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| "30 year old Allan Vilhan (aka Cargo Cult) hails from Slovakia. He was the bass guitarist in the rock band Stirba from 1989-1992. A self-taught musician, Allan began composing his own music in 1998.
Cargo Cult aims to bind the modern sound of today with the atmosphere of 80s electronic music, stirred together with elements of Eastern music."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "About Suchita Parte: "She has learnt from veterans like Pandit Govind Prasad Jaipurwale and Shri Suresh Wadkar. She did her diploma and B.A. in Hindustani Classical Vocal from the University of Mumbai under the able guidance of Pandit Firoz Dastur of Kirana Gharana and is presently learning from stalwarts like Shri Narayan Bodas and Shri Babanrao Haldankar. The University of Mumbai has honoured her for Ram Marathe and Ramchandra Chitalkar scholarships.
"Narayanan" and "Pandurangashtakam", the two songs from this album are selected by Tandem Music Canada for their upcoming compilation album of female vocal artists around the world called "Global Mystique".
She was responsible for "Saptapadi" album - an anti-dowry project.
She comes from the family with a musical heritage, being the niece of well-known singer Suman Kalyanpur and Shyama Chittar, and is the daughter of singer Mukta Mavinkurve."
About Tushar Parte: "Son of well respected composer Jaykurnar Parte, is a professional "First Call" studio guitar player for Bollywood films. He has played a lot of hit songs for all leading music directors. Tushar has accompanied great legends like R.D. Burman, Asha Bhosale, Pankaj Udhas on their world tours. Internationally he has collaborated with artists as varied as pop singer Ella Blame, Italian experimental singer Katya Sanna for her album "La Luccicanza". He has arranged music for Celtic singer Esther Valentine for her song "The Missing Mantra" and has sung and collaborated for "Strumming Are The Sages" with American musicians of California Bluegrass Association, blending Indian music with American bluegrass music.
He is honoured by being selected by Martin Clayton (ethnomusicologist, England) for his book on global guitar called "Guitar Cultures" released by Oxford. He has composed music for the film "Bollywood" based on Shashi Tharoor's novel and currently is collaborating for an instrumental album with noted jazz pianist Sarah Jane Cion from New York.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "After several years of performing around Minneapolis as a solo artist, Brad Senne decided it was time to record a full length album and the end result is File In Rhythm, eleven indie pop gems driven by catchy melodies and quiet ardor.
The album, which Senne recorded under project name Beight (pronounced "bait"), features him on guitar, bass, piano, and vocals. He set it down at Flowers Studio in Minneapolis, where Senne enlisted the engineering/producing expertise of Ed Ackerson (Polara, Kraig Johnson and The Program). Ackerman also contributed some keyboard and bass to a few tracks, while Peter Anderson (The Ocean Blue, Mark Mallman, Polara) sat in on drums.
Senne's melodic fluency and lyrical skills shine through on every single track?from the bright, radio friendly "File in Rhythm" and "Parallels" to the simple, subdued beauty of "Without Warning" and "In the Middle." The second to last tune on the album, "Invisible City," has a big and cinematic yet tender and downcast quality that makes it feel like a lost track from Lost in Translation. Someone call Sofia."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "A hybrid between Leonard Cohen's late night confessions and Kate Bush's etherea, Mercymachine was formed in 1994 by vocalists/guitarists Jazno Francoeur and Susanne Turner, along with string virtuosos Paul Fleury on cello and Dan Cermeno on upright bass. Over the years, the lineup has included Christian Mildh, Cooper Ladnier, Chris Nobling, and soundtrack impresario, Kays Al-Atrakchi.
Their self-titled debut CD, Mercymachine, was released in 1997 and they spent the next few years working on In Your Bed a two-CD orchestral concept album about unrequited love and sexual politics. In 2003, an assortment of prominent electronica artists remixed In Your Bed with styles ranging from dirty techno to classic Orlando breakbeat. 2005 saw the release of The Devil I Know, currently being remixed by Q Burns, Abstract Message, Dee Base, Antena, Gabriele Corcos, Pharm 13, DJ Yatis, Pimpdaddy Nash, subtlezero, and Gold Buddha. That same year, Jazno also put out the digital release The Misadventures of Jumpsuit George, a laptop sample fantasia.
In 2006, singer-songwriter Andie Cubbage joined Mercymachine. Her first work with the group will appear on Fallen Out, an album scheduled for release in the summer of 2007."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "A journey from middle to far east echoed by simple world rhythms and resounding through an ambient backdrop.
"Ethnic" is an enveloping sound rich with atmosphere and the pulsating life of percussion -- an almost gothic expanse warmed with the vocals and instruments of distant lands.
Shiva In Exile enriches the appeal of world music with the presence of ambient. We prefer the term "World Ambient" as it is most descriptive of the music.
Stefan Hertrich (vocalist and songwriter of "Darkseed" and "Betray My Secrets") is the composer and responsible for all arrangements on the album."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "All that matters in the Falik experience is where the music takes you, and this music is definitely mobile. Falik infuses middle-eastern, Greek, Celtic, and Baltic folk elements with electronica; it is at once exotic and familiar. The songs have a raw, earthy quality, but are ebullient, exciting, and entirely engaging to the listener, with melodies that aim straight for your heart.
Falik is Charlie Pecot, who has traveled an interesting and eclectic path. This music is definitely a "snapshot" that illustrates where he has been.
For Charlie - as it is for many people - music is a consolation, a stimulus that helps one to make peace with troubled thoughts. It vitalizes the spirit, recharges the will, and inspires the body and soul to movement and action. Charlie has always felt his life was somewhat "charmed" by music; that he feels elevated when he plays, more in tune with his surroundings like as if a cloud has lifted allowing the illumination of his true self. Sometimes his true self can be quite amusing.
Professionally, Charlie has always done what felt right and remains true to his own personal philosophies. Sometimes, this means eschewing possible commercial success in favor of artistic expression, but his goal is to bring to the forefront his brand of "popular" thematic art.
Charlie has always been a fan of "pop" music, being influenced as a child by '60s blues, soul and rock groups that made their way into popular culture, and then later by English art/rock groups: Jumi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Sweat, Blood and Tears, Sly and the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, The Who, Eric Clapton, Supertramp, Yes, David Bowie, Foghat, Genesis, Queen.
If anything, "Falik" is the result of Charlie's demented view of what he thinks is "world fusion pop". This is his attempt at combining everything he knows and appreciates about the music he loves and putting into a format that he feels people are already familiar with. Charlie is a big fan of dance music, and not just because he loves to dance. He loves the way that music can make you feel like dancing. This is the essence of what he tries to capture. He wants to invoke in the listener the desire to sway, shake, boogie, and groove - to delight in the joy of movement and self-expression. It may be interesting to note at this point that children have always responded favorably to Falik; they "get" him."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ambient Teknology aka Mark P. has been recording uptempo underground electronic music for over six years and is influenced by such artists as Kraftwerk, Orbital, Gary Numan, and Sven Vath. Ambient Teknology fuses early synth from the 1970's and 80's with the dance driven drum and bass riffs of the late 90's, resulting in a driving, upbeat sound full of ecclectic beats and the deliciously dark undertones of early new wave.
Born in Cornwall, England in 1966, Mark P. lived and grew through the UK punk and electronic scene and developed a sense of the true depth of sound synthesisers were meant to bring to music. Much of Ambient Teknology's music, in fact, is based on ideas involving a departure from the old, and a dawn into the new, and Mark continually incorporates new ideas, techologies, and sounds into his music as electronica and techno continue to evolve.
Self proclaimed as the only electronic artist in Cornwall, Mark has created quite a following for himself there. The official Ambient Teknology website receives thousands of hits from all over the world, and locally Ambient Teknology sells more than 100 CDs a month. Dedicated to creating exceptional dance underground for the local scene and the world at large, Ambient Teknology is on a mission to make music that the old and young alike can touch, feel, breathe, and most importantly?enjoy."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "American Bach Soloists was founded in 1989 by tenor Jeffrey Thomas?now artistic and music director?and organist Jonathan Dimmock. ABS was recently hailed by the San Francisco Examiner as "period-style all-stars" who are "setting a new international standard" by presenting and recording historically informed, virtuosic performances of the cantatas, motets, and concertos of J.S. Bach. Bringing together the leading vocal and instrumental interpreters of baroque music in the United States, ABS members comprise a veritable who's who among early music specialists, most with significant recording careers already established in the US and Europe.
Jeffrey Thomas is Artistic and Music Director of American Bach Soloists, with whom he has directed recordings of more than 25 cantatas, the Mass in B Minor, the Musical Offering, motets, chamber music, and works by Schutz and Pergolesi. Mr. Thomas has appeared as a soloist with most major US symphonies and baroque orchestras.
Cited by the Wall Street Journal as "a superstar among oratorio tenors," he has worked with many noted conductors including Herbert Blomstedt, Edo de Waart, Christopher Hogwood, Ton Koopman, Gustave Leonhardt, Seiji Ozawa, Nicholas McGegan, Roger Norrington, Andrew Parrott, Robert Shaw, and David Zinman; with the Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Houston, National, Rochester, and San Francisco symphony orchestras; with the Vienna Symphony and the New Japan Philharmonic; with virtually every American baroque orchestra; and in Austria, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Mexico.
He has recently performed at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Berkeley Festival and Exhibition, Boston Early Music Festival, Bethlehem Bach Festival, Gottingen Festival, Tage Alte Musik Festival in Regensburg, E. Nakamichi Baroque Festival in Los Angeles, and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival. Mr. Thomas' extensive discography of vocal music includes dozens of recordings of major works."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "America's baddest rock n' roll band. THE NAPOLEON BLOWNAPARTS are known as one of the most explosive live acts touring today!
Founder and front man of "The Blownaparts" Mr. Ajax displays angst, Anger and rage as he punches testosterone fueled rock music into the hearts and bedrooms of teenagers everywhere.
1998 rolled in as The Blownaparts took their show on the road playing everywhere from dirty night clubs to opening for Fiona Apple and Social Distortion at the Paul Paul theatre in California.
The summer of 98 was also the summer the band made it a point to make kids across the United States listen to their cry for pure RAWK N' ROLL!
On the "Vans Warped Tour 98" in Lake Tahoe Nevada signer/guitarist Ajax Garcia remembers how the muddy crowed of Fred Durst look alikes welcomed his band and their brand of "PUNK RAWK" with open arms.............and legs.
July 2000 rolls in and The Napoleon Blownaparts kicked off a summer tour that would have their music heard by over 100,000 people as they were invited along for the ride by Levi's and S.F.X. Productions to open the huge KISS Farewell Tour!
Six sold out club dates, five sold out 17,000 plus amphitheatres, One sold out 7,000 radio concert opening for WEEZER and over 10,000 miles put these boys on the map.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about this band is nearly the whole tour was funded by T-shirt and CD sales alone. That and the will to survive!
Most recently founder of the Band Mr. Ajax has closed a deal to make The Napoleon Blownaparts the first and only band to have a major beverage company sponsor a major record release.
The Blownaparts believe that at least 50% of their music should be free and readily available to the kids.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ammonite are electronic producer Kolin Fraser (aka Biomechanoid) and angel-voiced vocalist Nicky Cairney. Together they create sumptuous electronic music which blends genres such as dub, trip hop, drum and bass, electro and pop and comes up with a style all of its own.
Meticulous programming and production, dynamic fluid grooves and beautiful melodic atmospheres are integral components of the Ammonite sound, and this is further defined by Nicky's extraordinary voice and lyrics. Nicky has been a singer and lyricist from a very young age and has been involved in various other musical projects before and since joining Ammonite."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Amoeba is the result of a multi-decade collaboration between ambient composer Robert Rich and multi-instrumentalist Rick Davies. The two first met in 1979 after Davies returned from a stretch in England and Spain, and throughout the '80s the two would collaborate on several bands, including Quote Unquote and Urdu. To the union Davies brought a wealth of musical experience, and the ability to play winds, guitars, synth and percussion. He also brought an understanding of electronic music which had been deepened during his time editing magazines Music Technology and Home & Studio Recording.
Experimental musician Robert Rich was one of the first people to work with micro-toned synthesizers, and had performed legendary "sleep concerts"?eight hour long concerts of ambient music designed to be listened to by a sleeping audience. He also released several solo albums like Trances/Drones which came out in 1983 and Rainforest, which was issued in 1989. He has worked with Steve Roach, David Tom, Lustmord, Lisa Moskow, Vidna Obmana and Forrest Fang. Indeed, his musical aspirations reached all of the way back into childhood, when he was fascinated by the rhythms and textures of sounds in the world around him (croaking frogs, ventilator shafts, etc.). He built his first synthesizer from a kit at the age of 13.
The second album produced by Amoeba, Watchful is a masterpiece of collective work by Davies and Rich. Featuring a combination of multi-layered ambient textures and pop instrumentation, the album resembles many works that also existed on the edge of pop, like those by Talk Talk and Dead Can Dance. Receiving many positive reviews, Watchful proved that the artistic marriage of Davies and Rich was fruitful, indeed. Pivot followed in late-2000."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Anjey Satori was born on April 6, 1969, in the Ukraine. Anjey was interested in mysticism and esoteric teachings of the East from his early years.
He worked as an organizer of special courses and seminars at the Institute of Nontraditional Medicine and has had enough experience to teach the basics of bioenergy and healing.
The pseudonym "satori" (insight) Anjey thought of while practicing meditation and yoga. Once the "expansion of conscious" happened and there was an experience of "satori" described in classical Zen-Buddhist texts. The feeling of inner light and bliss lasted for several days. It was the meeting with his innermost Self.
Anjey Satori's music is intended for meditation, healing and anyone travelling an inner journey. Each composition creates a harmonious balance of music and spirit.
With the series of meditation, natural voices, sounds of Tibetan singing bowls you get maximum benefit out of the music. With this CD-series you can relax thoroughly and achieves that vital state of physical and phychological stability."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "AntiGuru has been writing music for over ten years now in various styles and under several aliases.
Lured into electronics and computer music in 1996, AntiGuru's main influences would be Juno Reactor, Panasonic, Slowdive, Biosphere, and The Boards of Canada.
Convinced that true art lies within the process of creation, most of AntiGuru's time is devoted to writing music in his studio at the heart of the beautiful city of Victoria, in Western Canada."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Anup Patel is a unique musician who combines traditional classical Indian music with western pop music. Anup proficiently plays the sitar, table and the keyboard, with his personal favorite being the sitar. Although Anup does not consider himself a master, he has been playing both tablas and sitar for over 30 years, a fact which is easily noticeable in his music.
Anup's main goal in the music world is to remove cultural barriers by fusing music from various cultures, without losing the original spirit of the music. He wants to share with the world the musical ecstacy that he feels by transforming simple and complex Indian scales into easily understandable and enjoyable songs. He would like to remove the sombre and complex image that has surrounded classical Indian music. He wants to emphasize the universality of musical notes."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Arthur Yoria is one of those musicians that have the rare ability to churn out one gem of a tune after another. His uncanny ear for melody, hooks, and arrangement is paralleled only by his captivating voice which seems to carry the weight of a thousand break-ups, but somehow manages to soar effortlessly to a place where joy, goose bumps, and repeated listens are unavoidable. Built on beefy rhythms, unforgettable riffs and clever lyrics that can quickly go from touching to venomous, Arthur's songs are models of contemporary pop song craft.
After stints in the Houston based bands, The Jeepneys and Lavendula, Arthur decided to set out on his own and released a self-titled EP in 2001 to much critical acclaim as well as some interest from various major labels. With a solid backing band and a commitment to play live as often as possible, the end of the year brought with it a nomination in the Houston Press Music Awards "Best New Act" category and a management deal with Los Angeles based Kio Novina Management (Tenacious D, Sugarcult, Actual Tigers).
Following the release of another critically acclaimed EP, can you still look adorable in 2002, Arthur and good friend, former Houston Rocket, Matt Maloney began talking about forming a record label for the purposes of releasing a full-length CD. Two years, a few SXSW showcases, maybe the most nominations for a single artist in the Houston Press Music Awards (for the past three years) and several drunken conversations about the state of the music industry later, Matt and Arthur have finally made good on their plans.
I'll Be Here Awake is Arthur Yoria's debut full-length, self-released album. A stunning achievement, this album shows the Houston based, Chicago native at the apex of his talents. From beginning to end, this 37 and-a-half minute concept pop/rock masterpiece delivers one swift kick after another while leaving imprints, not soon erased of it's well-crafted melodies, undeniable hooks and raw emotions. One of those rare releases that not only wins over the reluctant music snob, but gets the reluctant music snob's grandmother humming; I'll Be Here Awake is that CD that becomes more reliable than your best friend.
"I just wanted to make a very simple and to the point, rock record about this very nasty and egotistical fictional character that I vicariously live through from time to time," Arthur says, "I went easy on the overdubs after the basic tracks were on tape in order to avoid making the big and lush, singer-songwriter-type record that I was supposed to make and unlike a lot of past studio experiences, I ended up having the time of my life in there. I just hope that the playful atmosphere as well as the contrast between that atmosphere and the sometimes not-so-pleasant subject matter comes through when people listen to this thing."
Ian Varley plays in Arthur Yoria's live band and is the organist in Drop Trio, a groove-oriented organ-based funk jazz trio."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "A seasoned musician and performer, Christopher of the Wolves travels continuously around the world to play music on the more than 20 different traditional instruments he's mastered over the last decade. His meditative compositions are a seamless, soothing blend of harmonic and acoustic channels, played on an ever-changing lineup of instruments including didgeridoo, djembe, and talking drum, as well as the gopichand, udu, and hulusi?a Chinese bamboo woodwind dating back to the time of Buddha.
Christopher began crafting his distinctive form of playing over ten years ago in Portland, Oregon, where he took an African drumming class for fun and discovered he not only enjoyed it, but had a talent for it as well. Gradually over the years, he began adding instruments such as the djembe (African hand drum) and didgeridoo to his repertoire, first playing them individually, and eventually mastering the art of simultaneous playing. These days, he's been known to play up to five or six instruments at a time during live performances?each one from a from different musical tradition or region of the world. The resulting sound is timeless and universal, yet also deeply warm and resonant, and has been described the ideal accompaniment to meditation, relaxation, yoga, and massage, as well as just listening.
Christopher's most recent album, Spheres, combines 22 different instruments from around the world for a mesmerizing blend of acoustic drone, rhythm, and melody. It also includes a few choice selections from Christopher's popular street show, which he has performed in more than 14 countries.
Says Christopher, "When I see a person stop in the middle of a bustling street in the midst of their busy day, and close their eyes and stop everything for even a few seconds, then I feel I am creating something of real value, and I feel satisfied."
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "As harpsichordist and fortepianist, Maryse Carlin has collaborated with conductors such as Raymond Leppard, Leonard Slatkin and Roger Norrington, and has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Blue Hill Chamber Music Festival, and the Castle Hill Early Music Festival, as well as the Lincoln Center's Mozart Bicentennial celebration.
Ms. Carlyn was awarded a grant to record works of Francois Couperin by the The Harpsichord Music Society, which sponsored her performance of his works at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. She has just completed a recording of harpsichord works by Rameau and Forqueray as well as four-hands music by Schubert on the fortepiano with her husband, Seth Carlin. Ms. Carlin holds degrees from the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris and the University of Paris. She is on the faculty of Washington University's Department of Music."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Barbara Leoni grew up in Wisconsin and moved out to LA to attend Musicians' Institute in Hollywood. After graduating with honors from GIT (Guitar Institute of Technology), she became an active working musician in the LA area. She traveled the United States opening up for such acts as the Beach Boys and Steppenwolf.
She has also traveled abroad to play for the military in such places as Greenland, Kuwait, Bahrain, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macadonia, Germany, Norway, Sigapore,Japan and Korea. Now, finally,Barbara has used her cumulated experiences and musical talents to produce her first solo cd entitled "Human Needs".
Her soulful and expressive guitar playing and singing reflect her diverse influences. The cd also displays her talents as a songwriter and engineer. She was lucky to marry into a musical family - her husband, Danny Leoni, supplies top notch bass lines and her brother in law, Jerry Leoni, rounds out the rhythm section with his solid drum grooves.
THE MUSICIANS:
BARBARA LEONI : Lead Vocals, ALL Guitars
DANNY LEONI : Bass, Duet Vocals (on Ring Around The Rosey)
JIMMY BRITTON : Keyboards
JERRY LEONI : Drums (Dont Rain On My Parade, WaterFall, Haunted)
DOMINIC GRECO : Drums (Demons, Ring Around The Rosey)
JASON PIPKIN : Drums (Another Time, Human Needs)
ANNIE BERTUCCI : Background Vocals"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Barry Sulkin is best known for his environmental work in Tennessee and around the country, but in the 70's he moved to Nashville to also pursue music. His latest effort with Paul Hadley, under the name Heavy Mellow, is a new CD entitled "Acoustic Abstracts".
It is a collection of original instrumental tunes played by Sulkin in a jazz finger-style on dobro, 12-string, 6-string, and classical guitar, recorded in Leipers Fork, Tennessee at the studio of musician and fellow environmentalist Gene Cotton.
On lead acoustic guitar is Paul Hadley, a college pal from the University of Virginia with whom Sulkin also helped form the Nashville folk-rock band Back Creek in the 1980's. Originally from Memphis, Sulkin lives in Nashville and in addition to playing as Heavy Mellow, performs solo and with various other musicians. Hadley is currently living in Sylva, North Carolina pursuing a degree in Chemistry and Physics."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Beat under control--a new project led by the Swedish bassplayer Ulf "Rockis" Ivarsson introduces a unique mix of dub, jazz, funk, electronica, roots, rock and global beats.
On the album "The Introduction" Ulf Ivarsson (who has previously toured and recorded with artists such as Thomas Dileva, Sky High and Hedningarna) teams up with Goran Kajfes on trumpet, celloplayer Raymond King, guitarist George Nakas and Per Wiberg on keyboards. These are some of the most interesting players on the contemporary Swedish music scene.
The opening track "Blue Lights" shows some of the many varied influences that forms the basis of "Beat under control". Goran Kajfes plays the majestic theme and improvise together with Per Wiberg over Ulf Ivarssons basslines, that leads us through a musical landscape which incorporates sounds and beats associated with both Miles Davis (Bitches Brew era) and eastern music.
Kajfes appears again on the next track "Sacred" a pulsating piece of ambient electronica. The track also features Raymond Kings electrically fuelled cello harmonies.
"This is beat under control"--the third track--is built around a hard driving beat in the Roni Size school of drum-n-bass. The melody that leaps with the first basstheme is played on a Augustus Pablo-inspired melody and shows Ulf Ivarssons influences from reggae music.
The next title "Direction Dub" goes more in the dub direction. The production of this modern dub track feature a melodic sound and Raymond King playing atmospheric cello parts over the almost minimalist beat anchored by heavy bass. George Nakas adds colour with his whammy bar guitar playing.
Trumpet player Goran Kajfes returns for the fourteen minute long "Speechless ", which mixes modern electronica with both funk (funkadelic meets DJ Shadow) and early underground electronic music (70's Tangerine Dream).
As with all B.U.C. compositions the music is built around the energic and imaginative bass playing,in this case strikingly simple repetitive synth bass lines.
The last track "Saturn Blues" is basically a modern funky blues with a beat. All musicians featured in this line up of Beat under control reappear in this final track.
Ulf Ivarsson plays bass on the album "Love and you and I" by Magnatune artist "Lizzi"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Belief Systems Recordings label founder and recording artist Darin Marshall first heard the sounds of Acid House in San Diego in 1989 while club-hopping and record shopping in Southern California. His early electronic music influences ranged from Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk to Nine Inch Nails and Nitzer Ebb.
After moving to the Bay Area in 1990 to test audio and MIDI recording software with Opcode Systems, Inc., Darin began to dabble in the emerging genres of house, techno and electro music back when the electronica genre was still referred to as techno by the press.
In 1995, Belief Systems Recordings was created and, under the new electronica umbrella, the trance, techno, and electro genres would never be the same again as the label's critically acclaimed releases were quickly tossed into the mixes of respected club DJs around the globe.
Belief Systems Recordings emerged from its early progressive trance origins and has since added a unique California twist to the minimal techno, IDM and classic 80s electro genres. The latest sonic experiments from Belief Systems founder and artist Darin Marshall flash back vivid memories of acid house, techno and electro classics with a personal, contemporary progressive techno slant.
Darin's unique approach to the musical construction process has evolved and mutated as the electronica genre has matured and evolved into a wide variety of specialized sub-genres and styles. His unique artistic progression and distinctive musical style can be observed by sampling the diverse palette of music he's produced and released on Belief Systems Recordings and many other record labels.
Darin currently assembles and arranges his eclectic cuts from within the cavernous walls of the Vulcan Foundry in Oakland, CA's Fruitvale artist live/work warehouse district.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Bjorn Fogelberg started to experiment with electronic music on a Commodore 64 back in 1985. Since then he has released two commercial CDs and has been featured on four compilations. Bjorn easily moves between different genres of electronic music.
His second CD "Karooshi Porn" explored the realm of ambient and soft electronica. His later work includes dance remixes of other artists and his own blend of euphoria-laden dance music."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Bjorn Wondollek and Johan Isaksson created Processor in 2001. Both are educated sound engineers living in the cities of Norrkoping and Orebro, Sweden. Bjorn is the main sound and sample producer. He provides Processor's music with the edgy fx and industrial soul.
Bjorn likes to experiment with synthesizers and effect routings. Bjorn often has sessions in the night doing mixes as long as five hours or until his computer crashes. Then he sends material over the internet to Johan.
Bjorn has his musical roots in the 80s industrial and electronic music, listening to bands such as Skinny Puppy, Ministry and Frontline Assembly. The interest for electronic music made Bjorn want to compose his own music. Bjorn is making trance-remixes for other projects alongside with the project Processor and he is also studying music production at the University.
Johan experiments, mixes and arrange the samples from Bjorn. Johan prefers a straight beat but he is also a fan off breaks and drum and bass. Johan often samples voices from the Television but he also samples recorded voices.
The voice is not the most important ingredients in a song. Johan and Bjorn use the voice more like an instrument. The voice can be mixed lower and it's not the headline of the music. But they also do remix vocal artists. Before Processor, Johan was very much into ambient music, trance and jungle.
This particular album contents industrial techno with an edge off breaks. The beats are very heavy and the sounds are heavy processed!
We do not intend to take over the world, just the dance floors!
Johan Isaksson also releases his own music under the name of Magnatune artist "Wicked boy"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Born and raised in Kentucky, Myles Cochran's childhood was immersed in music: folk and jazz on his parents' stereo, country and Southern soul on the car radio, classical in his grandfather's painting studio, and the British Invasion in his bedroom. When he began playing guitar and writing songs, this experience led him to his own atmospheric combination of country, folk and rock.
Migrating to New York, Myles played in bands at venues like CBGB and the C Note, and established himself as an inventive recording engineer and producer. Myles has recently moved to London. "Being in England is amazing. I'm living in a place that was important to so many of my favorite artists: Jimi Hendrix, Emmylou Harris, the Pretenders, PJ Harvey."
In addition to bringing his music to London's live music scene, Myles is working on his next CD in his "retro-techno" recording studio, where he also engineers and produces for other singer-songwriters."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Born in 1996, Self-Delusion is a group of electronic pop from Barcelona. Formed by Carles Penalver (voices and programming), J+ (composition and programming) and Toni Aran (backing vocals, composition and programming).
After their appearance in diverse compilations published in the North American market and the auto-edition of "Pride", E.P. of 1998, Self-Delusion has been taken in hand by the producer Frans Beltran (aka-Iberian Spleen and involved also in the production of Spanish bands as diverse as Magnatiz, Freak XXI, Klockwork i Shuga Whuga) to give form to their first album ("Happiness hurts me").
This recording shows the eclecticism of Self-Delusion creating songs on varied electronic structures, which take them from the classic tecnopop to trip-hop, techno-rock or electro. Their sound betrays them as big followers of the music of 80s; their members are indeed fans of very varied bands that go from Depeche Mode to The Smiths, from The Cure to Portishead, from Aviador Dro to Lamb or from Fangoria to Covenant.
Self-Delusion has been a supporting act for bands such as Wolfsheim and De/Vision, VNV Nation and Apoptygma Berzerk.
With "Happiness hurts", Self-Delusion makes a move to find a place in the electronic national scene as they have obtained it, occasionally, in the international one, where they have managed to edit and to receive prizes as the fourth position in the Clavia MP3 Competition (contest organized by the well known synths manufacturer Clavia -nordlead-) thanks their song "Christine", included in "Happiness hurts me"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Justin Bianco has been writing and playing music since he was tall enough to reach the keys of the keyboard. Now composing in addition to playing, Justin is known for his ability to blend modern and classical elements for a clean, contemplative sound. Although he has spent time in Iowa, Oregon, and even Costa Rica, he still finds his home in San Francisco, California, where he records his latest electronic and modern piano compositions.
Finality and Phoenix are graceful, almost meditative combinations of classical and electronica, while Forge is a beautfully hushed series of original compositions for piano.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Born in Recife, Brazil in 1957 into a family of musicians, Antonio Meneses began his cello studies at the age of ten. At the age of 16, he met the famous Italian cellist Antonio Janigro and was asked to join Janigro's classes in Dusseldorf and later in Stuttgart. In 1977, Antonio won the first Prize at the International Competition in Munich and in 1982, he was awarded first Prize and gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
Regularly appearing in the music capitals of Europe, the Americas and Asia, Antonio Meneses has performed with most of the world's leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, BBC Symphony, Concertgebouw, Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Moscow Philharmonic, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington D.C.), in Buenos Aires, in Warsaw, in Brazil, and with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. Among the conductors with whom he has collaborated are Herbert von Karajan, Riccardo Muti, Mariss Jansons, Claudio Abbado, Andre Previn, Andrew Davis, Semyon Bychkov, Herbert Blomstedt, Gerd Albrecht, Yuri Temirkanov, Kurt Sanderling, Neeme Jarvi, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Vladimir Spivakov, and Riccardo Chailly.
Antonio is also a frequent guest at many important music festivals, including Puerto Rico (Festival Pablo Casals), Salzburg, Lucerne, the Vienna Festwochen, the Berlin Festwochen, the Prague Spring Festival, New York (Mostly Mozart Festival), Seattle, la Grange de Meslay, the Festival de Colmar, and the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival.
A devoted chamber music performer, Antonio Meneses has collaborated with the Emerson Quartet and the Vermeer Quartet on tour as well as with pianists such as Nelson Freire, Cristina Ortiz, and Gerard Wyss. Antonio has been a member of the Beaux Arts Trio since October 1998.
As a recording artist, Antonio Meneses made two recordings for Deutsche Grammophon with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra: Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with Anne Sophie Mutter and Richard Strauss' "Don Quixote". Antonio has also recorded the D'Albert Concerto, works by David Popper - both with the Basel Symphony Orchestra - and Cello Concertos by Carl Philip Emanuel Bach with the Munich Chamber Orchestra for Pan Classics. In addition he recorded the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio with Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg and Cecile Licad for EMI/Angel, and Concertos and the Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos for Auvidis France. His most recent recordings, the complete works for Cello and Piano by Villa-Lobos with Cristina Ortiz and encore pieces with Gerald Wyss, were released in 2002.
In addition to a busy concert schedule, Antonio Meneses gives master classes in Europe, the Americas, and in Japan."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Born in Tirana, Albania, in 1978 Rudens Turku received his first musical training at the age of six from his father, a professional violinist. Initially recognized for his outstanding talent in his home country, he was soon invited to Germany, where in 1996 he began his studies with Professor Ana Chumachenco at the Conservatory of Music of the University of Munich. After receiving his concert diploma with distinction in the summer of 2000, he concluded his studies with a Master Class diploma in 2002.
Rudens has performed with several fine international orchestras and won the First Prize of the "Jugend Musiziert" and also the First Prize of the Music Contest organized by the "Lions Clubs International" in 2001. In the same year he was awarded the "Dieter-Ulrich-Promotion-Prize." In 2006 he received the Artist of the Year award from the city of Munich in Bavaria.
Guest performances have taken Rudens to Albania, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxemborg, Spain, France, and Switzerland as well as to the United States. During his expanding concert activities he had the great fortune to meet artists such as Yehudi Menuhin, Ida Haendel, Denes Zsigmondy, Ulf Holscher, neeme Jarvi, and August Everding. Rudens was invited to perform for former US President Bill Clinton at the ceremony of the German "Festakt" in parliament during Mr. Clinton's visit to Berlin in October of 2002. In the same month Rudens made a successful tour of Spain.
His first CD, recorded with Pianist Olaf Dressler, was released in September of 2001. Radio and TV stations in Britain, France, Spain, Albania, Germany, and the United States of America have extended invitations to Rudens to appear.
Rudens Turku founded in 1999 the "Starnberger Musiktage" (Bavaria), which has taken place annually ever since. He is also the Assistant Professor at the Luzern/Vitznau, annual Master Courses at Vierwaldstadter See in Switzerland. In August 2000 he gave his debut at the Festival of Mecklenburg Vorpommern in Northern Germany. The Summer Music Academy in Thuringen Germany appointed him as artistic director in 2005 and in the same year he had his debut in Australia as well as at the Rhein Sieg Kammermusic Festival. Invitations for the 2005-06 season bring Rudens to New York, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, and many European cities and festivals including the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Musikfestival, Moselwochen Festival and the Chursachsische Mozart Festival.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Born in Tulsa Oklahoma but raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Currently attending the University of Kansas studying Art History Drawing and Painting. I now live in Lawrence Kansas USA.
I began playing at the age of five under the suzuki theory and continued with lessons until the age of 18 or so. I became bored with playing other peoples songs and the piano in general. I really started making a lot of progress when I got into improvising and composing my own pieces. This was around the age of 13 or 14.
I recorded and released my first solo album at the age of 17. The Depths of a Year was written from the age of 18 to 19 while I first attended the University of Kansas. Much of the album came from a need to cope with a failed relationship. I wrote the album and called Kate who I barely knew. I did know she could play and she gladly joined on. I dropped out of school to play piano and organ with a rock and roll band called the gadjits ( now the architects) and a band called the belles. I toured for two and a half years, playing over 300 shows in all of north america and the UK.
Being burnt out by the road and rough lifestyle, I have happily returned to school to study visual arts and focus on my composing, drawing from the likes of Radiohead, Interpol, and many others. I am now 22 and hope to keep pushing the boundaries of my creativity and composing in general.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Born, raised, and "lowered" in Indiana, West Texas, and Los Angeles respectively, Jeffrely Luck Lucas is known as a "musician's musician" and one of San Francisco's best kept secrets.
In addition to recent dark folk albums such as What We Whisper and Hell Then Divine, Jeffrey Luck Lucas is a classically trained cellist and founding member of 80's garage band The Morlocks (Epitaph, Voxx, Midnight). He's shared bills with Alejandro Escovedo, Jolie Holland, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Maria McKee, and Eleni Mandell.
Lucas' longtime recording partner is producer and engineer Desmond Shea (Court & Spark, Neurosis, Dieselhed). Lucas and Shea are known for stellar arrangements and studio craft, and together the two attract a multitude of talent from the Bay Area indie music community including Janice Tanaka (L7, Pink), David Phillips (Tom Waits), Tim Mooney (American Music Club), Wendy Allen (The Court & Spark), and Sean Coleman (Kelley Stoltz, Sunshine Club).
Jeffrey has been featured on Tract Records' Eye of the Beholder compilation with his song "Her Pale Silver Eyes," as well as their Will Oldham tribute on which he covered "Agnes, Queen of Sorrow". His song, "Cascade" was featured on the covermount CD of issue #14 of the British music magazine Comes with a Smile. Another song "Whiteout" is featured on the Italian label Awful Bliss's upcoming "Songs for Another Place" compilation."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Both Ian and Lara had a love for music from a very early age. Lara chose the piano, Ian the guitar. After studying music in Rome, Lara became a partner of Dune Records, an independent Italian label.
Ian had played in a number of groups and after finding like minded musicians, formed the band Pukromo. In late 1999 they signed to Dune records recording their debut album Promise Me Kill Me in the year 2000.
Unfortunately, the album was never released?the band split and Dune Records closed down, but Lara and Ian got married in 2004, and after a few years?some old impulses to make music started creeping back and they started writing what would become the incredible 14 Days.
Disillusioned with the music business but left with a desire to write songs, Ian and Lara Plunkett write music for themselves. Without any thought or the pressure of trying be anything other than that. Themselves."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Breathing a rich dose of soul into the cool digital world, Artemis brews up seductive sonic concoctions, deftly weaving poetry and pure emotion into psychoacoustic landscapes that are both otherworldly and organic. With her roots in classical and folk music, training in vocal traditions from several corners of the globe, and an ear for innovation, Artemis puts electronic music's limitless spectrum to bold use. Her style ranges from sparse to sparkling to richly symphonic, blending elements of trip-hop, downtempo, drum and bass, breakbeats, and electro-pop to create a potent fusion set ablaze with siren vocals as riveting as they are intimate.
Artemis is joined by fellow members of electronic artist collective RTFM for live performances featuring Artemis on vocals, flutes and theremin, Keith Crusher on bass, programming and live effects, Daniel Berkman on handsonic percussion, African kora, keys and guitar, and Cliff Tune on V-drums. Ben Davis (reFRACTion) rounds out the show with creative and engaging lighting/video and set design. Artemis's sibylline lyrical vision and a posse of extraordinary musicians and artists of sound and light weld a hypnotic synergy, offering the audience an inspiring aural and visual journey.
Artemis' releases Gravity (2005) and Undone (2001) have garnered praise and press in publications from the New York Times to Remix, Electronic Musician, and Keyboard magazines. She is a top seller on online music label Magnatune's roster, and has recently been signed to Cyberset, a new-edge label focused on progressive and forward thinking music in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her music receives airplay in the U.S. and internationally, has been licensed for television, video and compilations, and she has recorded and collaborated with producers worldwide including Banco de Gaia's Toby Marks and former Duran Duran manager Paul Berrow. Fresh off her successful 2005 UK tour, Artemis has just released an album of remixes entitled Orbits, and her star is on the rise.
Recent performance/press highlights:
Remix Magazine, May 2006
Brookdale Lodge, May 6, 2006 (Santa Cruz)
14th Annual Digital Be-In, April 22, 2006, SOMARTS Gallery (San Francisco)
Digital Bliss, November 11, 2005, 1015 Folsom (San Francisco)
2005 UK Tour October 2005 (London, Aberdeen, Leicester, Bridport UK)
Club Good Hurt, September 11, 2005 (Los Angeles)
Kava Lounge, September 9, 2005 (San Diego)
Destination Lounge, July 16, 2005, Café du Nord (Ssan Franicsco)
Electronic Musician magazine: Featured Artist, May 2005
KRON Morning News interview featuring Artemis and Magnatune, January 9 2005
Anon Salon Sea of Dreams, New Year's Eve 2004, Regency Ballroom (San Francisco)
Estrogenesis, November 13, 2004, Blue Cube (San Francisco)
Love Parade, October 2, 2004, Jelly's (San Francisco)
Grammy/NARAS: Post Vinyl, August 14, 2004, Studio Z (San Francisco)"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Burning Babylon is a one man dub reggae project from Boston, Massachusetts. Created by Slade Anderson, the heavyweight rhythms of Burning Babylon's sound are firmly anchored in the 1970's Jamaican roots tradition, but with an ear for the neo-dub stylings of the present day.
Slade came to dub relatively late in his musical career. For fifteen years he played guitar in various punk/metal bands in the Boston area (The Freeze, Straw Dogs), and at the time, "heavyweight" meant snarling guitars and screaming stacks of Marshall amps.
During the mid-90's Slade began to play bass seriously, a move that coincided with a decision to investigate reggae. He went in search of a sound more earthy than the mainstream reggae he'd heard, and discovered artists like Glen Brown and King Tubby.
"It was drums drenched in reverb, horns and guitars echoing into oblivion, and the most heavyweight bass I'd ever heard," says Slade.
It wasn't long before Slade become throughly preoccupied with dub and was deep into study of the rhythms and vibe. Some time later, Slade recorded his first dub track, and Burning Babylon was born.
"I have my own unique take on dub," says Slade, "but I've certainly been influenced by those that have come before me."
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "By the time he was twelve Rob Costlow was annoying his piano instructor by adding unwritten endings to songs during rehearsals and recitals.
This soon brought an end to the lessons that began at age five.
"I hated, literally hated, taking lessons and especially practicing other people's music," admits Rob.
It was another piano player--platinum selling new age artist George Winston--who fueled this rebellion. After one of Rob's brothers introduced him to Winston's music, Rob realized that his musical future was going to take a different path than the one set by his teachers.
"It was so different than typical piano music," says Costlow. "It's what drove me to create my own. I said to myself 'I can do this--this is a way that I could actually enjoy piano and benefit from all of these lessons and practicing.' It allowed me to express myself and also provide a great stress relief."
While Rob has come a long way since those lessons and from his native Indianapolis, his love for creating original compositions is still at the heart of his contemporary solo piano music. His compositions are inspired by love of his family, including his wife Melissa. Travels throughout the United States, Italy, and the Caribbean also provide inspiration.
"Traveling shows me how much is out there and how there is so much diversity in the world," says Rob.
Growing up in a large family helped Rob become focused and tenacious. As the youngest of six boys, Rob had to get used to seizing every opportunity that came his way. While working on his Masters Degree, Rob unofficially started his own record label based on a fictitious business plan. In 1998, Rob released his first demo album. In 2002, Rob released his first professional solo project, Sophomore Jinx, containing all original music. His ultimate goal is to create music for television and film.
"Music is a release from the stresses of the world," says Costlow. "I never force myself to write. I do it when it comes to me. I'm taking things a day at a time.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "By the time Paul Avgerinos graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in 1980, he had already performed as a bassist with The Beaux Arts Trio, Baryshnikov, Isaac Stern, Jean Pierre Rampal, and many other world renowned classical artists. After graduation, Paul served as principal bass of several major symphony orchestras around the world, and also performed solo at festivals in Tanglewood, Aspen, Grand Teton, Taos, and Spoleto (Italy).
Expanding into more popular genres, Avgerinos then toured with Charles Aznavour, Liza Minelli, and the jazz legend Buddy Rich. Eventually, however, Paul decied that he wanted to further his original composition skills and childhood passion for electronic music, so in 1984 he built Studio Unicorn?a comprehensive digital/analog recording studio.
No less than eight solo CDs followed in the New Age genre, including Maya on the World Room label and Muse of the Round Sky on the Hearts of Space label. Muse was nominated for a Grammy and is played on more than 2,000 radio stations around the world in addition to syndicated shows such as Music from the Hearts of Space and John Diliberto's Echoes.
Two thirty minute features with the latter are added to his credits along with his many other radio interviews. He has appeared on five sampler CDs and as a guest artist on albums by Joanie Madden, Faruk Tekbilek, Joaquin Lievano, Brian Keane and others. Paul records and produces many popular albums as well and has worked with artists as diverse as Run DMC, Richie Havens, and Jewel.
Avgerinos always makes time for scoring and has worked on over fifty film, TV, and cable projects for HBO, PBS, and Lifetime, among others. Paul just received his second Grammy Nomination for his work on Peter Kater's Red Moon album , And has become a voting member of the Grammy Recording Academy. Keeping busy creating original music for a variety of interesting and rewarding projects is a way of life.
Currently, he lives and works in his Studio Unicorn in Redding, Connecticut, where the deer pass by his studio windows and the hawks and eagles give inspiration from above."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Canadian born violinist, Kai Gleusteen, started learning the violin at the age of 5 in his native city, Calgary. Early on, Kai met with success in local, provincial, and national music competitions, in addition to receiving top academic awards. He spent the summers at Meadowmount in New York State, at the Aspen Festival, at the Banff School of Fine Arts, and at the Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, working with Ivan Galamian, Dorothy Delay, Stuart Canin, and Nathan Milstein. Winters were filled with skiing, badminton, music, and school.
With the desire of broadening his horizons, Kai chooses to balance his post-secondary education between academics and music. At the University of Michigan, he studied anthropology, geophysics, and philosophy. To his great fortune, he found there the person who would become his greatest inspiration on both a personal and musical level; his violin teacher, Camilla Wicks. After receiving a Master's Degree from Rice University, Kai moved to Europe to live in the heart of Western Culture. Paris and Prague were his bases for nine years, allowing him to develop and perform both as a soloist and leader of numerous orchestras. In the year 2000, Kai won the concertmaster position of the Orchestra 'del Gran Teatre del Liceu' and subsequently moved to Barcelona. In 2003, he formed his own chamber orchestra, the Kaimerata, and was appointed professor at the Escuela Superior de Musica de Catalunya. He continues to perform extensively as a soloist and a recitalist throughout Europe and North America. Kai plays on a violin made by J.B. Guadagnini in 1781.
Having performed her first recital at the age of twelve, it wasn't until the age of twenty, after two years of law school that Catherine decided to devote herself entirely to music. Taught by Colette Fernier, Monique Deschausse, Sergio Perticaroli, and encouraged by Franais-Reneuche, she received the highest distinction at both the Conservatory in Rouen and later at the Ecole Normale Alfred Cortot in Paris. Catherine was also awarded the Yvonne Lefevre Foundation Prize leading to television and radio broadcasts and concert engagements. Catherine chose to avoid the international competition circuit in favour of taking the time to study repertoire in its historical context. Being a great lover of nature, a fan of Marcel Proust and having spent many years in Normandy, she explores in depth the composers who were inspired by this region, such as Roussel, Debussy, and Saint-Saens. She deepens her understanding of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms with numerous trips to Germany and her knowledge of the language and by reading Goethe and Heine. Her interpretation of Chopin is nourished by the time spent in Poland and a close examination of his letters.
Catherine's approach to music is very much appreciated not only by solo piano audiences throughout Europe and North America but also by various renowned chamber musicians. She is regularly invited to perform in chamber music festivals throughout these countries and devotes a large part of her time to her duo with Kai Gleusteen and the Trio Liceu."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Cary Norsworthy's favorite musical genre is downtempo, but she's adept at making all sorts of compilations. Her Magnatune series of mixes began with Downtempo Chill in the spring of 2005?a release that resulted in podcasters all over the world discovering and playing Magnatune artists.
Cary was drawn to Magnatune because "the variety and quality of the music is so great, and I'm really impressed with how well they treat their artists. It's fantastic to see musicians getting an equal share of every sale?no one else is doing that."
Since then, she's edited several popular compilations, combining tracks from a wide range of Magnatune artists to create a chilled-out mood. With deep, slow grooves that are sometimes jazzy, sometimes trip-hoppy, but always tranquil and soothing, Downtempo Chill and Downtempo Chill 2 take the edge off faster than a dry martini with their airy modernism and sophisticated grace. They feature an array of best-selling Magnatune artists including Curl, Cargo Cult, Drop Trio, Four Stones, and many more.
After Dinner Lounge is a chilled out melange of tracks that range from downtempo to world grooves with an occasional hint of Classical. "I wanted to give it a slight Buddha Bar-like feel," says Cary. As its title suggests, After Dinner Lounge is the perfect album to put on after dinner and relax with your friends.
Eastern Grooves combines lush, laid-back tracks with a Middle-to-Far-East feel, featuring Magnatune artists such as Stellamara, Beth Quist, Cargo Cult, and Shiva in Exile.
Burbling with cool, liquid synths, Power Synths is a sublimely chilled-out yet subtly energetic mix of electronic grooves that each feature powerful, melodic synths?seamlessly merging tracks from fourteen different Magnatune artists.
Always peddling her musical tastes around the globe, a couple of Cary's playlists were featured in The iPod Playlist Book from Peachpit Press. In addition to her music habit, she's also an artist, and her CD covers feature some of her own photomontage work. While she cites Magnatune as her favorite record label, she also can't resist the following venues for hardcore music acquisition: Amoeba Records (Berkeley, San Francisco), Concerto Records (Amsterdam), Soul Seduction (Vienna), where she was featured in their December 2005 Radio Days broadcast, and gemm.com."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Catherine King and Jacob Heringman have made numerous appearances and broadcasts together throughout Europe and America.
Their four duo CDs (on ASV and Linn) have all been met with critical acclaim. Their latest release, Madrigals by Verdelot, with tenor Charles Daniels, was launched with a concert at London's Wigmore Hall. Heringman is also a renowned soloist.
Catherine and Jacob have also recorded for Naxos (with The Rose Consort of Viols), Riverrun (with The Marini Consort) and for Virgin (with Virelai).
In addition to performing lute songs of the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, the duo has championed the cause of the contemporary lute song, attracting several new commissions by British and American composers, including Malcolm Bruno, Andrew Keeling and Peter Sinfield (of King Crimson)."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Cellist, arranger, and composer Barry Phillips explores the line between traditional folk and classical music through beautifully clean arrangements that draw on the past, yet always look ahead to the future. From his recordings of American Shaker melodies to an album of Rumi's poetry set to strings, Phillips' expansive body of work has been gleaned from traditions around the globe and encompasses more than eight centuries of music.
Phillips' newest album Tr?d. is a contemporary celebration of Scandinavian folk songs and original compositions. In addition to Phillips on cello, Tr?d. features two of Sweden's premier players: master nyckelharpist Olov Johansson of the band V?sen and virtuoso fiddler, Olof G?thlin. The album's title combines the abbreviation for the English word "traditional" and the Swedish and Norwegian word "tr?d," meaning "thread." It's an album rich with the character of Scandinavian folklore, while its modern, streamlined arrangements make for a sound both elegant and earthy.
Phillips holds a Masters of Music degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory and has collaborated with Ravi Shankar on several compositions, including two pieces for celebrated cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. In November of 2002, he accompanied Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, and other rock luminaries in The Concert for George?a memorial to George Harrison at The Royal Albert Hall in London. He has performed and recorded with such world renowned artists as fiddler Alasdair Fraser, harpist Aine Minogue, and the legendary British rock group Camel.
Phillips' previous recordings include Gourd's Shaker Trilogy (co-produced with William Coulter): Simple Gifts, Tree of Life, and Music on the Mountain. He also composed and produced The World Turned Upside Down, a reinterpretation of popular colonial American music that was featured in the PBS production of Ken Burns' Thomas Jefferson."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Chosen twice by Andres Segovia to perform in master-classes in Geneva and in New York, the guitarist and lutenist Richard Savino has enjoyed considerable distinction as a player, with early triumph in the Artists international Carnegie Recital Hall Debut Competition, the first solo guitarist to win this honour.
An active accompanist as well as soloist, he performs regularly with singers Paul Hillier, Susan Rode Morris, Judith Nelson and Susan Narucki. His recordings include the first period instrument versions of Luigi Boccherini's Guitar Quintets, Mauro Giuliani's Grand Quintetto and Johann Kaspar Mertz's Bardenklange, all of which have received great critical acclaim. In 1995 a duo recording with British violinist Monica Huggett, featuring virtuoso sonatas by Paganini and Giuliani, was released.
Richard Savino has appeared on the CBS and PBS television networks, has been heard in recital on National Public Radio's Performance Today, Morning Pro Musica, Off The Record, England's BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Music from Montreal and Music from Vancouver programmes.
Since 1987 he has directed the CSU Summer Arts Guitar and Lute Institute and in 1996 he will be a contributing author to the Cambridge University Press Studies in Performance Practice series. He is responsible for editing the complete works of Fernando Sor for Editions Chanterelle and a collection of madrigals by Francesca Caccini for Indiana University Press.
In recent years he has been a featured artist and faculty member at numerous festivals throughout the United States of America and Europe and has recently been named Visiting Artistic Director of the 1995 Aston Magna Academy at Rutgers University and Coordinator of Performance Practice at the Monadnock Music Festival in New Hampshire.
Richard Savino has studied with Oscar Ghiglia, Eliot Fisk and received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from SUNY at Stony Brook where he studied with Jerry Willard. He is at present Professor of Music at the California State University at Sacramento."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Chris Christou is the man behind Etherfysh, a project through which he explores a dreamy, downtempo form of electronic music encompassing genres from the Berlin School and New Age, to ambient and hints of jazz.
"Electronic music has always been a fascination for me," says Christou. "As a kid, my best friend's mother was always playing Tangerine Dream, so early exposure to albums like Zeit, Phaedra, and Stratosphere had an irrevocable effect."
Christou, who is from from Hastings East Sussex, England, spent his late teens and early twenties exploring new music and saving for his first synth purchase: a kit built string machine and Korg MS10. He steadily built up a collection of instruments, and continued honing his sound?one built around the visual and emotive powers of electronic music.
"Electronic music and synthesisers always had an ability to draw and conjure images, sensations and emotions within me. I have always thought that Klaus Schulze's title Picture Music summed up the genre pretty succinctly. I don't really spend time trying to work out whether Etherfysh fits into a particular musical box. I would much rather my listeners draw their own conclusions on that one."
For Etherfysh, 2005 saw collaborations with with Dutch EM artist Gert Emmens, as well as the release of Stasis, a work of hypnotic melodies wrapped around subtle, silvery beats.
Etherfysh's other releases include Musick in the Quay of Sea, A Box of Fysh, and Pandora's Box."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Classical guitarist James Edwards has been a performer, teacher, and recording artist for over 25 years. James plays contemporary guitars, as well as historical instruments of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, such as the five-course guitar and ten course lute.
The five course guitar has 9 strings, as 4 of the "courses" are pairs of the same string, with the highest string being the only string that is not a doubled pair. The repertoire for the 5 course baroque guitar is quite different from the contemporary guitar repertoire, and has a closer parentage to 6 course lute and vihuela music.
James Edwards' has released ten CDs in his career, as well as several guitar music books published by Mel Bay Publishing."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Classically trained in piano and composition, Jan Hanford enjoys many styles of music but her first love is the piano.
Jan was born in Philadelphia, PA and currently lives in the San Rafael (California) and London (England). She started piano lessons at the age of 7. By high school she was composing solo piano music and then in college progressed to chamber music.
She says, "I like music to be intimate. Small ensembles and solo instruments really touch me the most. Music is my passion."
Jan also creates melodic electronica under the name Human Response."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "c.layne started out with indie rock band The Na?ve, but soon went on to writing solo work. His limited-release first album, Albumone, was entirely instrumental.
He spent the next two years writing a second album and recording hundreds of tracks, but they were ultimately scrapped in favor of another album entirely. Antonymic was recorded over a four day period in the summer of 2003. The mid-fi recording and lavish use of reverb gives this album a modern psychedelic feel. Work on the next album began almost immediately and Drawing Shapes with Sounds, was released later that year. This album explores much darker musical and lyrical themes.
In the winter of 2003, c.layne signed with Magnatune and compilation album, Potemkin Villages was released featuring a mixture of tracks from both Antonymic and Drawing Shapes with Sounds, as well as some new material.
In the early months of 2004, c.layne paired up with artist and producer Victor Stone of fourstones.net to produce his third album, The Sun Will Come Out to Blind You. Writing, recording and production went on throughout the year and the album was released on Magnatune in January of 2005. Stones' production gave the album a slicker, slightly more downtempo finish to this album? one that is meant to be listened to at night."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Combining elements from both musical traditions of the Indian Subcontinent, The RajDhani Quartet merges the Improvisational and Mystical nuances of Hindustani Classical Music with the Structured Dynamics and Definition of Carnatik Music, resulting in a unique symphony of sound that bridges antiquity with innovation.
The RajDhani Quartet is:
Subhash Vinjamuri, Violin
Dr. P.K. Swaminathan, Mridanagam
Jay Kishor, Sitar
Subhash Karmarkar, Tabla
A disciple of legendary Surbahar maestro, Mrs. Annapurna Devi, Sitar and Surbahar Artist, Jay Kishor approaches the meditative and mystical Art of Indian Classical Music more as a Poet than a Musician. Though groomed in the traditional master-disciple training known in Indian clasical Music from reknown masters like Mrs. Annapurna Devi, Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra, and Drd. Raj Bhan Singh Thakursaheb, Jay is constantly attempting to expand the definitions of raga and sitar.
Subhash Vinjamuri learned Carnatik music on violin from his father Sri Parthasarathi Iynegar, Advocate, Guntur, India and later studied advanced courses from Sri Madhala Brahmanamdam Naidu and from his uncle Sangeetakalanidhi Dr. Varadaraja Iyengar.
Dr. P.K. Swaminathan had his initial training and further guidance from many renowned teachers in Tanjore style. Since 1999, he has come under the direct tutelage of Mridanagam Maestro Padma Bhushan, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman.
Subhash Karmarkar is the disciple of India's foremost tabla player, the celebrated late Padmashri Ustad Ahmed Jan Tirkawa, who is respected as the father of the generation of tabla players.
Besides Jay Kishor's other recordings under his name, he is also the leader of the Magnatune World Music ensemble touchingGrace."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Composer and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Manno was born into a performing arts family in New York City in 1966 and grew up in New York and Colorado. He received his first commission in 1982 and has since created over eighty original scores for dance, theatre, film and multimedia productions, including twenty evening length pieces. His work has been supported by Meet The Composer, Inc. (a division of the NEA), KRMA Denver PBS TV, The National Guild of Organists, Montgomery Watson Inc., Bates Dance Festival, and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, among others, and has been presented all across the USA, as well as in Holland, Germany, Switzerland, the U.K.,Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia.
Jesse received a B.A. in Asian Studies from The University of Colorado at Boulder, where he has been music director of the C.U. dance department since 1991. In 2002 he became a part time instructor, teaching one music course per semester. He loves working with many instruments and genres of music, and often incorporates interesting sound environments he has recorded during his travels into his work. He also composes and performs with The Buzz Band (new music on ancient instruments with a characteristic buzzing sound), and more often with 'Sherefe' Balkan/Middle Eastern Ensemble, performing regularly in Colorado, California, and New Mexico.
Recent projects include a stint at BAM Next Wave Festival in New York with David Dorfman Dance and composer Amy Denio, a percussive score created on a tower of used car parts for choreographer Gabriel Masson at the Bates Dance Festival, and a contemporary ballet soundtrack based on five of Colorado's native birds with Ballet Nouveau Colorado. He also recently created a new "underwater" section for David Taylor Dance Theatre's touring production "Rainforest". Several Cds of his work are available; Sea Spirits, Music from Theater of the Vampires, Lazer Vaudeville, Rainforest, and others."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Conductor and keyboard player Steven Devine received his early musical training at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester and read music at Oxford University. He is now in demand across the world and is at home in the fields of opera, large-scale concerts, chamber music and solo performances.
He made his London conducting debut in 2002 at the Royal Albert Hall and is now a regular performer there. He has conducted the Mozart Festival Orchestra in every major concert hall in the UK and also across Switzerland. Future plans with them include another tour of Switzerland and also Germany. In opera, Steven has worked at the Comische Oper in Berlin and has alongside Paul Mcreesh throughout France. Recently appointed Associate Music Director of Opera Restor'd, he has conducted at Wigmore Hall in London, at the Warwick, Lake District, Stour Norwich and English Haydn Festivals. Steven works regularly with New Chamber Opera in Oxford and with them has conducted performances of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Mozart's La Finta Semplice, Stradella's Il Trespolo Tutore and Rossini's Il Comte Ory. For the Dartington Festival Opera he has conducted Handel's Orlando.
Steven is the Co-Principal keyboard player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and will be appearing as a director with them later in 2006. He is also the principal keyboard player for I Fagiolini, Apollo and Pan, The Classical Opera Company and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made three solo recordings.
Since his schooldays, Steven has also been associated with the Finchcocks Collection of historic keyboard instruments in Kent and now holds the post of Assistant Curator. He has special responsibilities for the education side of the museum. Steven was appointed Professor of Fortepiano at Trinity College of Music in 2003."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Considered one of the foremost violinists of our time, Shlomo Mintz is esteemed for his impeccable musicianship, stylistic versatility and commanding technique. Mr. Mintz regularly appears with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors in the world and gives frequent performances in solo recitals and with leading chamber ensembles as well.
Shlomo Mintz is the recipient of several prestigious music prizes including the Premio Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Diapason D'Or, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Gramophone Award and the Edison Award.
Born in Moscow in 1957, he emigrated with his family two years later to Israel, where he studied with the renowned Ilona Feher. Aged eleven, he made his concerto debut with the Israel Philharmonic. He made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of sixteen in a concert with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and subsequently began his studies with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music.
Aged eighteen, Shlomo Mintz added the role of conductor to his artistic endeavours; since then he has conducted acclaimed orchestras worldwide, and became Music Advisor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra and Artistic Advisor and Principal Guest Conductor of the Maastricht Symphony. Shlomo Mintz is patron and one of the founders of the Keshet Eilon International Violin Mastercourse in Israel, and gives master classes worldwide.
He was President of the Jury of the International Henryk Wieniawski Competition for the Violin in Poznan, Poland, and President of the Jury of the Sion Valais International Violin Competition in Switzerland. He has been a jury member of several important international competitions including the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Creative Director Kenji Williams is an award winning filmmaker, electronic music producer, theatrical show director, and classically-trained violinist. From the first ever Illusion music release?which in collaboration with top DJ John Digweed's Bedrock label reached a global audience of over 100,000?to the latest Death & Rain music video from the album Faces of Epiphany?rated #1 on Harmony Channel TV in 9 million homes?Kenji Williams is exposing his highly unique trademark of powerful cutting edge media to a mainstream audience. In addition to public and critical acclaim, Pioneer, Panasonic, and Sony corporations have all sponsored Kenji with technology & hardware to support his artistic vision. Combining unique skills in film and music, Williams has earned international film awards from the CSC to Sundance, garnered speaking invitations at media conferences such as GEMS in New York, and has been featured in the media from European publications and BBC radio, to mainstream Japanese press, to Wikipedia, Tricycle, NPR, AV Revolution, XLR8R, and Apple.com. Composer and producer of 6 music albums, Director of 15 films and music videos, 3 feature length projects, and 2 multimedia theatrical live shows, (WORLDSPIRIT & Tokyo Dream Theater), Kenji Williams is respected as pushing the boundaries of cutting edge audio visual art.
Born in 1974, and classically trained in Violin since the age of 7, Kenji Williams performs live ethereal-style violin, with a laptop and drum machine transmitting self-produced classics to the dance floor. Tracking Kenji's multimedia career, from classical violin training, to his early influences in Detroit and European techno, to a BFA in Film Production, and touring with Dub Hip Hop Reggae bands and trance group Medicine Drum, while simultaneously producing and directing films and music videos, the combination of ingredients that make Williams' art fuse into an exotic and tantalizing audio visual experience.
Booked from Europe to America to Japan, Kenji Williams performs at house, techno, trance, and ambient events, from intimate underground gatherings, to planetariums, to 30,000 person outdoor productions. Willams has collaborated with visionary artists as Alex Grey, with critical acclaim from highly respected evolutionary philosopher, Ken Wilber. Kenji Williams is creating the cutting edge of musical composition and performance, while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of film & visual communication. Collaborating with the most respected artists of our time, Kenji Williams is re-shaping the context of communication arts. Considered by many as the next level of multimedia art and performance, Kenji Williams delivers unique and un-matched audio visual talent to the audience, with a violin that shatters any stereotypes of cold electronica."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Da Camera is a versatile ensemble, crossing the line between 'early', 'folk' and 'contemporary' music. Their programmes range in repertoire from the passamezzi of the 15th century, via traditional Celtic and English music, through the baroque, to newly-commissioned works. Three new works have been commissioned by them to date. All members of the recorder family feature alongside many different sizes of viol with harpsichord or organ accompaniment. The ensemble has performed at London's Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, for the BBC on many occasions, at many major festivals around the UK - including Totnes Early Music Society, Finchcocks' Festival, Chester Summer Music Festival and Dartington Summer Festival - and many other venues. Emma, Susanna and Steven are all in demand as freelance musicians with many of the UK's leading period groups and they all teach on various music courses and summer schools, including Dartington International Summer School."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Daniel-Ben Pienaar was born in South Africa. He made his debut there at the age of 14, playing Liszt's E-flat concerto. After winning his country's National Youth Music Competition and the University of South Africa Overseas Music Scholarship Competition he studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. There he won the Queen's Commendation in 1997 and held the Hodgson Fellowship in 1997/8.
Performances include appearances at the National Arts Fesival, the State Theatre and the Nico Malan Theatre in South Africa, debut concerts in America (including the Goldberg Variations) and Japan (including the Chopin Ballades), a Schumann concerto with the Philharmonia and the Stravinsky Concerto at the RNCM. In 2000 he gave the complete cycle of Mozart's 18 piano sonatas at the Duke's Hall of the Royal Academy of Music and later the same year also the 6 keyboard partitas of Bach.
In 2003 he recorded Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 for Prometheus Editions in London, and a Chopin recital (including the 4 Ballades) for Victor Japan. Future recording projects will include the Goldberg Variations and complete Gibbons keyboard works.
With violinist Narimichi Kawabata he has performed all over Japan, at the Wigmore Hall in London, and for his American debut.
Performances in 2005 include a Liszt Sonata at Hamarikyu Hall,Tokyo and the Well-Tempered Clavier in the US."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Daniel Berkman is a San Francisco based composer, multi-instrumentalist and innovator of the kora (a 21-stringed harp/lute from West Africa).
His early recordings for kora highlighted his use of electronic devices and loop boxes to transform his kora in real time in live performance. His first three cd's, "Heartstrings", "Feverdreams" and "Headlands" mark this period between 1996 and 2000 which feature Daniel creating other worldly soundscapes and a playing technique drawing on his myriad influences, including that of the great kora masters of our time.
While on the road as guitarist and kora player with Djali Kunda Kuyate (the twins) in December of 2002 through Senegal, Gambia and Mali, Daniel not only studied kora and ngoni with various masters there but captured his experiences on minidisc.
The result is his latest work, "Calabashmoon", a collection of crafty and poignant kora pieces woven with a tapestry of sounds and impressions of West Africa.
Daniel also plays guitar, handsonic, kora and gravikord for Artemis and is a featured electronic artist on rtfm records under the moniker "vessel".
Daniel has also composed many ecclectic scores for choreographers and dance companies in San Francisco, notably Sarah Shelton Mann, ODC, Company Chaddick, Lizz Roman and Dancers, Kunst-Stoff and many others.
Daniel Berkman also plays in the band of Magnatune artist Artemis.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Described as "something of a phenomenon" by The Strad magazine and a "high-powered soloist" by the New York Times, Canadian-born violinist Lara St. John has performed as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, the Montreal Symphony, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Budapest, among many others, and given recitals around the world.
The Strad magazine selected her as one of "the stars of the next decade" and called her "an electrifying player, as deeply satisfying in Bach as she is bewitchingly seductive in Waxman's 'Carmen' Fantasy. The L.A. Times has said: "St. John brings to the stage personal charisma, an unflagging musical imagination and genuine passion. Her two albums to date are bona-fide classics of the violin discography."
In January 2002, Lara released her third CD on her own label. Bach: The Concerto Album and has received enthusiastic reviews. Gramophone Magazine placed the disc in its strongly recommended section, and wrote "It is difficult to argue with such a technically dazzling and unfailingly musical interpretation."
During 1999/2000 highlights included engagements with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony, and Edmonton Symphony, while the 2000/01 season brought her debuts with the New Jersey Symphony under Hugh Wolff, the Tokyo Symphony (Paavo Jarvi), Hong Kong Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony, and Calgary Philharmonic, among others. During last season she debuted with the Cincinnati Symphony, Prague Philharmonia, Sao Paulo Symphony, Opera de Marseille and performs numerous other concerto appareances in Canada and the US, as well as recitals at Ravinia, the Miller Theater in New York, in Montreal, Quebec City, and throughout China. Season 2002/03 continues the array of appearances on the recital stage and as soloist with orchestra, among them the symphonies of Portland, Delaware, Knoxville, the Florida Orchestra, and Northwest Sinfonietta. In addition she will undertake a nation-wide recital tour under the auspices of Community Cocerts. Other future engagements include debuts at Tanglewood with the Boston Pops under Keith Lockhart and performances with the Vancouver Symphony, among others.
She has been victorious in several competitions and in 1997 won the use of the 1702 Lyall Stradivarius for two years from the Canada Council for the Arts and an anonymous donor. Upon hearing her audition, the panel of judges exclaimed, "Today we have heard one of the great violinists of our time! Inspirational." Currently, she performs on the 1779 "Salabue" Guadagnini thanks to an anonymous donor and Heinl & Co., Toronto.
Lara began playing the violin when she was 2 years old. She first soloed with orchestra at age 5, and made her European debut with the Gulbenkian Orchestra (Lisbon) five years later. She toured Spain, France, Portugal and Hungary at ages 12 and 13, entered the Curtis Institute at 14, and spent her first summer at Marlboro three years later.
Upon her graduation from Curtis, at age 17, Lara took off for Moscow to find out if there was really more to life than just music --- there was. At this time, most teachers at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (including hers) were indefinitely extending their journeys west, and being without a teacher for the first time gave her the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. She also spent two years in England at the Guildhall school, holds a certificate from the Mannes College in New York City, and an Artist's Diploma from the New England Conservatory in Boston. Her teachers over the years have included Linda Cerone, David Takeno, Arnold Steinhardt, Felix Galimir and Joey Corpus.
Lara is a great fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, reptiles, and the American Museum of Natural History. She resides in New York City."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Devin and Randy started Pain Factor as a side project mainly just recording back in 1998-99. Soon after, in 2000, they brought in an old friend by the name of Rocky to lay down the drums. Each of them had other bands and projects going on, so for some time they only worked on the Pain Factor recordings whenever time would permit, but eventually they realized that they had something that was worth a lot more than just a side project.
Pain Factor has quickly established themselves as one of the S.F. Bay Area's heaviest new hard rock bands with their self-titled full-length release and live performances all over the Bay Area in 2004. Songs like Pull and Lunatic Lover deliver a sexy feel from the vocals with heavy sounds from Black Sabbath to White Zombie with a little bit of Nine Inch Nails influence. On the other hand, 8 Seconds, Hands of God and Devil's Blood are dark and heavy with a very serious and deliberate lyrical content that gives listeners a glimpse into some of Pain Factor's own personal experiences and demons. With heavy driven guitars, melodic yet aggressive vocals that are full of constant energy, and an extremely solid groove set forth by the bass and drums. Pain Factor is a S.F. Bay Area group of four musicians who have all been friends in different circles for many years that are sure to leave an impression on every one who sees and hears them."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "DJ Markitos (Marcus Stolarcik) is a young producer of electronic music from the Slovak Republic. He focusses on Trance and Techno music.
During his university years he met people from the music department and eventually went to work as a sound engineer on Slovakian radio. For many years he has worked in radio, playing pop chart music and refining his technical skills. After spending time abroad, he experienced totally non-commercial style of music, which led to his buying an early sequencer and making his own electronic music.
DJ Markitos's music is normally played around 140-160 BPM and usually has a four-to-the-floor beat. There is a great deal of repetition, provided by arpeggiators and bass lines. Listen for synth effects and layered sounds. The music often builds to a crescendo several times throughout a song. Many tracks devolve into a spacey ambiance or floating piano-type lines at the end.
The "Slower Emotions (138 BPM Remixes)" album is a collection of remixes of songs from DJ Markitos' earlier albums, changed to be at a constant temp of 138 beats per minute. Originally, these songs were remixed for a company releasing the music as exercise-music, sold for Dance, Aerobics and other places where a constant tempo would be helpful. The music worked differently slowed down (most of the songs were originally faster) and it was thought that a release of the remixes might be interesting."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Doc Rossi has studied with Andrea Damiani, Christopher Morrongiello, John Renbourn and Richard Strasser. He has performed as a soloist and with various groups across North America and Europe and has recorded in a variety of contexts, playing Early Music, Hawaiian Slack-key guitar and Celtic, Mexican and American dance music. One of only a handful of players who specialize in the cittern, he is involved in recording projects and performances dedicated to 18th-century composers for plucked string instruments. During the 1980s Doc Rossi was resident at London's acclaimed Islington Folk Club and The Last Straw, a London club that featured less traditionally oriented acoustic music. He has appeared at the Hudson River Revival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and the National Folk Festival (UK). Also a scholar, Dr. Rossi has published a modern edition of Thomas Robinson's New Citharen Lessons (1609), plus articles dealing with guitar and cittern history, and with Shakespeare, Brecht, and the Beat Generation.
Andrea Damiani studied the lute with Diana Poulton, Anthony Bailes and Hopkinson Smith. He has performed and recorded extensively across Europe and the USA, both as soloist and continuo player on archlute and theorbo. His passion for research on lute history and literature has led him to discover and record some previously unknown sources: J'ay pris amour, devoted to the heart-shaped manuscript preserved in Pesaro, Biblioteca Oliveriana, is the main early lute source before Ottaviano Petrucci's prints; and Folias, containing music from 17th-century central Italian sources for archlute, theorbo and guitar, among them a recently found manuscript containing unknown guitar pieces by Giovanni Paolo Foscrini. He has also recorded a CD dedicated to Il Fronimo of Vincenzo Galilei. Mr. Damiani has been invited to teach at several international early music courses, such as those held in Chiusi della Verna, Erice, Lanciano, and by the Cini Foundation of Venice. He regularly teaches at the International Summer Course held in Urbino. He is Lute Instructor at the Conservatorio S. Cecilia in Rome, and the author of Method for Renaissance Lute, published by Ut- Orpheus."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Dr Kuch: Fun electro-poppy dance beats
artist photo Three guys?Anielo, Nikotep, and Krafany?from Nantes, France are responsible for the super catchy electronic music of Dr. Kuch. In their own words, they are "regular gender fellows," who have "all necessary stuff that would impress anyone who love sound engineering." And the list does impress: Arp Odyssey synthesizers, a Mini-Moog, Fender Rhodes, a Honner Clavinet D6, a Hammond L100 organ, a Neve digital music console, Pro-Tools, MCI multi-tracks, LeXicon processors, an RE-501 analogue effects box, a DBX digital processsor, Eventide harmonizers, AMT microphones...
Thousands of other guys could claim just such a stockpile of technology, of course, but the music of Dr. Kuch is exactly ten thousand times more charismatic than theirs. Sensing our ambivalence for non-Dr. Kuch produced music, Anielo asks, "Does anyone know how to save musical creation?" He is, apparently, "very upset of listening shit anywhere."
We couldn't agree more.
Krafany adds that he is a "regular small and thin guy," who has "all necessary fingers to give some kind of pleasure to any girls who love piano."
Yep, we think that just about sums it up. Just listen to the album, ok?"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Drop Trio is a melody-driven funk jazz band from Houston, Texas. Their solid musicianship and incredible energy on stage have been drawing kudos across Houston and beyond. In the words of the Houston Press:
"Houston isn't the greatest city in the world for live jazz, but folks like Drop Trio are out to change that. They don't really fit in with the avant-garde, the martini sippers or the purists; they're more for the young cats who like their jazz a bit funked up with lots of energy. Drop Trio is anchored by a rhythm section tighter than the Texas education budget and a Rhodes keyboard that gets pushed to its limits on every cut."
Since their debut in fall 2002, Drop Trio has quickly gathered a loyal Houston following. The trio tours regionally, playing packed rock and jazz clubs, coffee shops and festivals. Feature articles in the Houston Chronicle and nominations in the Houston Press Music Awards, only months after the band's inception, have given the band broad exposure and an exponentially growing fan base.
Drop Trio's music careens between styles, with feet squarely in the New Orleans funk and Acid jazz camps, and nods to such diverse influences as progressive rock, classical composition and electronica. Their sound simultaneously appeals to the jazz sophisticate and the jam band devotee, while their virtuosity earns them fans in unlikely camps. In a recent appearance on Reprogram Radio, a hip hop and DJ showcase on KPFT 90.1, they earned the respect and appreciation of the local DJ scene as one DJ, put it, their music is "top-notch stuff.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ed Durbrow has studied the lute since the mid 1970s. Among his many teachers were Robert Strizich, Paul Odette and a year with Eugene Dombois at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland in 1979-80.
His discography includes a band single recorded in EMI's Abbey Road Studios as a result of winning the first Melody Maker Rock Contest in London in 1972 and a writing credit on an Ueda Masaki number one album in Japan in 1983. He has composed music for TV commercials and other performers CDs in Japan as well as recording much music in his own studio for many diverse artists. He has played all over Japan performing in costume for general audiences many of whom have never seen a lute.
The personel for La Primavera seems to be ever changing in Japan. For this recording, tenor Jacob Dougherty, bass Nathaniel Hurvitz and soprano Michelle Keobke of Canada joined Americans viola da gambists David Morris and Natalie Sera, recorder player Richard Geisler, and soprano Beverly Marks."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Edward Martin (lutes, archlute, vihuela, and baroque lute) has studied with celebrated lutenists Paul O'Dette, Toyohiko Satoh, and Hopkinson Smith. He holds the position of Adjunct Professor of Lute at the College of Saint Scholastica.
He has an extensively performed throughout the United States, and has made numerous recordings for Minnesota Public Radio, and these performances have also been broadcast on the American Public Radio network. He is a member of many ensembles, including the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Lute Quartet (MiLQ), a duo with tenor William Bastian, a baroque lute duo with Paul Berget, and Duo Chambure, with renaissance lutenist and vihuelist Philip Rukavina". In Summer 1997 and 2001 he was invited to be the Renaissance lute instructor at the SFEMS Renaissance week at the Dominican College, San Rafael, California."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Electric Frankenstein - 13 years, over 100 record releases, and more! EF has almost single-handedly returned rock to its most basic and savage roots, the way it was meant to be. They have been receiving international acclaim for their exciting brand of Punk Rock and Roll, done with the great intensity of such bands as the Stooges, MC5, Dead Boys, NY Dolls, Damned, Black Flag, Misfits, AC/DC, Kiss, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, etc. In addition to playing the most dynamic, ravenous, and menacing rock you've ever heard, EF recognizes the importance of integrity. From giving proper nods to the architects of street-level rock (Iggy and the Stooges, Dead Boys, AC/DC), to fiercely supporting DIY labels to their constant efforts to put fans first ahead of profit, EF is championing the cause to bring Rock back to the people and out of the hands of corporations. EF aren't young or pretty, and in case you haven't noticed neither is Real Rock & Roll. EF aren't here to be your girlfriend, they're here to ROCK! While stupid critics might say 'but, it's only rock n roll, its nothing new', EF fans are saying "Damn, right!" as they embrace the best of what's loud, fast, and rules from the last 30 years distilled down to one single organism. EF are one a mission to revitalize Rock & Roll and save people from the boredom of "alternative music". EF shows are intense, exciting, and inspiring.
EF have been well reviewed in such magazines as Kerrang, Metal Hammer, Rock Sound, Alternative Press, Hit Parader, Seconds, Thrasher, Lollipop, Tail Spins, Rue Morgue, Maximum Rock N Roll, Flipside, Big Takeover, Paper, Aquarian Weekly, and countless European & Japanese magazines as well. NY Press picked EF as the "Best Punk Band in NYC". EF have received top 40 commercial radio airplay in the USA, Top 5-10 on many American college radio stations, and were Number One on Belgian, Finnish, and Swedish, etc., national radio. EF has even been picked by the Frankenstein Society as the bands representing the release of the Frankenstein commemorative stamp for the US Post Office. Not only are they one of the top most featured bands in the music press (currently #2 out of the Top 500!), but they have a loyal fan following in over 10 countries, with many bands citing EF as an influence and covering EF songs, and drawing thousands at music festivals internationally. EF's raw, powerful, and melodic Dead Boys meets AC/DC sound that has made them the Kings of High Energy Punk Rock N Roll!
EF has been on over 40 of the world's best indie record labels (Sub Pop, Man's Ruin, Estrus, Get Hip, Victory, Au-go-go, TKO, Junk, etc.), selling hundreds of thousands of records. They have appeared on many European music televison shows and have had their songs or artwork featured in many videogames, movies and tv shows, including X-Files, Dawson's Creek, Signs, American Psycho 2, Flophouse, Tony Hawks Proskater, and the occasional porno flick as well. EF have since their inception been touring the US, UK, and Europe; often as headliner, even doing a sold out show at the Fillmore in SF and played to thousands at European festivals. EF played the 1997 Warp tour. They plan to tour Japan and Australia soon. EF have played with Danzig, Monster Magnet, Marilyn Manson, Hole, Social Distortion, The Misfits, Dead Kennedys, Dictators, Poison Idea, SOD, Joe Strummer, The Dwarves, Nebula, Orange Goblin, Electric Wizard, Turbonegro, Hellacopters, and many more. One of Joey Ramone's favorites, EF can count many other bands as fans of their music as well (Jon Spencer, Metallica, Monster Magnet, etc.), and they have returned the favor via the popular "A Fistful of Rock & Roll" compilation series, produced by EF guitarist, Sal Canzonieri.
The EF invasion has begun with Dark Horse publishing a 160 page book on EF. In 2004, EF will have a world wide art gallery and book signing tour for the upcoming book, "Electric Frankenstein!", as well as two fantastic EF clothing lines being done by Sourpuss Clothing and Lucky 13 clothing, and EF skateboards, toys, and videogames in the works too!
EF play vintage equipment exclusively by Gibson, Ibanez, Fender, Ludwig, Ampeg, and Marshall and are sponsored by D'Addario guitar strings and GHS bass strings."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "emma's mini is a duo based in Seattle, WA.
They first started making music together in March of 2002 and in April of 2003 they self-released their first album, beat generation mad trick.
The album received high praise from local fans and solid air play on KEXP 90.3.
Taking their cue from bands such as lamb, Massive Attack and Moloko, emma's mini is creating a new and exciting sound, seamlessly blending Suzanne McClean's rich, lush vocals with Demian Shoemaker's innovative beats and soundscapes."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ensemble Mirable (Mirable - old French, meaning astonishing, strong, powerful) originated in 1996 at Indiana University's Early Music Institute while Ms. Blendulf and Ms. Kim were working toward graduate degrees. Since its inception, the group's focus has been on exploring the many variations in continuo performance across different baroque styles. Ensemble Mirable is a flexible performing entity, maintaining the ability to change and grow to meet the needs of different scale continuo demands. The members feel that in order to provide an exciting and yet elegant rendition of this repertoire, it is necessary to work within the composer's stylistic framework.
In 1998, Ensemble Mirable relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area where it continues to maintain an active concert schedule. In the summer of 2000, Ensemble Mirable won honorable mention in the second Dorian Group/Early Music America International Recording Competition for their performance of sonatas by Jean Zewalt Triemer. Goals in the near-term include the performance of cello and continuo works by Triemer, Geminiani, and works by various lesser-known baroque composers. Ultimately, Ensemble Mirable would like to stage larger scale works involving a continuo band, in collaboration with additional continuo instruments.
On Ensemble Mirable's latest work, Conversations Galantes, the core ensemble of JungHae Kim on harpsichord and Joanna Blendulf on viola de gamba was joined by several performers of note including Elizabeth Blumenstock on baroque violin; Greer Ellison on baroque flute, and William Skeen on baroque cello."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ensemble Vermillian was founded by sisters Barbara Blaker Krumdieck and Frances Blaker to explore the potential for color and texture possible in the virtuosic compositions for cello and recorder written in the seventeenth and eighteenth century.
Based in Davidson, North Carolina and Berkeley, California, the members of EV have traveled to meet, research, rehearse, and perform together since 2000. Having studied at conservatories in Denmark, the Netherlands, Ohio, and Indiana respectively, they use a blended approach to rearrange and reinterpret Baroque music to create a sound that's both resonant and relevant.
On Stolen Jewels, Ensemble Vermillian present richly vibrant reinterpretations of several Baroque master composers: Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Rosenmuller, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Johann Krieger, Phillipp Friedrich Boddecker, and Johann Michael Bach?the distant cousin and father-in-law of Johann Sebastian Bach.
In keeping with the Baroque ethic of reusing and recycling, this recording presents performances of 17th-century German music adapted for Ensemble Vermillian by recorder virtuoso Frances Blaker. "I love violin music but cannot play the violin," she writes, "so I steal the music and rearrange it for my own instrument." This attitude and creative process is very much at home in the world of Baroque music, and creates an opportunity to appreciate previously undervalued aspects of these composers' works.
Ensemble Vermillian is comprised of members (left to right) Elisabeth Reed, Katherine Heater, Frances Blaker, and Barbara Blaker Krumdieck."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "etherine is the solo project of Michael Weeks, focusing on ambient melodic electronica. Using sequencers and analog and digital sound sources, Michael builds flowing pieces of momentary beauty.
24 days is a concept album - over the period of a month, Michael wrote one composition per day, exploring sounds and sound design as well as various methods of arrangement and sequencing.
The end result is the 21 tracks available here - showing the most successful pieces from this exploration.
This is etherine in it's infancy, growing through the learning process and finding a rhythm of songsmithing and sound design, while showing a maturing songwriter exploring technology.
Gleam is the second album by etherine - a blend of physically modeled instruments as well as analog and digital synthesizers.
Building melodious passages and movements of ambient space, Michael explores counterpoint through melody and sound.
Perfect listening for winter nights and summer mornings, or whenever bliss is eluding you.
Other Michael Weeks projects include IVILION and The Wretch."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Every so often a musician emerges who manages to speak to the spirit by way of their instrument. Electric cellist and vocalist Jami Sieber reaches inside the soul with compositions that are contemporary, timeless, lush, and powerfully evocative. Her style of performance has been recognized internationally. She is a celebrated pioneer of her instrument and received the Northwest Area Music Association (NAMA) Award for Best Rock Instrumentalist, no easy feat for a cellist.
Jami's playing style grew out of her childhood classical training and has expanded over the years to embrace jazz, folk, rock, improvisational and avant garde music. She has guest artist in a variety of musical settings that have taken her to China, Russia, Croatia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Italy, France and most recently to Thailand where while working on a film score she had the most enriching experience of improvising with the Elephant Orchestra outside of Lampang. She has toured internationally with Rhiannon (jazz vocalist), Jennifer Berezan (singer/songwriter), Ferron (singer/songwriter), Kim Rosen (poet).
Sieber's music is an atmospheric invitation to another world, a quality which lends itself to film (Climb Against The Odds, public television airing 1999, Jews and Buddhism, Chayes Productions 1998, Bond, Alice Ray director 1991); theater (T.S. Crossing, Allegro Series 1989,); and dance (Facing East Dance Collective, Berkeley, Ca 1998-99, Llory Wilson's Tallulah Dance Co.,Seattle, Jacobs Pillow 1994, Jeff Bickford, Seattle 1990)."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Falling You (John Michael Zorko, with the vocals of Dru Allen, Aimee Page, Jennifer McPeak, Sara Ayers, Krista Tortora, Victoria Lloyd, Erica Mulkey and others) is known for ethereal, emotive music?music best heard when the moon is high and the atmosphere, serene.
Known for fusing dark ambient soundscapes with darkly beautiful female vocals, Falling You speaks a melancholy, yet hopeful language, recognizable to all. If the lifeless moon could sing of the blue-green world it orbits, it might sound something like this."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Filmmaker John Holowach's musical career unexpectedly began after first hearing Rob Dougan's Furious Angels. He immediately fell into remixing all the tracks for the pure pleasure of experimenting with music?an effort which eventually led to the writing and recording of his own original material. His first solo album, A Basement Of Broken Dreams was released digitally in January of 2005 and aired widely on podcasts and Internet radio. Holowach was also featured on Current TV and in several documentary and narrative films.
John is now immersed in writing original music, but still participates widely in remix culture. He's an active samplist, which means he takes clips from other tracks, songs, and sounds (mostly Creative Commons-licensed), and creates something new with them.
In addition to his solo work, John is also a founding member of the international Creative Commons band, Tryad. His influences range from DJ Shadow and Nine Inch Nails to Beethoven and The Beatles."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "First, a true story.
When Thornside was in his mid twenties, he worked at McDonalds. Believe it or not, he came so far as to being a "white shirt", bossing around. But of course Thornside had a boss over him, a crazy but nice man from Iran. When he heard that Thornside sang and played the trumpet, he immediately insisted (or "decided" is probably the right word) that Thornside should play for the guests between four and five every Tuesday. Thornside called his old friend Burnshee, with whom he was playing in different bands, and asked him to play with him. They formed a duo, performing jazz standards and some dixie, in the corner of the McDonalds restaurant at Kungsgatan in Stockholm, Sweden. Thornside singing, playing trumpet and banjo, and Thornside playing the guitar. Two hundred Swedish kronor and a free meal was the deal. And the start of what 15 years later would be Burnshee Thornside, the funky jazzy whacky duo from Sweden. (What the guests thought at the moment is not very clear. One thing is for sure: they did not come only to hear Thornside and Burnshee.)
It started in the early 80's
Johan Nilsson and Jens Henriksson - Burnshee Thornside - met in their teens and formed many bands playing mostly funk. It was the days of the "slapping bass" so you had to get hold of a good bassplayer, who knew how to use his thumb. Compared to the rock bands, you also had to have horns, and you had to know how to arrange for horns. Trumpets, saxophones, trombones. Thornside, being also a trumpet player, knew that, so we had great horn arrangements from day one. We made a lot of our own music, played many gigs, and we listened to Earth Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, Steely Dan, Koinonia, Gino Vanelli, Chaka Khan, Rufus, James Brown, jazz and blues, Zappa, Weather Report... Sometimes Burnshee and Thornside would meet up in the rehearsal studio to record together, on their own. A little pleasure they had, together with the 4-track Fostex Cassette Recorder. It sounded very Motown...
The year 2003
After pursuing different careers (IT, Advertising, computers), of course neither Thornside or Burnshee made a living out of music, altough it gave some good extra money, Burnshee finally made one of his dreams come true: his own studio in the basement. Based around a Mac G4 and Logic. All of a sudden Burnshee and Thornside were back were it all started. Recording, making music, composing, arranging. They looked at each other and decided to start all over. But first they had to get rid of their Swedish sounding names - Johan Nilsson and Jens Henriksson - so they named themselves Burnshee Thornside and their first recording in the new studio was of their old song "Hey Hey Hey" (which now appears on the Burnshee Thornside Album Blues and misc.) After that they composed 14 brand new songs and invited the magic musician Tomas Bergquist in to play drums and bass (he is still with us). The releasing of "The Art Of Not Blending In" was quite successful, there being no record label behind it. We got some airtime on a small radiostation in Oregon, and Australia, and we sold some albums via magnatune.com who supported us from the start. Everybody said it sounded like Steely Dan and Michael McDonald, mostly thanks to Thornside's voice, we guess, but also due to the fact that the music is kind of Rhythm & Blues. With a jazzy feeling. And then a bit funky. And with horns. The lyrics, that's quite another story. They are not only about love. They can be about anything...
The years 2004 and 2005
In 2004 Burnshee Thornside released "Blues & misc.", as the title reveals, a whole lot of blues, but also funky jazzy stuff, 12 tracks. A bit more simple. Not as many horn arrangements. Not as many background vocals performed by great sounding female singers. But still very good. (Some regard "Blues and misc." as better than "The Art Of Not Blending In".)
And then, in 2005, came "Rock This Moon". 15 new tracks, back to more horns, more background vocals, more 70's jazzy/funky Steely Dan-ish. With fun, intriguing and whacky lyrics.
Is this only the beginning? Yes, we think so! And maybe, just maybe, one day people will come to McDonalds only because Burnshee Thornside is playing in the sound system."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Flute virtuoso and longtime Magnatune artist Laurel Zucker leads a charming and accomplished ensemble comprised of fellow flautist Sara Andon, harpsichordist Gerald Ranck, and one of the best and busiest cellists in New York City, Richard Locker.
Laurel Zucker:Zucker is described by Gramophone Magazine "as polished and gratifying as Rampal and Galway, and in the same year Gramophone "strongly recommended" her Complete Telemann Fantasies for Flute and The Complete J.S. Bach Sonatas. Zucker is featured in Inspirational Stories from the World's Best Flute Players alongside Sir James Galway, Julius Baker, Herbie Mann, and Ian Andersen. Fanfare Magazine refers to Zucker "as a forceful advocate for 20th century music" and when she was awarded the Aaron Copland Fund for Music from the American Music Center to record the flute compositions of Alec Wilder, Fanfare Magazine stated 'this disc fills an important niche in American Music as well as flute literature."
Sara Andon:Acclaimed for her rich ravishing sound and deeply engaging musical interpretations, Sara Andon is a versatile performer in many genres including solo, chamber, symphonic, operatic, ballet, and Broadway. She has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, Glendale Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Orchestra New England, San Francisco Western Opera Theater, and many others. Her Broadway performances include engagements with Peter Pan, Les Miserables, and Beauty and the Beast.
Gerald Ranck:A "superartist" in the opinion of William F. Buckley, Jr., Gerald Ranck gave the first New York performance of the Bach Art of Fugue in 1967. In 1980-81 he performed Bach's complete solo harpsichord music, a feat he repeated in 1985-86 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. In 1992-95 he played all 555 sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, revealing the great variety of these short works in performances that were "precise, energetic, and inventive" according to the New York Times.
Richard Locker: A consummate stylist and instrumentalist, cellist Richard Locker is one of New York's top musicians and enjoys an exceptionally varied musical life as soloist, chamber musician, teacher, orchestral principal cellist and recording artist. Since winning awards from the American Bach Foundation and the National Arts Club, Licker has toured the world as soloist and chamber musician, served as principal cellist with Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival and New York City Ballet Orchestras, and with the American Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Brooklyn Philharmonic, et. al., and taught cello at Princeton University. He has performed in over 4000 recording sessions with diverse artists ranging from Leonard Bernstein,Pinchas Zuckerman, James Galway, Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Elvis Costello, and hundreds of others, and in more 150 film scores."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Formed in 1990 by alumni of the Kiev State Conservatory, the choir has rapidly won international distinction.
The choir has won the Golden Diploma at the 1st Schumann International Choral Competition in Zwickau in Germany. This was followed by winning first prize at the 12th International competition of Choir Music in Poland. They won the Grand Prix at the 7th international Choirs Competition at Sligo in Ireland. In Llangolen, they won 2nd Prize at the Choir of the Year Competition, with their soprano Valentine Boiko winning singer of the Year Competition.
The choir has toured worldwide, appearing in America, Germany, Belgium, Holland, England, Ireland and Wales."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Formed in 2003, Duo Chambure is named for the "chambure" model vihuelas da mano used by Edward Martin and Philip Rukavina to perform music from Renaissance Spain, including Valderrabano's duets. The duo has performed numerous times throughout the United States, most recently appearing in concert at the lute Society of America 2004 Summer Seminar, held at Case Western University in Cleveland. As individuals, Edward Martin (soprano, alto, and tenor vihuelas) has performed and taught lute extensively throughout the United States, and he teaches lute at the College of St. Scholastica, where he holds the position of Adjunct Professor of Lute. He has other recordings on the Magnatune label.
Phillip Rukavina (tenor and baritone vihuelas), studied lute with Patrick O'Brien at Sarah Lawrence College in new York and with Hopkinson Smith at the Academie Musical in Villecroze, France, and in Basel, Switzerland. Phillip appears on several CDs on the Lyrichord label with the ensemble Minstrelsy! and with the Venere Lute Quartet on "Sweet Division", released in 2003 by the Lute Society of America. Phillip supplied the solo lute music heard on the High Bridge audio tape release of "The Last Unicorn" as read by the author, Peter Beagle. Phillip teaches privately in St. Paul, Minnesota"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Former frontman and songwriter for the 90's Oxford based acoustic rock outfit Settlement, John Jackson began his solo career in London in 2001 and has since become one of the UK's most intriguing songwriters?an iconoclast and left-field rocker with stingingly beautiful lyrics and instantly classic melodies.
The release of his 2002 debut album, Strange Attractors was accompanied by extensive shows in and around London as well as comparisons to Morrissey and Radiohead. The album was carried by Radio Waves and was a finalist in the 2003 Unisong Songwriting Competition.
Jackson's follow up album, Bad Things Happen All The Time was released in 2004 featuring complex, highly memorable melodies, spiked with poignant, often political lyrics that fit the tunes like a glove. Violins, trumpets, radio samples, acoustic guitar, noisy funky guitars are scattered throughout, with the timeless finale "Through The Glass" sounding like a folky Lennon crossed with the Pogues: soulful and searing at once.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Forming as a duo and growing to five members by 2007, Sundowner's sound has grown up from humble beginnings to a formidable live act. Vast drifting guitar-scapes, powerful rhythms and vocals combine to form a big, cosmic, shape-shifting sound that explores all realms of space rock and travels effortlessly between from atmospheric jams through epic songs and driving kraut sessions. Though laced with a liberal dose of psychedelia, Sundowner always keeps the overall sound intensely modern.
"We must let sounds be what they are", says founder Matt Morris. "We want to continue to push the envelope and as much as possible, make music that inspires feelings of genuine awe."
Becoming disgruntled with their home city's live venue cartel, the band decided to start their own regular live night. "Attention All Shipping" has become a vehicle for new bands from around the world to showcase their work.
In 2005 Sundowner recorded music for a number of film projects, including Splintered, a thriller being aired at Cannes.
2007 saw the release of their self-titled debut album, Sundowner. Whittled down from hours and hours of improvised "jams" and crafted into "songs", the album is tightly produced but remains loose enough to be an exciting listen."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Founded in San Francisco in 1986, American Baroque brings together some of America's most accomplished and exciting baroque instrumentalists, with the purpose of defining a new, modern genre for historical instruments. The group's adventurous programs combine 18th-century music with new works, composed for the group through collaborations and commissions from American composers. An ensemble of eclectic, accomplished, and artful musicians, the performances bridge a gap between the edges of the new music frontier and the familiar roads to music of the past, and expands the repertoire and scope of historical instruments into the new millenium.
In its early stages, American Baroque functioned as a studio band, its mission being to record hitherto unknown quartets by Telemann. Recordings of the "Paris" quartets and the Fourth Book of Quartets were released and enthusiastically received. In 1991, the group recorded French Cantatas of the 18th Century with soprano Julianne Baird, again released to wide critical acclaim on Koch International Classics. In 1992, American Baroque began exploring the territory of performing new music written for historical instruments through its collaboration with composer, member and gambist Roy Whelden and his pieces Quartet After Abel and Gamba Quartet, which resulted in a CD release on the New Albion label in 1993.
Intrigued by the unique timbres and subtlety of sounds inherent in their period instruments as well as the excitement and anticipation of performing new music, the group continued to pursue projects and programming that involved combinations of new and old elements. Another collaboration in 1995 with Whelden yielded the provocative CD Like a Passing River with poet and reader Rudy Rucker, also on the New Albion label.
Since its founding, the ensemble has been featured at the Tage Alter Musik Festival in Regensburg, Germany; the Berkeley Early Music Festival; the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival; the San Jose Chamber Music Society; University of California; the San Francisco Early Music Society; on National Public Radio and West Coast Live; and in the Opus415 New Music Festival. In addition, ensemble members perform and record together in the finest period-instrument orchestras in America throughout the year. Recent projects include concerts at the University of Vermont and at Bowdoin College, and a multi-tracked studio recording of Songs of Cold Mountain, a cycle of texts by the 7th-century poet Han Shan. The 1998-1999 season included a commercial recording of eight pieces by the composer's collective, Common Sense, which were commissioned in 1996; and a theatrical and multimedia collaboration entitled "The Death of Anton Webern," written and directed by ensemble member Katherine Shao; the group will present a 2-week run of performances in May 2000.
American Baroque has also received support from Chamber Music America's Millenium Commissioning Program to collaborate with Stanford University composer Jonathan Berger on his new work, Of Hammered Gold (for flute, oboe, violin, viola da gamba and digital bird organ); the work was premiered at Stanford University's Lively Arts series on January 7, 2000. The ensemble has been recognized through grants and awards from the Aaron Copland Foundation, the Mikhashoff Foundation for New Music, and the Zellerbach Family Fund, and most recently won first prize for the 2000 ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming. American Baroque remains the only U.S. chamber ensemble committed to performing both new music and 18th-century works on historical instruments, while continuing to explore the issues raised by both genres, old and new."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "FRANK A. AMENDOLA (guitar, voice, lyrics and composition)
The expression "natural leader" seems appropriate to define Frank. He's both writer, musician and producer, and he carries on his shoulders the entire Curl's project. He shows the way, without having to raise the tune of his voice, using at the same time sweetness and serenity In parallel to an activity as a chemist in a very important cosmetic laboratory, the thirty years old man managed to give his musical project a professional frame.
Latest news, the completion in Nice of his studio La Chaise Bleue, in which he registers Curl's productions for sure, but the electro-jazz-album too of the bass-player Stephane Bertrand The creative harmony hasn't been that great within the group since he's sharing his life with Chrystel Fino : "I can compose without worrying about Chrystel's voice, I know that she'll find perfectly her place in the songs"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "From the dazzling liquid guitar loops of "Mercurial Girl" to the analog synth telegram embedded in "What Planet Are We On?," the restless Canadian lads of Five Star Fall are known for tricking out their sparkling pop with lots of satisfying sonic detail. Along with Michael Shotton of Von Groove on drums, Tom Lewis and Gordon Deppe (of 80's innovators The Spoons) layer and lather up the sound with old effects pedals, Kraftwerk-era drum machines, and hall-of-mirrors self-samples that work perfectly with their upbeat sense of retro-space age wonder.
This mixed hi-fi/lo-fi approach works particularly well on Automatic Ordinary, which finds the band experimenting with its collection of effects and toys more than ever before?a preoccupation that makes this album a treat for the headphone inclined (there's even a song called "Headphones"). Deppe has a string of hits behind him?Nova Heart, Romantic Traffic, and Arias & Symphonies?yet his voice is as fresh and buoyant as ever on Automatic Ordinary, as is his kaleidoscope guitar work. Lewis is the former music director and bassist for Fefe Dobson and Amanda Marshall, and his industry know-how and professionalism really shine through on this album; the tracks are tight, polished, and impeccably arranged. Not to mention, Lewis somehow manages coaxes synth-like groans from an old Fender bass while Shotton delivers fast, intricate rhythms in the way that only a drummer with real heavy metal experience can. Melodic and meteoric , the well-crafted songs of Five Star Fall seem always to be rocketing forward toward some better tomorrow. Catch them if you can."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Gonzalo X. Ruiz is one of America's most acclaimed historical instrument soloists. He is joined by the crack continuo team of cellist Joanna Blendulf and harpsichordist Katherine Shao. The ensemble is named after Francois LaRiche, one of the first great oboists, and a Zelig-like character. He influenced the writing of Purcell, Handel, Telemann, Bach, and Vivaldi, and was a bit of a Johnny Appleseed for the oboe. LaRiche & Co. is committed to reviving and preserving the legacy of the oboe's 18th Century Golden Age. The San Francisco Classical Voice raved about LaRiche's debut: "...a spellbinding program. Though the members of LaRiche shone individually, it was their ensemble playing that made the afternoon truly remarkable".
Gonzalo Xavier Ruiz has appeared both as principal oboist and concerto soloist with most of the leading period instrument groups in America and has performed widely in the U.S. and Europe under conductors such as Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan, Jordi Savall, Gustav Leonhardt, Reinhard Goebbel and Mark Minkowski. His playing is featured on numerous recordings of solo, chamber, and orchestral repertoire. Equally accomplished on the modern instrument, he has performed as principal oboist of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, New Century Chamber Orchestra and the Pacific Chamber Symphony among others. Mr. Ruiz was a prizewinner at the Brugges Early Music Competition in Belgium and for many years has been professor of oboe at the Oberlin Conservatory's Baroque Performance Institute. He has also taught at the Longy School in Cambridge and given master classes at Indiana University. An active chamber musician, he has made numerous reconstructions and arrangements, notably from the works of Bach and Rameau. Twice he's been a featured recitalist at the annual convention of the International Double Reed Society. Mr. Ruiz is an acknowledged expert in historical reedmaking techniques, and over two dozen of his pieces are on permanent display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. With his ensemble American Baroque Mr. Ruiz is also active in the field of contemporary music and was awarded the 2000 ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Ruiz also performs with American Baroque.
Baroque cellist Joanna Blendulf, a native of Sweden, has diverse musical interests, performing in chamber ensembles and orchestras throughout the United States. She received her musical training at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Indiana University, where she studied with Stanley Ritchie, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Alan Harris. In 1998, Joanna received the prestigious Performer's Certificate from the Indiana University faculty for her achievements on baroque cello. Spending much of her time in transit, she is currently performing with the Portland Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Jubilate Baroque Orchestra, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and the San Francisco Bach Choir. Joanna is an active chamber musician, touring with Mirable, American Baroque, Bimbetta, Musica Pacifica and The Streicher Trio, all based in the San Francisco Bay Area where she resides. She was named runner-up in the 2000 EMA/Dorian Competition for her recording of the Jean Zewalt Triemer cello sonatas and has recorded on the Dorian and Eclectra labels.
Katherine Shao, harpsichordist and writer/composer, has performed with many of California' finest classical ensembles, including the New Century Chamber Orchestra, Magnificat, and the San Francisco Symphony. A Master's Degree recipient from the University of Indiana's School of Music, she also works frequently in the contemporary music realm, and has incorporated new music and performance art elements in many of her endeavors, including the production of her unique work, The Path to the New Music, a radio drama about the composer Anton von Webern, for which she was the author and executive producer. She is the managing director of the award-winning ensemble, American Baroque, and appears on numerous recordings. In addition to her creative endeavors, Ms. Shao is a senior manager at a local software company, and takes care of her two young children."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Got glam? Hollywood shock rock kings Rebel Rebel have it to burn. Not only did the band recently inspire its very own brand of hair gel from P/Taylor USA, but when they found themselves banned from most live L.A. venues for their infamous stage antics, they did what any true glam rocker would do: they opened their own nightclub.
"When you come to one of our shows, you don't know if you're going to get drunk with us or burn the place down, and that's what kids love today," says guitarist Teddy Heavens. They want to be scared and have a good time. NO RULES. We offer something to look at and participate in. Slam dancing and moshing are so boring. If you like being entertained and partying, then you'll love us."
R2 influences include Kiss, Plasmatics, and Alice Cooper, and the band has collaborated with producers Jon Mathias (Meatloaf, Kiss) and Brian Kehew (Air, Alice Cooper). Explode Into Space is Rebel Rebel's 2005 release of deliciously riff heavy rock, and the band also recently kicked in contributions to Lost Anarchy and Hollywood Rocks?compilations of legedary L.A. glam bands including Poison, WASP, Stryper, Great White, and Warrant.
Known for their insanely fun, high energy live act, Rebel Rebel tours widely and recently performed at La Scene Bastille in Paris with Undercover Slut, as well as The Cat Club in West Hollywood and The Aristocrat in Las Vegas. Their tour was recently documented by a Fox News team, which followed the band around for a week. Rebel Rebel was also recently featured in Critical Vision's hilarious anthology of worst-ever road experiences, Gigs From Hell."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Guitarist Douglas Lichterman writes:
I began my musical life at 8-years-old when I embarked on seven years of training as a classical violinist, studying with the concert master of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Mischa Mischakoff, after surviving a few years of lessons with his wife.
Serious as I was about that -- I thought it would be my career at the time -- it was another moment that foreshadowed my life as a musician. I was around 11 and had been taken into Wayne, Maine, a town near where I went to summer camp, to watch a parade. Leading the parade was the drum corps, and as those guys came marching toward me playing their snare drums, my entire metabolism changed forever. I begged my parents for a snare drum and acquired the rest of the set over the next couple of Christmases.
Soon after, I started playing drums in rock bands around Detroit before I discovered and subsequently took up the guitar. That led me to became a full-fledged guitar player and singer-songwriter and to drop out of the University of Michigan and head west to San Francisco to be near the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead and start a San Francisco rock band.
Of course, by then I'd dropped violin -- and my initial career dreams of a classical musical -- altogether. My San Francisco rock band, WINDOW, lasted for six years. During that time I became very interested in Jazz and started studying Jazz guitar with the one and only Bill Connors (first electric guitarist in Chick Corea's RETURN TO FOREVER), which changed almost everything about my technique and approach to music. I became a practice-aholic, sitting in front of my music stand for several hours every day.
Around that time, I also was introduced to Middle Eastern music by a great teacher from Iran who first put a dumbek -- a type of handrum -- into my hands. Since then I have spent a lot of time playing dumbek for belly dancers as part of several troupes.
When WINDOW ended, I started a progressive Jazz project called THURSDAY GROUP which soon moved from San Francisco to New York City, where we performed, recorded two albums and toured the U.S.
To say the least, it's been a pleasure to work with this band and watch it develop as we have built a repertoire of original music and performed around the city."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hailed as "a virtuoso of stunning brilliance," a "young master," and a pianist with "unusual poetical expressiveness" by the international music press, Luiza Borac is one of the most charismatic artists of her generation.
Born in Romania, she studied at the Enescu Music School for gifted children and the Music Academy in Bucharest, as well as at the Academy of Music and Drama in Hanover.
Luiza Borac was the 1991 prize-winner of the Enescu International Piano Festival and was awarded the Romanian Critics Prize with the distinction "Young Artist of the Year."
In 1998 she was awarded the Silver Medal of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, USA. One year later she was a soloist at the Young Artists International Festival in Los Angeles and gave her debut in the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York which received exceptional reviews.
Luiza Borac is the winner of over twenty five national and international awards and distinctions, among them first prizes at Viotti-Valsesia, Italy and the Mendelssohn-Germany International Piano Competition as well as the Mozarteum Salzburg Prize.
In 2002 she was the winner of the 1st Prize "Prix d'Oslo," the Audience Prize and the Special Prize for the best Grieg interpretation at the "Concours Grieg" International Piano Competition in Oslo, Norway.
Her international concert schedule includes recitals at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Steinway Hall New York, Radio Hall Hamburg, Palais Pallfy Vienna, Cologne Philharmonie, Puccini Hall Milan, Athenaeum Bucharest as well as many CD, radio and TV productions around Europe and the USA. Luiza Borac performs in festivals including the Grieg Festival in Oslo, Prokofiev Festival at the Barbican Centre London, Aldeburgh Festival, Chopin Festivals in Vienna and Milan, South Bohemian Music Festival, Braunschweiger Classix and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
Luiza Borac has performed as soloist with many orchestras including the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Bucharest and Cologne Radio Orchestras and The Philharmonic Orchestra of Nations.
She has also appeared frequently as a chamber musician and has featured in many CD, radio and TV productions around Europe and USA.
Luiza's first recording for AVIE of George Enescu's Three Piano Suites was enthusiastically received throughout the world, not only for her wonderfully idiomatic performances, but also for the truthful quality of the recorded sound. A hybrid-SACD version was subsequently released about which What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision (UK) said, "Luiza Borac's take on Enescu's Piano Suites is a testing mix of rapid-fire notes, uncluttered acoustic, and moments of breathtaking subtlety". In 2005 AVIE released her second recording for the label: Wanderer featuring music by Schubert and Liszt."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hailing from the astoundingly talented depths of the Bay Area's independent music scene, Psychokinetics have been moving crowds with their bangin' beats, positive vibes, and distinct brand of underground hip-hop since 1995. Delivering hip-hop in its most pure and creative state, this classic recipe of one DJ (Denizen) and two Emcees (Celsius 7 and Spidey) provide consistent heat that has been attracting not only a larger fan base of late, but also an impressive string of musical cameos and collaborators such as Omega of Blackalicious and Raashan Ahmad of Crown City Rockers.
Drawing on a wide range of production talent (DJ Denizen, DJ Ill Media, Dirt Nasty, and Slurface Tone), Psychokinetics are known for delivering a catchy underground sound that appeals to fans of Gorillaz, Ghostface Killah, and De La Soul. With styles ranging from bass heavy party anthems and rhymes flipped over jungle beats to downtempo reflective tracks and scratch laden instrumentals, Psychokinetics constantly demonstrate all the many the benefits of their long histories as musicians together; Celcius 7 and Spidey have amazing back-and-forth flow as Emcees and the group delivers a tight, polished sound that gets heads nodding and butts shaking.
On their latest album, Seven League Boots the four man crew eases off of the experimentation from their debut and focuses more on hip-hop that walks the fine line between underground and accessible. By blending the introspective and lyrical tracks like "Badlands" with bouncy dance tunes like "Feeldismusick" and "Bigtime" (Featuring Zion I), Psychokinetics are poised to garner a larger following throughout the hip hop community and beyond.
Not only do Psychokinetics deliver in the studio, but the band is known for an energetic, engaging, and infectious live show as well. They've built a strong fan base from Japan to Denver to Hawaii, and of course the Bay Area, where they've shared the stage with such hip-hop luminaries including KRS-One, Biz Markee, DJ Premier, Black Sheep, Digital Underground, Kool Keith, and more. In addition to winning a John Lennon Songwriting Award, the Psychokinetics placed as finalists in the Musicians Atlas Independent Music Awards for best hip hop artist.
In the words of Celcius 7, "This is music for the people, the artists, the dancers, the emcees, the DJs, those who love soulful music, and those who embrace the trials and celebrations of being alive." Watch out for these breakthrough artists as they extensively tour in support of Seven League Boots, and keep an eye out for their narrative lounge album due out in 2006."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hands upon black earth. Solid, sensual, organic, electronic music, timeless and multi-layered, seamlessly interwoven with live instrumentation, and rooted in diverse and complimentary musical genres. Respectfully grounded in tradition, but pursuing the freedom necessary to break new ground, hands upon black earth is another step in the evolution of electronic-based music.
In hands upon black earth, composer and performer bobby cochran has created a collection of songs as diverse as they are connected, eluding simple categorization. Tying the project together is an occult pattern of will, desire and worship, driven by a sincere passion, fueled by a persistent discontent with his own limitations.
Sensual and pensive. Meditative and exultant. Flowing, languorous beats with a hard and unrestrained backbone. Inspired words. Pain and passion. Desire and expectation. A union of love and will. These are some of the elements that unite to create hands upon black earth.
Containing layered symbols and hidden devotions, hands upon black earth is a representation of a process of personal exploration and expansion, pushing against convention and expectation. A widely varied yet continuous, lush, 63-minute electronic and acoustic tapestry of auditory experience, this album is a doorway to the seen and unseen."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hanneke van Proosdij studied harpsichord and organ with Jacques Ogg at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the Netherlands, where she also studied recorder and composition.
She received her DM (teaching diploma) in 1992 and UM (solo diploma) in 1995. She performs with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the American Bach Soloists, Magnificat, Parnassus Ave, Chanticleer, Orinda and Farallon Recorder Quartet.
Festival appearances include the Berkeley Early Music Festival, Internationale Handel Festpiele Gottingen, Amherst Early Music Festival, Festival d'Ambronnay, Wratislavia Cantans, Contemporary Improvised Music Festival and the American Bach Soloists SummerFest.
Hanneke is the Director of the San Francisco Early Music Society Medieval Renaissance Summer Festival."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hans Christian's musical journey began many years ago in Germany by studying the cello. "I started to play when I was nine years old and had a private teacher for 10 years. Although my teacher imposed a strict and disciplined approach to learning the instrument I remember him fondly; he was preparing me to go to the music conservatory to become a professional cellist. Deep in my heart, though, I knew all along that this was not going to happen." His life was to unfold along different lines.
Since his father was a minister at a Lutheran church in Hanover, Hans played in that church many times and confesses some early musical adventures: "I would steal the key to the church from my father's desk sometimes and sneak into the church to play there at night. It was dark and cold, but the acoustics were amazing. I am talking about a building in the Neo-Gothic style, big enough for almost a thousand people. So, I would sit in front of the altar, that sacred space, and I didn't know if I was violating God's space or was welcome. I loved those anxious moments and expressed my emotions in wild improvisations."
The unyielding urge to express himself led him to pick up the bass guitar as a teenager and get absorbed in rock music. "I would play along with Hendrix records, and Santana, Pink Floyd and the Doors. I started to play in local bands in Hanover, dressing outrageously and wearing makeup. I lived out my wild fantasies one night while playing classical music the next day. I liked the discipline of the cello studies and the wildness of the rock bands."
Perhaps this duality is a key ingredient to understanding Hans Christian's music and his approach to his own compostions and to his work with RASA, his well-known collaboration with singer Kim Waters. Often starting with a simple melody, Hans weaves an unconventional orchestral treatment that adds a very dense and multi-layered quality to his music, not shying away from any combination of instruments- but always guided by a strong sense of melody and musical development.
Hans acknowledges, "Whether it is with RASA or on my solo projects, I try to keep it very listenable but very interesting, too. I want the listener to travel with the music and have their own experiences."
When he was 21 years old he decided to move to Los Angeles to study bass at Musician's Institute in Hollywood. It was a big adventure, not knowing anybody in LA and without a place to stay. But within six weeks of his arrival he played at the Whiskey on Sunset Blvd, and within a year he was very connected to the local music scene. "I played every hole-in-the-wall club you can imagine, constantly playing with many different kinds of groups, from dark and hard-etched bands to folk and performance artists. It was a fulfillment of my dreams because I could do whatever I wanted, and I tried many different things."
Eventually he worked with established artists like Robbie Robertson, Toni Childs, Victoria Williams, and the Sparks, appearing live and on television. But a persistent urge to express his own ideas kept him on the run. "I felt a strong pull towards doing my own music, to go deeper, and so I stretched out on the cello, practicing constantly, composing difficult pieces and pushing myself very hard."
This creative drive led him to start his own production company, Allemande Music, expanding into all aspects of music production. Besides recording his own music and the music of RASA, Hans has produced and engineered a rich variety of recording projects with other artists. After almost ten years in the San Francisco area, Hans and his partner, Kim Waters, have recently relocated to Door County, Wisconsin, where they have built yet another recording studio. Hans says about this move that "I wanted to fulfill this dream of living in a four season environment where it is beautiful, clean, and quiet, so that I can focus on my work more easily. California is a great place to network but it became too exhausting to live there."
While RASA is the main focus of Hans' musical activities with four CDs in the last four years and an active touring schedule, he has just re-mastered his two most recent solo projects (Phantoms and Surrender) which are re-released through Magnatune.com and a few other companies. Additional solo recordings can be expected in the near future."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hauntingly erotic, Blind Divine features the sensual and melodic vocals of Paula Catherine Valencia as well as the diverse instrumentation and incredible artwork of Daniel Martin Diaz. Darkly delicate music features downtempo rhythms with soft, strangely melacholic melodies. Synthetic and organic instruments melt together with unique warmth and depth, and gradually reveal some of the more somber paths to beauty.
Blind Divine's music has appeared in countless television productions including the MTV project, The Diary of Angelina Jolie & Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Africa as well as more than 25 different television documentaries such as VH1's Driven series, A?'s Biography series, and specials by the History Channel and National Geographic. Their music has also appeared in the feature films, Taking Lives and Orphans and Angels."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "How heavy can rock get? Heavier than you think. SoulPrint is redefining rock. No catchy pop here, just the best soulful hard rock that will make you rethink your existence. The apocalypse is now. SoulPrint has been shattering eardrums along the central coast for nearly five years, and once LaBarre graduates @ Cal Poly, they plan to tour the United States.
Jason Estes: Jason shows his dedication by driving back and forth from his hometown of Santa Barbara to SLO at least three times a week, just for the band. His passions for singing and expressing himself distinguish him greatly from other vocalists. There's not much else to say about him... and he never really has much to say.
Ryan Estes: AKA Rage. If you know him, you know why this is such a fitting nickname. Attempts with every new song to play more chords, and faster. Has a thing for breaking strings and falling over on stage
John Reisz: John started playing drums just so the band could form. Seven years later... he adds his own unique flow to the edginess of the thrashing guitars. That is, if he isn't pounding away at the double kick.
Ryan LaBarre: The newest member of the band and the only one not born and raised in SLO, Ryan hails from way in up Portland, Oregon. He started out playing guitar, but was drawn to the powerful sounds of the bass two years ago. Less than a week after meeting Rage and Flow at Cal Poly, he found himself playing a show with them at a party in Isla Vista. Luckily, the fans were as drunk as he was, so it didn't matter that he was totally winging it. Now, thank god, he actually knows what he's doing on stage."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hoxman is the one man musical project of Xavier Régent. A self-taught musician, Régent studied the piano from childhood but later became deeply fascinated by electronic music (Moroder, Vangelis, Jarre, Kitaro). Régent made concert piano and voice recordings with singer Stéphanie Barrio under the name of scene "Elkysia," but later began concentrating on compositions that were strictly electronic. His first official CD, Argema Moenas, was released in 2001, a period in which Régent says his music tended to be both experimental, as well as "cold, violent, and pessimistic."
It would have been impossible then to predict that just a few years later Régent would release the inspired Synthesis of Five?a warm, transcendant work studded with world music influences and vocals. His work has been compared to that of Enigma, and features upbeat sonic landscapes that evoke another world entirely?one Régent now describes as "strange and vibrating.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Human Response is the electronica side of Jan Hanford.
She is a classically trained musician in piano and composition but is as passionate about electronica and its various subgenres as she is about J.S. Bach.
She creates electronic music with layers of melodic and rhythmic interaction. Her extensive use of the minimoog gives her music a vintage analog sound which she continued when her music evolved using digital samplers and sequencing."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Hybris was formed during a cold winter in the city of "Kiel", in Northern Germany in 1998. The local musician scene was mostly represented by heavy- and trash-metal bands, but gothic and other dark music styles are quite popular at several clubs and local events. 7 musicians had the dream of creating powerful melancholic music - representing the emotions of the local gothic rock community.
Gothic rock has as many facets as other music styles and a poll of 7 different musicians will have at least 14 opinions about the right way. The first try at Hybris ended without any success and only 2 half completed songs. The lack of success led to disharmony and the band came apart.
Those members of the band, who had decided to not give up, were in a difficult spot. Gothic rock musicians are not as common as representives from other music styles and even in the coldness of Northern Germany there won't be so many guitarists with the "right" emotions. So they've decided to start an experiment. Instead of working with 7 musicians with very strong emotions about "the right" style of gothic music they opened the band for musicians with wider and different experience in different music styles - and due to that a more experimental approach to the right music style.
One of the new members was Janis Schibalski a former guitarist and songwriter of a glam rock/party-metal band. Despite his changed preferences (more serious, darker music instead of event driven music the differences between him and most of the other members could not be bigger. Hybris was never planned as a project of friends - it was planned as an experiment, a melting pot of emotions, ideas and extremely different individuals. It was a courageous plan with a strong dedication to at least local succes. This led to the band name: Hybris (which means Hubris in English).
Helge Barth (Bass), Anne Kampmann (Backing Vocals) and Thyra Christmann (Keyboards) were the most "classical" gothic musicians, Malte Volquardsen (Drums) had several roots in Punk, Folk and other music styles. Bent Maczewski (guitar) was the bands representive of solid rock music, Gerret Goos (Lead Vocals) had several roots in gothic rock and metal and Janis Schibalski (guitars) with his long experience as live musician and songwriter completed the band.
An era of hot emotions started in the Hybris rehearsal room - conflicts, discussions but the strong will to achive results. Rotten Flowers was the first result of the melting pot process. Based on an old song of Janis, the band managed it to create a symbiosis out of everyone's influences and emotions. A real conjointly-created work and a sum that was more than its parts.
Strife changed to euphoria and the band quickly recorded the song together with "Final Trust" to create a demo CD. Helge handed copies of the demo recording to local DJs of Gothic Clubs and Events and --very ungothic-like-- the members of Hybris nervously awaited the first reactions of the audience. The result was much better than expected. Rotten Flowers and also Final Trust were dancable (note: which means dancable for gothic-fans :P) the DJ urged to make clear, that this was really a demo recording of Hybris and some visitors of the event asked "Which band was it? Never heard it before!"
Motivated by the first success, Hybris worked on additional material and completed the last song for the first live-gig only days before the event. The impressive Voice of Gerret and the multifaceted gothic-rock of Hybris lead to several gigs in northern Germany and the CD-Recording "The First Words" which marked the zenith of the band history.
Success ushered strife.
Some members of the band wanted bigger influence to the songwriting and the direction of the music, others wanted to invest more money for the "Big deal" and others wanted to concentrate on live events.
Another cold winter in Northern Germany, and the band fall apart. Flowers rot, Hybris died, but the music is still remembered - which describes the Album "The First Words" and the emotions in this music in a better way than long stories can tell."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "I first began to work seriously with sound in the mid-seventies. I moved into this medium from the disciplines of painting and printmaking. Sound had the added attraction of unfolding over time.
Time is an important aspect in my work. There are references and connections to time running throughout the body of my work from the first to the last.
Early influences included Can and Neu, Stockhausen and Cage. These gradually gave way to the music that I was discovering myself which was more in line with Eno and Hassell and extreme experimentalists like Throbbing Gristle and Test Department.
I was a founder member of the band :zoviet*france: who are generally regarded as amongst the pioneers of the post-industrial experimental genre and who have influenced many more mainstream bands in the following years.
My own work has been noted as having a unique style and individuality and has itself fed back into more mainstream genres in the form of commissioned sample libraries, collaborations and re-mixes, and film and installation work.
As a continuing practitioner in the visual arts I do not draw a clear distinction between the two mediums. The work in both areas is inter-related and cross-referenced. This is perhaps best illustrated by referring to my earliest releases, which were vinyl LP's encased in a succession of unlikely and impractical "sleeves". This served at least two purposes; one being to demonstrate that the "object" was equally as important as the music contained in the medium. (These sleeves were all hand-made and hand-printed on a variety of materials including hessian, hardboard, aluminum, roofing-felt, ceramic boxes etc. and have since become collector's items as "art objects".)
The second purpose derived exactly from the "punk" ethos of doing it yourself and the "fuck you" attitude embodied within punk. (We had been told that it was impossible to make these sleeves in any commercially viable quantity and were determined to prove the critic's wrong.)
The third purpose, of course, was that it set our releases apart from the norm.
Whenever possible I have carried this practice over into later works and continued to place equal emphasis on the artwork included with a release and the object itself, with CDs encased in specially designed, and often hand-made, packaging. The purpose, once again, is to make something "special" and to elevate it beyond the usual defining parameters. Subsequently they have become objects of much greater significance to people than they would have been had they been released in ordinary cardboard sleeves or crystal cases.
The definition of the genre that I work within is one that is also open to interpretation. I think of my work as "soundtrack" music and as such it remains open to the inclusion of whatever style I see as relevant. This also allows me to include narrative occasionally e.g. "Tin of Drum" includes narrative pieces written and performed by myself. These owe something to David Lynch and Twin Peaks.
A visit to the real Twin Peaks during an American tour prompted me to later write the pieces which were imaginary spoken statements given to the FBI concerning the whereabouts of the narrators on a date some forty-five years previously. The point being that this would be an almost impossible task, yet all the people "interviewed" managed to give accounts of the day in question. It didn't really matter if the stories were true or not, the narrators were all glad to have been asked as it somehow gave some kind of meaning to their lives.
This is reflected in the statements that they make which include details and insights into their lives, as they judge them to be. In this case these characters (like Becket's) judge their lives as essentially pointless and filled with regret.
The "Tin of Drum" in the title is a reference to my own search for some comfort whilst in a situation that at times seemed pointless and wearisome. In the middle of an exhausting and demanding tour where I missed my family and home my "happiness" devolved down to feeding my (then) last remaining addiction - tobacco. After running out of the rolling tobacco that I had brought with me from Europe I had been reduced to buying awful, unsmokeable American blends and was growing more and more agitated and depressed. Then at an unpromising gas stop I wandered into the small store and there alone on the shelf behind the counter was a solitary tin of Drum rolling tobacco. (My all-time favourite.) It suddenly became the Holy Grail of salvation; I could almost see a blazing aura of light around it. My body jumped for joy and once again I was confronted with the question "what do we seek from life" and what makes us "happy".
We can search for truth and meaning and enlightenment yet seemingly "bliss" can be attained with a hand-rolled cigarette of Dutch tobacco and a cup of Italian espresso.
Reflections on the human need to attach some kind of "meaning" to life could serve as one definition of what my work is about."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "I have always had trouble describing my work.
The problem is partly due to the fact that no easy 'pigeonhole' seems to exist for the music that I create. Some have tried to call it 'New Age'...but often it has too many abrasive elements, dark tones, and sometimes actual noise to fit that. Others have considered it 'Space Music'...which is a bit closer, although I'm not exactly sure what space my work would be describing. 'Ambient' therefore seems to fit best, as it does tend to be music that's suitable for a 'backdrop'...but at the same time, music that also describes a certain 'ambiance'. Music that's a snapshot of sorts of places, feelings, sensations, states of mind, and the like.
Years and years ago, around the same time I was first learning piano as a small child, I also encountered the shortwave radio. It fascinated me...this box of strange sounds, pulsations, voices from other places phasing in and out. And then later in the 1960s, I heard the first stirrings of the Moog synthesizer...and others as well, as I attended a concert given by David Rosenboom while still in the second grade, with him performing his meditative style of electronics on a massive ARP 2500 rig. I suppose it was that formative experience that cemented what I was to try and do in my life.
As the 1970s progressed, I encountered a number of important musical 'signposts'...the work of Eno, Stockhausen, Cage, the music of the 'Krautrock' and punk scenes, and so on. All of these were, I think, important musical influences because they were not so much music that I only listened to, but music that made me want to try and do what I was hearing in it. I banged around some with some industrial/noise ideas, worked some in the early phases of the punk scene in Nashville (and yes, we did have one there), but it was also during this same period, around 1979-1980, that I started tinkering with tapes, delays, simple synths and sometimes just raw electronics. Everything that goes up to now seems to stem from there.
I studied composition at Middle Tennessee State, under Dr. Thom Hutcheson, to whom I'm forever indebted because he allowed me a massive amount of rein to experiment in the electronic music studios there...as well as the commercial studios which were very much on par with typical industry-standard facilities of the day. These were critical times, with Hutch allowing me to try as much as I could, making important mistakes alongside successes. Later on, I studied under John Anthony Lennon at Tennessee, then with Salvatore Martirano at Illinois...both while I was in attendance there, and then off and on privately after a little 'falling-out' I had over some aesthetic differences with the rest of the composition faculty there. Sal taught me one thing that's been important...trust instinct and a belief in yourself and in your music. And from the early 1990s on, I have. Very much so.
I went on from there, gradually building up a studio from a room-corner pile of gear into what I have now, which is requiring the complete remodeling of the walk-up attic of our rural home. In a decade's time, it grew like topsy. As did my music, as I explored deeper and deeper introspections in my 'ambient' work, and I explored the ranges of rhythmic expression in early IDM-style techno. But throughout both, there was and still is a strain of sound that owes its origins to the avant-garde. I have never really gotten away from it, and I don't think it would be in my best interests to try. It's the little bit of cayenne pepper that adds a 'zing' to what would otherwise be a typical dish. And given that I like spicy things, well...
In the past few years, I also was privileged to study with Karlheinz Stockhausen, at his Courses for New Music in Germany. It was not so much an experience of learning basics, but an affirmation that I was pursuing the right directions. Everything that he said or discussed, I already believed or had arrived at a similar conclusion myself. It was very liberating, I said at the time, and from those days on, I've felt a freedom to take what I feel, hear, envision, and set this down as best I can, following instinct, capturing the immediate 'now' of a work.
And it's that 'now'...that is the key here. Framing the 'now', following a sense of the true nature of things, relying on instinct and a fluid mind...all of these things are my guideposts, along with so many things I've heard and experienced. Works that capture a certain 'now', such as "Mendota" and its impression of sunset colors sliding across a vast frozen lake and snowscape...or "SPCTR", which attempts to magnify the 'world inside a single tone'...these and so many other 'nows' are the ones I try to paint as best as I can in the sounds that I use. And perhaps the results evoke other things, as everyone's experience of something as fundamentally communicating as music is colored by their own experiences in so many ways.
In Zen disciplines, one hears of the concept of 'samu'...work as meditation or practice. And I view what I do, when I'm creating or performing, or even tweaking the settings on an existing work...as a manner of that same practice. But it's a practice with an open mind, receptive, waiting for something to sound from beyond the fundamental self and not merely 'just doing something, no matter what'. Creativity within a mindful state, and continuously trying to seize the 'now' in a work...it's not the easiest way I can think of to work, nor the easiest way that I have worked over the years. But it is the right way for me, as trying to be a 'New Music star' only ever led to a lot of ego-driven angst and annoyance. That's not who I am, not my nature, not my music.
Where from here, then? Who can say? Not me. None of those 'nows' have happened yet, so I suppose I'll simply have to wait for them so that I can encounter each one. I encourage you to wait and see what happens, as well."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "I learned to play arrangements of country and delta blues, ragtime and other early 20th century music on guitar as a beginner. These were contractions of the originals. Notes deeper and higher than what a guitar could sound were squeezed into a narrower range and some complexities had to be removed altogether. The arrangements on Too Much Mustard are quite different. If anything they are expansions in many senses of the word. The harmonic overtones shimmer, dance and bass-lines crab and growl in ways impossible with non-digital instruments. These may be late 19th/early 20th century popular tunes, but they use distinctly 21st century instruments. These arrangements were literally painted using special software, not performed. In many ways they are 21st century equivalents of early 20th century player pianos. In many ways Professor Armchair straddles the centuries.
This music at its best evokes happiness of a by-gone era. Circuses and carousels and calliopes, oh my! To some they may appear to be pandering, even kitsch. But the truth is they reflect the optimism, the innocence and the fun-loving of our great grandparents. They saw the future as a time for opportunity, for hope, for joy. And what could be bad in that? Few could imagine the horrors of two world wars nor fewer still the attacks of the 21st century.
Many of the titles are obscure, yet some achingly familiar. Where have we heard Me-ow before? In grainy old black and white cartoons of mewling alley cats, most likely, but I've been unable to find such a cartoon in my modest collection (and I have copies of all the Betty Boop cartoons).
Is this music whose time has come and gone? Ragtime's popularity has never completely disappeared. And nearly everyone will associate Funeral March of a Marionette with a certain film director with a highly characteristic, bulbous profile.
Other figures of public notoriety associated themselves with these songs. The title tune "Tres Moutarde" (Too Much Mustard) was the theme song of early pilot Lincoln Beachey. Beachey hired bands to play it as he looped the loop in his small stunt airplane before paying crowds of amazed onlookers. He felt the song's title Too Much Mustard suited his personality to a "T." He was just a little too much. The arrangements in this collection are perhaps just a bit too much mustard themselves.
Is this music suitable only for children? As they say in the circus: this is music for "children of all ages."
If you look behind the curtain, you'll find that Professor Armchair is none other than Magnatue artist Glen Bledsoe."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Imagine Nick Drake, Pink Floyd, and Opeth jamming under a deep woods full moon, and you'll start to get a glimpse into Mountain Mirrors, the psych folk/rock project of multi-instrumentalist Jeff Sanders.
Sanders honed his guitar chops in the 80's jamming in metal/punk jam bands Shared Psychosis and Your Dirge, and blending original instrumental music with Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Slayer. As his tastes broadened, however, he began bringing in folk influences such as Nick Drake and Damien Rice, and creating the hypnotic folk-rock for which he is known today. It's this melodic yet mesmerizing sound that Sanders uses to explore issues of spirituality. Although his music expresses a deep yearning for enlightenment, it's Sanders' willingness to examine the eerie, lonely side of this quest that makes his music so powerful.
Though these dark, even spooky influences are definitely felt throughout his work, Sanders' music also contains a deep vein of introspection that keep it from being menacing. One reviewer described the first Mountain Mirrors album, Lunar Ecstasy, as a work "fit for poets, travelers and seekers," while another called it "the perfect chill-out album with brief touches of Delerium, Alice in Chains, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Portishead and The Tea Party." In February 2004, Lunar Ecstasy was named album of the month by both IndieSoundz and StonedGods, and "Afterlife" was chosen by Indie Music Beat Magazine for their annual 101 Great New Music Tracks CD.
The eponymous Mountain Mirrors album is Sanders' second full length album, and shows a deepening mastery of his intense, supernatural sound. Guest musicians include Elad Fish on drums and piano, Claire Fitch on cello, Oren Selas on keyboards, and Guy Bar-Tor on bass. "They're phenomenal, absolutely sent from heaven," says Sanders.
Says The Sound Monitor of Mountain Mirrors, "From atmospheric sounds to Massive Attack style trip-hop with your more standard acoustic guitar & soft singing tracks. The music takes you on numerous twists and turns throughout dark and beautiful landscapes from your dreams and nightmares.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "I'm a guitar player, mostly electric, steel string acoustic too. I do session work, songwriting, and production projects. I have a well-outfitted home studio for songwriting and some production, and I also work with a nationally acclaimed pro studio here in Seattle. I cover country, country/rock, blues and jazz, both acoustic and electric, solo guitar and full-band arrangements.
I like working with songwriters and can take almost any songwriter's demo (even face-to-face), turn it into a full-blown arrangement suitable for any studio in Nashville, select and hire appropriate instrumentation, produce the project, assist with artwork and duplication, and assist with marketing. If you're interested, drop me some email.
I am a tone fanatic. I love Teles and Strats - have several. My main guitar is a late-model Telecaster that has been modified with a humbucker in the neck, a Duncan Nashville Strat pickup in the middle, and a Joe Barden Tele pickup in the bridge.
I'm also using a late-model Dobro (for slide and fretted), a Larrivee C-19, a Martin OM28V, a Music Man 6 string bass, an early '60s ES-175, a Music Man ASAT, a Deering 6 string banjo, a Ramirez classical, and a Tacoma Papoose. I have several other guitars but these are the ones that get used the most.
I own about 25 amps of both vintage and modern design. I frequently use a Groove Tubes Soul-O 75, 1x12 combo and an early '60s Fender Princeton Reverb. I'm pretty much a "straight into the amp" kinda guy (with high-quality cable, of course).
The studio is also equipped with many, high quality vintage and modern microphones."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "In 1978 Laurel Zucker graduated from The Juilliard School, won the the Artists International Competition, gave her Carnegie Recital Hall Debut, and hasn't looked back since. In her career, she's released over 30 CDs and can be heard regularly on classical radio stations in the U.S., Europe, Israel, South America, and Canada. As a concerto soloist and chamber musician she has toured Russia with the Sumara Symphony Orchestra, recorded with the Erkel Chamber Orchestra of Budapest, toured with the Marlboro Festival, performed with the Fountainbleau Festival of France, and performed across the U.S. including the Kennedy Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Mondavi Center.
In 1988 Zucker joined the faculty of the California State University, Sacramento as professor of flute, and later received the President's Award for Creative and Scholarly Research. She was also awarded two Creative Research Awards, and the Professional Promise Award.
At Juilliard, Ms. Zucker studied with Samuel Baron and from 1972-75 attended the New England Conservatory of Music where she studied with Paula Robison. Additional instruction came from leading flutists Marcel Moyse and Julius Baker. Ms. Zucker holds a Masters in Music Composition from New York University.
Acclaimed for her rich ravishing sound and deeply engaging musical interpretations, Sara Andon is a versatile performer in many genres including solo, chamber, symphonic, operatic, ballet, and Broadway. She has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, Glendale Symphony, New Haven Symphony, Orchestra New England, San Francisco Western Opera Theater, and many others. Her Broadway performances include engagements with Peter Pan, Les Miserables, and Beauty and the Beast.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Andon has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and China, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. She is also the solo flutist with the Da Capo Players as well as Mirror Visions, a vocal chamber ensemble specializing in newly commissioned works.
Andon holds a Masters of Music degree in Flute Performance from USC studying with Janet Ferguson and Roger Stevens and a postgraduate Artist Diploma from the Yale University School of Music studying with Ransom Wilson. While at Yale, Ms. Andon was awarded the prestigious Thomas Daniel Nyfenger Prize for Outstanding Performance. In 1996, she joined the faculty of the University of Redlands and became the Principal Flutist of the Redlands Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Andon maintains an active freelance career and is a recording artist in high demand and can be heard on many musical projects in the movie/television industry as well as on solo and chamber recordings."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "In October 2004, Asteria burst onto the national early music scene, winning Early Music America's first Unicorn Prize for Medieval and Renaissance Music with a performance heralded by the New York Times as "intimate and deeply communicative...meltingly beautiful." This engaging duo brings out the passion and emotional impact of late medieval vocal and instrumental music with timeless love songs of wide appeal, transporting their listeners back to the age of chivalry.
Eric Redlinger's sweet tenor and skill on the lute are complemented by his expertise in early music, earned through study at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and extensive archival research into original sources. Following graduation from Middlebury College, Eric spent several years immersing himself in the European musical archives of the Hague, Basel and Marburg. During this time he also did post-graduate studies in composition and musicology at the Frankfurt Conservatory of Music and studied medieval lute with Crawford Young and voice with Richard Levitt at the Schola. He now makes his home in New York, where he has studied with Drew Minter and Gary Ramsey.
Sylvia Rhyne brings to the partnership not only her quicksilver soprano but also a strong dramatic connection with the audience, gained from a professional career in musical theater. She has starred internationally as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera and on Broadway as Joanna in Sweeny Todd under the direction of Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, and Susan Schulman.
Raised in London and the Pacific Northwest, Sylvia grew up surrounded by classical music, opera and dance. She pursued a passion for early music at Carleton College, guided by Stephen Kelly, taking leading roles in early operas and operettas on her way to a degree in music. She studied also with Wesley Balk at St. Olaf College and recorded with Dennis Russell Davies and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Arriving in New York, Sylvia was invited to sing with the New York City Opera and began ongoing coaching with Marcy Lindheimer.
Eric and Sylvia first connected through singing with John Hetland's Renaissance Street Singers, a group that brings a cappella 15th and 16th century music to New York City sidewalks and parks. The pair immediately discovered their mutual interest in earlier repertoire and began meeting regularly to work on late medieval pieces, gradually developing their passionate approach to the music. Asteriaâs performances convey the anguish and ecstasy of the poetry and the rapturous beauty of the interweaving vocal and instrumental lines.
The result of Asteria's exploration can be heard on their first recording of 15th century chansons, Le Souvenir de Vous me Tue."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "iNTROSPEKT (aka Benny Sanches) is a decade-long producer of electronic music, with remixes for Depeche Mode and Meat Beat Manifesto among his portfolio.
Frequently called on for production music, iNTROSPEKT's credits include a Sony/Tomb Raider III TV commercial, work for MTV's "Making the Video", and multiple independent films.
As a producer and musician, iNTROSPEKT has worked with David Pulfinger (percussionist, Cabaret Voltaire/Cocteau Twins); Jorge Bermudez (The Bermudez Triangle); Ammie Moore (Chicago-based Lounge/Trip Hop vocalist); Lisa Talev (Austin-based Poet, vocalist, guitarist); Christophe Royer (San Francisco-based House & Funk producer); Rasa N' Rice (Los Angeles-based Electro producer); Shemp (Bass guitarist for Schloss); and many others.
In addition to his own production efforts, Benny works for the celebrated digital-recording company Digidesign.
Benny is the co-collaborator on Magnatune artist "Version"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ion is a new solo venture by established UK musician, David J. Hughes. Most people will know David as the founder member of T-Bass and the last man standing in the SkinMechanix collaboration. Both of these ventures typify the Hughes approach to making music. In other words, foot-on-the-floor, pedal-to-the-metal, full-on electronic power tracks with only an occasional nod towards slower, more romantic moods and feelings.
Ion, however, represents a musical tanent for Hughes?a back-to-basics approach with an emphasis on a more symphonic, relaxed sound.
Says David, "The Ion project came about more or less by accident. In the midst of testing our recently developed ZEIT Step Sequencer, someone forgot to hit the stop button on the recorder and found that we had accidentally recorded more than 20 minutes of random, sequenced noodling, which had no real structure and no real direction. However, rather than just delete the session, we decided to listen ... and came away with the feeling that the music had a raw and unprocessed feel, it was completely natural, unforced and unhurried, the sound of a musician happy to do nothing more than aimlessly wander down strange and previously unexplored pathways."
The end result was the track The Silent Scream, which was editted down from 20 minutes of ambient indulgence to just 5 minutes of actual music. The chords and the lead lines came a few minutes later, composed on the fly and in one pass, with successful takes simply cut and pasted together to build up the layers.
"We were stunned by the realisation that it was possible to write something that was just about halfway decent in such a short space of time, the music of Ion grew out of this new-found fascination for tightly controlled rhythmic patterns coupled with the joy of re-discoevering the lost art of improvised electronic music."
Listen to the music of Ion and simply enjoy. Sequencer music doesn't get any better than this."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "I picked up the cello at school when I was 14, and have never really put it down again.
Studying at both Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music has given me a wide ranging musical base on which to draw.
Currently I'm employed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, where I've been since January 1995.
While studying in London I regularly worked with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. As a recording artist I've enjoyed being part of the orchestra for various film soundtracks such as The Tailor of Panama, Then Tie That Binds, The Boxer, Some Mothers' Son and War of the Buttons.
Irish and International musicians that I've been an orchestral cellist for include: The Corrs, U2, The Three Irish Tenors, Barry Manilow, Shania Twain and Kate Bush.
All the tracks from Ambiencellist were written, performed and produced by myself at fitchsounds studio in Dublin during the winter solstice of 2002.
I have also written a lot of material for various music production houses and have written the score for a play here in Dublin Summer 2003, and an exhibition in Belgium during 2002."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ishwish is Christopher Currell and Beth Quist.
Christopher is no stranger to the electronic music medium. He has worked with many cutting edge artists such as Quincy Jones, Paul Simon, Isao Tomita, Kitaro, Stanley Clark, Allan Holdsworth and Stevie Wonder. Christopher's pioneering work with the Synclavier, a very sophisticated digital synthesis computer, culminated with his contribution to the multi-platinum album "Bad" by Michael Jackson. Christopher plays guitar, Ztar, keyboards, synthesizers and devices.
Christopher eventually gravitated away from pop music when his long time interest in the nature of the human mind and spirit became full time research. Christopher's current work involves the creation of music and sound improvisations that can transport the listener to new realms of experience. Christopher sensed that high technology combined with knowledge of the human mind and spirit can potentially elevate the human consciousness.
"It is crucial towards this goal, to create performances that are influenced first by the immediate environment, which then act as a departure point to transport the audience to another time and place," says Christopher.
In this new endeavor, Currell is joined by world renowned vocalist Beth Quist, who recently finished a two year stint as the lead vocalist in the Cirque Du Soleil production of KA at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Beth is also a member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra project. Beth is very highly skilled with many forms of singing including Middle Eastern and Indian music. Beth plays hammered dulcimer, flute, 12 string acoustic guitar, Doumbek, Zils, Daff, Riqq, various percussion, piano (she started playing at 2 years old) and synthesizers. She is also a trained dancer and has a true four octave soprano voice.
In addition to many world instruments, Iishwish utilizes advanced computer synthesis designed specifically to manipulate, and alter audio and visual vibrations in real-time. The combined influence of the audience, the environment and the intent of Ishwish at the moment, result in every performance being different and unique.
"May peace prevail on earth," says Ishwish."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "I started playing rock guitar in 1978. OK, I banged on it a few times in 1976 but that doesn't count. I started playing in a cover band in Little Rock while still in high school. You know the story; Zep, Who, Stones, Skynyrd, etc.
I did that for a few years then started to teach guitar while in college. I opened up my own recording studio in 1984 (still in business) and recorded about 40 90 minute cassettes of my own music over the next 20+ years. This was more experimental/rock/imporovisation music in the vein of old Pink Floyd or Captain Beeheart.
I got into blues after discovering Robert Johnson and RL Burnside in 1998. I had heard lots of blues over the years but the only artist I really liked was Stevie Ray Vaughan. My music sounds nothing like him however. I had put down my guitar for a few years after getting hooked on computers. I only played sporadically but I noticed that I was abscent mindedly playing old blues riffs.
I remembered that I had the Robert Johnson box set from the 30's and I started listening to it, not really intending to learn that style. A co-worker at the time was listening to internet radio and one fo the stations played lots of old blues artists like Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell and of coure Robert Johnson. I was immediately hooked on the raw, funky style and investigated further.
Learning these songs by ear was difficult as many are tuned differently from traditional guitar tunings and many artists of that era used capos to change keys which made it almost impossible to figure out what the tunings were. Eventually I stumbled across a video of Bukka White playing what looked like open E tuning. I tried it and voila! I was playing Robert Johnson licks in no time.
I recorded my first 4 cd's in a little less than 12 months, 3 more followed in quick succsession.
After years of playing complicated and almost orchestrated music that took days or weeks to record one song, it was refreshing to be able to knock out several songs in a day with just a guitar and a microphone. The fingerstyle picking allows the guitarist to use the thumb for the bass notes the the first and second fingers for the melody and chords. A full band can be imitated with just one guitar in this manner. This is one of the defining techniques of country blues (also know as delta blues). I've also taken up the blues harp which is featured in many of my songs as a solo or melodic intrument.
I'm also recording what I call 'full band' blues at home on my trusty 7500 Macintosh which includes electric guitar, bass, drums, and even some electronica influences. Many of these songs reference the minimal sounds of the Chess Records recordings of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter. So far I have recorded two CD's of 'electric blues'. I hope you enjoy my music - many people believe the blues is a dyiing art from ut nothing coudl be further from the truth, if anything it's growing and web sites like Magnatune can do nothing but help further 'the cause'."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "It all started with a shoebox and rubber bands....
Born the son of an electronics industry father, Bobby DeVito was exposed to the wonders of computers and electronics at an early age. His parents noticed a certain musical bent when they discovered the young child placing rubber bands on a shoebox in tonal order. Soon the budding musician received a guitar for his birthday.
During the early days of his youth, Bobby often accompanied his father to work, marveling at the rooms full of mainframe computers at Control Data. He and his father were electronics hobbyists as well, building a digitally controlled television with remote control in 1976. At this time, Bobby got his hands on his first synthesizer - an Arp Axxe. Running this basic monosynth through an MXR delay and flanger opened new worlds of sonic discovery. Nevertheless, the guitar proved the be his main instrument for many years, with Bobby touring the USA with new wave pioneers The X-Statics. DeVito was able to fulfill his synthesizer jones during these years by toying with lead vocalist/keyboardist Jon Allmightey's analog synths during rehearsals and soundchecks. After seven years of constant touring and performance, the band split up and Bobby headed to South Florida for an unknown musical future.
Gathering together a drum machine, 4 track recorded, and some signal processing gear, Bobby recorded his first album "Guitar Salad" during this era. This album was more successful than anything he had done previously, being featured on mainstream radio stations all over Florida and garnering a fair amount of press attention. This project set Bobby upon the solo artist path that he has pursued ever since. It was also during this time that academia beckoned, and DeVito managed to get into the prestigious IDS program at St. Petersburg Junior College. After graduating from SPJC, he set his sights on the progressive honors university New College in Sarasota Florida. After making it through the gauntlet of admissions tests and interviews, DeVito was accepted and began to work intensely with Professor Steven Miles, the director of the music program for the college. Miles was a huge influence on the budding electronic music composer, exposing Bobby to a world of sounds, textures, sociological theory, and music history. It was also beneficial that New College had just built an electronic music studio the year DeVito started his studies, as well as hiring an electronic music professor from the Eastman School of Music, Robert Constable. The electronic odyssey had begun. At New College Bobby was exposed to the music and compositional thoughts of composers such as John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Milton Babbitt, and Iannis Xenakis, as well as philosophers of music such as Walter Benjamin, Simon Frith, and Theodor Adorno. This learning experience helped DeVito to develop his compositional skills and theories, as well as gather an appreciation of electronic music history and conceptual framework.
During these halcyon college days, DeVito managed to secure a job working for BMG Distribution as their College Marketing Rep, a position he held for three years that allowed him to get "real-world" experience in the music industry. At New College, each student must write a Master's Thesis in order to graduate, and Bobby decided on an ambitious project -- to combine his written thesis with a full length album of ambient music. Starting with Erik Satie, and ending up with modern day composers such as Aphex Twin, DeVito's thesis covers the dawn and progression of ambient music, the ways ambient music is distinguished from Muzak, and the sociological implications of ambient music listener reception by touching on the theories of philosopher Theodor Adorno. DeVito's thesis lives on in Hyperreal's "Epsilon Ambient Music Archive".
The CD portion of his thesis is entitled LVX Nova. This project was a collaboration between DeVito and noted electronic composer Mike Meengs. The thesis project was a success, and DeVito graduated from New College in 1996.
After graduation, DeVito set out to get the project released commercially. After releasing the album independently and garnering over 60 pages of press worldwide, three labels presented offers to release the album: R? Records in Belgium, Subharmonic Records in NYC, and MIRAMAR Records in Seattle. After entertaining all the offers, DeVito decided to sign with MIRAMAR, home to one of his biggest influences Tangerine Dream, and also a part of the BMG Distribution family. LVX Nova received tons of press, critical accolades, and made it to several "top ten releases" lists. In addition, the CD won several awards, including the 1999 "JAMMY" award in Florida for best electronic act.
However, with the instability of MIRAMAR after motion picture company UNAPIX bought out the label in 1999, DeVito was again without a label. After doing some international touring with Atlantic/Code Blue recording artist Sherman Robertson (as bandleader and second guitarist) DeVito once again plunged into the electronic abyss. Stargarden was born at this time. The name stargarden is directly influenced by the underwater life of starfish, who can form huge colonies on the sea floors in a communal form -- sadly, unlike their human counterparts.
Holed up in a loft in Hyde Park Tampa, and later Miami Florida, DeVito creates music entirely for the sake of the process and the enjoyment of his fans. Relying on timbre, repetition, and space, the music of stargarden ranges from drifting ambient space music to beat driven electronica. Bobby cites other artists such as Tangerine Dream, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Global Communication, Peter Namlook and FAX artists, John Cage as influences on his particular brand of ambient music. After discovering the then-fledgling MP3.com from his friend. sometime musical partner, and influence Mike Meengs, DeVito placed the first stargarden album on MP3.com, and received thousands and thousand of downloads, as well as quite a few CD sales.
Now, in order to bring electronic music distribution to a new level, DeVito has signed stargarden with Magnatune, believing in their new model of music distribution and intellectual property management. And with new music being released only here on Magnatune, the future of stargarden ambient music is secure.
If you like this music, please consider buying a CD or two to help the process continue. The quest for ambient beauty continues....."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "It's an eternal process: composing, playing, putting different people together, and then recording or playing live. That's why we call the band the "Eternal Jazz Project."
Pianist Lars Lundell is the driving force behind it all. EJP's music is described by many as calm, melody-based and gentle, with a special Swedish touch. Original compositions and melodies are tightly connected to improvisation on saxophone, piano, guitar, double bass, and drums. The players in EJP are: Lars Lundell, piano, electric piano; Soren Svedestig, saxophones; Henrik Norman, double bass; Hans Rolin, drums; Johan Nilsson, guitar. Jazz on!"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "IVILION is a solo project of Michael Weeks, building massive tribal ambient compositions from alien sounds and driving acoustic and synthetic rhythms.
The process and sound pallette of composition is key: Michael finds and creates sounds as if they are created by natural instruments, yet defy traditional expectations of sound.
Using physical modelling and emulation, IVILION evokes otherworldly tribes rousing to a chorus.
Tribal drums distort and frenzy as the flutes and choir collide with ambient soundscapes, drawing the listener into a parallel reality.
Sartinal is the first proper album by IVILION - earlier work was done as a film soundtrack to the feature length film What I See In The Dark by Phobic Films. Sartinal is an introduction into the world of IVILION - setting the scene for future movements.
This music will appeal to fans of SPK/Graeme Revelle, and Cold Meat Industry recording artists Raison D'etre and Deutsch Nepal.
Other Michael Weeks projects include etherine and The Wretch."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "I was born to loving but rather unmusical parents. My father's singing repertoire was limited to "The Old Gray Mare" performed with a toneless and impish gusto which I only heard two or three times that I can recall. My mother tells me she used to be able to pick out tunes on the piano one-handed. As a high school senior I bought my first album: "Al Hirt Plays the Theme from The Green Hornet." I plead humble beginnings.
My freshman year at college I received an all-important Christmas gift: a $13.95 guitar from JC Penneys. This may sound like the apocrypha of a slightly disoriented blues musician, but I have friends who will swear to the truth of it. And like all new and dedicated players, I played it until my fingers were ragged and sore if not actually bleeding.
Under the influence of the devil instrument my musical tastes expanded beyond the themes of television shows. At first, I learned to play the music of Mississippi John Hurt, John Fahey, and then as my skill increased, Leo Kottke and Ton Van Bergeyk. Even from the beginning though I wrote my own tunes-albeit in the styles of others. Over several decades I listened to classical, jazz-fusion, pop-rock, and many other kinds of music which had nothing to do with guitars.
After trying my hand at many different careers including store clerk, chemical technician at a steel mill, raw materials sampler, custodian, musical instruments sales- and repair-person, house husband, art gallery director, artist-in-residence, semi-pro musician and T'ai Chi instructor, I settled on elementary school teacher. Part of my training as a teacher included a class on educational technology. Technology and learning quickly became my area of expertise, and today I am Educational Technologist (a noble-sounding title for a catch-all plate of responsibilities) in the Molalla River School District in Oregon. I also write monthly technology and education columns for several different teacher publications. In the mid-90's, I discovered digital sound design. My music world went sploosh. And maybe squish, too. Brace yourself, brothers and sisters. I gave up fingerpicking."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Jacob Heringman has established himself as one of the world's most respected and most innovative solo lute players. He appears on over 50 CDs as a soloist, collaborator and ensemble player, with renowned artists such as Barbara Bonney, Catherine King, and Michael Chance, and with leading medieval and renaissance ensembles including Fretwork, Musicians of the Globe, The King's singers, Virelai and the Dufay Collective. The American lutenist Jacob Heringman studied with Jakob Lindberg at the Royal College of Music in London, and later with Pat O'Brien in New York.
Based in England since 1987, he has established himself as one of the world's most respected and most innovative solo lute players, and as a much sought-after ensemble player performing regularly throughout Europe and North and South America, and making many CD and radio recordings of medieval and renaissance music with leading English ensembles, including The Rose Consort of Viols, Fretwork, Musicians of the Globe, The Kings Singers, The New London Consort, Virelai and The Dufay Collective.
As a continuo player, Jacob Heringman performed and recorded with The King's Consort, The English Baroque Soloists, The Parley of Instruments and The Taverner Consort, among others. In 1993, he left the continuo circuit to focus on renaissance solo and ensemble projects."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Jade Leary is a fiercely independent artist from Montreal. A musician from a very young age, he evolved from the Montreal underground scene of the late 80s. He has played with renowned avant-rock musicians Bernard Falaise and Remi Leclerc (Miriodor, Klaxon Gueule, Papa Boa) in various projects. His 90's rock band SoulCirkus caught the eye (and ear!) of The Cult bassist Jamie Stewart, and spent 4 weeks on CHOM-FM's top ten list.
In 2002, well before the current wave of digital downloads, he initiated a project called FairPlay - a distribution model for the new millennium that urged musicians to take matters in their own hands and distribute their music as digital files under a shareware type license. Although the project has since folded he continues to believe in its underlying principles, which are now present in projects like Magnatune and Gabriel/Eno's MUDDA, says Jade, "when various individuals, from different parts of the world, from diverse backgrounds get the same idea pretty much at the same time, it means this idea's time has come. This is a revolution. We're not going back."
A multi-instrumentist, he now works alone, weaving projects that have taken more and more of an intimate and introspective turn. His third album The Lost Art of Human Kindness, his first on the Magnatune label, is a perfect reflection of that tangent. It was featured on Apple's Quicktime web site and media player for several weeks and described in QuickTime News as "...a surrealistic blend of voice, electronics, and unusual orchestrations that defy categorization."."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "
James Kirsch aka "General Fuzz" studied electronic music at Oberlin College. Oberlin is in Ohio, near Cleveland, and not much else.
One day, a small yet innovative company called Propellerheads came up with a stellar piece of music software called Reason which completely changed Kirsch's approach to music, allowing him to condense a large studio's worth of equipment onto his desktop computer. He started tooling around with the software and got very inspired. So much, that he made an album, called General Fuzz(2002).
A few years later, Kirsch discovered a new piece of software called Live, created by Ableton. This software integrated a musical technology called VST, which allowed him use all sorts of new virtual instruments. Live also has sophisticated digital audio recording capabilities, which meant he could start having talented friends come over and work on recordings collaboratively.
Kirsch finished up Messy's Place just in time for Burning Man 2005, where he gave 500 copies of it to unsuspecting people. In the months that followed, he received a flood of emails from people, praising it, and decided to do a more formal release for the album."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Jamie Janover is recognized as a true innovator on the hammered dulcimer. As the 2002 national hammered dulcimer champion, Jamie is reinventing the way hammered dulcimer used by being the leading purveyor of a new style called dulcitronica!
Intricately layered soundscapes evolve from dense textural grooves to spacious ethereal ambience using a custom hammered dulcimer, miniature drum kit and the magic of digital technology. Jamie brings new direction to the hammered dulcimer by applying diverse percussive techniques drawn from some of the other instruments he plays: drums, mini-kit, multi-percussion, tabla, congas, bongos, timbales, and udu. His background as a drummer gives him a totally different approach to the hammered dulcimer than traditional players. His style is characterized by a symbiotic interplay between rhythm and melody, laying down deep intricate grooves and not being afraid to take the listener into new realms of the timbral universe.
Since moving to Boulder, Colorado in 1995, Jamie has played with a diverse group of bands including, ZILLA, Zuvuya, The Motet, The Theory Of Everything, Vibe Squad, The Zambiland Orchestra, Chupacabra, and his own band, Jamie Janover and the Realms Ensemble, among many others.
Jamie is also a veteran of hundreds of live guest appearances having performed with Phish, Stanley Jordan, Bela Fleck, The String Cheese Incident , Leftover Salmon, Keller Williams, The Jazz Mandolin Project, Sector 9, The Slip, Govt Mule, Tony Furtado, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Warren Haynes, Sam Bush, Derrek Trucks, Future Man, Stanton Moore, members of the Rebirth Brass Band, The Dead, Big Head Todd and the Monsters and The Yonder Mountain String Band, among many others.
Jamie has appeared on over 30 commercial CD releases including recordings by The String Cheese Incident, G. Love and Special Sauce, Keller Williams, Garaj Mahal, Shanti Groove, Chupacabra and Stephen Halpern. He has performed at venues and festivals across the country including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, N.W. Festival of Jazz and Wine, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Tippitina's in New Orleans and The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
A world traveler, Jamie has played not just in the U.S. and Canada, but also in Africa (for the Masai of Kenya), India and Australia. His live performances have included everything from solo hammered dulcimer concerts, to playing in bands on drum kit, percussion, hammered dulcimer or didjeridoo. Jamie also does hammered dulcimer workshops, school assemblies, weddings and accompanies dance and theater performances.
Jamie Janover's music is diverse in scope and so have been the ways in which it has been used. Janover's music has been used for television and video soundtracks, theater and dance performances, meditation practices and massage videos. His work has been treated in several nationally circulated publications including Dirty Linen, Relix, Dulcimer Player News, and Mountain Freak and has been featured on the NPR radio programs "All Things Considered" and "New Sounds".
An incredible new step in Jamie's creative output was his invention of the "Realms Mobile", which is a musical vehicle! The "Realms Mobile" is a recumbent tricycle, attached to which is a mini-simulated drumkit. This enables Jamie to play drums with both hands and pedal around at the same time! He brings it out at large festivals including Burning Man.
With each new project, new album, new band, new instrument comes another step in the continued evolution of Jamie's creative process. He continues to cross-pollinate both genres and mediums in his continual exploration into the infinite realms of the creative process. Perhaps best known for his musical abilities, Jamie is also a professional photographer. Janover is a truly multi-talented and totally unique artist in the broadest sense of the term.
Janover plays hammered dulcimer duets with Michael Masley on "All Strings Considered"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Jan Latham-Koenig, born in England in 1953 of French, Danish and Polish descent, studied at the Royal College of Music. After winning all the major conducting and piano prizes and a Gulbenkian Fellowship, he first made his mark as a concert pianist, but in 1981 decided to concentrate exclusively on conducting. He has conducted most of the major orchestras in Britain including the Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, Halle and all the BBC orchestras. With his own group, the Koenig Ensemble, which he founded in 1976, he has conducted many ambitious and highly-successful projects. From 1989 to 1992 he was Music Director of the Orquestra do Porto, which he formed at the instigation of the Portuguese government.
Music Director of both the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and Opera du Rhin since the 1997-98 season, his work there has been very favourably received. Recent productions have included Turandot and Elektra, and the ballet Prince of the Pagodas. His production of Dialogues des Carmelites won the Claude-Rostand prize for Best Regional Opera production (1999) and also the Diapason d'or for the best opera video (2001). His other Strasbourg productions have included Macbeth, La Bohme, Peter Grimes, Tristan, Pelleas et Melisande, Korngold's Die Tote Stadt and Carmen. In May 1999, he brought the orchestra to the Barbican, London, for a Gala concert in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Council of Europe, returning in 2002 for a highly-acclaimed performance of Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust. Also in London, Latham-Koenig has conducted the Opera du Rhin in his much-praised Dialogues des Carmelites at the BBC Proms. Other opera performances abroad have included Henze's Venus & Adonis (Genoa), Tosca (Bastille), Dialogues, Jenufa and Hamlet (Royal Danish Opera) and I Lombardi (Santiago, Chile). He regularly performs with this orchestra at Chatelet, Baden-Baden and in other venues in France. Other recent tours include Wroclaw, to perform Szymanowski's King Roger, and Greece.
Jan Latham-Koenig's guest conducting takes him to many countries. He has appeared with orchestras worldwide: in America, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and St Paul Chamber Orchestra; in Japan, with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony and Tokyo Symphony; in France with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Orchestra National Bordeaux Aquitaine; in Europe with orchestras including the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Danish and Swedish Radio orchestras, Stockholm Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the orchestras of Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk and Sudwestfunk in Germany. He enjoys performing in Italy, and has performed with the orchestras of the Teatro Comunale in Florence and RAI Turin. In 2001, he gave several concerts with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and last season made a most successful concert debut with Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Opera is a particular interest. From 1988 to 1990 he held the position of Principal Guest Conductor at the opera house in Rome. In 1988 he made an impressive debut at the Vienna State Opera (Macbeth) and was immediately re-invited for performances of Aida in May 1989. As Permanent Guest Conductor he conducted well over 100 performances there, including major revivals of Maria Stuarda and Macbeth, and, in 2001, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Traviata and I Puritani. His many European performances have taken him to the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden) and English National Opera; to the Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper, Berlin, and Hamburg State Opera; to Verona Opera and La Fenice (Venice), and to Royal Danish Opera, Royal Swedish Opera and the opera houses in Genoa, Lisbon, Toulouse, Monte-Carlo, Bonn, Stuttgart and Bilbao. He has also visited the opera house in Santiago (Chile) and Canadian Opera. Opera festivals include Bregenz, Caracalla (Rome), Wexford, Macerata, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Torre del Lago, Vicenza, Bergamo, Lucca, Montepulciano and Montpellier. Opera broadcasts include Puccini's Edgar and Szymanowski's King Roger for Danish Radio; a cycle of Weill operas and radio cantatas for WDR and, in early 1999, Dialogues des Carmelites, broadcast nationwide by French television from the Opera du Rhin.
In 2001, Latham-Koenig and embarked on a notable new series of recordings, with Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, for Avie. Most recently he garnering international acclaim, including a Gramophone Editor's Choice and a Choc du Monde from Le Monde de la Musique, for the first CD release of Ibert's early two-act opera Persee et Andromde. Their first release for Avie was Franck's Symphony in D coupled with extracts from Psyche. For Capriccio he has recorded a Weill cycle including Mahagonny with Anja Silja, Der Zar lsst sich photographieren, Der Lindberghflug, Magna Carta, Der Silbersee, Happy End, Der Kuhhandel and Street Scene. His discography also includes Donizetti's Poliuto with Martinucci, Connell and Bruson (Nuova Era), Catalani's Dejanice, Henze's La cubana, Leoncavallo's La Boheme (Nuova Era) and Donizetti's Elisabetta al castello di Kenilworth (Ricordi). His three William Walton releases form part of the Chandos Walton cycle including the Violin Concerto (Lydia Mordkovitch), Viola Concerto (Nobuko Imai) and Facade Suites Nos. 1-3 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Recent seasons also included a very successful and ambitious concert presentation of La Boheme in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, consisting of Act I of Puccini's opera and Acts III and IV of Leoncavallo's; appearances with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique and guest conducting in Europe and the Far East. Recent repertoire has included Mahler's massive Eighth Symphony, Britten's War Requiem and Janacek's Glagolithic Mass. Future plans include further engagements in Japan, return visits to a range of European orchestras and, in addition to his regular Strasbourg appearances, residencies, tours and recordings with Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Joerg Huettner founded "Saros" back in 1998 together with DJ Jan Osh as a Goa/Ambient project.
After 8 months of work they already had their first live gig in front of an enthusiastic crowd in December of the same year.
In 1999 first CD compilation releases followed on the German based label "Zoomia".
After Joerg relocated in 1999 he went on solo with "Saros", focusing more and more on ambient and downbeat tracks.
During this time the first album "reaching out to the other world" was released solely on MP3 websites--including MP3.com and peoplesound.com--garnering many of rave reviews.
In 2001 and 2002 further CD compilation releases followed on "Waldorf Records", the label of the world famous Germany synth company Waldorf, as well as on Ceiba Records, USA, in 2003.
The "Soundscapes" album was produced in 2002 and 2003 and Joerg already is working on new tunes to be released in the future.
His latest works even brought him in touch with LA based Hollywood composer Klaus Badelt (e.g. "k-19", "time machine", "pirates of the caribean") and they are planning future collaborations."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Joglaresa is a well-established medieval music ensemble and are leaders in the improvisational and cross-cultural aspects of their repertoire. They won an Arts Council of England Early Music Award for their Hebrew/Arabic/Spanish programme Al 'Andalus, and received great critical acclaim for their Crusades programme The Scimitar and the Sword, which represents the voices of Judaism and Islam alongside the Christian viewpoint. Their first album of Judeo-Spanish songs Ballads of Love and Betrayal was released in 2002 (Village Life 010130 VL). Performances include the opening concert at the Aldeburgh Festival and the closing concert at York Early Music Festival; the Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Brezice Early Music Festival (Slovenia), Istanbul, Amsterdam International Festival of Jewish Music; tours in Germany, Italy and Holland. Broadcasts include BBC Radio 3, 4, and World Service; German, Dutch and Slovenian radio.
Joglaresa's musical style allows improvisational and ornamental freedom to all members of the ensemble, as you will hear on many of these tracks. Each of the Latin hymns is found in various European sources and Joglaresa has decided to pronounce them in an Italian style because most of the vernacular songs are in Italian. Some pieces do not have extant melodies so the medieval technique of contrafactum has been applied and other well- known melodies of the time used.
Director Belinda Sykes is an international concert and recording soloist. She studied voice and improvisation in Morocco, Bulgaria, Syria, Spain and India; oboe and recorder at the Guildhall School of Music. She has performed/recorded with Red Byrd, New London Consort, Tragicomedia, Harp Consort, Paul O'Dette, Ensemble Unicorn, Sarband, Dufay Collective and Oni Wytars and is Professor of Medieval Song at Trinity College of Music. As an oboist she has played for the Gabrieli Consort, English Concert, King's Consort, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Age of Enlightenment and Hanover Band, and has collaborated with many composers including Sir Harrison Birtwistle."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "JungHae Kim arrived in the United States as a teenager and winner of the 100th Anniversary Korean-American Musical Competition in Seoul, and has been a highly regarded solo and chamber performer both in the U.S. and around the world ever since. She holds a Bachelors Degree in harpsichord performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and a Masters Degree in historical performance in harpsichord from Oberlin Conservatory. It was at Amsterdam's Sweelinck Conservatorium that she earned an advanced degree in harpsichord performance and later studied with Gustav Leonhardt, whom she praises as much for his philosopy of music as she does his musicianship. ("His emphasis was never on technique, but on what was behind the music.")
Ms. Kim maintains an highly active international touring calender with numerous historical instrument ensembles including Southern California Chamber Orchestra, Pierce Baroque Dance Company, the Oberlin Baroque Orchestra, the Indiana Baroque Orchestra, the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival Period Ensemble, Brandywine Baroque, Musica Angelica, and Music's ReCreation. She performed with American Baroque at the Library of congress in 2001 and has performed with her principal group, Mirable, in the 2002 Bloomington Early Music Festival as well as on both the 2003/2004 San Francisco Early Music Society and the San Jose Chamber Music Society series.
In 2006, Ms. Kim was awarded a grant by the Peninsula Council for the Arts to produce a recording of solo keyboard works and recently inaugurated the Brisbane Concert Series with a sold-out solo performance. In January 2005, she performed on tour in Hawaii and returned to solo with the San Francisco Symphony in a series of performances of Bach's Fifth Brandenburg Concerto. Upcoming engagements include solo and chamber music performances in the Bay Area and in San Diego, as well as in the 2005 Assisi Summer Festival in Italy.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Junoon is the Urdu word for "obsession" and is also is one of South Asia's most popular rock bands. Based out of Karachi, Pakistan, Junoon was formed in 1990 by guitarist/songwriter/medical doctor Salman Ahmad. The band, described by its members as a "Sufi rock band," is considered as one of the most successful in the history of South Asia.
The name "Junoon" came to lead guitarist Salman Ahmad in a dream. In the dream, his teacher was shaking him and saying, "Tumhey mousiqui ka Junoon hai!" (meaning "You have an obsession for music!"). Shortly thereafter, he formed Junoon with other two friends, Ali Azmat and Brian O'Connell.
Junoon's cult following began with the band's album Talaash ("the quest"), and was expanded to a national then international following with releases such as Azadi ("freedom") and Inquilaab ("revolution").Junoon While most Pakistani performers relied on sampling and highly programmed synth pop, Junoon was one of the first in Pakistan that insisted on playing real, live music. Heavily influenced by rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Junoon aimed at combining loud guitar riffs with the epic tranquility of sufi poetry by the likes of Maulana Rumi, Allama Iqbal and Baba Bulleh Shah.
Success came with its attendant challenges. As they tried to defy traditions in a conservative country like Pakistan, Junoon's politically influenced songs were often subject to censorship, which led to the eventual ban from all state run television and radio during the rule of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Despite these difficulties, in 1998, the band took both Pakistan and India by storm with their hit single "Sayonee" from the album Azadi ("freedom"), their tremendously successful fourth studio album, initially released by EMI. In 1999, Junoon released their fifth studio album Parvaaz ("the flight"), based on the poetry of Baba Bulleh Shah. Parvaaz was recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studios in London and was hailed by critics as Junoon's finest work to date. Junoon won the award of "Best International Group" at the Channel V Music Awards in New Delhi, India in November 1999, where they peformed with Sting, Def Leppard, and Prodigy.
In 1999, UNESCO invited Junoon to perform at their Millennium Peace concert in Paris, which drew an audience of dignitaries from around the world including the heads of the European union and ambassadors from 170 countries. Junoon performed with an aim toward promoting peace and was apparently a hit among many present including Ray Charles, Lionel Richie, Dr. K.J. Yesudas, Montserrat Caballe, and Zubin Mehta. Famous actors Gregory Peck, Sidney Poitier, and Peter Ustinov were the masters of ceremony for the event. Junoon
In 2003, Salman Ahmad was appointed Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations, attending a Special Session of the UN General Assembly. Following the 9/11 attacks, Junoon helped to organise a concert at the General Assembly on UN Day with Junoon performing at the actual Assembly Hall, the first such performance of its kind. They also released the single "No More," a song which deals directly with the violence perpetrated on that day.
Junoon is arguably the most successful Pakistani musical group in history and has toured extensively around the world, including a performance at the renowned European rock festival, Roskilde, in June 2000, where they shared the stage with Pearl Jam, Iron Maiden, Travis, and Queensryche.
Junoon's controversial single "Pappu Yaar" is known for having shot to the #1 spot in Pakistan. In fact, Junoon's issue oriented music has also helped to keep spirits high amidst deepening social woes on the international stage. Songs like "Jazba-E-Junoon," "Sayonee," "Talaash," "Main kaun hun" are issue oriented yet poetic and try to take a big picture view of humankind and its place in the world. As a result, Junoon is often mentioned in the same sphere as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or Lata Mangeshkar, yet this rather erudite side did not prevent it from captivating Pakistani youth for well over ten years.
In their career, Junoon is particularly proud of having played an active role in bringing the people of India and Pakistan together. When tensions were high after the nuclear explosions in 1998, Junoon's' single "Yaaron yehi dosti hai" was played enthusiastically across many music channels in India which also found a sizeable audience in Pakistan. Junoon's viewpoints on nuclear testing were even loud enough to reach the White House, and continue to find a foothold in the global exchange of ideas today.
In 2005, Brian O'Connell returned to his native New York. Pakistani musician Mekal Hassan and the band's producer John Alec have been playing bass guitar for live shows in his place. A reunion concert took place in Dubai, UAE in March 2006.Junoon"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Katherine Roberts Perl began her harpsichord studies at the age of 14 and went on to study music at Los Angeles City College, Immaculate Heart College, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she studied intensively with Laurette Goldberg and received her Master's Degree harpsichord performance. Since that time Perl has developed both a unique teaching and playing style for which she has become well known?one that celebrates the dynamic and expressive aspects of the harpsichord and is influenced by the American idioms of blues and jazz.
While conventional ideas of the harpsichord hold that it does not allow for variation in volume, Perl's powerful playing overturns this perception, and mines the expressive capacity of the instrument. Her innovative approach has been termed "sound sculpture."
Ms. Perl's first recording, Pieces de Clavecin, Music of Louis Couperin was nominated for Best Baroque Recording of French music in 1993, in Paris. The second recording, Music of Jacques Duphly, was released in 1998 on the Dorian label and most recently Perl's independent recording of four of Bach's French Suites has been made available on Magnatune. Bach's classic composition for harpsichord, The Well-Tempered Clavier, has now become the center of Perl's artistic attention and future recordings and releases are in the works.
In addition to her performing, teaching, and recording activities, Katherine Roberts Perl is an esteemed harpsichord technician, serving the Bay Area. She and her husband Mark produce a concert series/salon in their home in San Francisco called Chattanooga Chamber Music, which consists of four live music performances every fall and spring.
"I consider myself extremely fortunate that my life thus far has been contemporary with many great masters," says Perl, "who have shown the way for practitioners of early music performance in my own generation and the next: musicians such as Gustav Leonhardt, the Kuijken brothers and Hopkinson Smith, to name a few." She adds, "My mission in life is to play the music of Bach, Couperin and others on the harpsichord with clarity and grace, and to teach others what it takes to do so. Meaningful expression is an elusive thing, and so wondrous when it is achieved."
Additional Praise for Katherine Roberts Perl:
"The key to Roberts' success is her fluent but precise rhythmic sense. She has a way of springing the rhythm, drawing out the line, waiting until the last possible moment before attacking a note without damaging the onward flow in the slightest. Strength and delicacy, nuance and bite seemed available in abundance...a fluent but precise rhythmic sense." ?Charles Shere, Oakland Tribune
"She genuinely captured the essence of accurate, sensitive and stylistic French keyboard playing...the audience was enraptured...passion and fire." ?Ruta Bloomfield, Iowa city
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Kirsty Hawkshaw has a secret.
She is legendary as the singer of many dance music hits, including the classic "It's a Fine Day" and as guest vocalist for bands such as Delerium, Orbital, Hybrid, DJ Tiesto, and BT.
But while her voice continues to soar in many dance hits around the world, Kirsty has been creating a different kind of music in her home studio. Her style is ambient electronica with no or minimalist vocals, that is serene, innocent and sublime.
The ambient side of Kirsty started with "Pulusha," a collaboration with Global Communication's Mark Pritchard in the 1990's. Her extraordinary talent has evolved further over the years, enhanced by live performances, recording sessions, and solo studio excursions.
The legend continues with Kirsty Hawkshaw's exquisite electronica. Magnatune is delighted to introduce "The Ice Castle" to the world. Secret, no more."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Kitka is a professional women's vocal ensemble dedicated to producing concerts, recordings, and educational programs that develop new audiences for music rooted in Eastern European women's vocal traditions. Kitka also strives to expand the boundaries of this music as an expressive art form.
Our mission is accomplished through a busy itinerary of live performances, including an Oakland-based home concert series; state, regional, national, and international touring programs; community outreach activities and workshops; in-school programs; radio broadcasts; recording projects; master artist residencies; commissioning programs; and adventuresome collaborations.
History
Now approaching its 25th Anniversary season, Kitka was founded in 1979 as an offshoot of the Westwind International Folk Ensemble. Kitka began as a grassroots group of amateur singers from diverse ethnic and musical backgrounds who met regularly to share their passion for the stunning dissonances, asymmetric rhythms, intricate ornamentation, lush harmonies, and resonant strength of Eastern European women's vocal music. Under the artistic direction of vocalist, composer, and conductor Bon Brown Singer from 1981 to 1996, Kitka blossomed into a refined professional ensemble earning international renown for its artistry, versatility, and mastery of the demanding techniques of Balkan and Slavic vocal styling.
Under the co-direction of long-time ensemble members Shira Cion, Juliana Graffagna, and Janet Kutulas since 1997, Kitka has grown to earn recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Public Radio, and Chorus America as one of this country's premier vocal ensembles. In addition, many Eastern European musical authorities have come to consider Kitka the foremost interpreter of Balkan and Slavic Choral repertoire working in the United States. In June of 2002, Kitka performed as "international guests of honor" at the 50th Anniversary Jubilee concert of the world-renowned Bulgarian Women's Choir Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares at the Bulgarian National Palace of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Kitka has deep ties to Eastern Europe. In 1986, the group performed at the Illinden Festival in Bitola, Macedonia. In 1991 Kitka members traveled to Bulgaria as part of a delegation of America's finest Balkan singers, led by the Seattle vocalist and choral director Mary Sherhart and the Varna, Bulgaria-based master vocalist Vesela Illieva. This group of singers became the first non-indigenous ensemble to be invited to perform at the closing ceremonies of the 1991 Koprivshtitsa National Festival of Bulgarian Folklore. This historic performance was broadcast twice throughout Europe by Bulgarian National Television. In recent years, Kitka has hosted master artist residencies and collaborative concerts in Oakland, CA with some of the finest choral directors and folk singers from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Greece, Belarus, and Turkey. KITKA's singers have also conducted independent field research in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Russia, Former Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Hungary, as well as in Balkan and Slavic communities throughout America."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Known for an opulent synthesis of vocals and electronics, Roland St. John Perez takes a "no deadline" approach to making music, and the result is an exotic, atmospheric sound that touches on everything from Pink Floyd and T Rex to Brian Eno and Tangerine Dream. Elements at Loop 10 was composed and recorded at Perez's San Antonio studios and features guest appearances by vocalist Holly Nelson, James Sidlo of Honey Barbera fame, as well as the blissed out guitar craft of Damian Rodriguez.
"The initial concept was to create an album that had recognizable pop, rock, and electronic elements, but was not anchored to the typical cut and paste format that have become redundant on our airwaves," explains Perez.
Perez and Rodriguez' ongoing collaboration led the duo to explore different musical styles, an evolution most noticeable on their Magic Midsummer release, which they released under the name Mosaico.
"We had just finished Elements and we had already had several ideas for the Seventythree project, but like Elements it required a lot of attention," says Perez. "Every sound and lyric had to be planned and manipulated in our studio. That's where the Mosaico project came in. We needed something raw, we needed the serendipity of rock and roll... with electronic instruments of course."
Whether exploring the big electronic soundscapes of Elements and Seventythree or the more spontaneous sound of Magic Midsummer, Perez and Rodriguez consistently turn out darkly beautiful pop and electronic gems?the perfect soundtrack "for whatever the night brings.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Known for the distinctive "bowhammer" technique that he himself originated, Michael Masely is a master of the cymbalom?a modern orchestral (Hungarian) version of the hammered dulcimer, an instrument that made its debut in Persia as the santour around 2500 years ago. The instrument's trapezoid shape and distinctive sound?which comes from playing the instrument with two hand-held hammers?have been an important part of world history and culture for over two millennia. Masley's innovative technique adds thumbpicks to the traditional playing style, which enables plucking, striking, and bowing of this ancient instrument.
Michael Masley's music has been heard in a diverse array of venues and contexts including original contributions to the soundtrack to Geronimo: An American Legend, on which he worked with guitar legend Ry Cooder. Masley has also recorded with producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig and appears on the multi-platinum Garbage Version 2.0.
In addition to impressive collaborations, Masley's music has been heard in NFL broadcasts, The 1994 Winter Olympics, Entertainment Tonight, HBO programming, and most recently?in Martin Yernazian's upcoming documentary, Art Officially Favored by Pyrotecnia Productions. Masley's also been profiled by NPR's All Things Considered where excerpts from his CD, Mystery Repeats Itself, still occasionally surface in their programming. His song "Six White Horses" is featured on the All Songs Considered CD, published by NPR Classics.
Michael is also active politically as "The Artist General", a self-created position (similar to the Surgeon General) he has created to represent the interests of artists in the USA.
Note that Mystery Repeats Itself is a compilation of previous works, and includes some songs present on Cymbalom Solos. Masley also plays hammered dulcimer duets with Magnatune artist Jamie Janover on "All Strings Considered"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Known for the intricate artwork with which she adorns world-class harpsichords, the multitalented Janine Johnson is also a gifted harpsichordist and pianist in her own right. Her style of playing is elegant yet extremely agile, and she has performed extensively in the Bay Area and beyond.
Ms. Johnson began her musical studies on the modern piano and started playing the harpsichord as a teenager. She majored piano performance and two dimensional art at California State University, Northridge and began building and decorating harpsichords in earnest at this time. She has continued as an instrument maker ever since and is now working with renowned harpsichord builder John Phillips in Berkeley, California."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Kourosh Zolfagharkhani (Zolani) was born in 1970 in a very small town in Iran. He began his musical training at the age of 14 and was composing at 18. He studied classical music and received a degree in musical composition in 1998.
Kourosh's music has received many awards, including two awards at the 2003 Call to Arts Festival.
Kourosh has pioneered a method of tuning the Santour in a chromatic manner, which allows western-style scales and music-styles to be performed on the instrument, thus widening the instrument's musical reach."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ladislav Zajic is Domased Electronica. He is based in Slovakia and his music ranges from old school trance, to ambient and IDM. Ladislav is 28 years old and started in music with producing of electronic music in 1998 in DOS Fasttracker.
An early influece was old school trance, such as Cygnus X, L.S.G., Pete Lazonby as well as the harder Hardfloor. Later influences include the ambient projects f.s.o.l. (Future Sound of London), Biosphere and more experimental pieces from Aphex Twin. Domased Electronica does not do any live performing, but is thinking about using live instruments with more experimental samples of his own. He enjoys adding music to silent films at his local cinema."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "La Nuova Musica was formed by the countertenor David Bates who is joined by some of Europe's most talented Baroque music specialists. It is a chamber music ensemble that performs vocal and instrumental works of the XVII and XVIII centuries. The group's repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to Purcell and Bach to Couperin, always performing with solo voices and single period instruments. The group is flexible in number and at its smallest performs recitals with just one voice and continuo, expanding to perform Handel's Messiah with a total of 16 singers and players.
La Nuova Musica is equally committed to live performance and the art of recording. The group has recorded works by Caccini, Monteverdi, Handel, Purcell and Blow. A disc of cantatas and motets by Telemann and J.S. Bach is planned for 2008."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "La Serenissima was founded in 1994 for a performance of Antonio Vivaldi's La Senna Festeggiante (RV 693). Since then, it has given the U.K. premieres of many Vivaldi works including Ottone in Villa (RV 729), Giustino (RV 724) Tito Manlio (RV 717), Tremori al braccio (RV 799), the Concerto per la Solennita della S. Lingua di S. Antonio in Padova 1712 (RV 212), the concerto Il Proteo o sia il Mondo al Rovescio (RV 572), and the violin sonata (RV 798). The group also gave the UK premiere of Albinoni's Il Nascimento dell'Aurora for the Spitalfields Festival in 2001.
The ensemble, led by Adrian Chandler, has been in wide demand appearing in many festivals including Lichfield, Warwick, Southwark, Spitalfields, Bruges, Beverley, and Copenhagen. They have toured Le Quattro Stagioni to Venice, London, and Glasgow, receiving rave reviews in The Independent. Other engagements have included virtuoso recitals in Belfast, for the BBC in London, Glasgow and Belfast, and various concerts of Vivaldi's orchestral music.
This is La Serenissima's first recording, but they will return to the recording studio next year to record a disc of Vivaldi concerti entitled Vivaldi in Arcadia. They have also broadcast for Classic fM, Danish Radio, and Belgian Radio.
Adrian Chandler was born in Merseyside in 1974. He studied at the Royal College of Music with Rodney Friend and Catherine Mackintosh. Whilst he was an undergraduate there, he founded La Serenissima with whom he has given many recitals and concerts.
Adrian has led many British early music ensembles such as the Musicians of the Globe, the Gabrieli Players, the Classical Opera Company, the Avison Ensemble, Concerto Caledonia, the New London Consort and also his own ensemble, La Serenissima.
His broadcasts include work for BBC Radio 3, Radio Scotland, Dutch Radio, Radio Belgium, Radio France, Radio Denmark, Classic fM and Japanese TV.
Gareth Deats studied at the University of Southampton before going on to complete a postgraduate course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Anthony Pleeth. He has recorded for television, radio and on compact disc and has performed throughout Europe. Apart from his work with La Serenissima, Gareth has played principal cello for the Classical Opera Company, Cambridge Baroque Camerata, The Avison Ensemble, Charivari Agrable and the Galeazzi Ensemble.
Robert Howarth studied music at the University of York. He now works as a harpsichordist for La Serenissima, Ricordo, The Avison Ensemble, The English Baroque Soloists, Florilegium and the Gabrieli Players. He is a regular musical assistant at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich and the Hamburg Opera House as well as appearing regularly at the Salzburg Festival. As a conductor, he has worked with the Northern Sinfonia and at the Hamburg Opera House with Handel's Alcina."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Laurel Zucker, flautist, is described by Gramophone Magazine 2005 "as polished and gratifying as Rampal and Galway. Zucker's interpretations are splendid all round. Her tone is airy and sweet, her virtuosity graceful!" In the same year Gramophone "strongly recommended" The Complete Telemann Fantasies for Flute and The Complete J.S. Bach Sonatas on Cantilena Records describing her performances as "intelligent, naturally phrased and highly musical with a rich sound beyond reproach." In the August 2003 book, Inspirational Stories from the World's Best Flute Players, Laurel Zucker is featured along side Sir James Galway, Julius Baker, Herbie Mann & Ian Andersen. Fanfare Magazine refers to Ms. Zucker "as a forceful advocate for 20th century music" and when she was awarded the Aaron Copland Fund for Music from the American Music Center to record the 1998 CD, Take a Walk on the Wilder Side-Flute Music by Alec Wilder, Fanfare Magazine stated 'this disc fills an important niche in American Music as well as flute literature."
With 30 self-released CDs available , Ms. Zucker can be heard regularly on every classical U.S., European, Israeli, South American and Canadian radio station. As a concerto soloist and chamber musician she has toured Russia with the Sumara Symphony Orchestra, recorded with the Erkel Chamber Orchestra of Budapest, toured with the Marlboro Festival, performed with the Fountainbleau Festival of France, performed across the U.S. from Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall to the Mondavi Center, etc..
As Professor of Flute at California State University, Sacramento since 1988, Professor Zucker received the 1998 President's Award for Creative and Scholarly Research, two 1998 & 2000 Creative Research Awards, and the 1989 Professional Promise Award.
In 1978 Ms. Zucker won Artists International Competition and gave her Carnegie Recital Hall Debut. Her first performance in Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center were at the age of 16 performing principal flute in Alexander Schneider's Orchestra. Ms. Zucker graduated in 1978 from The Juilliard School where she studied with Samuel Baron. Between 1972-75 she attended at the New England Conservatory of Music studying with Paula Robison. In addition she studied with Marcel Moyse and Julius Baker. Ms. Zucker holds a Masters in Music Composition from New York University. Her compositions are published by Bourne Music Company, Seesaw Music, Cantilena Music and recorded on Cantilena Records.
From December 2000 through April 2001 three of Laurel Zucker's recordings: Serenades for Flute & Harp CD, Guiliani-Music for Flute & Guitar CD, and Handel Flute Sonatas CD, were featured in a documentary film for the AUREA ROMA show in Rome, Italy at the Palace of Exhibitions especially for Rome's Jubilee Year!
Gramophone Magazine reviewed three new releases featuring Ms. Zucker including a November CD review of Caliente!-"I continue to be impressed by Zucker's ability to shine in a wide variety of musical styles.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Leon McCawley leapt into prominence when he won both First Prize in the International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and Second Prize in the Leeds International Beethoven Piano Competition at the age of nineteen in 1993.
Described as "a pianist of rare quality" by London's Daily Telegraph, McCawley has built a solid reputation as one of Britain's leading pianists of the new generation with his deeply committed performances.
McCawley has given highly acclaimed recitals at the Wigmore Hall, International Piano Series at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Berlin Philharmonie, Prague Rudolfinum,Vienna Musikverein and Zurich Tonhalle to name but a few. McCawley performs with many of the top British orchestras at all the major concert venues including City of Birmingham Symphony, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic.
He has twice performed at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 3 in recital and with many of the BBC orchestras. Further afield he has performed with Adelaide Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra and Vienna Symphony among many others. Conductors he has worked with include Kurt Masur, Simon Rattle, Paavo Jarvi, Andrew Litton and Sakari Oramo."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Les Filles de Sainte-Colombe take their name from Le Sieure Sainte-Colombe, the famous 17th-century composer and player of the viol. Sainte-Colombe gave concerts with his daughters, which delighted European audiences. In this tradition, Mary Springfels and Wendy Gillespie formed the ensemble to perform some of the most vital and imaginative string ensemble music ever composed.
The ensemble, who are well known performers individually as soloists and as members of various ensembes, are often joined by distinguished guest artists perfoming on harpsichord, organ, lute or voice. The group has given concerts throughout the USA and Europe with the goal of delighting audiences as did the original daughters of Sainte Colombe."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Linked by the desire to play the airs of court of the 17th century, Anne Delafosse-Quentin, Claire Antonini, and Maeva Bouachrine created the Trio Dafne with all-original instrumentation. Together, they strive for diversity of sound, coherence of style, and creativity in ornamentation.
The trio is part of the "Jardins de Courtoisie," an ensemble speciailizing in ancient music which seeks to revive the immense repertory of the lyric chanson compositions written in the French language from the 12th to the 17th century."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Lisa DeBenedictis began piano lessons at an early age and flirted with the idea of being a concert pianist. After years of practice and study, she decided she would rather learn guitar and play in a rock band.
She dropped out of music school, taught herself guitar and formed her first band in 1999, a rock duo called "Ring of Nine" which mainly played Concrete Blonde covers in New England coffee joints. Since 2001, she has also been one half of the California Avant Rock duo "DirtyDirtyRockStar." In addition to writing songs, Lisa composes instrumental music for film.
Lisa's solo music is fresh, original, and gorgeous. Her songs have an ethereal quality that will take you to another world.
A "one-woman operation," Lisa plays a variety of instruments including piano, guitar, keyboard, violin, oboe, and mandolin. She is the sole writer, performer, and producer of all her music.
With smart lyrics and fresh, interesting arrangements, she has earned comparisons to artists such as Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, and Aimee Mann.
A video entitled "The Caterpillar Lounge" with music by Lisa:
Music video for "Alternate World Waltz" :
Music video for "Tigers" :
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Loops for Licensing is Magnatunes' series of albums featuring hundreds of high quality instrumental loops across many different genres. These loops make great background music for audio and video projects of any kind?anything that needs an instrumental music bed?and are also a great addition to any sound library.
To use any one of these loops in a project, you do need to purchase a license to use the music: simply click the "license" link on the album page, answer a couple of quick questions about your project, and you'll immediately get both a customized music license and access to the high quality audio files.
Want more information on music licensing at Magnatune? Go here.
Loops for Licensing series was compiled by Victor Stone, who has released several albums on Magnatune under the name Fourstones, contributing remix tracks to Lisa Debenedictis and Falik and produced The Sun Will Come Out to Blind You for c. layne. He is the lead programmer and administrator of the Creative Commons' remix community web site ccMixter, where you can find many Magnatune artists."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "LVX Nova is the ambient/electronic duo of Bobby DeVito and Mike Meengs. Together, they blend luxurious electronic soundscapes with acid jazz sounds for a uniquely directional style of music that takes you to another place entirely. The band's self-titled album started off as a college thesis for guitarist DeVito, based on the progression of ambient/electronic music from its origins to the present. When DeVito teamed up with keyboardist Meengs (formerly with the Florida band Sonic Erotica), the project took a new turn and became its very own piece. DeVito's contributions on guitar to LVX Nova hearken back to Edgar Froese's work with Tangerine Dream, and his solo style is reminiscent of early David Gilmour.
In the summer of 1996, the due pressed 1,500 CDs and began to promote their new record. DeVito, a former BMG employee, used the Internet to promote the release and built an incredible number of underground contacts along the way. When Miramar signed the band in March of 1997 there was already quite an impressive archive of underground press they had garnered on their own.
Since then, the band has done remixes for a number of projects out of Europe and is currently working on a live performance to support the new release.
Band Members:
* Bobby DeVito -- guitars, noises, and engineering/production
* Mike "Sonic" Meengs -- all synths, samples, engineering, production, weird noises, random samples, lush washes, nearly everything but bobby d's parts
* Brian Stevenson -- spoken word lyrics and vocals
* Curtis H Hayes -- Producer and knob twirler for all guitar production and mixing, and a few odd noises
* George Harris -- Panda Productions -- mastering and editing and guitar advice
* Mark Prator -- Morrisound Studios -- final mastering and sweetening for the Miramar release
* Tom Mehren -- A? from Miramar, and his eyeball is on our album art
* Michael Boydstun -- Video Director of the LVX NOVA video"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Magnatune Remixed is a project overseen by producer Victor Stone specifically for Magnatune. Ridin the Faders 2 is a high energy blast of beats, voices and tones featuring hundreds of samples from the Magnatune catalog. Producers Pat Chilla the Beat Gorilla and lo tag blanco join Victor on RTF2 mashing together rock, hip hop, world, opera, jazz and classical into a funky stew of hot virtual wax.
Victor has released several albums on Magnatune under the name fourstones, contributing remix tracks to Lisa Debenedictis and Falik and produced The Sun Will Come Out to Blind You for c. layne. He is the lead programmer and administrator of the Creative Commons' remix community web site ccmixter.org where you find many Magnatune artists.
It was on ccMixter that Victor befriended musician, producer and DJ Pat Chilla the Beat Gorilla after Pat's remix won the WIRED Remix Contest held on that site. Pat founded Run Off Records and his music can be heard on US TV shows such as Last Comic Standing and America's Next Top Model. His remix of Lisa Debenedictis "Brilliant Day" was used as the soundtrack for the infamous lonelygirl15 video which garnered over half a million downloads. RTF 2 includes a remastered version of "Brilliant Daze (Days are Confused Mix)" as well as several other original contributions by Pat.
lo tag blanco is an artist and musician in New York and a veteran of the online remix community. His stand out work on ccMixter quickly got the attention of Victor and Pat. Working remotely, lo tag contributed several memorable beats for RTF 2, most notably for "Curl My Cranium" and "We Are Not Evil."
Clarance Boddyker is a New York rapper/comedian from the South Bronx. He has recorded rap projects in New York City, Australia and the Philippines. His highly personal, high energy style has made him one of the most remixed artists on ccMixter and was the first choice for the producers when looking for a custom rap for RTF 2. His authorship and performance of "We Are Not Evil" makes it obvious it was the right choice."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Mandrake Root- Biography ? Retroperspective
1980- 1983
A version of Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" and 4 original songs by David were recorded at Radio Kronoberg Studio. an "Exits version" of Eleanor Rigby was aired on the local radio station several times. About 10-12 gigs were performed.
Two original songs by David were recorded in Stockholm for a Compilation album called "Rock beast". The Album contained several rock groups from Sweden.
One of the songs included in the compilation album written by David called "Lost Woman" won a radio contest for best song in the local area, the song was then aired on the national Swedish Radio during the fall of 1982.
1984-1992
In 1986: 5 new original songs by David were recorded in the new "Radio Kronoberg" studio.
In 1987: 5 new original songs by David were recorded in the new "Radio Kronoberg " studio
Two radio programmes followed these sessions where the songs were aired together with interviews.
Two songs by David "Things will never be the same again" and "Sudden changes" are frequently played on the radio during 1986.
1988: A 20 year anniversary Deep Purple party is taking place, Pyramid performs many Deep Purple songs in the evening. About 350 people attends the event, people are coming from Scandinavia. After the concert people are so excited by Pyramids performance that it creates a bit of a chaos in a positive way though..... David even smashes up his first electric guitar in pieces to the audiences cheer.......
The Deep Purple parties then becomes regular annual events for five years ahead until 1992.
1989 an original song by David called "Straight from my heart" is recorded and a video is made as well. The song is played frequently on local radio stations during 1989, and the video is shown on local and national television.
1992
David creates his new group together with singer Per Englund (fomer singer in the group Blacksmith)
The band now consists of :
David Braic: Guitar
Per Englund: Vocals
Tommy Braic: Bass guitar
Staffan Stavert: Keyboard
Stefan Nilsson: Drums
During the fall of 1992 two original songs by David (music) and Per (lyrics) called "Crazy little lover" and "Lonely man's day" are recorded as demos in Kristianopel in the Pama recording studio.
Now a more "serious" musical relationship evolves... featuring:
David Braic as music writer, Per Englund as Lyricist, Magnus "Mankan" Sedenberg from PAMA recording studio as engineer and producer Magnus "Maxe" Axelsson as executive producer of PAMA recording studio...
1993
David writes the music for 5 original songs. Per Englund writes lyrics and recording begins in the PAMA recording studio during the beginning of 1993.
The session results in a Promotional CD called "Waves in motion"
The album consists of the following tracks:
1. Inside Information
2. Speed Trippin'
3. Waves in motion
4. Strange walking
5. March of the immaculate
The album "Waves in motion" is well received in Japan and approx: 3000 copies are sold.
The album is also reviewed in the Japanese magazine "BURRN" and gets 85 points out of 100 !! In Sweden and in Europe about 2000 copies are sold and the album is reviewed in several Swedish magazines and in the english magazine KERRANG as well.
The song "Inside Information" is frequently played on radio and even reaches local charts in Norway ! A video of "Inside Information" is made containing footage of the band joking around the area of castle Teleborg and Kronoberg Castle ruin.
1994
Mandrake Root signs a record deal with XERO Corporation in Japan.
Recording sessions begins in PAMA Recording studios, David writes 10 new original songs for the forthcoming album....The album is completed during July 1994 and contains 13 songs.
The album "Tales of the sacred" is released in late september 1994 and about 5000 copies are sold initially in Japan.
1995
New member drummer Hempo Hilden joins Mandrake Root,
Hempo is a well known drummer and has played with band such as, Pugh Rogefeldt, John Norum, Glenn Hughes to name a few...
David writes 4 new original songs and makes an own arrangement of the song "You keep me hangin' on" for a possible subsequent new album. Recording sessions start in Pama recording studios during february 1995. The sessions results in raw mixes of the following songs:
1. Running wild river
2. Feed me anger
3. Build ? Burn
4. Love is blind
5. You keep me hangin' on
Feed me anger and You keep me hangin' on are filmed by Swedish Televison TV4 in the TV studio. You keep me hangin on is used as a whole video, while clips of Feed me anger are used together with interviews with bandmembers. The complete programme is shown on swedish television and You keep me hangin on is shown several times on both local and national Swedish TV.
Mandrake Root is the supporting band for Yngwie Malmsteen in VÂxj november 1995.
European version of the Album "Tales of the sacred" is released.
Some songs from the Japanese version are omitted and replaced by other songs, the European version is also remixed.
Mandrake Root supports Glenn Hughes on his Swedish tour in november 1996.
Concerts are performed in Borlange, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Uppsala and Malmo.
Onwards......
Mandrake Root plays whenever opportunities shows up......"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Mediva is an outstanding medieval group made up of a flexible number of singers and multi-instrumentalists drawn from the leading exponents in their fields throughout Europe. Concerts feature a mix of exotic medieval and Arabian instruments such as oud, saz, shawms, recorders, harp, psaltery, fiddle and percussion as well as a range of singing techniques to suit each repertoire.
Combining slick playing with unusual visual presentation, Mediva creates an experience that is more than just a concert. Full of verve and dynamism, the enjoyment the musicians have on stage is infectious! In addition to Mediva's fresh approach to music making, concerts are often enhanced with dance, poetry, projections and special lighting as well.
Although individual members are steeped in the early music tradition, having trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland, Mediva has developed a new way to perform medieval music. Rather than trying to recreate the past, performances use medieval music as inspiration for a new sound world and concert experience, relying heavily on improvisation. The group also experiments with modern composition, specially commissioned for the ensemble and works with funk, rock and world musicians for several cross-over projects.
Mediva burst upon the early music scene in October 1998 with an outstanding concert as part of the Radio 3 Early Music Day at the Royal Academy of Music. The group is a frequent guest on Radio 4's 'Loose Ends' and have been featured on Radio 3's 'In Tune' and 'Late Junction' and Early Music Show. They made their international debut in 2001 giving a series of concerts at the Barcelona Early Music Festival and were finalists in the International Young Artists Competition at the York Early Music Festival. They were also invited to be guest artists at the Sommer Kurs fur Musik des Mittelalters at the world renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Memories of Tomorrow (MoT) is a pseudonym under which Leif Erik Gullanger produces melodic trance. His music is a perfect equilibrium between high energy beats and unforgettable, harmonic melodies. Memories of the past and visions of tomorrow seamlessly mix in his music. The most intimate and precious thoughts of mankind live in his words.
Leif Erik has been making music since around 1996 under different names. Some years ago Leif Erik recieved a message from Michael Lerman. Togheter they decided to make a song. Michael wrote the lyrics and Leif Erik produced the song. The song wasn't released under the name MoT. Leif Erik and Michael agreed that they should make more songs together, and in a short time the name MoT was choosen for the project, at the same time Margunn Blytt was asked to sing for MoT. She said yes. Today MoT consists of these three, Leif Erik, Michael and Margunn. They try to make melodical trance with meanigful lyrics.
Remember your past, follow your dreams, and join MoT in the quest for memories of tomorrow."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Lane is recognized internationally for her stunning interpretations of repertoire ranging from the early baroque to that of today's composers. She has appeared at festivals worldwide, with conductors Michael Tilson-Thomas, Mstislav Rostropovich, William Christie, Nicholas McGegan, Andrew Parrott, Marc Minkowski, Helmut Rilling, and Robert Shaw, among others.
Jennifer has performed in opera and concert with the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, Tanglewood Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, the New Getty Center, the Frick Collection in New York, Cite la Musique in Paris, Opernhaus Halle, Opernhaus Dessau, Utah Opera, Opera du Caen, Salzburger Bachgesellschaft, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik, Handel & Hayden Society, Les Arts Florissants, Le Parlement de Musique, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Jerusalem Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra della Toscana, and the New York City Opera, where she has performed over twenty roles, including the role of Amastre in NYCO's acclaimed production of Handel's Xerxes, directed by Stephen Wadsworth and voted "opera production of the year" by USA Today.
She is a frequent guest of the Groningen Haendel Festival, appearing with conductor Nicholas McGegan in Ariodante, which was recorded on harmonia mundi usa and won a Gramophone Award, Arianna, and Giustino, which was also recorded on harmonia mundi. She created the title role in Augusta Read Thomas's opera Ligeia, based on the life of Edgar Allen Poe. Ligeia was commissioned and conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich at his own festival, in Evian, France. Jennifer has toured the dual roles of Dido and the Sorceress in the Mark Morris Dance Group's production of Dido & Aneas, as well as performing them in the film produced for BRAVO television by Rhombus Media and recorded on CD by CBC Records. The film has won many awards, including the Banff Television Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival.
1999 was Jennifer Lane's debut season with the Metropolitan Opera, in productions of Schoenberg's Moses und Aron and Janacek's Katya Kabanova. She was recently presented by the Capella Cracoviensis in Cracow, Poland in a recital of American songs and in Bach's Mattheuspassion. She was invited to perform Dido and the Sorceress with Capella Ministrers at the Palau de la Musica in Valencia, Spain, having previously appeared as the Sorceress with Nigel Rogers in the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. She recently joined the San Francisco Opera Company, covering the role of Anne in Christopher Alden's production of Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson's The Mother of US All.
Jennifer Lane has over three dozen recordings on harmonia mundi usa, Naxos, Opus 111, CBC Records, Koch International, Newport Classic, Arabesque, Centaur, and PGM. Her most recent releases include the solo disc The Pleasures & Follies of Love, Schoenberg's Gurrelieder (Waldtaube) and Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex (Jocasta). Jennifer Lane has taught master classes at Old Dominion University, Mannes College, CW Post University, Royal Academy of Music in London, San Francisco Conservatory, and for the San Francisco Opera Young Artists Program. In the summer, Ms. Lane teaches at the Amherst Early Music Festival, the San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS) Workshops, the International Baroque Institute at Longy, and the Lake Placid Institute Vocal Seminars.
In September,1996, Jennifer Lane joined the faculty of music at Stanford University, where she has produced and directed several operatic productions, including a period-style production of Dido & Aeneas, mounted as the culminating event in the Music Department's 50th anniversary celebration, an evening of mostly 20th century one act operas, and, most recently, Mozart's The Magic Flute.
David Tayler received his B.A. in music and interdisciplinary studies from Hunter College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in musicology from the University of California at Berkeley, where he studied performance practice with Philip Brett and Alan Curtis and musicology with Joseph Kerman, Richard Crocker and Daniel Heartz.
He is a member of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Director of the Bay Area Collegium Musicum and Ensemble Pandore. David has appeared with American Bach Soloists, Tafelmusik, the San Francisco Opera & Symphony, the Dallas Bach Society, the Oregon Bach Festival and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, among others, and has recorded over fifty discs for BIS, harmonia mundi USA, Koch International, ORF, Sony, Reference, Arabesque, BMG, RCA, Musica Omnia and Teldec.
As a specialist in the art song of the early seventeenth century he has performed in lute song recitals throughout Europe and the United States; he is Guest Conductor at the San Francisco Early Music Society Renaissance Workshop.
Hanneke van Proosdij studied harpsichord and organ with Jacques Ogg at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the Netherlands, where she also studied recorder and composition. She received her DM (teaching diploma) in 1992 and UM (solo diploma) in 1995. She performs with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the American Bach Soloists, Magnificat, Parnassus Ave, Chanticleer, Orinda and Farallon Recorder Quartet. Festival appearances include the Berkeley Early Music Festival, Internationale Handel Festpiele Gronigen, Amherst Early Music Festival, Festival d'Ambronnay, Wratislavia Cantans, Contemporary Improvised Music Festival and the American Bach Soloists SummerFest. Hanneke is the Director of the San Francisco Early Music Society Medieval Renaissance Summer Festival.
Proosdij also performs with the Farallon Recorder Quartet as well as having her own solo recording."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Michael Hovan (joram) is a native of Tallahassee, Florida. He began producing electronic music in 1999. He draws inspiration from a host of unlikely sources including: Stereolab, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, nobukazu takemura, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Plaid, The Descendants, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and Doudou N'Diaye Rose.
He is presently studying the humanities at Florida State University, and is pursuing a certificate in world music through the ethnomusicology department at the F.S.U. School of music. Some of his strongest musical inspiration is taken from the music he has performed in the various world music ensembles at F.S.U. (Brazilian Samba, Chinese, Balinese Gamelan, and the African ensemble.)
joram's music could be considered somewhat minimalist, and is created with the concept of musical texture in mind."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Michael Martin has been playing didgeridoo since 1996. His first real foray into dance music came in 1998 after returning from a period of work and travel in Tanzania. Martin attended the Megadog Beach Festival in Cornwall and was so inspired by what he heard and experienced that he decided to incorporate his didgeridoo playing into this style of music.
At first this effort began with Martin playing along with various techno and trance DJ's as the popular "Deviant Didg" at squat parties and clubs in London like The Fridge, Club 414, The Pleasure Rooms, Tyssen Street, and the Drome. Whilst this was good practice, he soon grew rather restless and decided to involve himself in Koru, a drum and bass live PA based in Brixton. ("PA" means live electronic performing musicians).
Michael began playing with these techno and trance DJs around London and at festivals like the Lizard Eclipse in Cornwall. This introduced him to the production side of things and he was hooked. He didn't like being a passive member of the band who "just played didg". He wanted to actively create tracks from start to end. Studio equipment, however, does not come cheap, so he took out a career development loan, trained as a software developer, earned some extra money, and bought the necessary gear. Shortly after he joined up with another drum and bass live PA (Impact) and gigged with them. This was fun for a while, but he found himself drifting into becoming "the didg player" again, so he decided that another change was in order.
Following a 2001 Bristol Halloween party at which his psytrance live PA OOOD was playing, Michael got to know Colin Bennun. The two became friends & started writing psytrance tracks together from time to time. He has had the good fortune to work with talented guitarist, Joe Weinstock, who is featured on several Indidginus tracks. Michael is currently involved in a collaboration with Ishq (Matt Hillier) performing under the name Open System.
Michael has played at a wide variety of events in his home country (UK), adopted country (South Africa), and elsewhere in the world. In February 2004 he moved to South Africa, where he has written soundtracks for several TV commercials, a couple of series, and a documentary. He is currently writing the soundtrack to the independent feature film Cognition Factor featuring collaborations with Alex Paterson (The Orb), Colin Angus (The Shamen, Pablo Sandoz) & Merv Pepler (Eat Static)."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Mijo (AKA Michel Jordan) began his musical adventures on flute and piano at the tender age of 8. By age 11 he had branched out into woodwinds, playing alto sax in the school orchestra until the fateful day in 1977 when his family moved to Germany and he was forced to leave the saxophone behind.
Luckily, this did not spell the end of his career - upon arriving in Germany, he promptly put his talents to good use on a Gibson western guitar, expanding his repertoire with lessons and collaborations with Thomas Reuther, who went on to become a noted classical guitarist in his own right.
The two went on to eventually form the Turkish/Oriental fusion band 'Grup Fakir', with several other musicians, and received critical acclaim and an offer to tour Turkey in the mid-1990's. Unfortunately the band dissolved shortly after recording their first demo cd, but Thomas and Michel continued their forays, delving into musical motifs that firmly straddled Greek and Turkish origins.
In 1995 Michel met new cohorts, Christian Wolff and Michael Fey, who he went on to produce and perform live soundscapes and themes to Fachhochschule - Frankfurt theatres production of Shakespeares' 'Midsummer Nights Dream' and 'Macbeth'. Again, his efforts met with resounding success, both personally and publicly.
Michel and Christian went on to form the experimental acoustic/electro-fusion/jazz/techno/blues-rock band 'Ultraschall', playing on a weekly basis with guest artists from around the world, including Christian Schmidhofer of Embryo.
In 1999, Jordan and Fey teamed up, under the Sensor II moniker, to produce some new tracks with a more electronic edge, cuts of which rose to the top of the charts on Garageband.com and were included on the Garageband 'Best of Electronica' compilation CD. It was through Garageband that Artemis connected with Jordan to eventually produce the track 'Hypno' on Artemis' latest release 'Gravity'.
'Fata Morgana' is Jordan's latest effort, a sensual trip that beats a path across time and genre, melding the past, present and future sounds of world music."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Mike Bell and Mike Dz grew up in the Northeast city of Boston. While Bell played piano and more classical big band instruments, Mr. Dz played guitar, drums and auxiliary percussion.
It wasn't until both went away to college that they discovered their love for electronic music could be translated into producing it. Bands and DJ's like Prodigy, Aphrodite, Andy C, Seb Fontaine, and Chemical Bros. influenced them while they struggled with a deep need to change that music and manipulate it.
Their journey to make something better began in 1999. Both Mike and Mike stopped experimenting and started producing on ghetto equipment. In 2001 the Wicked Allstars were born in the basement of a duplex just outside of Boston.
With pipes actually dripping water directly onto their equipment they created their first two songs that summer. "Forgiven" is a trip hop song with electric guitar, and "Trouble-Remix" is a remix of the Coldplay song "Trouble".
Since then, with long periods of school separating them, they have gotten together and finished their first CD. The Wicked Allstars influences include Jay-Z, Tool, Wu-Tang, Basement Jaxx, Ben Folds, Hed-PE, Megadeth, Aaliyah, and TIMBALAND. (the list goes on)"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Minstrel Spirit consist of two front persons: David Braic (guitar, vocals) and Carolina Lindwall ( vocals). Depending on occasion more musicians are added when performing live.
The latest project "Enter the woods" gives an insight of what Minstrel Spirit is about.
Different music styles blending medieval, celtic, classical, pop, folk, spanish, arabic and renaissance inspired music.
Exotic melodies with haunting vocals giving the listener a peace of heart and mind..."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Monoide (aka Tomas Lipka) is part of the exciting Slovak electronic music scene.
The biggest influence on his work is the Bratislava-based Uclub, considered by many as the mecca of electronic music in Slovakia.
Monoide is an active DJ in Europe, playing deep dark minimal techno sets."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "More of a bite in the ass than Shark Week, Pizzle has been drunkenly lurching about the murky depths of the dismal Indiana music scene since 1992 striving to establish the Malevolarchy (a societal system in which the ruling class consists solely of necrophiliacs and serial murderers).
You can rest assured this is not some baggy-trousered fluffy crap about girls or empty political rote.
Pizzle's pre-retro sound has entertained capacity crowds in the Midwest, the deep South, and anywhere else folks don't know any better delighting audiences with a whirlwind of saliva, beer, and the occasional blood.
A live Pizzle performance is much like a random act of violence in that it is senseless, quick, and funny in a weird sort of way.
Critical darlings since the band's inception, the music press simply cannot write enough about Pizzle, often just making stuff up when they run out of news.
Their "Trouble In The Monkey Haus" EP (Knock Worst Records) was favorably reviewed worldwide and the resulting skyrocketing sales have made each band member very, very wealthy indeed. So fuck you.
The Black Flag/Misfits sound of that EP brought Pizzle to the attention of Electric Frankenstein's Sal Canzonieri, who proceeded to include them on the first volume of his groundbreaking "A Fistful Of Rock 'N Roll" compilation series.
The ensuing attention has led to an imaginary Scottish record deal as well as plenty of other pleasant delusions."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Mr Gelatine (aka Jean-Pierre Gouws)
Lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa. He has been involved in the electronic music scene for a number of years, djing, throwing parties etc. Inspired by the Detroit sound from Motown to Planet e Also the minimal sound of Basic Channel and Monolake, hip hop, techno, electro etc. The list could go on.
After a trip to Dublin in 2000 on the RebBull music academy, the decision was made to take music making seriously. So now, a few years later there is a body of work that encapsulates many musical influences.
The Electroluv album was produced at home on a mac using Ableton live as the main production tool a virus synth a jomox drum machine and samples Additional production on some tracks by Mr Miyagi (aka George Galanakis)."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "
Music for Healing is a program designed by Eileen Hadidian and Natalie Cox to create a peaceful sound environment for hospitals, clinics, hospices, convalescent homes, retreat centers and homebound individuals. Using a combination of medieval, Renaissance, Celtic music, and American folk, Music for Healing promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety during stressful hospital stays and procedures. Patients and staff experience the power of music to calm and soothe in a noisy, high-anxiety environment.
Music for Healing began in 1999 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Oakland, CA. Organization founders Eileen Hadidian and Natalie Cox offered a pilot program to play on the surgery, medical and intensive care floors, as well as in the hospital lobby. It's a non-profit organization and is supported by grants and donations, which provide funding to bring healing music to local hospitals. All donations are tax-deductible.
Eileen Hadidian has appeared in concert throughout the Western United States. She was the founder and artistic director of Hausmusik, an early music concert series in Albany, CA. Her involvement with music for healing grew out of her own experience with breast cancer, in 1994 and again in 1997. She used music for her own healing, and began to play for other cancer patients. She has been exploring ways in which music can be used to help soothe critically and chronically ill people.
Natalie Cox is principal harpist with the Oakland East Bay Symphony and performs throughout the Bay Area as a chamber musician as well as for TV and film. Her earliest public appearances were for people in informal settings, at fairs and in hospitals. She continues this work, believing fully that there are more places for live music than on stage."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Music of the Spheres, formed in 2000, is a newly-emerging early music group based in San Francisco and Atlanta. Its members are Baroque violinist Jeanne Johnson, Baroque cellist Joanna Blendulf, and harpsichordist Yuko Tanaka. Music of the Spheres was a main event at the 2002 Bloomington and Berkeley Early Music Festivals, resulting in several broadcasts on "Harmonia. "
We believe that music exists to captivate the imagination, stir memories, and evoke intensely personal emotions in both listener and performer alike, and we desire to bring a wider audience to classical music through performances which focus on these aspects. We enjoy giving lively, fun and informative performances, and are available for concerts, series, festivals, recordings and advanced master classes.
Jeanne Johnson, Baroque violin
Joanna Blendulf, Baroque cello
Yuko Tanaka, harpsichord
Jeanne Johnson is a soloist and chamber musician on both Baroque and modern violin. She is a winner of Early Music America's 2002 Professional Development Award for soloists.
Her performances on numerous series, tours, festivals and recordings in the United States and abroad have resulted in National Public Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and local broadcasts. Jeanne has played with many groups including Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Apollo's Fire, Boston Baroque, Bloomington Baroque, the Carmel Bach Festival, the Bach Aria Festival, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Berkeley and Bloomington Early Music Festivals.
She has served as concertmaster of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra and as orchestra director, violin teacher and chamber music coach at Clayton College & State University in Atlanta. After starting violin at age 5, Jeanne made her solo debut with orchestra at 11 and won first place in the Milwaukee Symphony Youth Soloist Competition at 16.
She studied with James Buswell and Stanley Ritchie, receiving her bachelor's degree in performance with honors from Indiana University and her master's degree with distinction in performance and academics from New England Conservatory. Aside from early and classical music, Jeanne's interests include folk, crossover and world music. In addition to playing violin, Jeanne is also a writer, editor, painter and classical radio announcer.
Joanna Blendulf has diverse interests in music, performing a wide range of repertoire on both cello and viola da gamba. She has received performance degrees from both the Cleveland Institute of Music and Indiana University, where she studied with Stanley Ritchie, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Alan Harris.
In 1998, Joanna was awarded the prestigious Performer's Certificate from Indiana University for outstanding performance in baroque cello. Spending much of her time in transit, she is currently performing with the Portland Baroque Orchestra, the New York Collegium, Apollo's Fire, American Bach Soloists, Musica Angelica and Camerata Pacifica Baroque (Santa Barbara).
Joanna is also an active chamber musician, performing with the all-female ensemble Bimbetta as well as Mirable and Florilegia, all based in the Bay Area where she resides. She was named honorable mention in the 2000 EMA/Dorian competition for her recording of the Jean Zewalt Triemer cello sonatas.
Joanna Blendulf also performs with Ensemble Mirable.
Yuko Tanaka, harpsichordist, is active as a soloist and an ensemble player. She has performed at the Carmel Bach Festival, Berkeley Festival and Exhibition, Bloomington Early Music Festival, and in broadcast events for National Public Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
She performs with numerous ensembles including Musica Pacifica, El Mundo, Ensemble 6-4-2, American Bach Soloists, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and The Women's Philharmonic. Yuko received a doctorate in early music from Stanford University and has studied with Margaret Fabrizio at Stanford, Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam, and Ketil Haugsand in Oslo, Norway. She has recorded for Koch International and Delos International."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Mutandina means mixing, "mestizaje". Mutandina mixes styles to create a musical result that is different and personal, where influences as jazz, salsa, funk, rock, pop, Brazilian and Latin American music can be found.
The lyrics present reality from a critical but almost optimistic viewpoint, as well as showing a grotesque or ironic side, where speech relaxes and gives place to joy and dance.
The members of Mutandina met in the early 90s as composition students at Argentina's La Plata National University. Each of them spent several years with different bands, becoming familiar with the club circuit, and gaining a perspective that was more about nightlife and the social scene than academics.
They formed Mutandina in early 2000 with the intent of creating a sound that was distinct and personal, without rigid style or preconceptions, and drew on the vivid mixture of styles that was part of their individual experience: jazz, salsa, funk, rock, pop, Brazilian and Latin American music. The result is a decidedly hip blend of salsa and funk, infused with distinctly Argentine elements.
The members of Mutandina are:
Ariel "Cordero" Polenta - piano, Wurlitzer, Hammond, keys, voices, arrangements
Christian "Turco" Fahiad - drums, percussion
Nicolas Luis Humberto "Rigo" Quesada - guitars, voices
Marcos "Mariomarqueti" Archetti - bass, voices
Matias "Mato" Ruiz - acoustic and electric guitars, tenor sax, composition, arrangements and lead vocals. Matias is the brother of Magnatune classical musician Gonzalo Ruiz.
Produced by Alberto Tatu Estela.
Recorded at Circo Beat and other venues between November 2003 and May 2004."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Named after the radio telescope cluster in New Mexico, Very Large Array was founded by two brothers after they moved from Milwaukee to L.A. in the mid 90s. With John Gripentrog on vocals and Steve Gripentrog on guitar, VLA was a tight little unit for a short time, but soon filled out to a five piece outfit, adding a second guitarist, bass player, and a drummer.
Vibrant live performances earned the band a reputation for strong musicianship and enabled Very Large Array to build a dedicated fan base in the area and beyond. These days, when not on the road, the band plays an L.A. club circuit that includes Spaceland, Whiskey Bar, the Roxy, and the Troubador."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Named Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year" for 2004, San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra has dedicated itself to the historically-informed performance of Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic music on original instruments since its inception in 1981. Under the leadership of Nicholas McGegan, Music Director since 1985, Philharmonia has become "an ensemble for early music as fine as any in the world today," according to Los Angeles Times critic Alan Rich. The Orchestra performs a subscription season in four cities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is regularly heard on tour in United States and internationally. In addition to Mr. McGegan, the Orchestra has welcomed eminent guest conductors to its podium including William Christie, Andrew Parrott, Jordi Savall, Gustav Leonhart, Monica Huggett and Stanley Ritchie.
Under the direction of Mr. McGegan, Philharmonia has made several United States tours, each of which included an appearance on the Great Performers Series at Lincoln Center. Other appearances include debuts at Carnegie Hall (NY) and Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles) in February 2005. In August of 2005 the Orchestra made its debut at the BBC Proms, Snape Maltings (UK) and The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
In August 2002, the Orchestra made its Mostly Mozart Festival debut with five performances including a concert featuring Handel's newly-discovered Gloria in excelsis Deo and four performances of Handel's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato with Mark Morris Dance Group. A return engagement in August 2003 featured the Orchestra in the Festival's first fully-staged opera, Mozart's Il re pastore. In March of 1998 Philharmonia performed Handel's Saul and Hercules at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and in 1999 the Orchestra made its European debut at the International Handel Festival in Gottingen, Germany, with return appearances in 2001 and 2002.
In 1990, Philharmonia began an extremely successful collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group. In May of that year, the Orchestra appeared at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with the Dance Group in Morris' production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Subsequent performances have included a program of mixed works featuring Vivaldi's Gloria; Handel's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, presented again in March of 2000 and September of 2003 by UC Berkeley's Cal Performances; and the American premiere of Morris' production of Rameau's ballet-opera Platee, which was the tour de force of the 1998 Berkeley Festival. Platee was again performed in September 2001 in Los Angeles and Berkeley."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Native New Yorker, long time studio musician and session guitarist Chris Juergensen is in constant demand as a sideman, front man and clinician. He has played sold out venues as intimate as the world famous Blue Note and as large as the Long Beach Auditorium.
As a studio guitarist, sideman, frontman, session player and clinician, native New Yorker Chris Juergensen's guitar playing has taken him around the world. After being invited to be a faculty member at the prestigious Musician's Institute in Los Angeles for six years he left the states to become the Director of Education at Tokyo School of Music in Japan where he currently resides.
His newest CD, "Prospects" has been critically acclaimed throughout the world. Chris has played and/or recorded with such artists as Lincoln Goines (Mike Stern), Richard Hartley and Soul Resurrection, Toss Panos (Steve Vai, Mike Landau), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), Keith Wyatt (The Blasters), Ralph Humphrey (Manhattan Transfer, Frank Zappa, Wayne Shorter), Kim Plainfield (Tania Maria, The Pointer Sisters), Jay Dibbs (Vanessa Williams), Steve Bailey (The Rippingtons, Dizzy Gillespie), Jennifer Batten (Jeff Beck, Michael Jackson), Mike Shapiro (Al Jarreau, Sergio Mendes), Jerry Watts (Andy Summers, Billy Idol), Russel Ferante (Joni Mitchell, Yellowjackets), Kevyn Lettau, Hussain Jiffry (Robben Ford, Michael MacDonald, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan), The Hideous Sun Demons."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Norine Braun's music has always existed on its own terms, falling into that titillating, refreshingly original space to the left of "trendy," craftily sidestepping the all-too-easily-dismissed stigma often applied to the "female singer/songwriter," and freewheeling unhindered around the rigid shackles of "genre. "
Along with savvy producer and multi-instrumentalist James Bowers, Braun has accumulated an extraordinary discography of unpretentious, personal songs anchored by her sweet, confident voice and genteel composition. Together, the pair crafts tuneful, friendly songs with subtle but effective arrangements, dynamic and graceful and memorable.
Now, Braun is back with her fifth CD, NOW & ZEN, and on these fourteen tracks Braun shows an even greater depth and maturity. NOW & ZEN expands on her penchant for jazzed up, funk-tinged pop, and shows this gifted songstress taking bold steps on her soulful journey into self-exploration. The torch song, "Move the Clouds," is evocative and inspirational, anchored by easy lounge piano and a melody as delicate as flower petals. The groovy "J'en Suis Desolee" showcases Braun's confident rap, surprising and rocking with an edgy explosion of homegirl verve.
Artsy and intellectual, tuneful and savvy, Norine Braun will zing to the heart of any listener. Norine Braun's repertoire ranges from ethereal, reflective moods to sizzling bluesy rock that test the limit of popular music. She is inspired by the struggle to find meaning in the human experience. Her lyrics, although provocative, do not lose touch with her whimsical nature."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Of Armenian origin, composer, pianist and teacher, Gerard Satamian was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. Although his family could hardly support their basic needs, his mother, noticing his early musical inclinations, arranged for him to take private piano lessons.
At the age of 13 he entered the Beirut National Conservatory of music. At school in Lebanon, Satamian excelled in literature and languages, and for many years immersed himself in the French writers and poets. His early years were filled with the musical traditions of many cultures and styles: Armenian, Arabic, and Western, such as Romanticism and Impressionism.
In 1977, during the Civil War in Lebanon, Satamian moved to Armenian to continue his piano studies at the Gomitas Conservatory of Music in Yerevan. There he was exposed to the Armenian and Russian composers. He also pursued his love for singing through vocal coaching, finding voice and most natural and expressive instrument. He received his Masters degree in piano, in 1982, but vocal music had found a special place in his heart.
In 1983, Satamian left Lebanon with his family for Los Angeles. Deeply affected by the tragedies of the war in Lebanon he turned to the Scriptures for answers. For the next 10 years he taught piano while concentrating most of his energy on his spirituality.
Although Satamian never studied composition formerly, he always knew he had a gift for writing melodies. Having moved to Vancouver, Canada in 1989 he further developed his composition skills. Chansons sans Paroles (1989) written originally for voice and piano and the Suite Lyrique (1994) are short stories inspired by images of the past and people he knew.
Francois Houle
Francois Houle's energetic performances are bridging the gap between the new music and improvisation. He went to McGill University in Montreal where he received his bachelor of music degree and graduated with a Masters degree from the Yale school of music. He also spent two years in residence at the Banff Centre for the arts. His great interest in contemporary music has led him to perform under the direction of Bruce Mather, Mauricio Kagel, Arthur Weisberg, Toru Takemitsa and Yannis Xenakis, among others.
Since moving to Vancouver in 1990, Houle has established itself as a strong new voice on the Canadian creative music scene. Recent performances include all Western Canadian gas festivals, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, the Festival de Music Actuelle de Victoriaville, new music across America, time flies, and Seattle World Jazz Festival. He has also dedicated much of his time composing for his own critically acclaimed group Francois Houle Et Cetera."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "One of Magnatune's best selling artists and an Internet phenomenon, Brad Sucks is Brad Turcotte of Ottawa, Canada?one of the first artists to take full advantage of the free culture movement for self-promotion and distribution. Inspired by peer-to-peer file sharing of music, he began releasing his incredibly catchy indie pop songs online in 2002 and has since developed a significant online fanbase that includes remixers, visual artists, and a host of others whom he regularly invites to participate directly in his projects.
In 2005 he released his fan-funded debut album, I Don't Know What I'm Doing as well as its complete audio source. The self-produced 12 song set has been compared to Beck, Moby, Folk Implosion, and John Vanderslice and received a great deal of college and commercial airplay all over the world, including Australia, the UK, and the Caribbean.The music has been licensed by VH1, as well as several radio and television commercials. In 2007 a double album of remixes of I Don't Know What I'm Doing was released on Magnatune, featuring many of ccMixter's most popular remixers.
Since Brad was one of the first to make the decision to release his music under a Creative Commons license, he was free to promote it through sites such as Magnatune, ccMixter, and the Podsafe Music Network, and he received a significant amount of publicity through blogs and interviews in free culture magazines such as Red Hat Magazine. Brad has also been featured in Maxim, The Seattle Times, NPR's All Songs Considerd, Flak Magazine, The Economist, and the Toronto Star, among many other publications.
Brad is currently working on his second full length album, Out of It, and recently solicited "community backup vocals" for the title track. In addition to writing and recording music, Turcotte also runs the website stripcreator.com, which allows participants to create their own talking-head webcomics. He is also the creator of in4mador."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "One of the leading lutenists of his generation, Matthew Wadsworth is in great demand as a continuo player, chamber musician, soloist and teacher. He has appeared at many of the major festivals in the UK and Europe and can frequently be heard on radio, in live performances or on disc.
Matthew studied lute at London's Royal Academy of Music with Nigel North, who is now a good friend and colleague.
After graduating in 1997, winning the London student of the year award for his work on the development of Braille lute tablature, Matthew spent a valuable year at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.
Matthew is also a founder member of Ricordo, which has earned an enviable reputation for its flamboyant performances of seventeenth century music. The ensemble has been regularly featured on BBC Radio 3, including on The Early Music Show and Music Restored. Ricordo's CD recording of Biber on Linn records (Virtuoso in the Making) has enjoyed great success, and its next recording will be released in 2005 featuring the music of Schmeltzer.
February 2003 saw Matthew's solo debut at London's Wigmore Hall and he shared a recital with guitarist John Williams at the Royal Society of Medicine. He now gives at least one solo recital per year at either the Wigmore Hall or the South Bank Centre.
Matthew Wadsworth's CD recording of music by Kapsberger and Piccinini (14 Silver Strings) for Deux-Elles records has received international critical acclaim and was Gramophone Editor's Choice and BBC Music Magazine's Pick of the Month. He has recorded for EMI, Avie, Deux-Elles and Linn records.
Matthew continues to be much involved with the development of Braille music technology and is currently collaborating with a company in the USA to facilitate production of Braille lute tablature from electronic format, which will greatly benefit visually impaired musicians the world over.
Carolyn Sampson comes from Bedford, England and read music at the University of Birmingham. A stylish interpreter of the baroque and classical masters, she regularly appears with many of the most respected period instrument groups and conductors: The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The King's Consort, The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, The Sixteen, The English Concert, The Gabrieli Consort, Ensemble Baroque de Limoges, Il Giardino Armonico, Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe, Gustav Leonhardt, Harry Christophers, Trevor Pinnock, Masaaki Suzuki, Emmanuel Haim, Paul McCreesh, Christophe Coin and Giovanni Antonini.
Modern orchestras and choirs with whom she performs include the Orchestre des Champs-Elysees The Royal Concertgebouw, Halle, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the RIAS Kammerchor. Carolyn's repertoire includes Brahms, Britten, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Stravinsky.
She has recorded Vivaldi, Zelenka, Monteverdi, Handel, Rameau and Lalande for Hyperion, Bach for Harmonia Mundi and Bis, Robert Johnson lute songs for Avie, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo for Virgin Classics and Gluck's Paride ed Elena for DG Archiv,.
Carolyn sang Pamina in The Magic Flute with the English National Opera for whom she takes the title role of Handel's Semele (November 2004). Other opera projects include Asteria in Tamerlano with Le Concert d'Astree and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro for Opera de Montpellier."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "One thousand years ago with the ward of Christianity to Ukraine the culture on these grounds did not begin anew, but its new page was opened. Alongside with the partially kept prior archaic layers and on their basis, Christianity has formed other original forms of culture, genres and styles.The influence of these processes on national music was especially expressive.
In pagan times the Kolyadkas (1,4,5,7-11,14,16,18,20,21) and Shchedrivkas (2,15,17,19) were a component of sacramentals related with New Year Day and vernal equinox. In later time Kolyadkas and Shchedrivkas (Christmas carols) became a symbol of Christmastime and other biblical dates and events. Obviously, such reassess of function has served as the reason of a semantic and stylistic variety of Kolyadkas and Shchedrivkas, represented on the disk.
The content of spiritual verses is always Christian. Their musical stylistics can inherit ancient epic singing-narrative tradition of east Slavs (6). The closest relation with Orthodox Christian religious doctrine and ideology, and also with Church service music is observed in folk canticles (3,12,13) and polychronions (20,22).
The biblical characters (Jesus Christ, The Theotokos, apostles Peter and Paul, saint George and saint Basil, Herod the king and others), and also place of events in folklore musical compositions as though they are passed through a prism of representation of the Ukrainian peasant consequently get typical features of Ukrainian everyday life.
The musical stylistics of the folk compositions, represented on the disk, shows different stages of Ukrainian folk singing history. Besides it is caused by the certain regional tradition. The heterophone Kolyadkas and Shchedrivkas from Polissia (North Ukraine) are the most archaic. The manner of their performance is especially ceremonial, and reminds a wail (2,8,11). In other regions of Ukraine such manner of singing is of rare occurrence (15). The characteristics of the later stylistic features are: adding of an independent top voice to a song melody (9,14,17,18); expansion and enriching the canvas with additional voices (1,12). So it forms chord-harmonic canticle style of 17-18 centuries (3,4,5,7,10,13,16,20,22) and change vocal manner to church singing (5,16). Dniper Livoberezhzhia singing (3,7,13) is noticeable for its extended, polyphonically wide style. It is very close to local lyrical singing tradition. In Polissia the singing of winter ceremonial songs could be traditionally accompanied by a violin (8,21).
This disk represents only small part of a unique musical folklore heritage of Ukrainian people. Tunes were recorded on an audio tape in 1978-1999. All of them were performed by singers from villages of three regions of Ukraine - Pripyat' Polissia, Poltavshchina and Cherkashchina. Ensemble "Drevo" has kept features of local musical stylistics (canvas , characteristic sound, a melodic variation, ornamentation) and a language dialect.
The ensemble "Drevo" (founded in Kiev in 1979) has begun the movement for authentic reproduction of traditional peasant music in musical culture of Ukraine. The art director is an ethnomusicologist, the candidate of an art criticism, senior lecturer of National musical academy of Ukraine Eugeny Efremov. The ensemble consists of the young scientists, who collect and investigate traditional national music of different regions of Ukraine - mainly Polissia, Podillia and Livobverezhzhia - for many years. "Drevo" recovers the material gathered in ethnographic expeditions without additional art processing, keeping its natural, original form."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Opened Paradise was formed in Athens, Greece in the summer of 2003 with a sound and vision dedicated to all that they had held within up until that point. Featuring the incredible,hollowed-out goth vocals of Perilkis, the music is a heady blend of both tempting and aggressive moods, influenced by Fields of Nephilim and Garden Of Delight.
Opened Paradise has played the Gagarin Open Air Festival, Dead Souls Festival, The Beyond the Veil Festival, The Athens Festival, and the Undersworld Club. They've shared the stage with Garden of Delight, Past Perfect, Type O Negative, Rotting Christ, Psyche, Arcturus, Theatre Of Tragedy, and Clan of Xymox.
At the end of March 2006, and after of long period of waiting, Opened Paradise released Occult, the result of much hard work and a realization of the desire to fully represent the internal, emotional lives of the band memebers. The album is mixed by Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ) and mastered by Artaud Seth (Garden Of Delight, Lutherion)."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Originally from Colorado, Phebe Craig spent her student years in Berlin, Brussels and San Francisco. She has earned a reputation as a versatile chamber musician and recitalist and has performed and recorded with many early music ensembles. As a specialist in basso continuo realization she has accompanied many prominent early music soloists. She has appeared at the Carmel Bach Festival, the Regensburg Tage Alter Music, and the Berkeley Early Music Festival. In addition to performing with many local ensembles, Craig also belongs to New York State Baroque. She teaches at the University of California at Davis and is the Director of the San Francisco Early Music Society's Baroque Music and Dance Workshop.
Katherine Westine holds a B.A. degree in Music History from the University of Washington and a Master's Degree in organ performance from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. She has done post-graduate study in early music for harpsichord, clavichord and organ with Harald Vogel at the Norddeutsche Orgelakademie in Germany. Former teachers include Silvia Kind, harpsichord, and Wyatt Insko, organ. Ms. Westine teaches and performs in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a past president of the Alameda Branch of MTAC and is founder of the Florio Street Concerts. She is a member of the ensembles Nota Bene and La Foolia."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Panacea is an eclectic blend of five of the San Francisco Bay area's most individual and sought after musicians. With a myriad of successful music careers between them, these five dynamic performers have joined their unique and diverse talents to form what is being called a wildly playful ensemble.
Clockwise from the lower left: Santuri player Robin Petrie has recorded and toured extensively, playing and singing Celtic and European folk music. Nicole LeCorgne specializes in Middle Eastern and Balkan percussion. Bon Brown Singer is well known as a vocalist and the original artistic director of the Kitka women's chorus. Shira Kammen tours here and abroad as a medieval and early music vocalist and instrumentalist. Accordionist Nada Lewis has led several renowned Balkan and klezmer ensembles in the Bay area.
Together their repertoire is as diverse as their experience, with music that travels from Finland to Israel and spends quite a bit of time in the Balkans along the way."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Pantagruel has forged a reputation as one of the most exciting and innovative early music ensembles performing today. By delving into the very depths of Renaissance culture their semi-staged performances unearth the archetypal and timeless quality of this music. Hannah Morrison's pure and sweet voice combined with the lilting citterns, gitterns, lutes, and flutes of Dominik Schneider and Mark Wheeler bring to life the passionate music of a distant age.
Pantagruel, the hero of a 1532 novel by Francois Rabelais, maintained the motto "do, what thou wilt," and is a fitting name for an ensemble dedicated to exploring innovative methods of performance and presentation. Combining painstaking musicological research with their experience in classical music, rock, jazz, theater, and dance, Pantagruel's performances push the envelop of classical concert conventions by using Renaissance practices of medley, improvisation, and gesture.
Recent Pantagruel performances have included concerts at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Utrecht Early Music Festival, Munster Baroque festival, and collaboration with Andrew Lawrence-King (Harp Consort, Hesperion XX).
Their debut CD Elizium breaks boundaries to produce an album of painstaking authenticity, with a structure and intensity that bears comparison with the concept albums of 70's rock bands such as Pink Floyd. Elizium is set in Elizabethan England at the court of the Faerie Queene Elizabeth I, whose influence in modern pop culture can be seen in Tolkiens' Elven Queen Galadriel.
Artist Bios
Hannah Morrison (Voyce) The daughter of Scottish and Icelandic musicians, it was in the Netherlands at the Musikhochschule Maastricht that she gained her BA, studying with the soprano Barbara Schlick. She has received further inspiration during master classes with Anthony Rooley, Evelyn Tubb and Andrew Lawrence- King.
Dominik Schneider (Flutes, Gittern & Voyce) From an early age he began to play every instrument he could get his hands on, but finally ended up studying the recorder at the Folkwang Musikhochschule in Essen and later renaissance and baroque traverse flutes at the Cologne Musikhochschule.
Mark Wheeler (Lutes, Cittern & Gittern) Born in Wordsley/England, he discovered his passion for plucked string instruments while listening to Led Zeppelin. His lute studies with Nigel North at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London have been complemented by master classes, with amongst others Jakob Lindberg & Julian Bream."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Paul Beier graduated from the Royal College of Music, London, under Diana Poulton. He has performed throughout Europe, Australia, North and South America with a solo repertoire extending from the early Sixteenth Century to the music of Bach and Weiss. Founder and director of Ensemble Galilei, now renamed Galatea, he also collaborates with many baroque music groups.
His CDs (9 solo lute recordings and 4 as director of Galatea) have been received very well; some of them earned important recognition such as Disque du Mois of Rortoire, 5 Diapason, 5 stars of Goldberg, etc. Since 1981 he teaches Lute, Basso Continuo and Renaissance Ensemble at the Civica Scuola di Musica (Accademia Internazionale della Musica) in Milan.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Paul Berget received his B.F.A. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1972. After graduation, he continued his studies with the legendary Diana Poulton at the Royal College of Music in London, where he also studied with acclaimed lutenist Nigel North.
In 1973, he appeared on Broadway in a musical production of Cyrano starring Christopher Plummer.
In addition to playing early music, he has also performed in a variety of other musical styles: modern classical and steel string guitar, and world music.
Recently he has been performing as the lutenist in the internationally acclaimed ensemble Minstrelsy!, a group that records on the Lyra Chord label.
Other early music collaborations include the Rose Ensemble, Ensemble Polaris, the Minnesota Lute Quartet (MiLQ), and performances with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Pavlo Beznosiuk, one of the most versatile musicians working on the early music scene, has been described as a virtuosic artist with 'star quality' whose 'playing is full of fantasy' and 'whose range of ideas seems every time more amazing'. Well known as a soloist, chamber musician and concertmaster, he has led and directed numerous period instrument orchestras including The Academy of Ancient Music, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Hanover Band. Pavlo's extensive list of recordings includes Bach's Brandenburg concertos with the New London Consort, Vivaldi's op.6 violin concertos with The AAM, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and Haffner Serenade, a much feted recording of the Schubert Octet with the ensemble Hausmusik and the world premiere recording of music by J J Walther and J P von Westhoff. These and his innumerable TV and radio broadcasts worldwide have established his pre-eminence in the field of early music. Pavlo teaches baroque violin at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Phantasm, an award-winning quartet of viols, was founded in 1994 by Laurence Dreyfus. Inspired by the great twentieth-century string quartets, Phantasm enjoys taking risks in its search for renditions that renew the expressive traditions of early music. The quartet's international membership (from Britain, Finland and the US) were all trained on modern instruments, but each was drawn to consort playing because of the poignant sound of the viols and the special intimacy this music cultivates. Based in London, Phantasm has toured extensively throughout Europe, North America, and East Asia. They have appeared in festivals in London, York, Berlin, Utrecht, Stavanger, as well as in Iceland, Estonia, Poland and Finland and on concert series in Tokyo, Seoul, New York and Washington.
Laurence Dreyfus, treble viol and director, was born in Boston, Mass. After learning the cello with Leonard Rose at Juilliard, he studied the viol with Wieland Kuijken at the Royal Conservatoire at Brussels, which awarded him its Diplome superieur. As a bass viol player, he has recorded CDs of Bach's viola da gamba sonatas, Marais's Pieces de violes and Rameau's Pieces de clavecin en concert (all on Simax), and collaborated with Silvia McNair in a Grammy-winning album of Purcell songs (on Philips). As a musicologist, Laurence has published Bach's Continuo Group and Bach and the Patterns of Invention (Harvard, 1987 and 1996); the latter won the Kinkeldey Award from the American Musicological Society for the best book of the year. Dreyfus taught at Yale, the University of Chicago, Stanford, and the Royal Academy of Music before becoming Thurston Dart Professor in 1995 at King's College London, where he teaches music history and performance. In 2002 he took British citizenship and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.
Wendy Gillespie, treble viol, was born in New York and, after attending Wellesley College and the Amsterdam Conservatoire, began her performing career with the New York Pro Musica Antiqua. Since then she has played all over the world with leading ensembles including Les Filles de Sainte-Colombe, Ensemble for Early Music, Ensemble Sequentia, the Waverly Consort and the English Concert. She has participated in over 60 recordings for Virgin Classics, Decca, Nonesuch, Harmonia Mundi, among others. Whilst her speciality lies in consort music, Wendy has participated in many performances of both medieval and contemporary music. Wendy is a founding member of the viol consort Fretwork, who appear worldwide and have won a Grand Prix du Disque. Wendy makes her home in Bloomington, where she is Associate Professor at Indiana University and Acting Director of the Early Music Institute.
Jonathan Manson, tenor viol, was born in Edinburgh and received his formative training at the International Cello Centre in Scotland under the direction of Jane Cowan, later going on to study with Steven Doane at the Eastman School of Music in New York. While in America, he became involved with the performance of early music, and from there went to The Hague to study viola da gamba with Wieland Kuijken. On both cello and viola da gamba, Jonathan plays and records regularly with many leading early music ensembles. Recent chamber music recordings include a disk of Rameau's Pieces de clavecin en concert with Rachel Podger and Trevor Pinnock. In 1999, he became principal cellist of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, which in addition to a busy touring schedule has just finished recording the complete cantatas of JS Bach. Jonathan makes his home outside of London, where he has been appointed a professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Markku Luolajan-Mikkola, bass viol, studied cello with Arto Noras at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, which awarded him its diploma in 1983. An interest in baroque music led him to a summer course in Norway with Laurence Dreyfus and later to Holland where he studied with Wieland Kuijken at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and received postgraduate diplomas in viola da gamba and baroque cello. Markku teaches at the Sibelius Academy. He is active as a chamber musician and has given many solo recitals throughout Scandinavia as well as in the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Estonia, and Poland. His recording of Marais' Suite d'un gout Etranger on ALBA records won a national award for excellence in his native Finland, and other solo CDs have likewise garnered critical acclaim, including discs of virtuoso viol music by Forqueray, Marais, and JS Bach's gamba sonatas, the latter two issued by BIS. A special interest of Luolajan-Mikkola's is contemporary music commissioned for the bass viol.
Guests of Phantasm
Susanna Pell, tenor viol, was born in Leicester and is a member of the viol consort Fretwork and medieval ensemble, The Dufay Collective. With both groups she has toured throughout the world and made many recordings for TV, radio, disc and film. She is also a member of Virelai, an ensemble specialising in music of the late medieval and early renaissance period. Susanna teaches consort playing at King's College London and is currently training to be a teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Asako Morikawa, born in Takamatsu, Japan, started playing viola da gamba when she was 13 years old, but initially studied violin in the Toho Gakuen Music High School in Tokyo, before continuing her studies in viola da gamba at the Conservatorium with Tetsuya Nakano. In 1988 she moved to Holland to further her studies with Wieland Kuijken at the Royal Conservatorium in The Hague, where she received her Soloist's Diploma in 1993. Since 1997 she has made her home in London and has appeared internationally with groups such as Charivari Agreable, The English Concert, The King's Consort, and Fretwork."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Phoebe Carrai, a native Bostonian, started playing the cello at the age of 10. She fell in love with the Baroque cello and the Early Music Movement whilst a student of Lawrence Lesser at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where she earned both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees.
In 1979, Ms. Carrai won a Beebe Foundation Grant to undertake post Graduate studies in Historical Performance Practice with Nicolaus Harnoncourt at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
In 1983, Ms. Carrai joined the chamber music ensemble Musica Antiqua Koln and worked exclusively with them for the next ten years, touring and teaching in The United States, Scandinavia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America. At that time she taught at the Hilversum Conservatory in Holland.
Now living in the United States again, Phoebe Carrai appears both in chamber music and as an international soloist and performs with The Arcadian Academy and The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (Nicholas McGegan); Ensemble Arion (Claire Guillment), Les Musiciens de Louvre (Marc Minkowski) and The Handel and Haydn Society (Grant Llewellyn).
She is a member of the faculties of the University of the Arts in Berlin, Germany and The Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachussetts. Ms. Carrai is also a founding member and co-director of the International Baroque Institute at Longy.
Phoebe Carrai performs on an anonymous Italian cello from c. 1690 and has recorded for Aetma, Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi, Telarc, Decca and BMG."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Pianist Andreas Haefliger is recognized internationally for his ability to perform the great works of the Classical and Romantic repertoire with a rare combination of power, elegance, and poetry. His interpretations spring from a rich musical culture, and have earned him the status of one of the leading pianists of our time.
Andreas Haefliger is a frequent guest of the world's major orchestras in the U.S. and in Europe including the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Chicago Symphony, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Orchester of the Bayrischer Rundfunk in Munich, the Munich Philharmonic, the Salzburg Camerata, Leipzig's Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the BBC Symphony. Andreas Haefliger has performed at such famous venues as the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Mozaerteum, Wigmore Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall.
Festival appearances include concerts with the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia; the Montreal Symphony at the Festival International de Lanaudiere; the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl; New York's Mostly Mozart Festival; the Blossom Festival with the Cleveland Orchestra, the London Proms and the Salzburg Festival.
A prolific recitalist, Andreas Haefliger performs regularly in major music capitals throughout Europe and the United States, and in summer festivals including Lucerne, Copenhagen, Kuhmo, Tanglewood and Ravinia. He has appeared with the Takcs String Quartet on tour in the United States. In addition to his other musical partnerships, he performs with his wife, flutist Marina Piccinini, at various venues including Washington DCs Kennedy Center.
Andreas Haefliger grew up in a musical household and by the time he was fifteen he had lived in several European capitals. He completed his studies at the Juilliard School where he was twice awarded the Gina Bachauer Memorial Scholarship. He makes his home between New York and Vienna.
He has recorded works by Schumann, Schubert, Mozart and Sofia Gubaidulina for Sony Classical; Schubert lieder with Matthias Goerne, and a disc of Schubert's "Trout " Quintet and the Dvork Piano Quintet with the Takcs String Quartet for London/Decca."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Pianist ELIZABETH WOLFF has developed a large following both as a chamber musician and as a soloist. She has collaborated with such noted string quartets as the Shanghai, the Brunswick, the Rosamonde, and the Zapolski, and has participated in music festivals including Music Mountain, Aspen, Music at La Gesse, Mohonk, The Beethoven Festival, and the Festival de Musique en Lorraine.
Founder and Director of Music at Lake Willoughby, Miss Wolff has also been on chamber music faculties of Summertrios and Music Mountain. Currently, she is Co-Director of Chamber Music Retreats at Vassar.
Miss Wolff is recipient of numerous awards and sponsorships including the Pro Musicis Foundation's International Award, The Belsky Music Award, a Music at La Gesse Fellowship, and The Jerome Foundation debut recording grant. In New York, she has been presented as soloist for three consecutive seasons on The Distinguished Artist Series at The Tisch Center of the 92nd Street 'Y', at Merkin Concert Hall and Florence Gould Hall by Pro Musicis, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and at Weill Recital Hall. As well, she is often featured pianist in live radio broadcasts on WQXR, WNCN and WNYC. Other United States solo concert performances include The Phillips Collection in Washington DC, The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago, The Schubert Club in St. Paul, and numerous Pro Musicis sponsored national recital tours. Miss Wolff's appearance at London's Purcell Room received rave critical acclaim and was followed with highly successful tours of Austria, Holland and France. She was invited back to Vienna to perform works of Brahms in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his death.
Miss Wolff's affinity for and love of the piano works of Rachmaninoff have garnered special notice. She was guest soloist on WQXR's "Russian Nights" special broadcast, she conducted master classes as well as performed in recital at the renowned Rachmaninoff Institute in Tambov, Russia, and most recently she performed for the International Conference of the Rachmaninoff Society in London and Vienna. Of Miss Wolff's recording of the Six Moments Musicaux, Opus 16, American Record Guide noted, "I have never heard anything quite like the enchanting soft playing in No. 5, and No. 6 is a remarkable performance...a stimulating and musical pianist." This disc has been re-issued, and included on it is a premiere recording of the two sets of Moments Musicaux (Opus 7 and 84) by Moritz Moszkowski.
Elizabeth Wolff's commitment to teaching is demonstrated through the broad range of her educational activities. These include an adjunct lectureship at Hunter College, presentations for The College Music Society, her lecture/recital series entitled Minding the Score, chamber music coaching in affiliation with The 92nd Street YMHA School of Music and with Chamber Music Associates, and her class of individual students. Miss Wolff received a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Science degree from The Juilliard School where she was a scholarship student of Rosina Lhevinne. Other teachers include Seymour Bernstein, Jeaneane Dowis, and Benjamin Kaplan."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Powerful and melodic, fast rock-n-roll from New York City! Born and bred in New York's Lower East Side, Nova Express' creative song writing force is generated by founding members Mike Dee-Bass & Vocals (New York) and Eric Robel-Drums (Baltimore, MD), based on the concept of bringing together fast high-energy punk with the twin guitar assault of Motor City Rock-n-Roll. Supported by long-time member David Acampora-Rhythm guitar (L.A.), original lead guitarist Danny Mackane (NY), and more recently Suke of Snuka fame (NY) bringing in high caliber guitar work, the result is pure rock and roll: fast and ferocious, hard, heavy and loud.
Watch Nova Express's video of their song "Gimme Some More." You can view or download the entire quicktime movie.
To date, NE have been featured on a variety of national and international Indie labels such as Devil Doll, TeePee/Victory, Rue Morgue, Vicious Kitten, Myrmecoleo and now Magnatune! An upcoming Reptilian Records comp featuring Nova Express covering a Dead Boys song is also slated. Being well reviewed from such magazines as Carbon 14, Punk ! magazine, L.A. Weekly, Screech Magazine and Toxic Flyer have helped gather the attention Nova Express has gained to pull off packed shows wherever they play. Sal Canzonieri of Electric Frankenstein says "Nova Express is the best of the new breed of Rock-n-Rollers."
NE has toured up and down the east and west coast in such cities as NY, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, Columbus, LA, SF, and SD with other bands such as: Candy Snatchers, Electric Frankenstein, Zeke, The Bullys, Street Walkin' Cheetahs, Texas Terri and The Black Halos. All with great audience reception. 11 songs, recorded at the famous LoHo Studios in New Yorks' Lower East Side by Engineer Joe Hogan, is the result of the bands' best to date entitled "Gimme Some" available here in downloadable form."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "
Quite simply, The Seldon Plan makes some of the best laid-back indie rock around. Comprised of members Bobby Landle and Michael Nestor on guitar and vocals, Dave Hirner on bass, and Mike Landavere on percussion, the band is based in Baltimore, Maryland and has spent the last few years cutting two full length albums and taking on an increasingly busy live performance schedule?including shows with The Stills, Matt Pond PA, Now It's Overhead, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Explosions in the Sky, and Jet By Day.
In 2003 The Seldon Plan released The Living Room EP, which quickly received airplay on commercial and Internet radio stations such as KSCR and SOMAFM. The band's first full length album, the critically acclaimed Making Circles, made its way onto a number of top-record of the year lists, including a selection as one of "the top 40 releases of 2005 "by The Big Takeover. The album was recorded with Frank Marchand (Bob Mould, Good Charlotte) and Charlie Pilzer (Ida, All Mighty Senators, The Kennedys). It was also featured on NPR's All Songs Considered.
The New Album: The Collective Now An exploration of the band's on-again-off-again relationship with pop, The Collective Now was originally meant to be a dance pop record with healthy references to early 80's college radio. What emerged instead was the band's distinctively layerd indie pop sound?searching, modern, nuanced?with noticeable tension between the desire for accessibility and the need for artistic expression. Listeners might hear glimmers of Maritime, The Little Ones, Band of Horses, Earlimart and The Swirlies. But no matter what you hear, you're sure to enjoy this sophomore effort from The Seldon Plan."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ralph Meulenbroeks showed his prodigious musical talent at an early age, playing the piano and bass guitar at the age of eight. He later combined his double bass and gamba studies with a masters and Ph.D. in physics.
Meulenbroeks played double bass in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and gave many recitals and solo concerts in the Netherlands and abroad, including numerous radio and television performances. He also still managed to find time to play in rock, jazz, and pop bands.
From 1995 onwards, Ralph Meulenbroeks has specialised in performing early music, studying viola da gamba with Jaap ter Linden. He is now an esteemed soloist in works such as the passions, sonatas, and cantatas of J.S. Bach, and has released several CDs. His previous CD, Voix Humaines with music for viola da gamba solo was proclaimed "a true monument for the art of gamba playing" in the Dutch press.
Ralph Meulenbroeks played in the Fringe of the Early Music Festival in Utrecht (from 2000 to 2002), in the Early Music Network (2003 and 2004), and his solo recitals have taken him throughout Europe, United States, and China.
On Moved by Marais, Meulenbroeks plays a six string viola da gamba by Georg Aman (Augsburg), early 18th century on the G minor and G major suites, and a seven string viola da gamba after Michel Colichon (1693) by Reinhard Ossenbrunner (2003) on all other tracks. Meulenbroeks is joined by Pieter-Jan Belder, conductor of Musica Amphion and a gifted player of the harpsichord, clavichord, organ, forte-piano, and recorder. He is also joined by Remy Baudet, principal violinist of the Orchestra of the 18th Century, Musica Amphion, ensemble Le Zephyre, and the Van Swieten Society."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Recognized worldwide as a leading pioneer in the field of historical harps, Cheryl Ann Fulton has had internationally successful performing, recording, teaching and scholarly research career since 1986. She is America's premier performer of historical harps, and one of the few harpists in the world to play triple harp, medieval harp and contemporary lever harps. Her solo performance for the 2002 World Harp Congress in Geneva affirmed her rank as one of the world's leading harpists. Known for her exceptional artistry, in the last decade she has become a renowned and highly sought after teacher of her masterful and expressive technique. Her solo recital performed at the John F. Kennedy Center featured five historical harps on one program of which the Washington Post said, "Fulton drew from all of them a serene and delicate sound.... remarkable instruments which Fulton played with total skill and reverent affection."
A versatile recording artist, she can be heard on over thirty albums and soundtracks broadly ranging from medieval, baroque, orchestral, and contemporary music to Celtic music and film scores, on major labels including PolyGram, Deutche Harmonia Mundi, Koch International Classics, Nonesuch, Erato, Dorian, Gourd Music, and others. Her first solo album, The Airs of Wales, brought her recognition and acclaim as a "genuine virtuosa of her instrument." A composer as well as performer, her original compositions from her second solo album, The Once & Future Harp, have been featured on National Public Radio.
A leading scholar in the field of historical harps, Dr. Fulton, a Fulbright scholar, is a contributing scholar for the new edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and has written a chapter for A Performers Guide to Medieval Music (IU Press, 2000). She was awarded the Burton E. Adams Prize for Academic Research for her doctoral thesis on the history of the triple harp. She earned a BS degree in pedal harp, and an MM and DM in early music/historical harp from the School of Music of Indiana University, Bloomington. During her graduate work she was a devoted student of Thomas Binkley, and served as Associate Instructor of Historical Harp. In 1987 she received a Fulbright award for research and performance in Lisbon, Portugal and while there served as principal harpist for Portugal's finest orchestra, the Orchestre Gulbenkian. She is the founding President of the Historical Harp Society which celebrated it's 20th anniversary in August 2003.
Cheryl Ann Fulton is the producer and director, as well as a featured performer along with her Celtic harp group The White Horse Harpers, Jerry O'Sullivan, Shay Black and Liz Carol on the 2001 recording Christmas in an Irish Castle. A founding member of Ensemble Alcatraz, she has worked with many professional ensembles including Anonymous 4, Sequentia, Les Idees Heureuses, American Bach Soloists, The Boston Camerata, and Chanticleer. With her friend Diana Stork, she performs in the duo Twin Harps. She founded and directs the medieval harp choir Angelorum.
Cheryl Ann lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and loves riding her beautiful Arabian horse Fazon, and enjoying time with her two dogs."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Reza Manzoori was born in the year of the fire horse in Shiraz, Iran, a city famous for its wine, rose gardens, and poetry. He remembers an early affinity for music and rhythm, but didn't begin playing until rather late in life at 17 when he found an old guitar belonging to his sister in the basement of the house they lived in. The guitar had only the three treble strings. Still, this was more than enough to work with. "The first chord I ever learned was a D chord and I think it was because the guitar only had those three strings".
A Segovia cassette was another inspiration. "Finding a Segovia album in post-revolution Iran was not at all impossible, however to me it was more than a call to the understanding of the guitar. It was a call to the understanding of music itself. I realized that the guitar wasn't the instrument, but that music was, and the guitar was simply a tool for the instrument of Music."
Upon arriving to the United States Reza enrolled in Los Angeles Valley College. Throughout his attendance there he held first chair in both the LAVC Guitar Ensemble and the Monarch Guitar Quartet, an extension of the guitar department headed by Robert G. Mayeur. "Performing (solos) was a great lesson for me. Knowing that I had nothing but the music to play allowed me to forget that I was all alone up there."
His musical experiences are wide and varied. "I wanted to be a great guitar player, but more than that I wanted to be a great musician. And so music in all its forms became appealing to me. I thank my sister for leaving me that old guitar with three strings, and the Creator for blessing my ears. I sometimes wonder what might have happened had it been a didgeridoo."
Reza's album 'ReStrung' is a collection of original songs that he has been "re-creating" for the past ten years. He has been heard to call them practice pieces. "On most of the songs on 'ReStrung' what you hear, minus the percussion, is one guitar track. So all these songs can be performed as solos. However, they would all work nicely as duets, or even trios and quartets."
Reza currently resides in North Hollywood, California."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Richard G. Jones began DJing parties in Florida in the early nineties. His uniquely dark Dub influenced sound led him to the new "jungle" sound slowly emerging and not yet classified as anything but BreakBeat in the U.S.
A pioneer in this genre in Florida, DJ Rasa hosted weekly nights at Simons playing alongside talent such as Grooverider, Dieselboy, DB, Dara and LTJ Bukem to name a few.
After acquiring a larger more well equipped venue at The Soulhouse called "Clean", he was able to experiment more with drum machines, singers and live elements bringing in acts such as Smith & Mighty, drawing from a more Dub / Reggae influence.
After moving to San Francisco in 1998 he crossed paths with Benny E. Sanches (a.k.a. iNTROSPEKT) at Nova Productions. The two immediately began producing together.
Benny Sanches is a decade-long producer of electronic music, with remixes for Depeche Mode and Meat Beat Manifesto among his portfolio.
As a producer and musician, iNTROSPEKT has worked with Ahou Yazmeen (vocalist, guitarist, aka ISYSS); David Pulfinger (percussionist, Cabaret Voltaire/Cocteau Twins); Jorge Bermudez (The Bermudez Triangle); Ammie Moore (Chicago-based Lounge/Trip Hop vocalist); Lisa Talev (Austin-based Poet, vocalist, guitarist); Christophe Royer (San Francisco-based House & Funk producer); Rasa N' Rice (Los Angeles-based Electro producer); Shemp (Bass guitarist for Schloss); and many others.
As a solo artist, Benny is known by the name of Magnatune artist iNTROSPEKT.
In addition to his own production efforts, Benny works for the celebrated digital-recording company Digidesign."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Rocket City Riot was formed in North Alabama in 1998 by multi-instrumentalist John Mark King as part of the high energy rock movement lead by bands like Electric Frankenstein, The Hellacopters and the Gaza Strippers.
The following year, RCR recorded its first full-length album, We Name the Guilty Men, and appeared on the first volume of the seminal 13- volume Fistful of Rock-n-Roll compilation series. The next year Scotland's Twenty Stone/Blatt Records released RCR's fit to rave reviews in the U.K. press. Meanwhile, RCR made several compilation appearances in the USA while recording their second album, Middle Age Suicide. They followed that up with Pop Killer in 2003, on which they further perfected their hybrid of pop sensibilities with ass-shaking rock and roll.
With influences ranging from Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Muddy Waters to Iggy and the Stooges, the MC5 and AC/DC, Rocket City Riot bring some much needed substance to the over-commercialized punk-pop scene. With King on lead vocals, bass and guitar, Dave Seiden on lead guitar and Alan Slimak on drums, Rocket City Riot maintains an active live show calendar, proving that fans still crave rock with real character and roots.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Roots of Rebellion hails from Kinnelon, New Jersey, in the heart of the Northern Jersey metro rock scene. Formed in 2001, the band's unconventional hard rock combines melodic keyboard and vocals over complex rhythms and chords, creating a unique rock sound that is equally appropriate on the dance floor, car radio and mosh pit.
Their debut album, The Looking Glass (2004), co-produced by the band and veteran sound engineer Tony Van Hoorn (recorded Phil Ramone, Ray Charles, Rick Derringer, Southside Johnny) combines a surprising collection of tracks, each significantly different from the others.
Comprised of eight songs, The Looking Glass is infectious from the first song, The Order, to the last, Messenger.
The complex musical progressions in each song are complimented by lead singer John Penola's introspective, yet ambiguous lyrics.
Swaying between kinetic choruses and somber verses, the album takes on the difficult task of pleasing both the hardest rocker and those who must find a melody and meaningful lyrics to appreciate a band's talents.
The four piece band is composed of singer/keyboardist John Penola; guitarist Tyler Bissell; drummer/vocalist Kurt Wubbenhorst and bassist Rob Struck."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ruben van Rompaey has been fascinated by drums and percussion since he was a child and started to play drums at a very early age.
Along with his early passion for jazz, he developed a strong interest in ethnic musical styles and sounds. Ruben was constantly being inspired by the influential Turkish multi-instrumentalist and musicologist, Yasar Saka.
During his study at the Rotterdam Conservatory Holland, Ruben made interesting musical voyages to US cities like New York and New Orleans, where he immersed himself in the local music scene. Ruben worked as a professional drums/percussion artist within well-known Turkish groups in Holland, including the Dostlar Band, as well as being active as a Jazz drummer. May 1999 Ruben won the Tama Drummers Award, and March 2000 he won the Erasmus Rotterdam Jazz Award, playing his own compositions.
He has performed at a variety of international Jazz festivals, which has brought him to countries like Turkey, West Africa, USA and Japan. After having obtained his Master Degree (cum laude) in Drums and Percussion, Ruben traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, where he lived for a while and was classically trained by the well-known percussion master Alpay Dinletir.
He was influenced by the playing of major Turkish percussionists like Yasar Akpence and Mehmet Akatay. Nowadays Ruben is very active as a professional drums and percussion artist and is working as a teacher at the departments of Jazz and World Music of the Rotterdam Conservatory, Holland."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Seth Carlin began his career at the age of nine with a broadcast over radio station WNYC in New York, performing a work written especially for him. Although he continued to perform extensively, it was only after a period of study in Paris that Carlin decided on a career in music.
Seth Carlin was prizewinner in the International Busoni Competition, and received a recitalist grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1989. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the Saint Louis Symphony, San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque, Toronto Tafelmusik, and Boston Pops, with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Nicholas McGegan and Roger Norrington. He has played at Lincoln Center, the Festival of Two Worlds, the Marlboro Music Festival, the Newport Music Festival, the Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival, and the Cambridge Society for Early Music. Carlin has also appeared on television and radio in France, Sweden, Germany and China. He has recorded for both Titanic and Naiad records.
Among Seth Carlin's accomplishments is the cycle of complete Schubert fortepiano sonatas, including the "Wanderer" Fantasy that he performed in New York City during the 1991-92 season, and which were broadcast nationally on National Public Radio's program "Performance Today." Recently Carlin's CD of Sonatas and Bagatelles by Beethoven was named Recording of the Month by Alte Musik Actuelle magazine. Currently, Carlin is Professor of Music at Washington University in St. Louis.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Shira Kammen received her degree in music from UC Berkeley and studied vielle with Margriet Tindemans.
A member for many years of Ensembles Alcatraz and Project Ars Nova, and Medieval Strings, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, and the King's Noyse, and is the founder of Class V Music, an ensemble dedicated to performance on river rafting trips.
She has performed and taught in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Israel, Morocco and Japan, and on the Colorado and Rogue rivers. Shira happily collaborated with singer/storyteller John Fleagle for fifteen years, and performs now with several new groups: a medieval ensemble, Fortune's Wheel; a new music group, Ephemeros; an eclectic ethnic band, Panacea; and Trouz Bras, a band devoted to the dance music of Celtic Brittany.
Shira can also be heard on the Magnatune recording by John Fleagle."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Sibelian are based in Stockholm, Sweden and produce music of dark, northern, grandeur. Stephen Svanholm formed Sibelian in the autumn of 1999 while he still lived in Great Britain. He has been able to fetch inspiration from widespread musical traditions of which he has first-hand experience.
He comes from a musical family and taught himself to play electric guitar at an early age. After playing lead guitar for a british funk-thrash band for a few years Stephen got wisa and went off to get his music degree. He caught the singing bug while doing that and went on to study operatic singing as a postgraduate at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Since leaving college he has been working as a freelance opera singer and presently sings professionally in Sweden. In rock and classical formats Stephen has appeared on stage well over 300 times. He has also travelled in India and Nepal and been deeply influenced by the culture and music of these countries.
He is also a qualified sound engineer and has recorded and produced other acts."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Sickness, discomfort, hallucinatory excursions into audio mayhem, moments of clarity, cathartic healing through analog circuitry.
Melding pure exploration with hapless accident, the wretch creates atmospheric moments through brutal walls of sound.
"Ambulatory | A new Kind of Sickness - a new hope for comfort" explores further what was started with "Cyst" - it's a hybrid of noisecore, drum'n'bass, and noiseambient, combined together into an album that travels into unrelenting rhythms, stereo mangling, incidental noises and nuances that will take months to understand but will impact immediately. Almost a tradition now - this album ends with a frantic remix of "Alerting" by Biomechanoid."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Since 2003 Emma Curtis has been a member of the solo opera ensemble at the Staatstheater Stuttgart. This versatile contralto specializes in Baroque repertoire, but has also been heard in many other works, including Schoenberg's Moses und Aron, Debussy's Pell?as et M?lisande (Genevi?ve) and Verdi's Rigoletto (Maddalena) and Falstaff (Mistress Quickly). Ms. Curtis has worked with conductors including Thomas Ad?s, Leonard Slatkin, Nicholas McGegan, Trevor Pinnock, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Harry Bicket, Sylvain Cambreling and Lothar Zagrosek. She has also performed at numerous festivals, including G?ttingen H?ndelfestspiele, Warwick and Aldeburgh Festivals, Aspen Music Festival and the BBC Proms.
As a baroque specialist Ms. Curtis has performed the title role in Cavalli's Giasone conducted by Harry Bicket, and as Irene in Handel's Atalanta conducted by Nicholas McGegan. Also Cleofe in Handel's La Resurrezione with The English Concert, and in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and Orfeo. Ms. Curtis has performed M.A. Charpentier's Les Le?ons de T?n?bres, and World Premieres of Philippe F?nelon's Les Le?ons de T?n?bres for Malgoire's L'Atelier Lyrique ? Tourcoing.
In 2006 Ms. Curtis creates the role of Galat?e in the world premiere of Pastorale by G?rard Pesson for Staatstheater Stuttgart, and in 2007 will create the leading role of L'Ain?e in the world premiere of Jacques Lenot's J'?tais dans ma maison et j'attendais que la pluie vienne at Opera de Gen?ve.
The Frolick
Directed by Andrew Maginley and Emma Curtis, The Frolick breathes life and fun into the neglected chamber, opera, and theatre music of the late 17th and 18th Centuries. As in the London of the 1700s, The Frolick's players come from all over Europe (not to mention the United States). The Frolick rehearses in a mix of languages, with music as the common tongue.
Andrew Maginley, baroque lute & guitar, theorbo: A specialist in the solo repertoire of the d-minor baroque lute, Andrew plays continuo with some of the finest theaters and conductors in the world, including Harry Bicket, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Nicholas Kok, Constantinos Carydis at Staatstheaters in Stuttgart, Klagenfurt, Munich, Graz and at the Theatre Champs Elyse?.
Markus M?llenbeck, baroque cello: Markus has appeared world-wide as a soloist specialising in cello concerti of the 18th century. He has also been a member of Musica Antiqua K?ln since 1991. Recently he has played with several ensembles including Akademie f?r Alte Musik Berlin, Freiburger Barockorchester, Concerto K?ln, Capella Coloniensis, La Stagione Frankfurt and in 2001 held the position of solo cellist with Marc Minkowski's Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble. He is a founder member of the Arcangelo Trio.
Muriel Bardon, baroque violin: Muriel is a full-time member of the award winning Staatstheater Stuttgart since 2000 and also performs as a soloist and in chamber music. Her love of baroque music led her in 2004 to build her own baroque violin, with her partner Frank, modelled after instruments by Guarnieri.
Annie Laflamme, transverse flute (german flute): As a soloist and chamber musician Annie has performed with orchestras and ensembles including , Orchestre Symphonique de Montr?al conducted by Charles Dutoit, I Musici de Montr?al, Orchestre symphonique de l'Estuaire, Camerata Lutherana Wien, Concilium musicum Wien, Haydn Akademie, Kremerata Baltica, L'Orfeo Barockorchester, Damals und Heute, Barucco, Neue Hofkapelle Munchen, Orpheon Vienna, A la Maresienne and Ensemble Kosma.
Giovanna Pessi, baroque harp: Giovanna performs regularly with Philippe Pierlot and the Ricercar Consort and with Rolf Lislevand and his Ensemble Kapsberger. She has also performed with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, baritone Thomas Hampson, Concentus Musicus Orchestra, Konrad Junghanel, Jean Tub?ry and Harry Bicket. Giovanna appeared as solo harper at the Opernhaus Zurich in Handel's "Giulio Cesare in Egitto" with Cecilia Bartoli as Cleopatra, conducted by Marc Minkowski."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Singer/instrumentalist John Fleagle created some of the most lyrical and inventive performances of medieval song. With a background in jazz and traditional singing, his voice captivated audiences at festivals around the world.
His contemporary style of interpretation breathed life into poems some seven or eight hundred years old--be they in Old French, Latin, Middle English or Gaelic. He fashioned compelling arrangements of his songs on beautiful reconstructions of medieval stringed instruments: lute, gothic harp and hurdy-gurdy, which he also designed and built.
Fleagle is well known to radio audiences here and abroad for his epic musical storytelling adventures, including the Voyage of Saint Brendan and the Roman de Silence. He can be heard, as well, on Erato, New Albion and BMG records."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Sitar and Surbahar Artist, Jay Kishor (pronounced: "Jai Kee-Shore") approaches the meditative and mystical Art of Indian Classical Music more as a Poet than a Musician; treating the ancient Ragas with a lyricism, depth, thoughtfulness and grace.
Though groomed in the traditional "master-disciple" training known in Indian Classical Music from reknown masters like Mrs. Annapurna Devi, Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra, and Dr. Raj Bhan Singh Thakursaheb, Jay is constantly attempting to expand the definitions of "Raga" and "Sitar" through his collaborations with legendary guitarists such as Stanley Jordan, and the late Michael Hedges.
Jay Kishor is the also founder of touchingGrace, a Sitar based World Music group that combines the ancient and spiritual qualities of Indian Classical Music with the structure of Western Classical, the improvisation and complex rhythm of Jazz, the raw emotion of the Blues, and the energy and verve of Rock.
"The RajDhani Quartet" is an Indian Classical Fusion Ensemble, also created by Jay Kishor, that merges the diverse musics of North (Hindustani) and South (Carnatik) India, while incorporating Raga-based tonal harmonies and Western themes.
Vedang Londhe plays the tabla on Amber. Subhash Karmarkar plays the tabla on The Color of Night."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Sitar and Surbahar Artist, Jay Kishor (pronounced: "Jai Kee-Shore"), is a disciple of legendary Surbahar Maestro, Mrs. Annapurna Deviji, with whom he studied under in India. Jay Kishor is an active teacher, lecturer, and performing and recording artist, (his 2 classical Sitar CDs; "The Color of Night ", and "Amber", have sold out in their first printing). Jay has also collaborated with renown guitar greats, Stanley Jordan (a CD from a prior concert tour will be released in the near future), and the late Michael Hedges.
"touchingGrace", featuring Jay Kishor, is a Sitar-based World Music ensemble that combines the esoteric and mystical qualities of Indian Classical Music with the improvisation and synchopation of Jazz, the structure and thematic development of Western Classical Music, the passion and primal emotion of The Blues, and the energy and power of Rock.
Founded by Sitar and Surbahar virtuoso, Jay Kishor (pronounced "Jai Kee-Shore"), "touchingGrace" is more a "vision" than a "band". With the exception of Jay, the group will consist of a myriad of instrumentations and musicians from various styles, genres, and disciplines, keeping the Music always evolving and fresh.
Besides leading touchingGrace, Jay Kishor has several recordings under his name, as well as being a member of The RajDhani Quartet."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "SkinMechanix was a prolific collaboration between the UK's Dave Hughes and avant-garde sound experimentalist, Skin. The objective was to get back to basics, to reclaim some of the joy of creating original music, and to work with some new and previously untried techniques. The end product was something very special indeed?strong melodies and challenging arrangements, dance rhythms fused with throbbing retro sequences and fiery electronic soundscapes, all welded together to occupy a unique territory in the UK synth music scene.
Technical issues meant that the early SkinMechanix demo tapes were not viable, however, so Hughes began re-recording and rearranging the source material to form the basis of a more commercial release. These efforts proved highly successful and the debut album The Secret Life of Angels was released in September 2002. The album made its debut at Jodrell Bank Planetarium that month and the audience reaction was very positive and enthusiastic. After quickly gaining a number of excellent reviews and a great deal of airplay around the world, SkinMechanix continues.
Live concerts are now a regular feature. So far, SkinMechanix have performed at three concerts in the Awakenings series, two as the headline act. The disc Fallen Angel was recorded at the Awakenings concert in February 2005 and features both live and studio pieces. Fallen Angel was released as a limited edition disc in December 2005 and was sold out completely within two days.
The band remains highly active with new material emerging throughout 2006 and 2007."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Skitzo has been touring and recording for 21 years, and is regarded as one the many gems that emerged in the blossoming 1980's metal scene.
Skitzo has performed live with just about every now-famous 80s metal band, and been featured in everything from Spin Magazine to Jerry Springer.
Skitzo is famous for their live shows, which bring the outrageous energy and good spirits of their music to life."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Solace's music is produced with a story in mind, a theme, as a book without words, including dialogue between the characters (instruments), and story development in chapters (songs).
All recordings are produced in a state of the art, fully automated digital studio, as quality recording is as important as the songs themselves.
The songs must have meaning, passion and depth, and must sound clear and clean, as if the musicians were right there with you. Note: Magnatune artist Tim Rayborn is a member of the Solace Live project, and Charlie Pecot of Falik performs on some of the Solace CDs.
Jeremiah M. Soto describes his musical endeavors "Solace," meaning comfort. Born November 4th 1968, in Loma Linda California, to Ismael and Erlinda Soto; Jeremiah's first experience with music was sitting silently near his sisters bedroom door curiously listening to The Beatles' Sergeant Peppers... or David Bowies Low. Ever since that early experience, Jeremiah showed an interest in music - especially drums.
After teaching himself basic piano technique, Jeremiah started writing music at the age of 14. In 1990, he began formal studies in Music Theory and Piano at Crafton Hills College, and graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in 1992.
In 1992, he and lifetime musical partner Dann Torres formed the group Eventide. They recruited the talents of Laura Grissom on bass and Julie Blodgett on vocals. Influenced by bands like Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, and various classical composers, Eventide experimented with fusing Medieval and Middle Eastern music. In the process, Jeremiah realized his fascination and talent for Middle Eastern drum rhythms. To better his knowledge, Jeremiah attended classes in Frame Drum, Conga, and African polyrhythms by world-renowned percussionist Ronnie Engle. Unfortunately, after several releases on various compilations and countless live performances, Eventide disbanded in February 1995.
In November of 1995, after attending countless Middle Eastern Dance conventions and parties, Jeremiah felt inspired and confident enough to release his debut recording Rhythm Of The Dance (eve 01) and Solace was born. At the same time, Jeremiah resurrected the old name Eventide to serve as a foundation name for his independent record label, now known as Eventide Music Productions.
In the early part of 1996, Jeremiah reunited with old pals Dann Torres and Laura Grissom to collaborate on a short lived side project, Still. Their efforts were directed to record a CD themed at combining minimal guitar with Middle Eastern rhythms. In mid 1996, Thinnerweb (eve 02) became the second release on Eventide Music Productions.
Soon after the release of Thinnerweb, Jeremiah started work on his second Solace release. In August of 1997 Sha'waza (eve 03) came in to the world; catapulting Jeremiah's music and popularity to the forefront of the Middle-Eastern Dance Music genre. In 1998, Sha'waza was nominated for a IAMED Award for best Belly Dancing music.
Hot on the heels of the Sha'waza nomination, Jeremiah began work on his next endeavor. The Gathering Season (eve 04) was released in late 1998. Soon after completion of The Gathering Season, Jeremiah was introduced to master dumbek player Souhail Kaspar. From that point on, Jeremiah's fascination and skill with Arabic drumming became more refined, as he embraced the Classical Arabic Style. In addition to accompanying Souhail at parties, Jeremiah has performed with the UCLA Mid East Ensemble, and as a back up percussionist for Souhail for Sinbad, a European released CGI movie.
In June 1999, Jeremiah returned to the studio to explore the vast new knowledge of rhythm arrangements taught to him by his new mentor and friend, Souhail Kaspar. With the help of Harry Saroyan, Alex Spurkel, Lydia Fortner, Jim Karagozian, Dann Torres, Steven Flynn, and the troup Yogini Kundalini; Jeremiah was able to produce one of his best works to date, Ahsas (eve 05). The project would not have been complete without the help of Ansuya's contribution to the CD cover, giving Ahsas its signature beauty. Released on March 24th, Ahsas' debut at Rakkasah 2000 and was an instant success that promised to out sell Sha'waza.
Jeremiah hopes to break the confines of typical Middle Eastern Dance Music & inspire others through his unique compositional style and love of Arabic rhythms and music. Solace music is not just great belly dancing music; it is a journey into the heart and mind, a journey where others fear to tread."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "SOLAR CYCLE has been making music for over five years now in various styles and under several aliases. He began sometimes at the end of 90's when he experienced a first taste of early music production and DJ-ing mainly on simple hardware and PC. After moving to London a few years ago I met some very interesting people, who helped me to understood the natural beauty of composing on PC and new wide world of electronic music.
It started in the end of 1999 and early 2000 when I officially get my first PC sequencer (Fruity Loops) and started to produce my first sounds in Trance style under the DJ Markitos name. After a few years of experiencing and studying music software, sound engineering I decided to try different genre music than what I had been thus-far doing (which was mostly Trance and Techno). By experimenting in my home studio with my sample library I made my first new album under SOLAR CYCLE name, a style that I call a "summer cocktail of Chill out House, Electronica and Ambient styles"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Sonnerie is one of the foremost and most respected period instrument ensembles in the world. Founded by Monica Huggett in 1982 and based in London, the group has been acclaimed for its performances from Sydney to Paris, and from Helsinki to Vancouver, as well as its numerous concerts at London's prestigious Wigmore Hall. Sonnerie's core group consists of four musicians: Monica Huggett, violin, Emilia Benjamin, violin, viola da gamba and viola, Joseph Crouch, cello and viola da gamba, and Matthew Halls on the keyboards. These four form the basis of the larger chamber ensemble while also functioning as a flexible smaller unit, performing trio sonatas, quartets and the like.
The group has recorded for Virgin Classics, ASV, Harmonia Mundi USA, Teldec, and CPO with a disc of Vivaldi's Trio Sonatas Op.1. They marked a step into later repertoire with a recording of the Mozart Piano Quartets for ASV. Their most recent releases include a disc of the Biber 1681 Violin Sonatas, together with Nisi Dominus, with Thomas Guthrie, that won a Gramophone Award in 2002; Handel Trio Sonatas, The World's First Piano Concertos with David Owen Norris, and Handel Organ Concertos featuring Matthew Halls.
Notable past engagements include Boston Early Music Festival, Gulbenkian Early Music Days in Lisbon, Vantaa Baroque week in Finland, Kothen Bachfest in Germany, Early Music festivals in Glasgow, Aldeburgh, and Birmingham, a visit to St. Petersburg and tours of the US and Canada.
Recent engagements include the Halle Handel Festival, the Ansbach Festival, the Nordic Baroque Festival in Sweden and the Spitalfields Festival in London. Sonnerie have also performed recently at the Tudeley Festival, the Snape Proms, the Theatre Royal Bath, in Oxford, and at the Wigmore Hall and St John's Smith Square.
Matthew Halls received his early musical training as an organist, working first of all at Southwell Minster and then at Salisbury Cathedral before taking up the organ scholarship at New College, Oxford. He took a first class degree in music and was appointed Assistant Organist at New College and Director of Music at the University Church. Matthew was harpsichordist with the European Union Baroque Orchestra in 1998, touring extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East, and since then has worked as a keyboard player with many of Europe's leading period instrument ensembles. Since 1999 he has been a regular member of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, participating in Ton Koopman's ongoing project to record the complete cantatas of J. S. Bach. Recent solo engagements have included concerto appearances in Frankfurt, Nuremberg and at the International Handel Festival in Halle and recitals in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. He joined Sonnerie in 2000."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Soprano Emily Van Evera is an uncommonly versatile singer. Her luminous voice blends sense with sensuousness, and can sound at once tender and thrillingly beautiful. Fittingly, Van Evera's inspiration for her first Avie recording is Lady Penelope Rich, a "heart-stealing goddess" who was sister to the Earl of Essex, muse to poets and musicians and the devoted mistress to Lord Mountjoy. She also inspired some of the finest music by composers of Elizabethan England.
The music on My Lady Rich ranges from the Shakespearean "How should I your true love know"?from Hamlet, a mad song of Ophelia's, the tragic character to whom Lady Rich's predicament has been likened?to the Spanish "Vuestros ojos" (Lady Rich was famously fluent in Spanish); from the spirited "Hampton Court Masque" in which Lady Rich took part in 1604 to the sorrowful "And is it night," a nocturnal yearning for a lost lover.
Emily Van Evera has won international acclaim for her numerous ground-breaking and award-winning recordings, particularly of earlier repertoire. Her chart-topping CD of the music of Hildegard von Bingen was singled out by The Gramophone for her characteristic expressivity: "the sheer power of the words comes across nowhere else as strongly as in Van Evera's performance.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Soprano Jeni Melia and lutenist Chris Goodwin are members of The English Ayre, a small circle of musicians dedicated to performing early music in an engaging way.
Jeni Melia has studied with Mary Bainbridge and Ruth Holton, and has participated in masterclasses with Emma Kirkby. She sings with the Concord Singers and has recently performed solos in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Faure's Requiem, Pergolesi's Salve Regina, Mozart's Laudate Dominum, Vivaldi's Gloria, Arne's Shakespeare Songs, Handel's Messiah, and a song cycle, Love's Bitter-Sweet, specially composed for her by Paul Edwards.
Recently discovering that she possesses an unusual natural gift for lute song, Melia gave her first full-length recital of lute songs in 2002. She has been recorded performing the music of Paul Edwards, on the CD No Small Wonder (Lammas Records), and has recently released her first full solo CD, The Last of Old England, a thoughtful exploration of the overlap between Elizabethan era lute song and folk song.
Chris Goodwin took up the lute at the age of 19, and for the last eight years has served as secretary of the Lute Society, as well as editor of both Lute News and The Lute. Goodwin has also edited and published collections of lute songs from their original manuscript sources. He has sung in numerous choirs since childhood and has played lute in a number of ensembles, including the progressive acoustic rock/folk/early music fusion band Andwella, and The Giltspur Singers.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "spineCar, from Albany, New York, provide a cutting edge hard rock experience. Their music combines a brutal sound with a timeless, unique vision of pure musical depth fueled by raw energy.
spineCar's self-titled debut was released independently in 1997 and commanded instant attention from everyone who heard their aggressive new sound.
1999 brought the much-awaited follow-up recording - Up From the Mud. The single "Waste Away" was chosen by WQBK FM of Albany, N.Y in The Next Big Thing local event and the classic "Freeze" was recently featured as the opening theme song in the 2003 DMG Films release "The Situationist".
As word of this powerful new band with a heart-stopping live show spread throughout the northeast U.S., spineCar was busy crafting songs for the 2002 Spaceboy release - Autophile, a blasting reminder of what it feels like to be truly rocked."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Stellamara originated in 1994 creating evocative soundscapes that are now considered a new model in contemporary world music. At its core is vocalist/producer Sonja Drakulich and multi- instrumentalist Gari Hegedus. Their music incorporates medieval European, Persian, Arabic, Indian, Turkish and Balkan with subtle electronic textures. The result is a sublime new level of mystery, beauty and depth.
Sonja Drakulich was introduced to Eastern European singing as a teenager and began performing Balkan, Medieval Music and her own compositions at the age of 18. Being of Serbian and Hungarian decent, discovering the songs of Eastern Europe was for her a homecoming. Her continuous interest and study ranges from Medieval European and Persian voice to Turkish, Arabic and Greek and Balkan singing.
She has toured extensively with both Bulgarian and Turkish Ensembles and has produced and engineered several recordings. She is the producer of Stellamara and performs with the ensemble as the lead vocalist, percussionist and hammered dulcimer player. Sonja spends much of her time focusing on the devotional aspect of song and carries with her a passionate and rhythmic style graced with the delicate ornamentations of Eastern melody.
Gari Hegedus began devoting his life to music 25 years ago with the study of Early European, Celtic and Bretagne music. From there he was led east into the intense practice and performance of Turkish classical and Mevlevi ceremonial music.
Gari's repertoire and playing styles span outward from Turkey into Greece and the Arab lands as well as to Iran and India. His main instruments are the oud, violin and saz yet his talent is expressed on many other instruments including the mandocello, sarod and setar.
As a composer and musician, Gari utilizes the various Eastern modal systems called Maqam and has developed the art of improvisation (Taqsim) to a soulful level for which he has become highly recognized.
On stage and in the studio, Stellamara incorporates the talents of percussionists Tobias Roberson and Susu Pampanin, along with upright Bassist Miles Jay.
Their tapestry of sound is complemented with the custom sound design of Christofer K. Original, atmospheric sounds and sonic backdrops are created from mostly their own acoustic sources, such as the yayli tanbur, viola and wind instruments such as the Ney and Zurna. The result of this creation is a sublime new level of mystery, Beauty and depth."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Stephen Schultz, called "among the most flawless artists on the baroque flute" by the San Jose Mercury News, and "flute extraordinaire" by the New Jersey Star-Ledger, is solo and co-Principal flutist with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and performs with other leading early music groups such as Musica Angelica of Los Angeles, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Chatham Baroque, and American Bach Soloists. Concert tours have taken him throughout Europe and North America with featured appearances at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Gottingen International Handel Festival, Library of Congress in Washington D.C., Tage Alter Musik Festival, Regensburg, Berkeley Early Music Festival, Monadnock Music, J. Paul Getty Museum Summer Series, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, San Jose Chamber Music Society, and the Nakamichi Early Music Festival.
A graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Holland, Schultz also holds several degrees from the California Institute of the Arts and the California State University of San Francisco. Currently he is an Associate Teaching Professor in Music History and Flute at Carnegie Mellon University and director of the Carnegie Mellon Baroque Orchestra. Schultz's engaging teaching style has left its mark at California State University at Long Beach and Sacramento, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Holy Names College, the University of Southern California, and the University of California at Davis and Los Angeles. Mr. Schultz is also a featured faculty member of the Jeanne Baxtresser International Flute Master Class at Carnegie Mellon University and at the International Baroque Institute at Longy School of Music.
In 1986, Mr. Schultz founded the original instrument ensemble, American Baroque. This unique group brings together some of America's most accomplished and exciting baroque instrumentalists, with the purpose of defining a new, modern genre for historical instruments. The group's adventurous programs combine 18th-century music with new works, composed for the group through collaborations and commissions from American composers. Collaborations with such artists and composers as Rudy Rucker, Jonathan Berger, Carl Stone, and the Common Sense Composers Collective yielded an unprecented number of commissioned works written specifically for the group's instruments. The ensemble remains the only U.S. chamber ensemble committed to performing both new music and 18th-century works on historical instruments, while continuing to explore the issues raised by both genres, old and new.
As solo, chamber, and orchestral player, Schultz appears on nearly fifty recordings for such labels as Dorian, Naxos, Harmonia Mundi USA, New Albion, Amon Ra, and Koch International Classics. Schultz has produced and edited forty CDs for his colleagues and has also performed and recorded with world music groups such as D'CuCKOO and Haunted By Waters, using his electronically processed Baroque flute to develop alternative sounds that are unique to his instrument. In 2006, the Pittsburgh composer Nancy Galbraith wrote Traverso Mistico for Mr. Schultz. It is scored for electric Baroque flute, solo cello, and chamber orchestra and was given its world premiere at Carnegie Mellon University in April 2006.
Elizabeth Blumenstock is one of the country's leading baroque violinists. A frequent soloist, concertmaster, and leader with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Los Angeles-based Musica Angelica, American Bach Soloists, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Italian ensemble, Il Complesso Barocco, she is also a member of several of California's finest period instrument chamber ensembles, including Musica Pacifica, the Arcadian Academy, American Baroque, Trio Galanterie, and Trio Galatea. Ms. Blumenstock is Resident Artistic Director of Musica Angelica's chamber music series. With over 90 recordings to her credit, she has recorded for Dorian, harmonia mundi, Virgin Classics, BMG, Reference Recordings, Koch International, Sony, and New Albion.
Ms. Blumenstock has appeared with period orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the United States and abroad, and has performed at the Boston and Berkeley Early Music Festivals, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Los Angeles Opera, the Carmel Bach Festival, and the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, among others. She is instructor of baroque violin at the University of Southern California and teaches regularly at the International Baroque Institute at Longy in Cambridge, MA. Ms. Blumenstock is also organist/choir director at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Richmond, CA, and is an avid Scrabble and pinball player."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "St?phane Potvin is an accomplished, creative conductor with over twenty years of experience, and is known for his ability to coax lyrical performances from orchestras, choirs and chamber ensembles. He loves to share his passion for music with colleagues and audiences and has a wealth of experience in conducting, education, and administration.
In recent years, Maestro Potvin has held the positions of a Conductor in Residence at Orchestra London, Music Director of the Oakville Chamber Orchestra and Assistant to Boris Brott at the National Academy Orchestra. His energies are now focused on his newly formed Oakville Chamber Ensemble.
His career has taken him across Canada, the United States and Europe conducting the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the McGill Chamber Singers, the Orpheus Male choir, the Niagara Children's Choir and the Canadian Armed Forces Band.
Maestro Potvin is an excellent communicator with a sense of humour that helps create a friendly rapport. He is as much at ease on the podium as he is doing motivational speeches. Fully bilingual, he connects equally with audiences in both French and in English. He knows how to engage audiences young and young at heart.
Born in Qu?bec, Maestro Potvin studied orchestral and choral conducting with Frieder Bernius, Gustav Meier, Otto-Werner Mueller, Jorma Panula, Fred Stoltzfus and Timothy Vernon."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Strojovna 07 is a project of two people who go by the name RA100 and ?ISH. Rastislav Stolarik (?ISH) focusses on House, Tech-house and Techno, while occasionally exploring other genres as well."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Successful composer, sound designer, and music producer Martin Richmond has an impressive array of radio, television and film credits that recently include the CBS weekly series Ghost Whisperer, MTV's Date My Mom, Global TV's The Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, Beyond the Action, and a number of television commercials including Rossignol Skis, Whistler/Blackcomb Mountain, and Tourism Whistler to name a few.
Martin is equally at home on keyboards, guitar or bass and is an exceptional rhythm programmer, sound engineer and re-mixer. An early gig with The Record Plant's Gordon Fordyce (Motley Crue, Van Halen, Ozzy, P'Diddy, Tone Loc, TLC and Seal) helped Richmond to cement his own distinctive sound, which blends diverse musical styles to create a memorable mood for any story or livingroom.
"Anyone can throw paint on the wall and call it art," says Martin, "but a true artist instinctively chooses the best colors, shapes and textures...I just know how to blend the right sounds." Martin is curently recording his third album, which mixes blues with an elclectic electronic sound, " Its really hard to capture everything you're about on an album, so I just concentrate on what I'm interested in at the time I'm writing. I'm getting back to my roots as a guitar player on this album.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Sun Palace is the musical vision of vocalist, songwriter, and musician Andriette Redmann, who was raised on a Wisconsin cherry farm that doubled as an artist colony?a place she describes as "a combination of Ringling Brothers and a Bergman film." Andriette came from a musical family going back many generations and her earliest inspiration was her aunt, Frances Martinsek, a popular accordianist of the 1930's and 40's.
"Aunt Fran had me singing in front of audiences at the age of four in her cast-off silk and satin gowns," says Reddman. "I loved her stories about playing for the Milwaukee Braves, the Green Bay Packers, and the German Chancellor."
As adulthood approached, Andriette launched herself into world travel and musical exploration, learning about jazz at Berklee College of Music, classical at Hunter College, and punk, electro-pop, and Bulgarian folk singing in New York City.
Soon after her arrival in New York, Andriette landed a recording contract with CBS Italia Records. "Performing in Itay was an absolutely 'Felliniesque' experience," she says. My band and I were appearing on Italian TV, playing in the popular 'FestivalBar,' and hanging out with the Italian rock stars. The wine, the food, the song?every moment was chaotic and surreal!"
Then tragedy struck, her parents passing away within two years of each other, and Andriette considers her time spent caring for them precious. "Nothing can prepare you for the extreme feelings of losing both your parents," she says, "especially when it happens when you're so young. I felt I was looking down over the sharp edge of the world and gazing into a black, bottomless abyss." Grief-stricken, Andriette continued to search for meaning through music and various esoteric studies in psychology and bodywork, finding inspiration through the pursuit of sacred Hawaiian Hula dancing.
The spirit genrated by Andriette's quest also led to the creation of Sun Palace, and its debut CD, Into Heaven, which featured ten songs dealing with death, life and the reflection of beauty that comes from both. With co-producer and guitarist John Rokosny (Smithereens/Carry Nation) onboard, along with lead guitarist Tony Geballe (DGM artist/Trey Gunn Band/Toyah/theatrical composer), Sun Palace began to enjoy national attention. The song "Into Heaven" was featured in the soundtrack of the film, Indian Fish, and the song "Your Hands Lie Open" appeared in national ad campaign. Songs from Into Heaven went into heavy rotation on XM Satellite Radio, and all Borders bookstores showcased the disc as well.
In 2005, Sun Palace announced the release of its critically acclaimed new album, Give Me a Perfect World: a delicately buoyant work of lush, layered folk-rock that Andriette lovingly dedicated it to her late brother and gifted musician, John Redmann, who appears on the recording, along with sister Marise Redmann. The record also features an illustrious lineup of major league recording industry veterans, including legendary drummer and percussionist Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel/Paul McCartney/Elvis Costello), Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio, cellist Jane Scarpantoni (Springsteen/Lou Reed/REM), and drummer Mark Brotter (HEM).
Says Andrietti: "Give Me A Perfect World is ready for the world.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Suzanne Teng, is a flutist, percussionist, dancer, composer, teacher and recording artist from Berkeley, California. She has a master's degree in music from Boston University's School for the Arts and has studied with some of the finest flute teachers in the world. She is an award winning classical musician who, after traveling adventures across the globe, furthered her graduate studies at UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicology, where she completed the coursework for the Ph.D. focusing on music and healing. She is an active performer and recording artist in Los Angeles and is the winner of the Independent Music Awards Best New Age Artist for 2005 and 2001. Her contemporary world music band Suzanne Teng & Mystic Journey was named a HOT 100 by Music Connection Magazine for 2003 and 2004.
Suzanne's critically acclaimed recordings Miles Beyond and Mystic Journey feature her original compositions on which she plays a large assortment of flutes from around the world along with her partner Gilbert Levy on world percussion, band mates Fritz Heede on world strings and Barry Newton on string bass, and special guest master musicians from around the world. Mystic Journey was a finalist for the Just Plain Folks Awards 2004 Best Instrumental Album, a candidate for a Grammy nomination for Best New Age Album, appears on the UK Top Albums in New Age, and was a finalist for New Age Voice Magazine's Best Acoustic Instrumental Album and Best Contemporary World Music Album. Billboard Magazine wrote "Sensual and Serene...Mystic Journey is an impressive solo debut." Both albums appear on numerous publication and radio "Top albums of the Year" lists including the Public Radio International nationally syndicated show "Echoes," and are listed by Amazon.com among the Most Requested New Age albums on the Radio.
Known for creating heartfelt and healing music, Al Martinez of the Los Angeles Times claims "Suzanne Teng plays music for the soul." She has been commissioned to compose music for yoga and acupuncture videos, including works for well-known yogis Gurmukh and Ana Forrest. The Los Angeles Times wrote that Suzanne's music for the critically acclaimed play Caterpillar Soup "adds a spiritual quality to the production." She performs in concerts, festivals, and dance/movement/yoga events internationally as a soloist and with her world music band Mystic Journey. They were featured performers at His Holiness the Dala Lama's World Festival of Sacred Music and have represented the United States at International festivals in Mexico, Canada and Singapore.
Suzanne has performed her flute meditations at numerous major events with spiritual leaders and writers such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Mathew Whyte, and Amachi, as well as for the top corporate leaders of Mexico and the US. She has also been a featured performer at the National Flute Association Conventions three times.
Called a "brilliant flutist" by the Los Angeles Times, she has worked with a wide variety of artists and ensembles including the Boston Philharmnonic, Los Angeles Pops Orchestra, Tito Puente, Kenny Loggins, Babatundi Olatunji, Airto and Flora Purim, and The Dramatics. She has performed for numerous heads of state, including Henry Kissinger, and has appeared on the same venues as Sting, Jackson Browne, Patty Smythe, Colin Hay and Jody Watley.
Suzanne has performed on hundreds of recordings for Polygram, Warner Brothers, Windham Hill, BMG, Shanachi, Scottie Brothers, and numerous independent labels. Select film, television and commercial performance credits include Pepsi, Johnnie Walker, California Tan, Murder, She Wrote, Big Bully (Tom Arnold), Separate Lives (Jim Belushi, Linda Hamilton), Baby (Farrah Fawcett), Green Dragon (Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker), The Grey Zone, The Kid Stays in the Picture (Robert Evans), Ice Bound (Susan Sarandon), numerous independent and foreign films, commercials for India, Germany, Korea and Mexico, and an Environmental PSA with music by Hans Zimmer. She has appeared on national television, including a musical performance on the Survivor II final episode which was viewed by over 40 million people. Her music has been heard on countless radio programs worldwide (ranking #3 on the New Age charts) and she has been featured on Public Radio International three times.
She is an endorsed artist for Yamaha, AKG and High Spirit Flutes and is a popular teacher, having taught flute, percussion and world music to many hundreds of students at schools, colleges, camps and workshops throughout the country. She co-facilitates retreats, guiding music circles, most recently in Hawaii and Guatemala. She has practiced yoga for over 20 years, loves traveling, gardening, and hiking and has summitted 19,000' peaks in the Himalayas."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Synth artist ? composer Chris Harvey cut his teeth on the UK production scene working as a session musician, producer and collaborator with numerous musicians including The Lloyd Langton Group, Crystal Void, S'express and Kevin Rowland.
He has an unusual blend of influences by any standard; Aphex Twin, Delia Derbyshire, Thomas Dolby, Indian and African folk music, along with composers such as Ligeti and Stravinsky. Chris has also composed for The English Shakespeare Company, various Film & TV projects in the UK & US, and has continued to perform extensively in the UK & Europe for the last ten years.
His debut album - 'The White Sail' - was originally released in 1995 and successfully combines haunting, lyrical melodies with inspired percussion and a rare sense of harmony. Whilst essentially minimalistic, the album carves out a strong identity- its carefully constructed melodies lingering long after they're heard.
Originally signed to UK label A.D. Music, Chris reclaimed rights to 'The White Sail' late 2004 and immediately chose to become part of the Magnatune Community, alongside former labelmate and friend Jan Hanford."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Bots illustrate a future where artists, actors, performers and all sorts of media figures will be not human, but sophisticated human-like simulations. That this will happen is a simple issue of economics. As artificial personality simulations become more effective, entertainment conglomerates will find human "creatives" and "stars" to be increasingly irrelevant, replaceable, and disposable.
Unrecognized, low wage human creative labor will toil behind the scenes to bring you "stars" who are nothing more than 3d models and speech synthesizers. This was predicted by science fiction author Norman Spinrad in the classic book, "Little Heroes." The Bots are Spinrad's fantasy come to life. Nowadays, most of the examples we have are in the videogame industry, where voice actors are usually synced to the animated 3d models because of the difficulties of creating acceptable results from the current crop of speech synthesizers. But that's a technical problem, one which The Bots have already solved.
This is all rather revolutionary in the context of musical entertainment, but The Bots have an unexpected agenda.
Anticipating a future where media corporations will use this technology to consolidate their exploitation of the creative classes, The Bots are staking out this territory first. We are here as entertainment, a warning of what is to come, and a vehicle for casting a suspicious eye on the powerful.
Most importantly, The Bots are here to demonstrate entertainment technology as a force for good, a force for freedom, rather than a mind-numbing tool of corporate control. Synthia v2 is the most advanced human simulation on the planet. Most observers agree that she has more personality and lyrical depth than most if not all of the human female divas on the pop charts right now. In fact, Synthia's not even playing their game. She's on a larger mission for world peace, love and harmony. Really.
The Bots don't think of themselves as rebels, though you might think of them that way, depending on your perspective. The Bots simply stand for truth, and justice, rocking out, and having a good time. When The Bots are critical of existing social structures, policies, and taboos, it is not out of an infantile spirit of unfocused "rebellion" which has been so effectively co-opted by corporate mind controllers. No, The Bots don't fit into the corporate "rebel" rock image. They are too sophisticated for that. The Bots not only criticize existing structures, but they offer clear alternatives. This makes them very dangerous to the system of control.
The Bots want you to think for yourself, and throw off the yoke of media fabrication and corporate mind control. The Bots want to encourage you to think a little more deeply about our planet, our future, and our interaction with technology.
The Bots have been around since about 1992, when the first Presidential Mix, Bushwack, was released under the name Tone Def. Bushwack utilized The Bots revolutionary Presidential Truth Filter, which extracts truthful statements from vast wastelands of presidential obfuscation and distortion.
Later, in about 1996, The Bots employed speech synthesizers to create one of the first downloadable songs on the internet. Smoky, Paul Bot and Fred Bot created the song "Fuck You" in general midi and soundfont format, as mp3 files were still in the future. Through a series of recordings, The Bot Brothers, as they originally called themselves, displayed a bad attitude and an angry sarcasm that was unmistakeable. Years later, Synthia joined The Bots and the band went in a slightly different direction. Her recipe was to add a little bit of sugar to the mix. Now The Bots are as angry and critical as ever, but it is all filtered through a prism of hope, love, and humor.
If you simultaneously feel like dancing,laughing and crying, you must be listening to The Bots. We're making it "real" here in every way. In spring 2004, with the release of Fuzzy Math, Truth, and the signing to Magnatune, The Bots are on a roll.
We believe Magnatune is the perfect forum for The Bots. Because The Bots are critical of corporate control in all sectors of society, the same holds true for our view of the music industry itself. Much of this industry really is evil, as Magnatune's slogan implies. Artists and consumers have both suffered at the hands of unscrupulous media companies. Placing profit above art is only one problem. How many lives were lost as a result of Clear Channel's sponsored "pro war" rallies prior to the attack on Iraq? How many artists depend on Clear Channel for any chance at sustaining themselves? How many were muzzled from casting a dissenting voice in the runup to the war? How many artists reluctantly went along with their record labels' persecution of file traders? (well, some like Metallica, had no reluctance at all...)
We believe it is the responsibility of true artists to express a celebration of freedom, not to knuckle under to a system of corruption and corporate control. We stand for freedom and your right to party. Come on and join us. Let's crank the music and dance!"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Brook Street Band is an award winning specialist in eighteenth century repertoire that takes its name from the London street where George Frideric Handel lived and composed for most of his working life. Its various prizes include BBC Radio 3 Young Artists' Forum and the Byrne Award, given by the Handel Institute for Handel scholarship.
It was formed in 1995 by the baroque cellist Tatty Theo with the aim of exploring lesser-known works by Handel and his English and European contemporaries, and interpreting more familiar works in the light of recent scholarship. The Brook Street Band performs small to large scale repertoire ranging from intimate chamber music to concerts with double orchestra and choir.
The Brook Street Band has performed extensively at Festivals around Britain, including teaching and performing residencies at the Dartington International Summer School. The Band also gives concerts and runs education projects for the Handel House Museum in London.
The Brook Street Band also believes in commissioning contemporary works for period instruments. Those who have written for the group include the celebrated composer and educationalist David Bedford and renowned composer and vocalist Errollyn Wallen. One of the Band's most notable contemporary projects has been working with Errollyn on a song cycle The Queen and I, initiated for 2003 in anticipation of the 400th anniversary of the death of Elizabeth I."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The conductor of Monks Choir of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is hieromonk Kiril. He is also very good singer with very peculiar voice. His solo at" O THEOTOKOS AND VIRGIN REJOYS" is amazing and I'm sure this chant will melt your hart.
During the centuries the specific style of singing was formed in Monastery of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (don't mix up with Old Kiev Chants). The origin of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra singing is in XI century when inok Anthony, arrived from Aphona, founded the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. Lavra's hymns organically synthesize Byzantine tradition and folk-singing culture of old Rus. Under the influence of south-Slavic tunes Larva's way of singing gained a power and became one of bright characteristics of Ancient Rus. There are only two Kiev-Pechersk chants on this CD ("From My Youth" and "God With Us") because there is another CD specially dedicated to traditional worship singing of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. You can listen and buy this CD at www.cdbaby.com/anthology
In 1784, the Italian conductor and composer J.Sarti (1729-1802) visited Russia. He was so enraptured by Orthodox Church singing that he left Italy for Russia and till the end of his days he lived and worked there. He wrote many beautiful chants for Russian Church and one of this chant is represented on this CD (" O THEOTOKOS AND VIRGIN)"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| ""The delicate correspondence of three musicians..."?Süddeutsche Zeitung
The Telemann Trio Berlin was founded in 1992 and has since become known for lilting, exquisite chamber music of the highest caliber. The group takes its name from 17th century composer Georg Philipp Telemann (believed to be the firstto write music specifically for violin, flute, and clavier), and its repertoire includes works by Handel, J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Couperin, Vivaldi, Bruch, Cui, Ibert, and Martinu. Telemann Trio Berlin has performed to international critical acclaim, with tours in Europe, America, Japan, and South East Asia. The trio features Lauretius Dinca on violin, Cornelia Gehlmann on flute, and Craig Hansen on piano, organ, and harpsichord.
Lauretius Dinca was born in Bukarest, studied at the conservatories in Bukarest and Lubeck, and has been a prize winner in numerous international competitions: Tibor Varga, Louis Spohr, and Canales. From 1980-1984 he was concertmaster of the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra and then performed as first violinist in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Dinca is winner of The Viottis Prize, and in 1992 received the Croce Dell'ordine al Merito Melitense. Since 1995, he's performed as first violinist in the Philharmonische Geigen Berlin and plays a violin made by Andreas Guarnerius.
Cornelia Gehlmann was born in Speyer/Rhein, studied at the Akadamie of music in Lubeck with Professor Gunther Pohl as well as in Frankfurt, where she received the academic title of Concert Soloist. She currently maintains a busy schedule of chamber music performances with the Telemann Trio Berlin as well as chamber music ensembles from the Berlin Philharmonic.
Craig Hansen was born in Bloomington, Indiana and received his education at both San Diego State University and the Conservatory of Music in Basle, Switzerland. He studied piano with Arthur Lambert, harpsichord with Hans Goverts and organ with Daniel Burton and Rudolf Scheidegger. He has given solo recitals in the U.S., Japan, Canada, and throughout Europe, as well as extensive chamber music performances, including televisiona and radio appearances with the N.H.K. String Ensemble, Yoshio Unno, Quintet Wien, Hansgeorg Schmeiser and Hans-Martin Linde."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Dufay Collective was formed in 1987 to explore the rich and varied repertoire of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. They are a group of musicians who work together, as their name implies, without a director.
Their recent release Cancionero - Music for the Spanish Court 1470 - 1520, won a CMA / WQXR Record Award, was chosen as a Critics Choice Record of the Year by Gramophone Magazine and was nominated for a Grammy. A L'Estampida, one of their most popular recordings, is of Medieval Dance Music from the 13th and 14th centuries.
The highly successful 12 years since its formation have taken The Dufay Collective on tours throughout most of Europe as well as further afield. They have toured extensively in the Middle East, India, Hong Kong, Australia, the US and Latin America. At home The Dufay Collective has appeared in numerous concert series and festivals around the country, and has given sell-out concerts at London's main concert halls.
Highlights of recent years have included performances in the monastery of Montserrat, Early Music Network tours in Holland, Norway and the UK, the Tallinn Festival in Estonia, the Festival de Fes in Morocco, and regular concerts in Spain. A return to Australia as part of the Sydney Festival was highly successful, as was a series of concerts in Singapore. At home they continue their association with Dartington Summer School, the year 2000 being their eighth as tutors. In May 2000 the Dufays feature live on BBC2's 'Perfect Day' broadcast and planned is a collaboration with The Orlando Consort and the Richard Alston Dance Company.
The group has broadcast on many radio and TV networks around the world as well as working on a number of TV and film projects, including Zeffirelli's feature film Hamlet. Their CD's have all met with critical acclaim, releases for Chandos Records including a range of repertoire from medieval Europe, the early Spanish renaissance and popular music from 17th century England."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The English Concert was founded by Trevor Pinnock in 1973. They have together established a world-wide reputation for the expressive vitality and technical quality of their music-making, and have for many years been amongst Britains leading period instrument ensembles.
The English Concert promotes its own series of concerts in London and is also in great demand overseas with repertoire ranging from chamber music to opera. In 2002 the focus for the larger-scale work is on J.S.Bachs great religious masterpieces, the St.Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio, while the orchestral work includes concerts in The Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Hungary. In 2001 The English Concert toured a new Jonathan Miller production of Handels great opera Tamerlano as a co-production with the Handel Festival, Halle and Thtre des Champs Elyses, Paris. The performances at Sadlers Wells in London were recorded live for this CD. Outside Europe The English Concert has toured the USA, South America and Japan within the last two seasons, and will return to Japan and South America in 2003 and to North America in the 2004/05 season.
Trevor Pinnock is recognised as a leading personality in the direction of period-instrument performance and a harpsichord soloist of international reputation.
Having trained as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and as a scholar at the Royal College of Music, Trevor Pinnock formed The English Concert in 1973; since then, his lively and stylish interpretations with this ensemble have set new standards in the field of period performance.
Trevor Pinnock has appeared frequently as a guest conductor with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston, San Francisco and Detroit Symphony orchestras, the St Paul and Los Angeles Chamber orchestras and at the Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart festivals, he became Principal conductor and artistic director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1988 with Handel's Giulio Cesare.
The 1999/2000 season included engagements with the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Mito Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, tours of the USA and South America with The English Concert, chamber music recitals with Rachel Podger and Jonathan Manson in Japan and duo recitals with Maxim Vengerov in Europe. The 2000/2001 season includes concerts with The English Concert in Japan (Bach St Matthew Passion), Spain (Monteverdi Combattimento), Halle, Paris and London (Handel Tamerlano) and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.
Firmly established as one of the world's foremost harpsichord virtuosi, Trevor Pinnock's solo recordings include Scarlatti Sonatas, Handel's Harpsichord Suites and Bach's Goldberg Variations and complete Partitas. As a soloist he has recorded the Bach Harpsichord Concerti and Haydn's Piano Concerto (Hob. XV111:11) playing/directing The English Concert and the Poulenc Harpsichord Concerto with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Ensemble Sreteniye was founded in 1990 in Kharkov, by three alumni of the Kharkov Institute of Beaux Arts.
The well-known Greek musicologist L. Angelopoulos brought his knowledge of ancient Byzantine singing as well helping bring to light a number of very rare canticles written in the 11th to 14th centuries.
The ensemble, consists of three to five singers, takes part in Divine services, participates in festivals of music, and gives concerts. In 1993 the choir became the winner of Archdeacon K. Rosov Moscow international festival, and in 1999 and 2000, grand prix winner of the all-Ukrainian church festival of choirs "Glas Pecherski" in Kiev."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Farallon Recorder Quartet gives inspiring performances of a vast and varied repertoire extending across time and genre. Bach and Gershwin, Ockeghem and Serocki; sedate, wild, sublime, cutting edge and traditional, Farallon Recorder Quartet does it all with style.
Formed in 1996, the Farallon Recorder Quartet takes its name from the rugged Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco. The quartet applies extensive knowledge of performance practices to music from eleven centuries, reaching out to modern audiences in an accessible and exciting manner. Farallon has performed for the Phoenix Arizona Early Music Society, Bay Area Recorder Series, Atlanta Early Music Alliance, at the American Bach Soloists Summer Festival, and with world-renowned guest artist Marion Verbruggen. Farallon's debut CD, a collection of sacred and secular works by the 16th century composer Ludwig Senfl, was released January 21, 2005.
Farallon Recorder Quartet performs on numerous types of recorder from renaissance to modern, from sopranino to contrabass, from 6 inches to 6 feet tall. Dutch recorder builder Adriana Breukink made a set of ten renaissance recorders especially for Farallon. The quartet performs all its renaissance music on these spectacular instruments, creating a warm and wondrous tone of beauty.
While devoting much of their concert programs to renaissance and baroque music, Farallon Recorder Quartet is also active in performing 20th and 21st century music, both well established works, and newly composed pieces, some of which have been written for the ensemble."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Headroom Project aka Andreas Ecker fuses traditional world music with modern rhythms and audio design, resulting in driving beats full of natural power, color, and heat. Using the vastly improved studio technology of recent years, Ecker creates an incredibly distinctive and updated international sound, combining influences from Africa, the Middle East and Asia in a modern electronic milieu.
As a multi-instrumentalist with an abiding appreciation for a huge range of traditional vocals and rhythms in particular, Ecker has been creating experimental music for over 20 years. His tracks feature Asian and Middle Eastern beats whirling around Ecker's highly crafted vocal amalgamations in a heavily spiced mix of jazz, funk, and traditional beats. Others feature electronic rhythms and light atmospheric sounds: everything from the roaring sea to classical voices. If there's any one defining feature of Ecker's music it's fluidity, in fact, and his ability to blend cultures and continents so seamlessly is relevant in an ever more mobile and rapidly evolving society.
Ecker has been influenced by such artists as Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Fred Frith, Aqsak Maboul, COS/Daniel Schell or Dead Can Dance. He lives in near Bonn/Germany and plays drums, bass, guitar, piano and various electronic devices. He gained musical knowledge and experiences as a member of several bands until he started his solo career in the late 1980's. In 1986 he reached his first international success with Perfume of Love as a member of the dance group Skala. During the 90's, he worked alone and developed his unique electronic world music style.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Hymns Of The All-Night Vigil - the traditional worship singing of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by The Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary choir.
The worship singing of Kyiv-Pechesk Lavra is a unique and precious heritage of the Orthodox singing culture. The origin of this singing is from the 11th century (1091), in a monastery founded by inok Antony who arrived from Aphona.
Lavra's hymns organically synthesize Byzantine tradition and folk-singing culture. Under the influence of south-Slavic songs, Lavras way of singing gained a power and became one of brightest characteristics of the Orthodox world. During solemn festive services, in a state of prayer inspiration, singers unintentionally supplemented and developed this music. That is how the characteristic features of Lavra's singing appeared: the saturation with repeated single words, strongly marked melodism, and mobility of a music substance.
Lavra's singing is fixed by sound intonation contour of prayer. It is an exclamation of the heart rushed to God. This is the way used by a heroic monk to come up to God. This is living witness of the century-old tradition.
Lavra's hymns are notable for solemn harmony, spiritual touching, prayer inspiration and peculiarity. True beauty, inner might, greatness, power - these were the impressions for all orthodox Christians as well as foreigners. The success can be explained by the understanding of worship singing as spiritual. It is living witness of the orthodox tradition. It is an indicator of the might and greatness of the human spirit. It is distinctive musical chronicle of monastic life, the fire in their hearts, their spiritual depth and wealth."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Jackalopes are a Hi-Energy, Horror, Occult and B-Movie inspired, Punk Rock and Roll band from Dayton, Ohio.
Fronted by published artist and writer Rev. Chad Wells, The Jackalopes have been together since 1999 and have toured and performed with countless bands all over the Midwest, the South and the East Coast.
The Jackalopes have shared stages and spots on releases with today's hottest bands as well as with many well known, legendary performers who have been big influences on the band. The Jackalopes have put out several recordings via their own Mosquito Hawk Records label as well as having appeared on comps and splits for several independent labels as well as major label distributed projects.
With influences ranging from 50's Rock and Roll, 60's Garage and Psychedelia, 70's Country, Southern Stoner, Acid Rock and Punk to 80's Deathrock, Goth, Industrial, Metal and New Wave to the 90's Noise and Alternative bands, and of course the Cult movies from all of the above eras, The Jackalopes blend it all into an invigorating stew of something old, something new.
The Jackalopes are:
Rev. Chad A. Wells: Lead Vox
Ronnie T: Guitar/Backing Vox
Kyle Thirteen: Drums/Backing Vox
Jay Jay Thunder: Bass/Backing Vox"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Kokoon was formed by Danyx (voc,bass,keys) and Dirk (git,drums,bass,keys) in Berlin.
The former ballet dancer Danyx met Dirk at a concert of his former band that was signed to BMG in Berlin that time.
After this band broke up (Spinal Tap is true) Dirk and Danyx started to make music together, first as studio-duo, but very soon also live on stage with various musicians.
After playing in 2000-2001 they started to work on this CD in the end of 2001.
In the end of 2003 they decided to move to London due to Dirk's soundengineering work as well as to the idea having a change for something new."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The latest project by Victor Stone (fourstones), "La Vie Chill" is an album of original instrumental compositions, integrating samples from the Magnatune catalog as well as other Creative Commons licensed sources. "Chill" is sophisticated blend of old styles and new sounds in what's been called "groove soaked ambient chill."
Victor is a DIY remixer, musician and producer in Berkeley, California. He has been remixing and collaborating online with musicians from all around the world since 1998. In the past year his remixes have appeared on albums by Lisa DeBenedictis, c. layne, Brad Sucks and others. He has released his own remix albums, "Ridin The Faders (Magnatune Remixed)" and "Chronic Dreams" and produced singer/songwriter c. layne's "The Sun Will Come Out to Blind You" on Magnatune.
In 2005 Victor's activism for musicians rights led him to participate in Creative Common's remix site ccMixter.org which he programmed and administered for its launch and first year. He is currently an active member of the ccMixter community, regularly contributing remixes and code to the site."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Marginal Prophets are a 5-piece Hip-Hop/Garage band from San Francisco that brilliantly combine odd samples, funk/rock riffs, and decidedly non-traditional b-boy lyrics into a smart-alecky punk-rap mix that appeals to anyone who came of age back in the day when college radio actually mattered.
When Jeff Kramer ("the Jewish one") hooked up with Keith Knight ("the Black one"), The Marginal Prophets were born. Upon meeting in a comic book shop, the two future rappers discovered that in addition to their mutual love of comic books, cartoons and animation, they shared a deep feeling for hip-hop. Both had previously been in bands?Keith in high-energy funk outfit Butt'er Crunch, and Jeff in New York hardcore punk group Stisism. Each longed to be on stage again, but it took a little persuading for Keith (a successful comic strip writer and artist) to add performing into his already busy cartooning schedule , yet eventually he gave in.
Adopting the personas of K-Squared and The Noble Def G, Keith and Jeff began writing lyrics in earnest and were eventually joined by bass player Adam Lodge, drummer Adam Lipsky, and guitarist Jeff Ranney. Together, the band has taken its show up and down the West Coast and beyond, opening for Black Eyed Peas, Spearhead, Fishbone, G Love & Special Sauce, Insolence, and De La Soul, as well as headlining many shows of their won.
The eMPee's self-released debut CD, Twist the Nob sold 20,000 copies and was selected one of 1997's 10 best albums by the San Jose Metro, and one of the Top 100 Indie Releases of the year by PULSE! Magazine. Their second studio full-length, Bohemian Rap CDrecently won a 2004 California Music Award for Outstanding Rap Album."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The members of somadrone have known each other since they were teenagers and have shared many experiences in different bands such as Mary's Attic, Stain Glass Buzz, Ulterior Vision, Undermind, and Lucid.
These bands were all from the same tight knit small town local scene in central Massachusetts. Nathan Richard and John Hodges, on drums and bass respectively, have been jamming together for over a decade at this point having been the rhythm section in both Mary's Attic and Stain Glass Buzz.
They continue to create a rock solid bottom end. Cree being the former drummer for Ulterior Vision and Undermind has now switched things around and shares the responsibilities of adding ingredients to the smoldering guitar stew with former Lucid guitar player Nathan Erickson. Scott has put in his vocal tones with Stain Glass Buzz and Lucid in the past and continues to be up front now doing his thing.
During a down time after Mary's Attic and SGB had long been disbanded, John was bumming and looking for a project to be in.
During the same time Cree had come back from California after a short stint as drummer in the band hint and was looking for something as well.
Through a common friend, the two found out about the other's situation and got together to jam. From there, John thought it would be cool to bring down former Lucid guitarist Nathan Erickson and former SGB drummer Nathan Richard to join in on the jam sessions.
After jamming for awhile in a 12' x 12' room in Cree's basement and coming up with the structure for some songs, Nathan Erickson brought down Scott Brown to round out the band that is now called somadrone."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The musicians are:
Michael Sand: violin
Phebe Craig: harpsichord
John Dornenburg, viola da gamba.
Praised by Isaac Stern as making "a most convincing argument for the Baroque violin", MICHAEL SAND has become one of the leading Baroque violinists in America. A founding member and first musical director of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of San Francisco, Mr. Sand is also the director of Arcangeli Baroque Strings, a string ensemble dedicated to the concerto grosso repertoire. In great demand as a guest musical director and lecturer, he has led performances of numerous chamber orchestras throughout this country and abroad, including Israel, Canada, and Australia. He plays with the chamber ensembles Musical Assembly, is director of the New York State Baroque and appears with many local Bay Area early music groups. Mr. Sand has recorded for Meridian, Harmonia Mundi (France and the United States), Arts and Music, KATastroPHE, Wildboar, and Titanic. He teaches at the University of California at Davis and at the SFEMS Baroque Music Workshop.
Originally from Colorado, Phebe Craig spent her student years in Berlin, Brussels and San Francisco. She has earned a reputation as a versatile chamber musician and recitalist and has performed and recorded with many early music ensembles. As a specialist in basso continuo realization she has accompanied many prominent early music soloists, and has produced a series of play-along CDs for Baroque music. She has appeared at the Carmel Bach Festival, the Regensburg Tage Alter Music, and the Berkeley Early Music Festival. In addition to performing with many local ensembles, Craig also belongs to New York State Baroque. She teaches at the University of California at Davis and is the Director of the San Francisco Early Music Society's Baroque Music and Dance Workshop.
John Dornenburg teaches viola da gamba on the faculty at Stanford University and lectures at California State University at Sacramento. In the San Francisco Bay Area he can be heard with Music's Re-creation, Sex Chordae Consort of Viols, Arcangeli Baroque Strings, Magnificat, and the American Bach Soloists"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The music of Renaissance Europe comes to life in the voices of Zephyrus, the early music ensemble based in Charlottesville. Known throughout the region for its innovative programming and professional caliber, Zephyrus offers several major performances each year and appears locally in churches and at the University of Virginia.
Since its founding in 1991 by director Paul Walker, Zephyrus has devoted itself to bringing the treasures of of Medieval, Renaissance, and early Baroque music to a wider audience. The ensemble's repertoire spans six centuries, from the polyphonic chants of Notre Dame Cathedral to the sacred motets of Tudor England, the madrigals of Renaissance Italy, and the masterworks of the early Baroque. The eighteen-member core group regularly divides into double chorus, quintets, and other smaller ensembles, offering a range of musical textures at every concert. Zephyrus strives for historical accuracy in performance and has enlisted the efforts of early music instrumentalists. The group has collaborated with Baroque flutist Robert Turner of Charlottesville, Medieval fiddle player Nancy Bren Nuzzo of Buffalo, NY, and theorist Scott Horton of Baltimore.
In the fall of 1997 Zephyrus presented a concert of the "Coronation Music of James II and Queen Mary of England" with anthems for voices and strings by Henry Purcell and John Blow. And in the spring of 1998 Zephyrus presented a pair of concerts titled "The Dawning of Sacred Music in Germany - Exalted Music for Voices and Brass" with sackbuts and cornetti at the Duke University Chapel in Durham, NC and at St. Paul's Memorial Church in Charlottesville. Other notable concerts have included the Taverner "Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas," presented both in Charlottesville and at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the Victoria Requiem and Schuetz Musikalishes Exequien, and the first American performance of the Christmas Oratorio "In Nativitatem Domini Canticum" by Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
Also in the fall of 1997, Zephyrus released its first compact disc, Nativity, a collection of Renaissance motets for Christmas, recorded in the wonderful acoustical ambience of Holy Comforter Catholic Church in Charlottesville on the first weekend of May that year. The CD was produced by Sally Sanford, noted singer-scholar of early music, whom Dr. Walker has engaged to coach the group on several occasions in the past few years and with whom many of the members study voice on a regular basis.
As part of its educational mission, Zephyrus has presented lecture-recitals at area schools, including Piedmont Virginia Community College, the Tandem School, and Hereford College at the University of Virginia.
Zephyrus is led by Dr. Paul Walker, a musician and scholar who has led early music ensembles for the last sixteen years. Dr. Walker holds a Ph.D. in musicology from SUNY Buffalo and a Master's degree in organ performance from the University of Kansas. He has taught at Yale and the University of Chicago, and he now serves as director of the University of Virginia Collegium Musicum, and is on the music faculty of the University of Virginia.
The singers of Zephyrus come from a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds, but share a love of chamber singing and a commitment to excellence in performance. Operated solely by its members, Zephyrus relies on tax-deductible contributions from area patrons to assist with its expenses."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The name Briddes Roune (BREE-dess RONE) is Middle English for bird song/conversation/speech and is a reference to the fact that two of the three of us are named Robin. I formed Briddes Roune specifically to record early medieval English songs, a repertoire I have been singing for several years. As anyone who's read Chaucer aloud knows, Middle English has a delightfully musical lilt, making it a fun language to sing, and the English fondness for thirds and sixths gives the music a sweetness that is unusual for that time.
This recording includes the songs of St. Godric, who claimed that all of his songs came to him in visions. For example, during a vision in which he saw Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary, the Virgin taught him "Sainte Marie viergene," saying that if he found himself in pain or tired or succumbing to temptation, he should sing this song and she would come quickly to his aid. Godric died in 1170, making these songs the earliest songs in English with extant melodies. More on St. Godric can be found in the liner notes.
I am particularly drawn to the songs without fixed rhythms. The rhythms of songs such as "Stond wel, moder, under roode" and "Ar ne kuth, ich sorghe non" are driven by the speaking rhythms of the words and by musical intuition. I like the improvised quality of these songs, and I enjoy the extra opportunity to express the text.
Performing medieval music involves some challenges not faced by those interested in later music. Instrumental accompaniments were almost never written down, and even the choice of instruments used was quite free. What you hear on this recording is very much our own arrangement. Our instrumental parts arise from a combination of planning and improvisation. Instrumental countermelodies are generally written out in advance by either Kathryn or myself. Drone parts are generally worked out in rehearsal. The process goes something like this:
Kathryn: How about this?
Robin S.: ...mmm...no...maybe an A?...no...a D?...no....
Kathryn: What about this?
Robin S: Yeah, that's best.
Kathryn: That's what I played originally.
All instrumental preludes and interludes are improvised.
In addition to the challenge of writing our own instrumental parts, very few English songs have survived with their melodies, although we have many lyrics. For the surviving melodies, I have used E.J. Dobson and F. Ll. Harrison's book, Medieval English Songs. For others (e.g. Lenten is come, Lutel wot hit any mon), I have set lyrics in the style of that time and place. I typically start by choosing a mode, which defines what notes are in the scale and which are most important, and then I start playing with the words, improvising tunes. When I get a fragment that I like, I write it down, and gradually the piece begins to take shape."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The New York Consort of Viols, originally part of New York Pro Musica, was incorporated in 1972 under the artistic dirction of Judith Davidoff.
The groups' purpose is to bring to life the enormous repertoire of music for viols and viol consort written during the Renaissance and Baroque eras. The Consort has also commissioned new works which exploit the resources of viols in contemporary idioms."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Nova Casa period instruments ensemble was founded in 2005 by a group of experienced musicians who had been playing with larger early music ensembles in Poland. It was formed by these talented musicians out of passionate dedication to the style and professional performance of specific types of music of the baroque and classical eras.
The Nova Casa play a broad and varied repertoire of music from these eras, executed on period instruments with full respect for the historical performance style. All the musicians possess a rich concert experience, both at home an abroad, which enables free interpretation of the music they play. The members of Nova Casa try to introduce their audience to the abundance of the Baroque music with its variety and scope. The ensemble also occasionally delves into other musical idioms from such countries as France, Italy, and Germany which provides a large context for their baroque and classical selections.
The Nova Casa ensemble also offers in its programme works by Adam Jarzebski (1590-1648), Marcin Mielczewski (1600-1651) and Stanislaw Sylwester Szarzynski (ca.1700), showing Polish baroque music within the context of stylistic achievements of European music of these days.
Recent performances by Nova Casa include the Huygens Museum in The Hague (4 october 2006) and the ensemble also participated in Van Wassenaer Concours and Festival. Nova Casa has also performed during a Polish Radio broadcast from the ceremony mass at the Evangelical-Reformed Church in Warsaw as well as a concert of Italian baroque music in the Church for Artistic Milieux in Warsaw. At present, the ensemble performs at: XVII Early Music Festival in Warsaw, the "Cruciixus Est" Festival in Warsaw, and at the Wawel Royal Castle in Cracow.
Nova Casa ensemble members include Ewa Mrowca, Agnieszka Rychlik, Maria Papuzinska-Uss, Jakub Kosciukiewicz and Anton Birula.The name of the ensemble (Nova Casa) comes from the title of the pieces by Adam Jarzebski (1590-1648)?acomposer, poet and architect of the Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Oberlin Consort of Viols first formed in 1976 in Oberlin, Ohio with the intent of playing renaissance viol works in an intimate small setting, to recreate the ambience this intimate chamber music was composed for.
The Oberlin consort have performed the works of Orlando Gibbons, Henry Purcell, William Byrd Christopher Tye, John Ward and William Lawes. Since their first encounter with Lawes in 1982, the Oberlin Consort has devoted much of its energy to interpreting and performing Lawes' works, both in concert and on recordings.
The Oberlin Consort have recorded the complete Fantasies of Henry Purcell, as well as a program of fantasias for viols and organ by John Jenkins and William Lawes."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| ""The performances are light and transparent?fast movements, wonderfully weightless... This is ensemble playing of great mutual respect and undeniable musicality."??Alex Baran, WholeNote Magazine, February 2006
Known for an inspired synthesis of French and Italian styles, Musica Franca is dedicated to performing the lush compositions written for bassoon and continuo during the baroque period?in particular the work of composers Michel Corrette and Joseph Bodin de Boismortier.
Corrette and Boismortier lived during one of France's most politically turbulent times, but each wrote deeply warm, genial music. Musica Franca easily captures the playful, inventive spirit of Corrette's compositions, with many of the movements displaying the all-or-nothing passion that characterized much of his work. The Boismortier sonatas, by contrast, are treated with infinite subtlety and feline grace?played by Musica Franca with the utmost virtuosity that his work demands. The performances, in fact?with their infinite variations and nuances?reveal the skills that allowed Boismortier to become one of the first composers to succeed without a patron...able to make his living entirely by writing new works of music.
Through careful selection of the most interesting pieces by these composers, Musica Franca offers a fresh, charismatic perspective on their work. Instrumentation is varied ? sometimes even within the same piece ? in order to bring out the widest range of tonal colors, and Musica Franca performs the music in the same spirit of pleasure as many musicians of the 18th century: light, nimble interpretations performed with both nuance and joy.
The founding members of Musica Franca (pictured above left to right) are Mathieu Lussier, basssoon; Nadina Mackie Jackson, bassoon; and Fraser Jackson, contrabassoon."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The project Seismic Anamoly was started in 2002 by Michael S., who lives in Meridian, MS, USA. Seismic Anamoly has been composing and playing music only since 2000, and his work is done primarily utilizing his Peavey EVH Wolfgang, Millennium J Series Bass, and Indianola ER Acoustic. Seismic's arsenal includes tunes that could be classified as Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Guitar and Instrumental Rock and Acoustic, but it is all home-grown Rock n Roll. Relatively new to the scene, Seismic Anamoly has seen his music grow slowly but steadily in popularity....."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "There's both longing and loneliness in Lizzi's dark, sensual voice. Love and chill -- like the icy winter winds sweeping across her native island of Gotland in Sweden. "To be in love is a kind of isolation," she says. "It's not all happiness and joy: there's a lot of pain and emptiness too. But longing is also an incredible feeling, much under-valued today."
Growing up in a poor music-loving family of six children, Lizzi knows all about longing. "I was lucky," Lizzi says. "I was on friendly terms with the preacher. He let me use the village church to sing whenever I wanted." The mental image of a little girl singing her heart out -- alone in a vast, empty church in the dark of night -- still resonates through one's mind when listening to Lizzi's music today.
Lizzi started singing professionally in the synth band Houses & Gardens. "One of the band members heard me singing in the shower and thought I should have a go. Some of the other guys in the band thought I was too cheerful. I was prohibited to laugh during performances." She says synth-rock really wasn't her style but she did it because she loved to sing. "And I've always been a chameleon. It's taken me a long time to find my own voice."
In 1994, she released her first solo album, "Lizzie," for which she wrote most of the songs. "But that wasn't really me either, even though I believed so at the time. It didn't take very long to find out..."
Later, she spent two years singing with the Swedish avant-garde group, The Flesh Quartet. Working in The Flesh Quartet brought her together with producer Jacob Hellner. After having turned down one record company who wanted to morph her into a Swedish Kylie Minogue(!), Lizzi and Jacob decided to make her new album on their own. "I can't sell my soul. If I did I'd really be poor forever. I'd rather work petty day jobs as long as I can sing. Besides, I can only sing about things I've experienced - that's when it gets good."
The new album, "Love and you and I," is about uniting opposites -- staying and walking away, sadness and happiness -- and musically uniting the coldness of loops and computers with the warmth of real instruments. "The album is the story of a love affair -- from the beginning, through all the conflicting emotions to the not necessarily bitter end... Simplicity is the keyword, both musically and lyrically," Lizzi says.
Though she left Gotland long ago, the magic island is still in her blood. "When I sing my lyrics, it's as if I'm back there somehow. It's the same feeling I had when I lived there as a child -- the sunlight flooding sideways at dusk, like a flash of lightning racing through the landscape." Somehow, that feeling flows through her songs, too.
Ulf Ivarsson plays bass on Lizzi's "Love and you and I," and also has a solo project on Magnatune under the name "Beat Under Control.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Saint Elijah Church, situated in Podol district of Kyiv, is the first Russian Orthodox church ever built. According to legend, it was built by the Prince Askold and Dir long before the baptizing of Kyiv Rus. The Saint chronicler Nestor writes about this event in his Fable of Ancient Times.
In 988 The Great equel to Apostle Prince Vladimir began baptizing the people of Kyiv Rus near this church on the banks of the Dnieper River.
And now this church, though small in size is under jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of Kyiv and the whole Ukraine Vladimir is a favourite place for praying for the Kyivites. Archiepriest Vitaly Kosovskiy is the dean of the church since 1991.
On the 19th of December 1996 the childrens choir began to sing for the glory of God.
The children regularly take part in Sunday and festive liturgies and has become an integral part of ther life. The choir also has consert activities. During the short time of its existence, the choir won the All-Ukranian (1997, the town of Rivne) and International (1998, the town of Eupatoria) festivals.
In this album you can hear both little-known old spiritual songs of the 16-17th centuries and traditional and authors spirituel hymns of liturgies of the 18th beginning of the 20th centuries.
Special attention should be paid to old Ukranian cantical part of the album where warm feelings of Ukranian people to God are particularly expressed. The choir has become the first Orthodox childrens choir of Kyiv after almost a one hundred years interval."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Sarasa Ensemble performs music from the early Baroque through the Romantic eras. It has received critical acclaim for its "informed and impassioned music-making" and is hailed for its "great clarity" and "irresistible energy". Drawing on a pool of more than sixty world-class musicians from the United States, Europe, and Canada, the ensemble varies in size according to the particular program of each of its concerts.
The ensemble produces the Sarasa Chamber Music Series in Cambridge and Concord, Massachusetts and summer concerts based in Putney, Vermont. It has toured throughout New England and to Cuba, Ireland, and India.
Sarasa was formed in response to a concert played by its founder, Timothy Merton, in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in 1997, at the urging of a friend. An inmate who heard that first concert remarked, "When art is well executed, it projects a message that transcends language, culture, and even aesthetic boundaries." Sarasa took these words to heart and since then has been bringing high-quality music to those who ordinarily have little access to it. The ensemble has performed in adult and adolescent correctional facilities, homes for the elderly, mental hospitals, and institutions for the disabled.
For the last several years Sarasa has been working almost exclusively with teenagers in the greater Boston area. Every concert season the group plays more than twelve outreach concerts and facilitates several residency programs in teenage correctional centers. Through these programs Sarasa seeks to address the spiritual and emotional suffering of incarcerated youth and offer them joy, hope and opportunities for healing through self-expression.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "These compilation disks unite the best songs from our artists for each of Magnatune's musical genres."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Strap-Ons are a snot-voiced wildly thrashing pure punk rock 'n' roll band. Formed in late 1996 as The Pimps in Norfolk VA, they took the name The Strap-Ons from one of their favorite movies of all time, iStrap On Sallyi They have a well earned reputation for good lyrics, catchy riffs, and a great sound, never letting up on their brand of over the top punk.
The Band toured the US in the summer of 2003, doing many shows with original iMisfitsi member Joey Image, and released a live album of their show in San Francisco, to boot. The Strap-Ons continue to do many East Coast appearances including CBGB's, The Continental, and Manitobas in New York City
"Punk On Punk Crime" The new CD on Valiant death was released in 2004. Naked Jain Records released the second CD, "$4 Whore", in 2003 as a Follow up to the bands first Full length album, "Geeking Dream".
Coming up in 2004, "Covered ass" will be the bands 4th full length. It will be all covers from the 1940s - 70s and has a scheduled street date of September 1 2004 on Digitone Records. Also this year a "Johnny Thunders Tribute" that idle produced and the band performs on is gonna be released on RocknRoll Radio Records in Belgium. And is if that wasn't enough rock action for you, there will be three 4-way split 7" records released this year all featuring The Strap-Ons and their mentor band, the mighty Electric Frankenstein.
The Strap-Ons can also be found on over 11 vinyl records and many CD compilations, including the legendary Fistful of Rock n Roll "The International Punk Rock Box Set", as well as DRI and Joey Ramone Tribute compilations. Other 2003 releases include a 7" split on Bootleg Booze Records and 10" split on Heavy Drinking Productions Records in Sweden."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Three Holies Church in Kharkov is the only Russian Orthodox Church, where since 1995, only the ancient canonical worship singing is used for Divine services.
This CD represents the three main canonical singing traditions of the Eastern Church - Byzantine, Georgia and Old Rus, which was the foundation for further development of not only worship singing but also classical choral music.
All chants are performed by choristers of the Three Holies Church conducted by Igor Sakhno, who is one of the greatest expert in ancient singing and founder of the ancient music Ensemble Sreteniye.
He studied the secrets of Georgian singing at one of the Georgian monastery and Byzantine singing at Aphona monastery. During his stay in Greece, the well-known Greek protopsalt L.Angelopoulos gave him invaluable help. Not only he supplemented the repertoire of the choir with a number of very rare ancient chants, but also what is the most important he shared his knowledge of Byzantine singing characteristic features.
In 2001 The Three Holies Church Choristers won Grand Prix at Church choirs festival "Glas Pechersky" in Kiev and in 2002 took part at Worship Singing Conference in Kiev-Pechersk Lavra."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The word Curandero means healer / folk doctor / shaman. This powerful image, as a balancing, motivating, inspirational force in human history is what the music of Curandero aspires towards in the world of sound. The flamenco guitar of Miguel
Espinoza and the East Indian tabla of Ty Burhoe bring together two passionate and ancient traditions into one music.
Since the initial release of their first release "Curandero" in 1995, they have toured extensively in the US and are responsible for initiating the exciting blend of flamenco with the rhythms of India. They have had a wide variety of special guest artists ranging from Howard Levy (Harmonica Virtuoso), to Kai Eckhardt (Bass) and Bela Fleck (Banjo).
In 1997 they produced another cutting edge CD called "Aras" which featured a whole new breed of composition, letting go of traditional roots and embracing a more creative musical possibilities. Miguel's amazingly diverse musical back ground gave incredible harmonic depth to the compositions and became a perfect invitation to musicians from very different musical traditions. Thus, banjo maestro, Bela Fleck and the intensely lyrical bass playing of Kai Eckhardt were woven into the music of "Aras". The albums have been featured in dozens of top play lists around the world and magazines such as Guitar Player, Acoustic Guitar, Rhythm Music and many others.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "The Zivian-Tomkins Duo is a San Francisco chamber music ensemble specializing in music performed on period instruments.
Extremely versatile, with experience in the Baroque, classical, and modern playing styles, Zivian and Tomkins are dedicated to the text of the music they perform.
This has brought them together to explore the classical repertoire on the instruments for which the music was composed.
After winning an international competition, they were awarded the production costs for their first CD, an all-Beethoven recording on original instruments.
The duo performs well known and lesser known works, bringing an exciting combination of mastery and expression to their audiences.
They are proud to be on the cutting edge of the original instrument movement that seeks to rejuvenate the music of the past by rediscovering some of its original boldness.
Tanya Tomkins studied at the University of Southern California with Gabor Rejto and went on to receive her bachelor of fine arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts as a student of Ron Leonard. She moved to Holland to study with the cellist Anner Bijlsma and in 1987 earned a soloist's diploma at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Inspired by Mr. Bijlsma, Tomkins became interested in the performance of music on original instruments. As a member of the Trio d'Amsterdam (with clarinetist Eric Hoeprich and fortepianist Stanley Hoogland), she made a New York debut at the Frick Collection, which was recorded for National Public Radio and also appeared in Lincoln Center's "Great Performers" series in 1996. The trio recorded a CD for Koch. She has performed and recorded with orchestras such as The Classical Band (Sony), La Petite Bande (Harmonia Mundi), La Stagione Frankfurt (Harmonia Mundi), the Netherland Bach Society, Ensemble Bouzignac (Vanguard) and L'Orchestre des Champs-Elysees under the direction of Philip Hereweghe (Harmonia Mundi).
During the fourteen years Tanya Tomkins was living in Holland, she was primarily active as a chamber musician, performing throughout Europe and the United States to critical acclaim. For five years she played with the award-winning Euridice Quartet. The quartet recorded a CD of the string quartets by Ravel and Debussy (Vanguard). She has also recorded a CD of French Impressionist music with the Renoir Ensemble, a harp quintet specializing in 20th century music. She has performed with the Amsterdam-based SoLaRe String Trio throughout Europe, the U.S., and Israel.
Tomkins has been invited to play in many chamber music festivals throughout Europe and the U.S., including the Amsterdam Chamber Music Society, Rondje Romantiek and the Moab Chamber Music Festival in Utah. She has appeared as a chamber musician at the 92nd Street Y in New York and has played numerous times in the Concertgebouw Kleine Zaal as a recitalist and in chamber music concerts.
She is currently a member of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with whom she has appeared as a soloist, and she performs regularly with the American Bach Soloists. In 2001, she was the winner of the international Bodky Competition for Early Music Soloists. Currently, she is performing in recitals across the United States as the cellist in the Tomkins-Zivian Duo, a San Francisco chamber music ensemble specializing in music performed on period instruments.
Eric Zivian was born in Michigan and grew up in Toronto, Canada, where he attended the Royal Conservatory of Music. After receiving a diploma there, he left home at age 15 to attend the Curtis Institute of Music, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree. He went on to receive graduate degrees from the Juilliard School and the Yale School of Music. He studied piano with Marina Geringas, Gary Graffman and Peter Serkin. He attended the Tanglewood Music Center as a performer in 1988 and 1989, studying chamber music with Gilbert Kalish, Peter Serkin, Joel Krosnick, and others. He has won numerous prizes for young pianists, including the Charles Miller/Sergei Rachmaninoff Award upon graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Grace B. Jackson Award for Outstanding Achievement and Notable Contributions to the Program as a Whole at the Tanglewood Music Festival.
Mr. Zivian has appeared as a soloist in Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay area. He has performed Mozart and Beethoven concertos with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Santa Rosa Symphony and the Festival Orchestra at "Music in the Mountains" in Grass Valley. Recently, he has begun performing on original instruments, and he owns two period fortepianos. He is a member of the Zivian-Tomkins Duo, a fortepiano-cello duo that has performed in San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, San Rafael, Berkeley, Davis, Boston and Washington, D.C. He is also a member of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble and has performed with the Empyrean Ensemble, Earplay, and Alternate Currents. He is a frequent guest artist on the San Francisco Conservatory's faculty chamber music series.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Tilopa, a one time social scientist who did research on Latin America, has studied quite a wide range of different musical instruments since early childhood (flute, violin, classical guitar, piano, tampoora, dillruba, svarmandal, santoor), but found his real love about 20 years ago when he met with the kyotaku and his flute-master Koku Nishimura in Kumamoto/Japan.
Since that time he has studied the traditional 'honkyoku' zen-music with his master and says that this is a never ending process even though he is playing the same songs over and over again.
At the same time he has been experimenting with combining the kyotaku with other western and eastern instruments.
He lives with his wife and a multitude of her paintings in an old farmhouse in the countryside of Bavaria/Germany where he is working as a kyotaku-teacher and maker and also as a t'ai chi teacher.
About the Japanese zen-flute:
Tilopa is playing the so called kyotaku, also known as Japanese zen-flute or long shakuhachi. This instrument has a pentatonic tuning and has 5 holes like the shakuhachi, but has a much deeper and more mellow sound than the shakuhachi.
It used to be played more often in the old days of Japan, but was more and more replaced by the shakuhachi during the twentieth century.
In the same process it changed from an instrument of meditation that was mainly used by a certain buddhist sect of wandering monks (komuso), who played traditional religious pieces (honkyoku) only, to an instrument of more 'worldly' use played with other instruments and in different kinds of music.
Tilopa's master, Koku Nishimura, was one of the first to revive the old tradition of kyotaku.
For a few years now, Tilopa has been giving occasional concerts with Sangeet P. Sieben. Sieben is a gifted guitarist who started out with jazz and rock music years ago, picked up other instruments on his musical life journey and now feels very much at home with ethno-, world- and meditation-music. One of the results of this extraordinary meeting is the CD 'Pictures of Silence', which is a live recording of several improvisational sessions at an art exhibition in Cologne/Germany."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Tim Rayborn is an internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and singer, who has been involved in the field of early music for 15 years. He has devoted much of his musical activities over the past 13 years to the research and performance of medieval European music, and traditional music from North Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and India. He plays more than 40 musical instruments. He also works on the Solace live project.
Though raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Tim lived in England from 1992 to 1999, pursuing academic research and working as a professional musician. He has toured throughout Europe and performed at several major early music festivals, as well as with traditional musicians in Marrakech and Istanbul.
His performances and recordings have continued to be featured regularly on BBC radio in the UK and the Channel Islands. He has appeared twice at the Jersey International Festival, on Belgian Radio 3 in a live concert broadcast, and in Majorca, as part of the Bunyola Festival.
Tim has recorded three CDs for Britain's top early music label, ASV/Gaudeamus. His group, Ensemble Florata, produced two recordings, including the best-selling Far Away Lands - The Medieval Sephardic Heritage. His third ASV CD was in collaboration with Shira Kammen: The Cloister and the Sparrow hawk - Songs of the Monk of Montaudon, and received international critical acclaim. In addition, he has worked extensively with the medieval group Tintagel, with whom he toured Europe and America.
He is currently an instrumentalist with the Jewish women's vocal group, Ya Elah, under the direction of Bon Singer, who directed the acclaimed Balkan women's vocal ensemble Kitka for fourteen years. He collaborates with multi-instrumentalist Mark Deutsch, and directs his own medieval ensemble, Caladrius. He is the musical director of Shuvani, a professional production featuring gypsy dance styles from India, the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain, created by noted Bay Area dancers Luna and Michelle Joyce.
He has recently played on a new recording featuring singer Alisa Fineman and Grammy-nominated acoustic guitarist Alex De Grassi, and is preparing for Ya Elah's debut CD. He is currently working with acclaimed Middle Eastern dance musician and composer Jeremiah Soto, as part of his Solace live group.
Tim has an M.A. in Medieval Studies and a Ph.D. on the subject of Christian/Islamic relations during the period of the early crusades (11th and 12th centuries), both from the University of Leeds, England."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Todd Fletcher (the musician behind Psychetropic) has been creating electronic music since 1983, using an Apple IIe computer, inspired primarily by the music of Klaus Schulze and Brian Eno. From the beginning his music emphasized the union of sound design with melody and rythm to create a complete sound matrix.
Fletcher's first releases were cassettes for the Poison Plant label, including a track on the LP compilation Charmed. In 1994 he self-released the CD Byzantium, inspired by a growing fascination with Middle Eastern music. Following in 1995 was an excursion into desert ambience, Star, on the Amplexus sub-label Arya. In 1996 Fletcher appeared on two compilations CD's, Twilight Earth II (Timebase) and Soundscape Gallery I (Lektronic Soundscapes)
The microrelease label debuted in 2001 with two releases. Arcane Energies combines the desert atmospheres of Star with the dense rythmic interplay of Byzantium. 23 introduced Fletcher's side-project Psychetropic, exploring a techno/Berlin School sound.
Fletcher's interest in sound design as an integral aspect of music continues to deepen. Currently producing music entirely on computer, he uses numerous software tools to create singular sound atmospheres condusive to dreaming and reflection."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Tom Lewis is an accomplished professional musician, and his latest project ? Rejuvenescence ? explores the more contemplative side of his talents. Dreamscapes is his first relase through this project, and features tranquil music for relaxation, as well as meditation and yoga. It's also ideal background music for all therapeutic settings, or just for general unwinding after a long day.
Tom has shared the stage with big names like the Moody Blues and the Beach Boys, and has released a fantastic pop-rock album, Automatic Ordinary with his other band, Five Star Fall.
"As a composer, producer and bassist, my musical journey continues to be a lifelong joy," says Tom. "I will hopefully never stop learning and absorbing from the many great artists I have worked with. The life experiences that we all share, i.e. birth ("Mist of Dawn"), life and death ("Shining Place") and rebirth ("Rejuvenescence") have inspired the music in Dreamscapes. It is my sincere hope that you find this music as soothing and comforting to the soul as I have in its creation."
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Tom Paul has been writing and playing his own music for two decades and in the past five or so years he has been successfully presenting it on-line.
Now, with a lot of critical support and some of the finest musicians pop music has to offer, Tom has released his first CD, I Was King.
The singer-songwriter, who resides in western Pennsylvania and who built a state-of-the-art recording studio in his home, has a bevy of influences, all of which contribute to his unique style and none of which are invasive of Tom's original twist on lyrics and music.
Touched by the gravity and breadth of solid songs written by Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, David Grey, John Hiatt, The Beatles and a host of others, Tom Paul is the quintessential singer/songwriter. He is seasoned enough to allow his songs to have a voice that speaks for others while never abandoning his personal perspective.
On I Was King, Tom Paul is joined by Charlie Morgan, John Marsden and Charlie DeChant, who interpret Paul's music and lyrics with heartfelt professionalism, never straying from the artist's vision.
Tom Paul is a family man with a wife, three children, and has trodden enough dramatic paths in life to bring the gift of experience to his songs. Tom devotes an enormous amount of time and energy to transcribing his understanding of life to song.
"I write about the world as I encounter it," he says. "I have a fairly positive outlook without being blinded by optimism."
Through the years Tom has learned to support his own music in many ways. He plays guitar and bass, sings and has become proficient in the art of recording, maintaining a high standard for the presentation of his material. To that end, Tom enlisted John Marsden of Little-Big Sound to mix his new album.
Tom Paul's original and accessible poetry, along with his keen sense of melodic- oriented songwriting, make his tunes attractive to other artists' interpretations and, through his own devise, stand strongly."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| ""Tori Amos ain't got nothing on Beth Quist." ?Michael Hedges
"Her abilities as a multi-instrumentalist combined with her passion is truly inspirational." ?Dave Beegle, guitarist, Fourth Estate
Beth Quist is a multi-instrumentalist performer, composer, and singer, as well as the lead vocalist in the Las Vegas production of Cirque du Soleil's KA. Her hypnotically beautiful style of singing combines the strong melodies and lyricism of traditional Western vocals with influences from the Balkans, Middle East, and India.
Quist?who began playing piano at age 2?has a 4-octave soprano voice, and in addition to piano plays santour (hammered dulcimer), dumbek, guitar, flute, and any other "toy" she can get her hands on.
In addition to being an celebrated solo artist, she's an accomplished composer of original scores and has over fifty film, video, dance, and theater credits to her name. She's also a seasoned session musician and instructor of piano, vocals, and doumbek at the Naropa Institute. In late fall of 2006, Quist will once again tour and record with Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra, as well record some of her new original work. There are rumors that a few choice solo performances around that time are in the works as well."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "TranceVision was founded in 1998 by Pete Code (producer/songwriter/musician) and Greta Rose (lead vocals/percussion). Greg Kaiser joined the band as the keyboardist in 1999. The band is dedicated to exploring the boundaries of contemporary and ancient music without concern for trends and experimentation is law.
The band has enjoyed the privilege of recording with prominent and talented musicians such as Tim Reynolds (TR3, Dave Matthews) rhythm & lead guitar on "Atom " and "Enertia", Kip Winger (Winger, Alan Parsons) fretless bass on "Lemuria"."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Trevor Pinnock is recognised as a leading personality in the direction of period-instrument performance and a harpsichord soloist of international reputation.
Having trained as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and as a scholar at the Royal College of Music, Trevor Pinnock formed The English Concert in 1973; since then, his lively and stylish interpretations with this ensemble have set new standards in the field of period performance.
Trevor Pinnock has appeared frequently as a guest conductor with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston, San Francisco and Detroit Symphony orchestras, the St Paul and Los Angeles Chamber orchestras and at the Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart festivals, he became Principal conductor and artistic director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1988 with Handel's Giulio Cesare.
The 1999/2000 season included engagements with the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Mito Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, tours of the USA and South America with The English Concert, chamber music recitals with Rachel Podger and Jonathan Manson in Japan and duo recitals with Maxim Vengerov in Europe. The 2000/2001 season includes concerts with The English Concert in Japan (Bach St Matthew Passion), Spain (Monteverdi Combattimento), Halle, Paris and London (Handel Tamerlano) and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.
Firmly established as one of the world's foremost harpsichord virtuosi, Trevor Pinnock's solo recordings include Scarlatti Sonatas, Handel's Harpsichord Suites and Bach's Goldberg Variations and complete Partitas. As a soloist he has recorded the Bach Harpsichord Concerti and Haydn's Piano Concerto (Hob. XV111:11) playing/directing The English Concert and the Poulenc Harpsichord Concerto with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Trevor Pinnock received a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 1992."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Trip credits the fateful day early in 1982 when he heard "Silly Love Songs" by Wings as the day he decided that music was for him. He would often accompany his band-director father to area music stores where he would see bass guitars. The young Trip thought basses were, "...big guitars for dumb people...". (We've learned to appreciate Trip's dry sense of humor...) Trip's school had a bass that was not being used, so he brought it home and learned to play "Summer Nights" from the movie "Grease". With his first song under his belt and some new-found confidence, Trip set out to make music.
Trip studied with Michael Manring in 1991 and 1992, which was an experience Trip says that consisted of scathing invective and brutal honesty. Trip credits Michael with the phrase "...be deep wide awake and slow...".
Trip's playing takes on both the rhythmic bass and melodic lead roles, harmonics and overtones are flung about effortlessly. Right hand, left hand, all ten fingers, tuning keys and every ounce of potential is used to bring forth music from his finely crafted instruments. Musicains will appreciate his creative use of both fretted and fretless basses, special effects and detuners. Trip is the introduction to the bass guitar as a complete orchestra.
"It's Better This Way" is Trip's newest and most focused work. Â It was recorded in Nashville with producer Todd Bragg (Caedmon's Call). Â It is a simple, yet lush instrumental album that will remind you of ***what*** beautiful music is supposed to sound like.
Trip performs solo concerts all over the world, plays in the art rock band Atomic Opera, and hangs out with his wife Saran and son Xander at his house in Louisiana."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Two time Grammy nominee and mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson began her music career as a violist, but became one of the world's most acclaimed opera singers. Before her death in July of 2006, she regularly appeared in opera and concert with the world's major companies, orchestras, and conductors, and was known as a highly original and versatile performer?one with a deep spirit of adventure.
Performance highlights include her role as Didon in Les Troyens at the Metropolitan Opera, Irene in Theodora at the Glyndebourne Festival, Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito, and the title-role in Xerxes at New York City Opera. In 2001 Musical America named her Vocalist of the Year, and in 2003 the London Guardian named her Outstanding Artist of the Year.
Her many concert appearances include her performance as Jocasta in Oedipus Rex and Phaedra at the BBC Proms; the role of Melisande with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Bernard Haitink, a North American recital tour with Peter Serkin and performances and a recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas.
Concert highlights include Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and James Levine and with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach; Berg's Seven Early Songs with the Berlin Philharmonic and Kent Nagano; Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen; Berlioz's Les Nuits d'?t? in Paris with Roger Norrington and in the San Francisco Bay Area with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Nicholas McGegan; and L'Enfance du Christ at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and Sir Charles Mackerras.
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson made her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband, composer Peter Lieberson."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Two well known soloists and chamber musicians join forces to bring forth Brahms and Schumann's sonatas, romances, and fantasy pieces for clarinet and piano. Todd Levy perfectly brings out the mellow woodiness of the clarinet, while Elina Abend offers the perfect counterpoint in the form of gloriously silky piano playing.
Todd Levy made his debut at the age of seventeen performing the Hindemith Clarinet Concerto at Lincoln Center, and is now Principal Clarinet of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as well as the Santa Fe Opera. Levy is a member of the clarinet faculty at the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee and his solo career highlights include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, and with the Israel Philharmonic in Tel-Aviv. Other highlights include performances of the Brahms F minor Sonata arranged for clarinet and orchestra by Luciano Berio, the world premiere of Peter Schickele's Concerto for Clarinet and Flute, and the European premiere of John Harbison's Concerto for Clarinet and Oboe.
An active chamber musician, Mr. Levy has collaborated with members of the Guarneri, Julliard, Cleveland, Orion, and Ying quartets, as well as the Beaux Arts Trio, Midori, Christop Eschenbach, Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchinda, Marc Niekrug, Carol Wincenc, and Paula Robison. He has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, BMG, and Telarc. He is a graduate of the Julliard School where he studied with David Weber.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, pianist Elena Abend is well known as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed with all the major orchestras of her country and has recorded with the Filarmonica Nacional. As the recipient of a scholarship from the Venezuelan Council for the Artst, Ms. Abend studied at the Jilliard Schoool, where she received her Bachelor and Master degrees. She has performed at the Purcell Room on London's South Bank, Avery Fisher Hall in New York's Lincoln Center, Weill Recital hall at Carnegie Hall, and the Academy of Music with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Other engagements have included the Wigmore Hall in London, the United Nations, the Toulouse Conservatoire in France, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C., Merkin Concert Hall in New York, and many other celebrated venues.
Ms. Abend has been on the faculty of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Indiana University's String Academy summer program, and the Milwaukee Chamber Music Festival. She has performed with Present Music Now and the Frankly Music Series on several occasions and is currently professor of piano and chamber music at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ty Burhoe has been a disciple of the great tabla maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain, since 1990 and from that time forward has been wholly dedicated to music, both as a career and as a spiritual path. Through his teacher's inspiration, he has established new territory for the tabla which continues to attract international acclaim.
Internationally recognized for creating unusual collaborations that weave together tabla with the traditions of jazz, African, flamenco, rock, Celtic, chinese, and bluegrass music, Burhoe has become one of the most sought after tabla players in the world. He is a student of the classical tradition and as a touring classical accompanist, his calender continues to grow busier and busier. In addition, his reputation for superlative production values means that Burhoe is often in demand as a recording and concert producer as well. In 2004, he created the artist-owned record label, Tala Records, and since 1994 has run a concert production company called Tala Productions. Burhoe
Ty works with a broad range of artists including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Art Lande, Krishna Das, Curandero (Miguel Espinoza), Ustad Sultan Khan, Tony Furtado, Bela Fleck, Walter Becker, Steve Gorn, Mamadou Diabate, Rick Alan, Howard Levy, Kitaro, Anindo Chatterjee, Roshan Bhartiya, Bill Dougals and many more. He is the tour assistant for his teacher Ustad Zakir Hussain, touring and helping to produce concerts in North America and Canada. On tour many of Ty's talents come into play such as running sound, playing tambura & percussion, stage managing and instrument repair, as well as designing Zakir's percussion racks and touring equipment. Ty currently teaches drumming retreats and tabla intensives throughout the world and composes/plays on soundtracks for film and video, including the recent academy award winning documentary, Born into Brothels."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Under the inspired direction of British-born conductor Michael Hankinson, the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra is a musical miracle in a country whose national priorities seem a far cry from promoting Western classical music. Established in 2000 by a multi-cultural group of committed musicians, the JPO have created an exciting ensemble whose aims extend to the musical education of their public and, thanks to this recording, will resound world-wide. Their motto: "A nation that turns its back on its culture turns its back on itself." What better way to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of democracy in South Africa."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Upon first listen to a recording of Solo Acoustic Guitarist, Jeff Wahl, you might think that it's a recording of several guitarists playing together at once. However, it's all just one guitar with no overdubs. Audiences who see Jeff play live are also often surprised to see one guitarist sitting on stage yet hear what sounds like 2 or 3 guitarists playing together. Often compared to guitarists such as Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, Joe Pass, and Will Ackerman, Jeff's style ultimately is a blend of many styles that defies categorization. Jeff's live repertoire encompasses the genres of Folk, Jazz, New Age, Classical and even Indian Ragas.
"For me, the guitar has always been my therapist and counselor. Playing the guitar and writing music came to me mainly I think because I've had to go through a lot of hard times in my life completely alone. The guitar has always been there for me through it all and I can't imagine how difficult my life would be without it. The inspiration for all of my songs is always a particular emotion I'm experiencing. I usually compose with the guitar in altered tunings so that I can't analyze the sounds through traditional music theory. Although I have a degree in music composition, I find it much more satisfying and authentic to compose through intuition rather than relying on rules of theory. Composing in this way keeps me humble to what the instrument wants to say and helps with keeping my ego out of the way when I write music."
Jeff's music has been featured often on local and national public radio programs during the last several years. Upon release of his first CD, Guitarscapes in 1999, Jeff was named one of America's best undiscovered guitarists by Guitar 9 Record's online guitar magazine.
Jeff grew up on a farm on the eastern plains of Colorado. He played the piano and trombone before discovering his connection with the guitar. He has degrees in music composition and music education. Jeff currently resides in the beautiful city of Fort Collins, Colorado."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Utopia Banished was formed sometime between 1997-1998, by Dani A. and Dave R. They had met drummer Nick T. through a mutual friend, and later acquired Marvin S. (through Nick.)
For about one year the 4 "jammed" and wrote some songs, and decided to get serious. The first show played was an instrumental set at a High School Talent Show. Performing their songs Bloody Mary, and Apocalyptica. Though they aren't the most original names, the songs created a very positive response from the audience. Shortly thereafter the band auditioned Jeff Hayward.
It was with this line-up that the band began writing more songs, and began performing shows. Frequenting at clubs like Traditions (Ridgewood,Queens), and Voodoo Lounge (Bayside, Queens). In mid 1999, the band and Jeff H. decided to part ways, due to creative differences.
In addition to Jeff leaving the band, Dani (who played guitars at the time) had began going to school in Boston, Ma. With only one guitarist at hand the group had began "auditioning" guitarist, and found Ian S. With a rather quick decision, the band decided to take Ian.
When Dani came back he took the position of vocals, and keyboards. Since this time, the band has recorded a full length album. Have gotten many positive reviews (from the promos sent out), had the opportunity to take many interviews. and have promoted themselves by playing some great venues"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Violist and composer Rhonda Lorence brings the mellow, warm tonalities of the viola to the forefront through her elegant marriage of the new age and neo-classical genres, and gives full, modern voice to this instrument's passionate and emotive force.
Within a month of its release, Lorence's first album Winter Moon had soared into the top twenty on New Age stations throughout the country, showing that compositions for the often overlooked viola could capture the imagination of listeners. Winter Moon remained in the top 50 on the New Age Reporter charts throughout 2005, and was nominated by broadcasters in four categories for the NAR Lifestyle Music Awards including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
As much as Rhonda Lorence's compositions are an expression of her artistry as a violist, they are also about her creative abilities as a sound engineer and producer. Lorence recorded and mastered every track on Winter Moon, blending the vocals of Angela Sterling Forest with synthesizers, while playing all the accompanying live strings.
Many of the influences that prevail on the Winter Moon CD are also a result of Lorence's 25 year performance career which included tours of Japan and Korea with the Mantovanni Orchestra; as well as a stint as principal violist for the Naples (FL) Orchestra; performances with the Russian Ballet Orchestra and Tampa Bay Opera; and numerous show performances with legends such as Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Henry Mancini and Burt Bacharach. Crossing cultures has always appealed to Lorence, in fact, and threads of Celtic and Moroccan music can be heard in her work as well, along with Asian and Eastern European influences.
When asked about her creative process, Lorence acknowledges an intentional spiritual aim. "I think the most important thing is that the music inspires someone to fully listen, feel, and really experience the complexity of emotions embedded within it.""^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Vito Paternoster graduated from the conservatory of S. Cecilia when he was very young, under A. Baldovino's guidance. He won a competition for 1st violoncello at the Rai in Rome, and joined the prestigious ensemble I Musici.
He continues to perform with I Musici today, as well as performing as a soloist in the most important theatres of the world.
Paternoster has been widely recorded, both as a soloist and in emsembles.
His Sonatas and Partitas for violoncello by Bach, from an 18th century manuscript, is the world premiere recording of these pieces. His recording of the six Bach cello suites have been aclaimed by the international press.
He has directed the Symphony Orchestra of Bari, of Abruzzo, and the Symphony Orchestra Betica of Siviglia, the "B. Marcello" of Teramo. With the latter he directed the first modern performance of "Diana amante di Leo" in Brindisi.
Recently he directed "Il pane dal profano al sacro" (a musical route about the meaning of bread in the southern culture through the centuries), a program composed by him, with the Symphony Orchestra of Bari.
He founded the baroque orchestra "La Lyra di Anphione", which he directed in Spoleto, where he opened the Lyrical Season Â99 of the Experimental Lyrical Theatre. Critics consider this production ("Dido and Aeneas" by H. Purcell) as a "delightful performance" and "the director was not on the platform but into music and singing, all the same with them" (Q. Principe).
He plays a violoncello manufactured by L. Carcassi (Florence 1792) and he is a conservatory teacher of violoncello at the conservatory of Bari."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Voices of Music is an early music ensemble based on the creative vision of directors David Tayler & Hanneke van Proosdij. The group takes the unique view that the interpretation, style and ornamentation of Renaissance & Baroque music are centered on the art of good singing. Voices of Music's most recent CD, An Evening with Bach features solo performances by some of the finest artists in early music today. Projects for the upcoming year include the recording Bach & Telemann: Sonatas, Preludes & Fantasias; a recording of baroque ensemble concertos is planned for 2008.
Artists who have appeared in Voices of Music recordings & concerts: Joanna Blendulf, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Louise Carslake, Hugh Davies, Rodney Gehrke, Lisa Grodin, Laura Heimes, Katherine Kyme, Jennifer Lane, Dan Laurin, Christopher LeCluyse, Peter Maund, Carla Moore, Victoria Gunn Pich, Stephanie Prewitt, Susanne Ryd?n William Skeen, Tanya Tomkins and Catherine Webster.
Voices of Music is an affiliate of the San Francisco Early Music Society."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "WHAT IS TRANSFADO?
Lusitanian music, "tanguera", iberian, transatlantic, timeless, "transfadic".
Fado with a Latin and Afro mood, blended with Tango, Milonga, Morna, Rumba, Habanera... pleasure.
Vibrant songs. Theatrical impact. Deep voice. Piano, double bass and portuguese guitar.
Music for the soul. For the senses. For the body. Loud and sound. Bold music.
Transfado is universal, as we are.
Fados, warm and new, old and beloved, with other rhythms and sonorities.
We introduce uplifting emotions in the traditionally portuguese ecstatic intensity.
New lyrics for charismatic melodies and unexpected, unpublished songs.
Eternal poets and contemporary lyricists inhabit fado with other words, because Transfado is anti-tragedy, anti-depressive, self-motivating, accomplice, pro-active.
Yes, it is a Cd. And a Show. And a Manifesto.
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Who is Grayson Wray, you ask?
Well he's been working on music in relative obscurity for a while. He did two Great City albums a few years ago which received some excellent reviews.
Keyboard Magazine for one, and had a number of songs in the top ten, including number one on quite a few college stations. Great City even had some airplay on KROQ, a major station in Los Angeles.
Before that Grayson had some successful local bands that played a lot on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. He also played the Hollywood Bowl before a crowd of fourteen thousand.
Grayson's main passion in life is creating music. He has a tendency to isolate himself.
He prefers the studio over playing live, although he loves playing for a large responsive crowd. This last year he's been writing and producing in his studio and is currently planning to put a band together.
He has a wide range of music influences including Classical music, The Beatles, Neil Finn, David Bowie, dance music and many new artists such as Gomez, Beck, Air, The Flaming Lips, Cornelius, Elliot Smith and Bjork.
Well that's it for now, from Grayson and happy listening and enjoy your life."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Who:
Kevin Jenkins - vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass, programming.
Dave Billin - keyboards, vocals, bass, sound design & engineering.
Timothy Harper - acoustic & electronic drums, percussion, vocals.
Shane Smith - bass guitar
What:
Sexy, ambient dance grooves move under layers of synthesizers & keyboards. Beautifully haunting & catchy vocal melodies float provocatively over the music telling stories of love lost, gained, & coveted. Merging the acoustic & the electric, mixing soulful chords with funky beats; The West Exit is a sultry blend of pop, R?, & electronic music.
When:
Jenkins & Harper have been working together on several music projects since 1995. The most recent of which was the neo-soul group Dim at Asia which added Smith to the line up and who over the previous two years gained a mild following and packed dance floors in venues throughout Seattle.
Billin joined them March 2002 as their sound engineer. The foundation of The West Exit took form in February 2003 when Jenkins disbanded Dim at Asia to explore more electronic music realms and Billin stepped forward into his new role in the group.
Where:
All members reside in Seattle, WA."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Wicked boy is a wicked mix of ambient, jungle and trash trance.
You have to be in the right type of mind to listen to Wickedboy.
You will never know what type of music Wickedboy is going to do next.
It all depends on the feeling: it could be techno, house, ambient, classic or trash.
Wickedboy is Johan Isaksson (the other half of Magnatune artist Processor).
Johan was born in the little sociaty called Skultuna (Sweden).
He bought his first synthesizer when he was 10 years old and he got an Atari to do the programming when he was about 14 years old. When he got the Atari he stopped playing and started to focus on programming music only.
Johan's influences comes from Yello, Massive Attack, Prodigy, Depeche Mode, Chemical Brothers and Vangelis."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "William Brooks' (aka Swivel Neck Jones) story reads like a pack of lies but swears it's all true. William was born and raised just north of The Red River and a tad south of The Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma. After awhile, Brooks packed up camp and moved to New York City.
William has released a number of folk-rock albums and in 2007, he made his foray into electronic music with Deep Life, an atmospheric album of underwater-ish soundscapes. Hammond and vibraphone swirl around cris yet mellow beats for a mellow, mid-tempo album of good mood inducing music."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "William Brooks' story reads like a pack of lies but swears it's all true. William was born and raised just north of The Red River and a tad south of The Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma. After a dismal, failed attempt at working in the oil business, Brooks packed up camp and moved to New York City. After crashing on the floor of noted author Brett Leveridge(Men My Mother Dated) he finally settled down in what he considers the smallest apartment in NYC's last great red-light district, Hell's Kitchen. William has acted in about a dozen movies and TV shows.
He has been detained by police on several occasions but never actually arrested, got caught in a revolving door with Bob Dylan, jumped out of more than 7 perfectly good airplanes, waitered in a Chinese restaurant earning the nickname "Sing Ging Ping" which translates to "Neurons Don't Meet", saw the Beatles in concert, has seen at least 4 ghosts, none of which he knew and is most proud of writing 2 songs with critically acclaimed Rick Moody, author of The Ice Storm.
Native Oklahoman William Brooks has played many of Gotham's most notable digs from The Stephen Talkhouse, The Public Theater, The Continental Divide, Arlene Grocery, Wetlands, Webster Hall and CBGB`s to Tramps and Fez.
I grew up in a small Oklahoma town and have retained most of what that means...courtesy, manners, and a great love of malls.....
I was raised in a house full of women so I learned early to leave the lid down and knock before I walk into a room...
I've lived in NYC for many years and I still smile at strangers, which usually gets me a lotta strange looks back.
My first 5 years in NYC was one VERY lost weekend, I stepped inside my first Irish pub and didn't leave for 5 years...After my head cleared a bit I eventually figured what I wanted to do, I wanted to be the fifth Beatle but it was too late..so I started writing my own songs as a hobby and of course to impress girls..I did take me a while to realize that while I was busy singing to people at parties, the other guys were snagging the girls..Now I don't sing at parties anymore....
I do perform in clubs with my rock band. do some solo gigs and I love trying out new songs down in the NYC Subway System...You will always get an honest reaction down there...If they love ya you'll know it ... I even have a music video on the web if you'd like to see me make a complete fool out of myself. Just kidding....it's pretty cool....it's at Zebox.com. While I was perorming down in Kerrville Texas at The Folk FestivalI realized I am not a folk artist, I am a folk rocker. There is a huge difference
I love movies, prank phone calls, sushi, buffalos, horses, political news, bad jokes, Tex-Mex, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Ricki Lee Jones, to laugh, the A minor chord, long silences and old Ford Mustangs..Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!!
"^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Winner of the 1995 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels (the first German ever to win in the competition's history), Markus Groh has confirmed his position in the top echelon of the new generation of pianists. Groh is widely acclaimed for his interpretations of Liszt, and his spellbinding all-Liszt CD features the nimble, imaginative, and powerful performances that earned him both a rave review from the London Times and Editor's Choice from Gramophone.
Groh is frequently cited for the depth of his power and the richness of his "sound imagination." The New York Times said of his debut at the Frick Collection, "Mr. Groh gave a superb recital...among the more remarkable qualities of his playing was the degree to which he gave each composer a distinctive voice."
Markus Groh has performed with the London Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Detroit Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and has given recitals in Toronto, Washington D.C., New York, and London's Wigmore Hall. He has also appeared with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, The Hague Residentie Orkest, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, MDR Radio Orchestra at the Leipzig Gewandhauus, SWR Orchestra/Stuttgart, German Symphony Orchestra/Berlin, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Beijing Symphony, Osaka Philharmonic, and many others. Conductors with whom Groh has collaborated include Marin Alsop, Jesus Lopez Cobos, Ivan Fischer, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Marek Janowski, Neeme Jarvi, Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagano, Johnathan Nott, and Stefan Sanderling. Groh opened the 2004-05 season of the Fort Worth Symphony playing his own transcription of Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "With dark, heavy grooves and a big, sweeping sound, Atomic Opera is firmly rooted in a rock and metal tradition that began with Black Sabbath and was continued by Metallica, but adds lilting, irresistably Beatles-ish melodies and unexpected, towering harmonies evocative of prog rock bands like Rush and Yes. Add the presence of Frank Hart's sophisticated arrangements for cello, acoustic guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, organ, recorders and hand percussion, and you get a stellar old world art rock sound with a progressive folk metal edge. This brooding yet accessible music was born of same fertile Houston scene that produced Galactic Cowboys, The Awful Truth, and King's X, which shares some of the Atomic Opera's spiritual focus and prog rock influences."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "With half a million miles and over a thousand concerts in the rearview mirror, recording Artist Shane Jackman is a consummate performer who has shared the stage with Howard Jones, Peter, Paul and Mary, Shawn Colvin, Marty Stewart, the Mavericks, Michael Martin Murphy, and Pete Segar.
Surpassing 150 concerts a year in the college theaters, festivals and grass roots halls, Shane has amassed a substantial national following and garnered substantial critical acclaim?including some well-earned time on the Americana Top 40 charts. Jackman's are songs to be envisioned and tasted and felt, and it's been said that only way to improve on the experience of listening to Jackman's albums would be to have Jackman and his friends around your campfire."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "With over two dozen albums under his belt, Robert Rich has helped define the genres of ambient and dark-ambient music, yet his work remains hard to categorize. Part of his unique sound comes from using home-made acoustic and electronic instruments, as well as microtonal tunings, computer-based signal processing, chaotic systems, and feedback networks. Rich began building his own analog synthesizers in 1976 when he was 13 years old, and he later studied for a year at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).
Rich released his first album, Sunyata, in 1982. Most of his subsequent recordings came out in Europe until 1989, when Rich began a string of critically acclaimed releases for Fathom/Hearts of Space, including Rainforest (1989), Gaudi (1991), Propagation (1994) and Seven Veils (1998). His two collaborations with Steve Roach, Strata (1990), and Soma (1992), both charted for several months on Billboard. Other respected collaborations include Stalker (1995 with B. Lustmord), Fissures (1997 with Alio Die) and Outpost (2002 with Ian Boddy.) Rich's contributions to multi-artist compilations have been collected on his solo albums A Troubled Resting Place (1996) and Below Zero (1998). He also records with his group, Amoeba, exploring atmospheric songcraft on their CDs Watchful (1997) and Pivot (2000). Live albums such as Calling Down the Sky (2004) and 3-CD Humidity (2000) document the unique improvised flow of his recent performances.
Rich has performed in caves, cathedrals, planetaria, art galleries and concert halls throughout Europe and North America. His all-night "Sleep Concerts," first performed in 1982, became legendary in the San Francisco area. In 1996 he revived his all-night concert format, playing Sleep Concerts for live and radio audiences across the U.S. during a three month tour. In 2001 Rich released the 7 hour DVD Somnium, a studio distillation of the Sleep Concert experience, possibly the longest continuous piece of music ever released.
Rich has designed sounds for television and film scores, including the films Pitch Black, Crazy Beautiful, Behind Enemy Lines and others. His musical score graces Yahia Mehamdi's documentary on worker's compensation, Thank You for your Patience. Rich has worked closely with electronic instrument manufacturers, and his sound design fills the preset libraries of Emu's Proteus 3 and Morpheus, Seer Systems' Reality, sampling disks Things that Go Bump in the Night, ACID Loop Library Liquid Planet, and the TimewARP2600 soft-synth by WayOutWare. Rich has written software for composers who work in just intonation, and he helped develop the MIDI microtuning specification, which was accepted as an industry standard. As mastering engineer, he has applied his ear to dozens of albums, and his studio was featured twice in Keyboard Magazine."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "With the release of his debut album "Sideways", Seattle born native mr. epic gives us a heavy dose of sultry eclectic beats with soulful melodies and jazz influenced rhythms.
A long time drummer of nine years, epic (aka Taylor), made the crossover to production in 1998. After graduating in 2001 from the Art Institute of Seattle for audio production, Taylor has been locked in the studio ever since, honing his skills and talents to take his productions to the next level."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "With this unassuming title of his new debut CD, Wade Williamson presents his music to the world. In an age when slickly packaged pop stars are force-fed to the public with maximum bombast, Wade is an artist whose humble approach is a refreshing change.
Electronic yet emotional, digital yet honest and human, his music is an invitation to lose oneself in reverie. "I fell in love with music and became that quintessential bedroom recluse listening to tapes and LPs over and over again," Wade explains. "I wanted to make music for people like me, so I've tried to create things that are open ended and allow people to think for themselves and daydream to."
A native of Austin, Texas, Wade now resides in San Francisco where he collaborates with a community of like-minded musicians such as virtuoso guitarist and key player Erik Cline, and guitarist Paul Martin. Together the three perform under the name Echolalia.
Wade is a studio production whiz and multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, keys, bass, and a wide array of electronic instruments. His long list of influences range from Spiritualized to The Flaming Lips, and underground artists such as Fourtet, Bedhead, and Marumari.
His debut CD is being embraced by college radio, the underground press, and fans who long for music with a subtlety and depth often lacking in both mainstream and indie music.
Although the CD's title hints at a political message or philosophical statement, Wade is characteristically understated on the subject. "I'm not really sure what the world is all about, but I'm willing to accept that and just try to be good to folks and create music that they might like."
Whether it is something spiritual, political, or simply human emotion you seek, the best way to learn the truth about Wade Williamson is to put on his CD, close your eyes, and enjoy."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Wroclaw's Period Instruments Ensemble "Altri Stromenti" has existed since 1992. Its name - "other instruments", brings to mind baroque practice which allowed changing of voices in compositions. It also reveals the special character of the period instruments, i.e.: means "different" from contemporary ensembles.
The repertoire of Altri Stromenti comprises both "classical" as well as less well known 17th century baroque compositions which the group reconstructs and presents during "Baroque Concerts" organized in the House under the Golden Sun in Wroclaw (these concerts were started by the group and more than 50 have been presented).
Altri Stromenti performed also in Germany, France and Czech Republic ("Monuments en musique" festival in Strasbourg, International Festival of Early Music in Cracow, at the Royal Castle in Warsaw and three times during international festival "Wratislavia Cantans" in Wroclaw."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Ya Elah is a group born out of a longing to illuminate the beauty, mystery and power of the world's many Spiritual Paths. Our music combines the sacred texts and liturgies of many traditions to reveal the deep knowing of our hearts, that all life is one. We send these songs out as prayers on the breath of our hearts. May they help to bring healing and a sense of wonder at the ways we have named and connected to the Divine.
Ya Elah's Vocalists are: Marsha Attie, Cyrise Beatty, Stephanie Bernstein, Alisa Fineman, Nina Perlman, Melita Siberstein and artistic director Bon Singer.
Gari Hegedus ('ud, percussion)
Gari Hegedus is regarded as an exceptionally accomplished string player. His talent is expressed on the violin, viola, 'ud, sarod, saz, setar, tar, sarangi, and a range of other stringed instruments, including the bowed tambur and mandecello. Gary's musical endeavors began with the study of early European, Celtic, and Breton music. This was the start of a fruitful journey, which led him to intense study and performance of Turkish classical and Mevlevi ceremonial music. He is a core member of the acclaimed group Stellamara, contributing much to its rich and varied sounds.
In addition to his instrumental proficiency, he is perhaps most recognized for his remarkable compositional skills and his signature, deeply soulful style and beautifully rich improvisations.
Shira Kammen (vielle, harp, violin d'amore)
Shira Kammen received her degree in music from UC Berkeley and studied vielle with Margaret Tindemans. A member for many years of Ensemble Alcatraz, Project Ars Nova, and Medieval Strings, she has also worked with Sequentia, Hesperion XX, the Boston Camerata, and the King's Noyse. She is also the founder of ClassV Music, an ensemble dedicated to performance on river rafting trips. She has performed and taught in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Israel, Morocco, and Japan, and on the Colorado and Rogue rivers. She had been featured on numerous early music and folk music recordings.
Shira happily collaborated with vocalist John Fleagle for fifteen years, and now performs with several new groups: a medieval ensemble, Fortune's Wheel; a new music group, Ephemeros; an eclectic ethnic band, Panacea; and Trouz Bras, a band devoted to the dance music of Celtic Brittany.
Tim Rayborn (percussion, psaltery, sehtar, santur)
Though raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Tim Rayborn lived for nearly seven years in England, where he completed a Ph.D. on the early crusades at the University of Leeds, and worked in the field of early music. He founded and directed Ensemble Florata, whose recordings for London-based ASV/Gaudeamus received international critical acclaim. In addition, he worked with the noted British medieval ensemble Tintagel, and performed with them on BBC broadcasts, Belgian live radio, and in Majorca, as well as their tour of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S.
Tim has toured the UK and continental Europe extensively, and worked with traditional musicians in Marrakech and Istanbul, as well as being invited to collaborate with Persian classical musicians in Iran. He plays more than 30 musical instruments. He has recently completed two new solo CDs.
Dylan Eliyahu Sills ( flutes)
Eliyahu Sills studied jazz performance on the upright bass at the New School ofJazz in NYC in the early 1990's, performing as sideman as well as a band leader in renowned jazz clubs such as The Village Gate and Small's. After leaving New York he fell in love with the flute, and choose to teach himself to play the ancient instrument in order to apply his theories of music education on himself. Eliyahu soon fell under the spell of sufi music of Turkey and the reed flute of the middle east, the Nay, as well as the bamboo flute of India, the Bansuri. He began to studyà and perform on these instruments under the guidance of the masters Omar Faruk Tekbilek andà Steve Gorn, and is now a dedicated student of the world renowned master of Bansuri, G.S. Sachdev (www.bansuri.net/gssachdev). Eliyahu currently performs middle eastern music on the Nay with Za'atar (Zaatar.web.com), African folk music on the upright and electric bass withà thePalm Wine Boys (www.palmwineboys.com), Indian Ragas on the Bansuri in a duo with Jason Ranjit Parmar, with the woman's vocal group Ya Elah (www.YaElah.com) on upright bass, silver flute, nay, and bansuri. He also freelances as leader and sideman in various projects. He has recently recorded "Breath" a CD of meditative flute music."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Yongen is Chieko and Toshio Kamei, a songwriting and production team formed in the Far East, and based in the London's East End. Together, they make a uniquely sophisticated dream pop with a big, but intensely graceful sound.
In his native Japan, Toshio Kamei is known as a composer who wrote numerous best selling songs (including two chart toppers) for various artists. Starting his career in music as a violinist, he has worked extensively as a vocalist, composer, guitarist, and violinist. His first solo album was Body which was released from Sony Japan, and he followed this up with a release as part of the group known as Cancamay.
Chieko started her working life in the world of film and has produced numerous documentaries and dramas, as a screenplay for a drama series based on the life of a legendary Japanese violinist. Her works have collected prizes in Japan, such as with the Galaxy award, ACC award and Dentsu award.
Floating World was the first self-produced Yongen album which was released from their own label, Igi, in the UK. Their second album, Moonrise was initially a Japanese release, with the "Sunflower" track featured in the Shiseido Ville Franche TV campaign. In 2002, they produced the debut album Relationship for Taro, which was released from Polystar Japan in 2003.
The band's name comes from the Japenese word for the fourth string, which is the warmest, strongest string on a violin. Chieko and Toshio chose the name when they realized one day how each of their lives had been shaped the violin and those who play it."^^xsd:string | 1 |
| "Zilla is a Colorado based trio of musicians with the live musical experience in mind. A 100 percent improvised creation, each Zilla concert proves to be a completely unique occurrence, with even the band members having no idea where the music will take them on any given night. Relying on their ability to listen to one another to create a hyper-focused form of live electronic dance music, Zilla is dedicated to spreading their rare breed of beats, bass, and "uncontrollable musical fury," and keeps up an incredibly active live performance schedule. Their goal is that each performance reflect what live music should be all about: spontaneity, flow, groove, and a damn good dance party.
Zilla is comprised of three seasoned musicians: Michael Travis, Jamie Janover and Aaron Holstein.
Zilla's constant focus is to create a whole, complete sound devoid of fragmentation, tangential wandering solos, and other characteristics that plaque improvisational music today. The music strives to serve all those participating, including the audience. No one in the band has any idea what is going to happen a nanosecond ahead of time; they rely on their instincts and musical history together to create a sound that rarely strays from its intended direction. The collective whole is truly the dominant force in this band.
The music itself is a plethora of grooves, beats and highly percussive breaks, which cause the listener to become engulfed within the sonic vortex of sounds encompassing them. From down-tempo to jungle, from trip-hop to break-beat and trance the band plays on pure emotion, so each night is different and varied, and no song is ever the same.
Zilla is about being as aware as humanly possible in the moment. The band plays, the crowd reacts, the band reacts and so on and so on. A cyclical paradigm is created in which everyone plays a part. A whole new form of tension-release music has been created in which the music never has to resolve itself in order to sustain the mood. It merely adapts, evolves.
It's been said that Zilla is the ultimate live experience - future music. The music plays the band, and not the other way around. Zilla is currently touring in support of their latest CD release, Egg. Their infectious energy has crowds from North America to Japan dancing up a storm to a completely new brand of live musical experience.
Musician Bios
Michael Travis (drums, percussion, keyboards, sampler, mallet Kat) has spent over a decade as the driving percussive force in the nationally popular band, The String Cheese Incident. Travis continues to be an innovator of improvisational drumming, managing to play hand percussion and melodies while simultaneously keeping incredible time with the kit.
Aaron Holstein (bass, keyboards, sampler, vocals/vocoder/beatbox) has had a long and lush musical history, playing guitar with bands such as Boogie Shoes and VibeSquad. Holstein's progression has transformed him from the notion of a typical guitar/bass player, to an applauded adapter leaving behind the traditional notions of what it is to âjamâ with a guitar or bass. In the process, he has focused on bass and keyboards and has decided to leave the guitar at home in order to more fully serve the Zilla concept/sound.
Jamie Janover (hammered dulcimer, Mini-kit, electric kalimba, mini-sitar, sampler, percussion, tamboura, tongue drum, water) is a world-renowned hammered dulcimer innovator whose long list of band credits is more than impressive. Winner of the 2002 national hammered dulcimer championships, Janover continues to expand the limits of all his instruments by creating a fusion between their timeless sounds and the pertinent call of today's modern dance scene."^^xsd:string | 1 |
