Independent Recording Years (1985-1989)
Gettel graduated from the University Of Northern Colorado in 1980 with a double degree in Music Theory and Composition, and was offered a position to teach music at the prestigious Kent Denver School. In 1984, he was accepted to the Klingenstein Institute at Columbia University, New York, for young independent school teachers. He also traveled to Washington State’s Puget Sound region in the summers to boat in the San Juan Islands with friend and-soon-to-be label partner Mathew Dimarco. It was at this time Gettel began composing piano pieces for his seminal recording, “San Juan Suite.”
After connecting with numerous gift shops and art galleries in the San Juan Islands, the decision was made to record a cassette of nine original songs on his new Indie label, Sounding Records, managed by Dimarco. The songs were interspersed uniquely with natural ambient sounds indigenous to the region. The immediate reception was overwhelmingly positive, and created a unique niche for the young pianist composer. Concerts and appearances throughout the region were numerous, and as the word grew through tourists and boaters, more small businesses sought out the recording, creating a supply-and-demand crisis. It was decided to re-record the album for CD at Kaye-Smith Studios in Seattle. The release was welcomed by a few large independent distributors, and subsequently sold several hundreds of thousands of albums with no major label involvement.
Gettel was intent on broadening his musical palette with his second release, “Intricate Balance,” which featured his first forays into arranging for other acoustic instruments (specifically oboe), and new experiments with electronic keyboards and percussion. The album was released by Sounding Records in 1987 and obtained by Seattle-based Miramar Productions in 1992.
The final release for Sounding Records came in 1989 with “Return,” a much more carefully arranged collection of pieces with a large cast of instrumentalists. Recorded again at Kaye-Smith Studios (which soon became Heart's Bad Animals) and mixed in Denver, “Return” showcased Gettel not only as a maturing composer, arranger and producer, but as a new formidable figure in the New Age movement. The album enjoyed great success independently, and caught the attention of more than a few major players in the New Age market. Ultimately, the decision was made to dissolve Sounding Records in favor of taking the risk with a larger label that had more presence in the market and more ability to promote internationally. Gettel signed with the prominent label Narada, while also agreeing to license his first two recordings with Miramar Productions. Narada was given the rights to release “Return” on its Sona Gaia label in 1990, and a new opportunity opened to Gettel's creative output.
The Narada Years (1990-2000s)
Gettel solidified his contract with Narada while on a backpacking trip to the American Southwest with students from Seattle's Bush School, at which he had accepted a teaching position in 1988. The contract was faxed to him at Zion National Park. It is no surprise one of the most memorable songs on his first Narada release was, “Angel’s Landing.” In the summer of 1991 after signing, Narada called in its first record option, but there was a catch. It was to be produced by, Billy Oskay of the group Nightnoise on Windham Hill. This created consternation with Gettel, since he had assumed he would be producing his work. Throughout the summer, Gettel travelled from Seattle to Portland to consult with Oskay, and began recording in August at Desitrek Studios. The sessions were difficult and often unproductive, but it was through these sessions that Gettel met two of the most important musicians that would help shape the next 10 years of his work on Narada: bassist Sandin Wilson and double-reed specialist Nancy Rumbel. While work on the release continued through October, the rough mixes submitted to the label were not accepted and the album was shelved until the spring. The mixes were completed with the additional assistance of David Arkenstone and fellow Narada artist Kostia. Although a rough initiation to the major label world, “Places In Time” was released on Narada's Equinox label to successful reviews and charted quickly on Billboard's New Age charts. “Skywatching” quickly followed Gettel's inaugural release, and found him with more control as the full producer and arranger of the album. With Sandin Wilson and Nancy Rumbel returning as significant contributors to the album's full palette, they were joined by guitarist Paul Speer on several tracks and a spontaneous visit by David Lanz, which turned into the compelling improvised duet of “First Snow.” An additional new expert arrived in engineer Frank Bry, who would work with Gettel on all his major Narada releases throughout the '90s. Another important development was the change of location to Robert Lang Studios in Richmond Beach, North Seattle. The studio was a well-known location among Seattle musicians, and was moving forward to develop into a much larger campus that later would serve local and world acts such as Nirvana, Dave Matthews, Foo Fighters, among many other A-list artists. Narada found an intriguing marketing strategy for “Skywatching” in association with the travel magazine Arizona Highways, and the release helped cement Gettel as a mainstay in the Narada lineup.
“The Key” followed in 1994 and took on a completely different inspirational concept: an archetypal journey of the heart. The arranging and instrumentation stretched Gettel's musical boundaries and the studio's capabilities at the time, with a few tracks overreaching the limits of the mixing board. Initially, Narada had a hands-off approach to the concept, but Gettel was undeterred, and flew to the label offices in Milwaukee, Wis., to consult with CEO Wesley Van-Linda. Gettel said he would not alter the conceptual direction of the release. The final result yielded several radio-friendly singles, including “Breaking The Silence,” “Turning of a Key,” and “Through The Doorway.” The release was considered by many critics as one of the best produced new age albums of its time.
“The Art of Nature: Reflections on the Grand Design” started as a collaboration between Gettel's new compositions and photographer Bruce Heinemann's nature landscapes. The album was recorded at Robert Lang's where studio construction was ongoing. Familiar specialists Sandin Wilson, Nancy Rumbel and engineer/mixer Frank Bry contributed. In addition to the release, a DVD was planned as an accompaniment, with Oscar-winning actor Tom Skerritt narrating. The album and DVD were well received, with the DVD winning the gold prize in 1998 for long-form music video at the Houston International Film Festival. The complexities of the orchestration and arranging again pushed the envelope for the composer and the engineer, yielding phenomenal results.
In 1996, Gettel took a break from his Narada contract and was allowed to release an independent album where he chose to revisit his first inspiration of Washington's San Juan Islands. “San Juan Suite II – A Day in the Islands” was the only album released on the newly established Gray Day Productions with partner Randy Sherwood. The album brought Sandin Wilson and Gettel back together at Robert Lang Studios to create one of the only piano/fretless bass albums in existence. Along with Gettel's signature natural ambient sounds (now, a mainstay in his musical palette with cameos on most of his releases), and incidental vocals from Sherwood, the album was a perfect companion to the original first release. It later was released that year on Narada (Enso), and finally as a double package on Narada Classic in 2006.
The year 1997 found Gettel once again on the Narada roster with the release “Winter,” a compilation of some of his previous seasonal singles along with several new solo piano compositions. Some of his most beloved songs can be found here including, “Prelude: First Snow,” “Lantern In The Dark,” “Aspens In January,” and “Final Snowfall,” the last three of which were published in sheet music form from Hal Leonard Music.
“Change My Heart, Oh God, Piano" was released through the Vineyard Music Group in 1998. The label approached Gettel to interpret their most beloved worship songs as he did to much critical acclaim.
Gettel saw a final release on the Narada label in 1999.“The Journey North” was another epic archetypal journey through the heart of England and Scotland, and his instrumentation did not disappoint. From all of the international travels Gettel took with Bush School students through England and Scotland in the '90s, many of the inspirational moments that found fertile ground in this release. Among the list of musician guests were, of course, Sandin Wilson on fretless bass, Jerry O’Sullivan on Uilleann pipes and Irish whistles, Brian Thiessan on guitar, Davin McLaird on drums, and Frank Bry again at the mixing helm. The album closes with the surprise tune, "She Moved Through the Fair," a traditional Celtic folk song featuring Rita Springer on vocal. The live band created an incredible sense of spontaneity, and many critics considered this release the finest of Gettel's Narada recordings. Later in 1997, Gettel and Springer collaborated on the title song for the motion picture, “Still Breathing,” starring Brendan Fraser and Joanna Going.
At the close of the decade, upon reaching out to the label to complete his final contract option, Gettel summarily was dismissed from the label in a 30-second phone call. With the collapse of the current recording industry, Narada eventually was liquidized, and the artist roster was sold to other entities.
The late 1990s through early 2000s saw a lot of emotional upheaval in Gettel's personal life. His 18-year marriage ended abruptly and surprisingly. Michael reached out to friends for support, and among them was Elizabeth Naccarato, a recording artist with whom he had produced years earlier. A romance ensued and they were married in 2000. The artists collaborated to create in 2001 a “he said-she said” release cleverly titled “One Piano” on Suzanne Ciani's Seventh Wave Records. Given the state of the independent industry at the time, the release largely was overlooked and did not connect with listeners as expected.
With this result, Gettel went silent.
The View From Here (2021/2022)
In early January, 2021, Gettel felt a strong pull to once again jump into composing with the intention of releasing the new material to the public. He reached out to his longtime constant companion in the studio, engineer/mixer Frank Bry, as well as studio owner Robert Lang, and both welcomed the opportunity to be reunited in Seattle after a 20-year hiatus. Plans were made to record in October.
Gettel spent April at his piano, writing out 12 new pieces by hand, and spent the subsequent months rehearsing the new material. The sessions at Bobby Lang's occurred the week of Oct. 10–15, and were nostalgic and fruitful. They also included the appearance of young pianist Kelsey Lee Cate, who was invited to duet on the song, “Rise.” The first single, “The Parting Glass,” was released Dec. 10 on First Snow Music; the second single, "Aerial," was released Jan. 14, 2022.
The full album was released Feb. 11, 2022.
“The View From Here” is a return to Gettel's solo piano days, and in some ways reminiscent of his debut album, “San Juan Suite.” His love of merging natural ambient sounds with his compositions reappears here to great effect.
By the end of May, 2022, Gettel's new release had reached No. 1 on the New Age Music Chart (NAMC) . By June, 2022, Gettel's new release reached No. 1 on the One World Radio Music Charts.
The album has been honored with two silver medals from The 2022 Global Music Awards for the New Age and Composition categories, as well as a nomination from the 2022 Hollywood Music In Media Awards, for the single, "Van Gogh Sky," in the Neoclassical category.
