bud Shank, and many others.
Armik is an Iranian-Armenian American New Flamenco guitarist, producer and composer. His music blends Spanish guitar scales with flamenco improvisation, Latin jazz rhythms, and classical elements. Several of Armik's albums have reached Billboard's Top New Age Albums chart.
Bobbe Gorin "Beegie" Adair was an American jazz pianist and bandleader, whose career spanned more than 60 years.
Convergence is an album by David Arkenstone and David Lanz, released in 1996. It is a compilation of tracks from Narada releases such as A Childhood Remembered and The Narada Wilderness Collection.
Bradley Joseph, who was born in 1965, is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breath".
Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel are musicians who have performed, recorded and traveled together since 1985, and are responsible for 19 albums.
Grand Piano is a 1997 compilation by Narada. It peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Top New Age album charts in the same year.
20 Years of Narada Piano is a 2001 compilation release by Narada. It peaked at #12 on Billboard's Top New Age album charts in the same year.
Michael Jones was a British-born Canadian new-age pianist and composer, known for his improvisational new age performance style. He was also a writer and leadership educator.
Eric Tingstad is an American record producer, musician, songwriter and composer. He was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. Best known as a fingerstyle guitarist, Tingstad has performed, recorded, and produced alternative country, blues, americana, rock, smooth jazz, ambient, and New-age music. Tingstad frequently collaborates with woodwinds player Nancy Rumbel as Tingstad and Rumbel.
Paul Cardall is an American pianist known for his original compositions and arrangements of various hymns. His music is frequently categorized as classical, Christian and new age. Cardall has had several recordings debut No. 1 on top Billboard charts.
Cristofori's Dream is David Lanz's seventh studio album, released in 1988. The album was the only Lanz album to top Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart as well as the only album to chart on the Billboard 200, peaking at #180.
Y Not is the sixteenth studio album by Ringo Starr, released on 12 January 2010 on the UMe and Hip-O Records labels. the album features a lot of guest musicians, including Paul McCartney, who sang backing vocals on Walk With You, the lead single from the album.
Paul Speer is a Grammy nominated guitarist, composer, and record producer. He has released several solo albums, music video albums, and collaborations with other artists such as pianist David Lanz, drummer Scott Rockenfield of Queensrÿche, Paul Lawler, and vocalist Satine Orient.
Michael Whalen is a composer of over 650 television and film scores and thousands of advertising jingles. He has won two Emmy Awards and his works are featured in places from TV shows to audiobooks. Projects include the 2011 human trafficking film Cargo and short films for Disney. As a recording artist and producer, his solo piano recording "All the Things I Could Not Say" was released in 2013, and he performs in NYC frequently, where he is an adjunct professor at The City College of New York, and the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Whalen is represented and published by Warner/Chappell Music.
Jan Nickman is an American film and television director, producer, cinematographer and writer. As the co-founder of Miramar Images, Inc. and Sacred Earth Pictures, Nickman's career in film and television spans three decades.
Michael Gettel is a recording artist, composer, and pianist, who has been creating, teaching, and performing music for decades. Widely known for his piano and composition work, the native of Evergreen, Colorado, has released 13 albums in the New Age genre.
