Automatic Man Legend Todd Cochran Releases “From The Vault: Notes For The Future”

A Narrative Exploration and Foray Into Cochran’s Jazz, Classical, and Electronic Music Palettes Available June 23 via Blue Buddha Productions

Notes for the future are the “imagined sometime in the past” tropes of a storyteller. Freed from every day “isms” of convention and released from the symbolic containment of the vault, the music is an allegorical exploration in futurism. The stream running throughout the musical narrative is a speculative commentary about our human search for meaning, and we’re reminded that as a version of our ancestors’ vision, this quest never ends.

“From The Vault” is structured around a sequence of recurring themes and develops as an unfolding tour of references, hints, and clues. Moving from one perspective to another, we connect with how our planet is perpetually in a state of seeking solutions. Within the soundscape, without words, an underlying language is speaking. Nature evolves for the sum of us, not the few. We are in a continual state of becoming. We are connected. Love is passed along, as is happiness. Nevertheless, expressly for the listener, an implied sense of reasoning encourages us to feel free and let go of all things familiar. And then, “over there” in the distance, we get a passing glimpse of the sacred structure.

Todd Cochran is an American pianist, composer, keyboardist, electronic musician, and conceptual artist. Early in his career he was also professionally known as Bayeté. Cochran started his career as a teenager with saxophonist John Handy. Two years later he joined vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s Quartet, and made his jazz recording debut composing and performing on a benchmark album for Hutcherson, “Head On” (Blue Note Records). Cochran’s first solo project “Worlds Around the Sun” became a #1 jazz album. From the mid-1970s forward Todd has experimented with and incorporated synthesizers, electronic and mixed-media concepts in his creative projects while collaborating with a wide range of artists in the genres of jazz, art rock, pop, R&B, and twenty-first-century classical.

Todd released two albums on Prestige Records in 1972 and 1973. He was keyboardist, principal composer and lead singer of Automatic Man from 1976–1978 which also featured drummer Michael Shrieve and guitarist Pat Thrall. He was also a member of Fuse One, a coalition of jazz musicians who released two albums on CTI Records in 1980 and 1981. The shortlist of his collaborations include Peter Gabriel, Joan Armatrading, Maya Angelou and Stewart Copeland.

Track list:

1. PAINTED BY THE SUN
Mountain peaks, sea cliffs, oceans, opaque forests, desert savannas – and human faces colorized by the paintbrush of nature. The entirety of our planet is inhabited by intuitive human beings – all sun worshippers – collectively marking time in communal practices of decoding the mysteries of our existence.

2. IN YOU I SEE ENDLESS MEMORIES
An imagined conversation between the sky and the wind.

3. ISMS PRISMS
Not one thing, but all things… spontaneous change shuttles us through the cycles of life.

4. TRANSPARENCIES
Being transparent is naturally imperfect and intensely human.

5. WE MAKE TWO, TWO MAKE WE
Music is a language of interacting tones and colors through which one is able to experience the other; the abstract and the personal. The notion of two streams of thought merging into a unified idea makes for a wellspring of originality. At once distinctly different, yet in combination, resonating wildly.

6. EYE DREAMING
“Within you, my love, I see endless mystery.”

7. MOON GLOW
This duet of a middle-sized plucked string instrument and Balinese gong expresses energies I’ve experienced in Indonesia, where the nighttime sky sometimes seems so vast there appears to be an aura around the moon.

8. HYMN FOR THE HIDDEN PEOPLE
This is a tonal essay – an homage to the poor, the rebuked, scorned, unseen, and unheard. The music challenges our lack of compassion and moves us to feel the many who toil and struggle in silence, yet stay in the light, with hope and determination.

9. THE SPINNING CIRCLE
There are no simple explanations or a single equation that defines a circle. A circle has no beginning or end, there’s no start, finishing point, or conclusion. Only infinite revolutions rhythmically intertwined.

10. INSEPARABLE
Balance in our lives and the spaces we occupy is a dance of opposites. “Om” and “Amen” are the same thing.

Blue Buddha Productions | Release Date: June 23, 2023

To pre-order: Bandcamp: https://bluebuddha.bandcamp.com/

For more information on Todd Cochran, please visit:
toddcochran.com | Instagram

For more information on Blue Buddha Productions, please email: bluebuddhaproductions@gmail.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected) To Release "In The Rain Shadow"

Following the release of “Places” in 2017 and “Interconnected” in 2020, composer/guitarist Mark Vickness announces the release of “In The Rain Shadow” with a newly expanded group, MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected) comprising two time Grammy winning violinist, Mads Tolling, Matt Renzi on oboe/English horn and saxophone, cellist Joseph Hebert, Dan Feiszli on upright and electric bass and a percussion section featuring tabla virtuoso, Ty Burhoe and Grammy winning percussionist, MB Gordy in addition to Mark’s acoustic and electric guitars.

Says Mark, “Most of the music on ‘In The Rain Shadow’ takes its inspiration from moving to the high desert (California’s Owens Valley) in late 2020. We live literally in the rain shadow, which is a meteorological term meaning on the sheltered side of a mountain range where there is less precipitation because of the wind patterns. Most of the titles on this recording are taken from geological or meteorological features we experience daily. Composed throughout the years of the pandemic, the compositions on this album are, in some sense, a musical response to the isolation we all experienced as a result of the pandemic. They are also intended to reflect a new appreciation for the opportunity to absorb the wonders of living in the rain shadow. It is humbling, awesome, peaceful, thrilling, tranquil and beautiful.”

Featuring:
Mads Tolling, violin; Matt Renzi, oboe/English horn/sax; Joseph Hebert, cello; Dan Feiszli, bass; Ty Burhoe, tabla; MB Gordy, percussion; Mark Vickness, guitar

Says Mark, “This is my dream ensemble. Each musician is an accomplished soloist adept at many different types of music. They all bring an astounding breadth and depth of musical understanding and experience. There is almost no style of music we cannot draw from. From a classical trio to a jazz quartet, from funk to raga style improvisation, from interwoven counterpoint to rock power chords, from a fast Irish 12/8 romp to an ambient textural tapestry and more – these virtuoso players bring an infectious energy that is palpable on every track.”

Track list:
1. High Desert
2. The Gorge
3. Alluvial Fans
4. Stillness (for Will)
5. Roadrunner
6. Rupak (for Ty)
7. Cloud Shadows
8. On the Cliffs of Mohr
9. In The Rain Shadow

RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2023

“In The Rain Shadow” – Album Credits:
All compositions by Mark Vickness. Co-produced by Mark Vickness and Dan Feiszli. “In The Rain Shadow” was recorded, engineered and mixed by Dan Feiszli at his studio in El Cerrito, CA and at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA. It was mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering in Portland, ME. Video by Maximum Flavor Media, San Francisco, CA. Album cover painting by Brian Judd. CD design by Sara Glaser.

“Setting the tone with intricately plucked guitar, and layered violin and oboe, as the composition expands with cello, bass and rippling tabla, we are totally hypnotized by Alluvial Fans. The brainchild of composer Mark Vickness, who also plays guitar on the dimensional track, Alluvial Fans is a transcendental piece that fuses cultures, rhythms and soundscapes from all over the planet. The composition amps up a third of the way through, generating a playful energy juxtaposed to the more immersive start. We love the return of the tabla as it ripples through the song bridging the production and adding cerebral dimensionality. There is an epic bass solo riff from Dan Feiszli two-thirds of the way through the track that truly has us in awe. We can definitely see the composition as the score to a great cinematic movie, and have been exploring the imaginative mind of Mark Vickness further by listening to his album, ‘Interconnected.’” - Karlismyunckle.com

“The fingerstylist makes the most of this opportunity to showcase the limitless sounds and textures that can be achieved primarily with his custom Michael Greenfield steel-string guitars.” - Pat Moran, Acoustic Guitar (on Places)

“’Vickness’ acoustic compositions allow him to use his wonderful technique to convey atmospheric, emotional music that immediately draws attention. His stunning harmonics, perfect chord changes and ability to use the guitar as a percussion instrument are an amazing blend.” - Vintage Guitar Magazine

“Mark Vickness has created something so special and timely. It’s such a hopeful album, packed with artistry and stirring, deeply personal pieces. “Interconnected” is not only the title of the album but the driving force it seems, the purpose and the reason. What better way to perform songs full of power and whimsy, melancholy and heart than with a real sense of togetherness. I love this album! A breath of desperately needed grace and sweetness . . . with a perfect balance of skill and passion . . . glorious harmony of guitar, cello, viola, bass and tabla. Brilliant!” - Samantha Simmonds-Romceros – NoHoArtsDistrict.com.

“In The Rain Shadow” is scheduled for release in May, 2023. The group is looking forward to touring in support of the new album release.

To purchase:
“In The Rain Shadow” will be available on Spotify, Apple Music and all streaming platforms. CDs will be available at www.cdbaby.com.

For more information:
Website: MARKVICKNESS.COM
Facebook: facebook.com/mark.vickness
YouTube: youtube.com/@markvickness3641

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, Billy James, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

No AI was used in the composition, recording or production of this music.

Award-Winning Composer Steve Horowitz Releases New Album of Remastered String Quartets

“The String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2” (2022 Digital Remaster) Composed by Steve Horowitz

Award-winning composer Steve Horowitz, best known for his original score to the Academy Award Nominated Film “Super Size Me, is releasing a new album of remastered String Quartets

String Quartet #1 “Remote Control” (1994) - Based on the speed of modern culture, media knows no night. It is perpetual day.  

String Quartet #2, “PA KUA” (1998) String Quartet #2 - Based on the Bagua or Pa Kua, eight symbols used in Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality.

“We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning.” - Jean Baudrillard

“The String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2” will be available worldwide on Sept. 1, 2022.

Here’s what press and radio have said about Steve Horowitz:

“Brilliantly Eclectic, Eclectically Brilliant” - Derk Richardson (KPFA Radio)

“One of the foremost figures in the field. Highly original, unique and full of contradiction. One moment beautiful, another jarring. One moment funny, another deadly serious. It is hard to pin down the creative genius that some have described as a force of nature!” - Dale Crowley, DMN

“A bent variety of music sneaking out the back door of the conservatory to arm wrestle in the alley with Captain Beefheart” - SF Weekly

“MC900 Foot Jesus meets John Cage and Carl Stalling” - Chris Norris, Guardian

“These currents fall way on the other side of the main stream” - Sam Prestialnni, SF Weekly

To purchase:
https://www.stevehorowitzmusic.com/albums
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/steve-horowitz/185446777
Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/5994562
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0zdxLXZzI7d9xpvtaNcdoi
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=popular&rh=p_32%3ASteve+Horowitz&ref=dp_byline_sr_music_1

For more information:
https://www.stevehorowitzmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/steve.horowitz.3
https://twitter.com/fluffyschwartz

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Guitar Virtuoso Harvey Valdes’ Novare: J.S. Bach Lute Works on Electric Guitar Breaks New Ground with a Fresh, Ear-Opening Interpretation of Music for the Ages

“Harvey Valdes is a fantastic guitarist” - Andy Summers

Guitar Virtuoso Harvey Valdes’ Novare: J.S. Bach Lute Works on Electric Guitar – to be released by Destiny Records on April 8, 2022 – features sublime scores long performed by the world’s greatest lutenists and classical guitarists, but these pieces sound more timeless than ever in the hands of Valdes on steel-string electric guitar.

“Harvey Valdes is a fantastic guitarist – musical to the nth degree and with chops to spare, as anyone knows who has heard the way he handles standards and ballads with astonishing contrapuntal virtuosity. Now, with this new album, the special logic in his playing of Bach is wonderfully revealed.” - ANDY SUMMERS of The Police

Like the art of Shakespeare or Van Gogh, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach has been recognized the world over as universal and timeless – sounding as moving and miraculous now as the day these Baroque scores were written, some three hundred years ago. The lute works that J.S. Bach composed have been recorded by the world’s greatest lutenists and guitarists across the past century, from Segovia to Julian Bream to John Williams to Hopkinson Smith, among a myriad of others. It would take a stroke of something approaching genius to enable us to hear these pieces truly anew. But that is just what Harvey Valdes has accomplished with Novare: J.S. Bach Lute Works on Electric Guitar.

To be released digitally and on CD by Destiny Records on April 8, 2022, the album presents Valdes playing 10 of Bach’s pieces not on the age-old lute or the nylon-string classical guitar but on the modern steel-string electric guitar. The result is ear-opening; the notes are the same ones Bach put to paper in the 18th century, but Valdes performs them with a tone and texture that sounds extraordinarily fresh and of the moment, without ever trying to unduly “modernize” the music. Over the past few years, Valdes has attracted famous fans among iconic guitarists, including Andy Summers of The Police, ECM luminary David Torn and avant-garde notable Elliott Sharp, who says: “With Novare, Harvey brings Bach’s works into the 21st century with a sensuous tone and an articulation that is simultaneously precise and dynamic, even at breakneck tempi. His playing reveals the contrapuntal lines in all their permutational glory.”

But it isn’t just world-renowned guitarists who have been impressed by Novare. Classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein, celebrated for her playing of Bach on the modern grand piano, says: “Harvey Valdes brings an improviser’s sensibility to this music, which is in so many ways the most authentic approach to Bach. There is an understated quality to his interpretations that allows a listener to hear the architecture of the music, and there is a rhythmic malleability that gives breath and presence. The Prelude and Fugue in D-flat stands out in the way that Valdes enjoys the sustained possibilities of the electric guitar. It’s a beautiful new take on old gems.”

Why Bach on electric guitar? Says Harvey, “Why not?! The electric guitar has a capacity for tone, color and dynamics that moves beyond what the acoustic classical guitar can do. There have been some past recordings of electric guitarists who have played Bach or works by Mozart, Beethoven, etc. These often feature the instrument using high gain and distorted sounds with fast virtuosic playing. I respect this approach, but it’s not the one I wanted to take. I was interested in honoring some of the delicate classical guitar approaches and while also taking advantage of the sonic dimensions of the electric guitar.

“For listeners who are guitar players, I want to share with them how it’s possible to play Bach’s lute works on an electric guitar. You can bring a classical guitar approach to the electric guitar that expands the sonic landscape for this historical music and gives it a space to live in the present. As for everyone else, enjoy! I hope it can soothe a listener’s life. Making it certainly brought some peace into my life during a challenging time that has affected us all.”

More about Harvey Valdes

A guitarist of searching, sophisticated musicality, Harvey Valdes can traverse styles from avant- jazz and Middle Eastern/Balkan music to improvised film scores and the compositions of Bach. Harvey has an intrepid curiosity about the guitar’s sonic and expressive range; he is also a trained player of the Arabic oud, as well as the Turkish cümbüş. To date, he has released three albums as a soloist/leader: “Solitude Intones Its Echo” (Destiny, 2019), a set of concise, engaging solo improvisations praised by the likes of Guitar Moderne as “18 lyrical solo performances of compositions that hook you”; “Roundabout” (2015), his solo debut featuring lyrically inventive takes on jazz standards; and “PointCounterPoint” (2015), a bristling, Mahavishnu-meets-math-rock trio album with violinist Sana Nagano and drummer Joe Hertenstein. All About Jazz hailed “Pointcounterpoint” as “cosmic,” while the Free Jazz Collective described Roundabout as “sublimely beautiful.” In April 2022, Destiny Records will present Harvey’s newest album: “Novare: J.S. Bach Lute Works on Electric Guitar.” Underscoring his achievements, Harvey’s venturesome work in the studio and on stage has attracted fans among iconic guitarists, including Andy Summers of The Police, ECM luminary David Torn and avant-garde notable Elliott Sharp.

Based in Brooklyn, NY Harvey earned a BFA degree from The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music. He has worked with artists from Butch Morris, Karl Berger and Rhys Chatham to Daniel Carter, and the Middle Eastern/Balkan ensemble Anistar, among many others. His score for Utopians, which premiered at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival, constituted “one of the longest-lasting guitar improvisations since (Neil Young’s score for) Dead Man.” The Valdes composition “Listen” was chosen as an Editor’s Pick by Guitar Player magazine. Harvey has also performed extensively in New York theater. He held the guitar/oud chair as an onstage musician and cast member for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Band’s Visit, having originated the role Off Broadway at The Atlantic Theater before moving with the ensemble for the hit run at Broadway’s Barrymore Theater. He played on the show’s 2019 Grammy Award-winning cast album, and he received a daytime Emmy Award for his broadcast performance with the ensemble, along with participating in the 10 Tony wins as a cast member. Harvey has also worked with renowned downtown theater ensemble The Wooster Group, including its presentation of Cavalli’s 1640 opera “La Didone”; for that production, which toured the U.S. and Europe, he provided a modern interpretation of the Baroque lute, playing electric guitar and guitar synth within an ensemble that also included harpsichord, theorbo and accordion.

Harvey has played on stages from Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and St. Ann’s Warehouse to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Chicago Cultural Center, CalArts’ Redcat Theater in Los Angeles, Scotland’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, the United Nations. Harvey has also featured in broadcast performances for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, The Today Show and WNYC-FM, as well as the 72nd annual Tony Awards. Additional collaborators over the years have included Noël Akchoté, Gerry Hemingway, Lukas Ligeti, Killick Hinds, Jamshied Sharifi, Sean Sonderegger, Henri Scars Struck and Bern Nix. Harvey has recently featured on multiple compilation albums, including the fifth in Elliott Sharp’s anthology series “Never Meta Guitar,” and “Walk My Way,” a five volume 577 Records set featuring 49 guitarists of 32 different nationalities from six continents and virtually every sort of musical background. He also played on Eight Hands, One Mind by the Dom Minasi Guitar Quartet with Briggan Krauss and Hans Tanmen, as well as recorded the duo album Nueva Guitarra with avant-metal guitarist Alvaro Domene.

About the imaginative virtuosity of Valdes, guitarist extraordinaire David Torn says: “When I first heard Harvey, I thought: ‘Well, here’s another badass mother on the scene – wow.’”

Harvey Valdes record release show at Barbes in Brooklyn, NY on April 9th 2022

For more information:
harveyvaldes.net
destinyrecordsmusic.com
instagram.com/harveyvaldes
facebook.com/harveyvaldesmusic

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Multi-instrumentalist and Composer Rachel Flowers to Release Third Solo Album “Bigger on the Inside” October 1, 2021

California multi-instrumentalist and composer Rachel Flowers will be releasing her eagerly awaited new solo album on October 1, 2021. Rachel demonstrates with her latest effort that she truly is, as the title suggests, “Bigger on the Inside.” As a composer, Rachel seamlessly weaves together elements of progressive rock, jazz, classical, and pop music with cinematic orchestrations, soaring melodies, and virtuosic playing. Top this off with Rachel's 3 1/2 octave vocal range and her uncanny ability to explore universal themes ranging from love, joy, and hope to depression, bullying, and fear of an uncertain future with sensitivity and optimism, and you have an album that is destined to stand the test of time.

Says Rachel, “I was inspired by composers and bands like Ambrosia, Frank Zappa, and Keith Emerson while writing the songs on ‘Bigger on the Inside.’ Some songs were inspired by or even heard in dreams. Others were improvised during the recording process. Sometimes just hearing a new piano sound can lead to inspiration. Some of my lyrics just come from my imagination and others come from real experience.”

Rachel Flowers is recognized worldwide as a multi-instrumentalist and composer whose music spans multiple genres.

She first gained recognition for her talent as a young child and has been admired and mentored by those at the top of their field including Greg Lake, Keith Emerson, Dweezil Zappa, Conductor Terje Mikkelson, and a series of jazz greats, most notably Herbie Hancock. As a teenager she won numerous awards as a pianist and flutist, and has matured to perform and record on the global stage.

The award winning documentary “Hearing Is Believing” was produced about her unusual life and talents.

Among Rachel’s recording credits are her solo albums “Listen” (2016) and “Going Somewhere” (2018), “Music From the Soundtrack: Hearing is Believing” (2017), collaborations with Michael Sadler of Saga and fusion band Stratospheerius, and appearances on the albums of Telergy and Marcelo Paganini. Rachel is prominently featured on “Keith Emerson - Beyond the Stars,” and the much awaited CD and DVD set, “Fanfare For The Uncommon Man: The Official Keith Emerson Tribute Concert.”

Rachel continues to defy expectations, refusing to be pigeonholed by genre or by instrument. Her classical piano training started when she was only 4 years old. At 9 she discovered jazz and was immediately transfixed by the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Ella Fitzgerald. As varied as her musical background had already been, hearing Emerson, Lake & Palmer proved to be a turning point. Rachel was captivated by keyboardist Keith Emerson's innovative integration of classical and jazz elements in a rock setting, and he became a musical role model.

While her favorite instruments continue to be piano and organ, she is also classically trained on the flute and plays the guitar, bass, saxophone, and Chapman Stick.

Says Rachel, “I’ve always wanted to create music that had those big sounds that I love. I was excited to incorporate more of the organ on this album, using my Nord C2D and Electro 4D as well as pipe organ sound libraries to get that iconic tone I was looking for. There is also a lot of electric guitar on this album. I was inspired by Steve Vai, John Mayer, Steven Wilson, and of course Adrian Belew, who was a direct inspiration for the opening track.”

In support of Rachel’s new album release she will be performing at ProgStock on October 1 - 3, 2021 (https://www.progstock.com/2021/). On November 6, 2021 Rachel opens for Asia featuring John Payne at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway, New Jersey, and she is slated to perform at Synthplex, the “All Things Synthesizer” electronic music festival & gear expo, on October 27 - 30, 2022 at the Los Angeles Burbank Airport Convention Center.

Rachel’s future plans include completion of a jazz album, and a jazz/hip-hop fusion album, both started during the pandemic. There are no release dates as yet. Plans to record with a live orchestra are currently in discussion.

In closing Rachel has this to impart to her listeners, “The message I would like my listeners to come away with is that there will be darkness, but you can fly, you can love, you can be loved, and the darkness is only temporary.”

To Purchase:
Bandcamp https://rachelflowers.bandcamp.com/album/bigger-on-the-inside
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/album/bigger-on-the-inside/1584874386
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FPJ2P86

For more information:
Website http://rachelflowersmusic.com
SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/rachelflowers-1
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/RachelFlowersMusic
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RachelFlowersMusic
Twitter https://twitter.com/RFlowersMusic
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rachelflowersmusic
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/4grHJyvpWRMC9cSDzohYaf

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Guitarist and Film Music Mastermind Lyle Workman To Release Stunning New Instrumental Album “Uncommon Measures” on Feb. 19, 2021 on Blue Canoe Records

Epic Progressive Rock/Jazz Fusion Collection Features 63-Piece Orchestra recorded Live At Abbey Road Studios

Known both as a first-call sideman/session musician and a top-shelf film composer with credits including “Superbad,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” prolific guitarist Lyle Workman will release “Uncommon Measures,” his first solo album in a more than a decade, on February 19, 2021, via Blue Canoe Records. Featuring a 63-piece orchestra recorded live at Abbey Road under the direction of orchestrator extraordinaire John Ashton Thomas (“Black Panther,” “Captain Marvel”), the collection plays like the score to some epic film from an alternate dimension, mixing elements of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and romantic classical music with gleeful abandon.

“This record ties together all the different threads of who I am,” explains Workman. “It was four years in the making due to my film and TV schedule, but it’s really the culmination of a lifetime in music.”

Bursting at the seams with soaring arrangements and virtuosic performances, “Uncommon Measures” showcases not only Workman’s unparalleled musicianship, but also his profound empathy and expansive emotional vocabulary. The songs here are living, breathing entities, constantly growing and evolving in ways both subtle and drastic, and the production is similarly unpredictable, veering from larger-than-life bombast to whispered intimacy and back, sometimes within the very same track. The result is a record as extraordinary as it is unexpected, a captivating, transportive song cycle that manages to scale the dizzying heights of joy and sadness, love and friendship, self-discovery and celebration, all without a single word.

“Lyle Workman is a completely accomplished and inspired guitarist, musician and composer,” says Steve Vai. “He has a wicked command of the instrument and is perhaps one of three players I know of that can wield exotic orchestral compositions with either a screaming or whispering guitar. ‘Uncommon Measures’ is the masterful evidence of this.”

A California native, Workman’s musical journey began in the mid-1980s, when he joined the Sacramento-based band Bourgeois Tagg. The group landed a deal with Island Records and gained international acclaim for their hit single “I Don’t Mind At All,” a Workman co-write that helped earn performances on the Tonight Show, Top Of The Pops, American Bandstand, and their European equivalents. The band proved to be a launching pad for Workman, who soon began picking up gigs in the studio and on the road with the likes of Sting, Beck, Frank Black, Jellyfish, Todd Rundgren, Norah Jones, Bryan Adams, and jazz icon Tony Williams, who included Workman’s “Machu Picchu” on his final album, “Wilderness,” with Stanley Clarke and Herbie Hancock. Workman’s skills as a sideman turned out to make him ideally suited for the world of film and television, as well, and work writing commercial jingles soon gave way to jobs composing for indie films, which opened the door to major studio releases and a connection with Judd Apatow, who began hiring Workman to score many of his projects. To date, Workman has composed music for films that have generated over a billion dollars at the box office worldwide.

PURCHASING LINK:
https://www.bluecanoerecords.com/uncommon_measures.html

SOCIAL MEDIA:
https://www.facebook.com/lyleworkman.musician
https://www.instagram.com/lyle.workman/
https://www.youtube.com/c/lyleworkmanofficial
https://twitter.com/lyle_workman

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, Billy James, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Guitarist and Film Music Mastermind Lyle Workman To Release Stunning New Instrumental Album “Uncommon Measures” on Feb. 19, 2021 on Blue Canoe Records

Epic Progressive Rock/Jazz Fusion Collection Features 63-Piece Orchestra recorded Live At Abbey Road Studios

Known both as a first-call sideman/session musician and a top-shelf film composer with credits including “Superbad,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” prolific guitarist Lyle Workman will release “Uncommon Measures,” his first solo album in a more than a decade, on February 19, 2021, via Blue Canoe Records. Featuring a 63-piece orchestra recorded live at Abbey Road under the direction of orchestrator extraordinaire John Ashton Thomas (“Black Panther,” “Captain Marvel”), the collection plays like the score to some epic film from an alternate dimension, mixing elements of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and romantic classical music with gleeful abandon.

“This record ties together all the different threads of who I am,” explains Workman. “It was four years in the making due to my film and TV schedule, but it’s really the culmination of a lifetime in music.”

Bursting at the seams with soaring arrangements and virtuosic performances, “Uncommon Measures” showcases not only Workman’s unparalleled musicianship, but also his profound empathy and expansive emotional vocabulary. The songs here are living, breathing entities, constantly growing and evolving in ways both subtle and drastic, and the production is similarly unpredictable, veering from larger-than-life bombast to whispered intimacy and back, sometimes within the very same track. The result is a record as extraordinary as it is unexpected, a captivating, transportive song cycle that manages to scale the dizzying heights of joy and sadness, love and friendship, self-discovery and celebration, all without a single word.

“Lyle Workman is a completely accomplished and inspired guitarist, musician and composer,” says Steve Vai. “He has a wicked command of the instrument and is perhaps one of three players I know of that can wield exotic orchestral compositions with either a screaming or whispering guitar. ‘Uncommon Measures’ is the masterful evidence of this.”

A California native, Workman’s musical journey began in the mid-1980s, when he joined the Sacramento-based band Bourgeois Tagg. The group landed a deal with Island Records and gained international acclaim for their hit single “I Don’t Mind At All,” a Workman co-write that helped earn performances on the Tonight Show, Top Of The Pops, American Bandstand, and their European equivalents. The band proved to be a launching pad for Workman, who soon began picking up gigs in the studio and on the road with the likes of Sting, Beck, Frank Black, Jellyfish, Todd Rundgren, Norah Jones, Bryan Adams, and jazz icon Tony Williams, who included Workman’s “Machu Picchu” on his final album, “Wilderness,” with Stanley Clarke and Herbie Hancock. Workman’s skills as a sideman turned out to make him ideally suited for the world of film and television, as well, and work writing commercial jingles soon gave way to jobs composing for indie films, which opened the door to major studio releases and a connection with Judd Apatow, who began hiring Workman to score many of his projects. To date, Workman has composed music for films that have generated over a billion dollars at the box office worldwide.

PURCHASING LINK:
https://www.bluecanoerecords.com/uncommon_measures.html

SOCIAL MEDIA:
https://www.facebook.com/lyleworkman.musician
https://www.instagram.com/lyle.workman/
https://www.youtube.com/c/lyleworkmanofficial
https://twitter.com/lyle_workman

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, Billy James, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Internationally Renowned Musician JOZEF VAN WISSEM Releases New Single In Partnership With CLEOPATRA RECORDS!

Los Angeles, CA - He’s been called the most well-known lute player in the western world, earning immense critical praise from Pitchfork, NY Times, NPR and others and collaborating with a wide range of accomplished artists including Zola Jesus, Jarboe of Swans, film director Jim Jarmusch, and many more. Now, Jozef Van Wissem has found a new partner in L.A.-based indie label Cleopatra Records, through which Van Wissem will release his newest single, a stunningly dark and gothic take on the ‘70s folk classic by America “Horse With No Name.” Van Wissem draws out all the underlying themes of isolation and mental instability with his hauntingly visceral take on the song, his deep baritone voice contrasting with the lightness of the lute, which adds a baroque quality to this American classic.

“Cleopatra Records asked me to do a yacht rock cover from a playlist. My natural inclination was to decline since the material was too happy and suntanned. But then I took a closer look at the lyrics of “ A Horse With No Name.” I think it fits perfectly with the times. Musically I wanted to strip it down so there’s only two chords played on a 12 string electric guitar and baroque lute with effects. But to me the song is more about the character lost in dystopia. Or maybe it’s about heroin.” -  Jozef Van Wissem

Give it a listen here: https://orcd.co/jozef-van-wissem-a-horse-with-no-name



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PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com


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Classical/World/ New Age Instrumental Review: Kim Angelis-Passages

Release Date: January 15, 2020

Label: Cantocielo Music

Website

Kim Angelis has recorded a lot of music over the years. Her most recent effort is Passages. As indicated in her bio on her website, her foundation in classical music is readily apparent. What comes after that foundation is amazing!

Passages has some incredible virtuoso violin playing. What you will witness is an aural explosion of colors and sound. This a woman taking that classical foundation to new heights of progressive improvisation and turning into a fascinating gypsy-inspired sound with all kinds of elements mixed in for an original sound.

The recording has nine tracks that come at you one after another, full speed ahead. If you have enjoyed other violin artists such as Jean Luc-Ponty and David Ragsdale etc., you will find great joy in this album. I know that great players go back to the days of Bach, so perhaps that is where this talented lady first received the gift of inspiration and creativity that brought her to this place she is in now.

The very first track just blew me away to be perfectly honest. “Lavender Farm” sounds like it should be a soft and gentle introduction to this music that unfolds before you. Well, do not read into that title, this track has plenty of high-level energy and cultural magnificence driving it along. The farm she dedicated the track to is a real place in IIwaco Washington, which is a garden of delights according to track notes included with the fold-out CD cover. I did add it to my New Age Music Reviews Spotify Playlist without a second thought. It is the second-longest track clocking in at 7:51. “The Promise,” another full-fledged classic instrumental track, finishes at 9:19.

How many instrumental violin tracks have you heard that had consistency and grabbed your attention for that long? There are not many that can do that, the previously mentioned Ponty, could do it for me, but then again, I am far from being a violin expert or one that listens to a lot of this type of music presented this way. I do believe I am missing out on an awful lot, and I am sure there is more out there that is similar but will it be this good?

“Lost and Found” illustrates that moving and danceable gypsy sound that I find alluring. It is more than just a casual listen. There are other players involved in all this music that help to heighten the lead violin sound. There is the quintessential percussion, bass, classical harp, flute, clarinet, and kalimba (which is a thumb piano) that populate the various textures and sounds in every track. It all comes together stunningly, like the magic of a gypsy spell, it sweeps you away like a warm wave of heat coming off a campfire blazing long into the night. The warmth permeates your senses, you feel it, smell it, and breathe it in, the music comes alive, and fills you up with all of its vibrations and sounds.

These Passages of time wrapped up in these nine fantastic tracks will convince you that the violin can indeed be a lead instrument if played with as much robustness and talent as one Kim Angelis.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
February 6, 2020
 

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Tracks:
1. Lavender Farm
2. Sweet Botswana
3. Wait Until Summer
4. The Promise
5. Eagles
6. Lost and Found
7. Longing
8. Tango de Paco
9. Sequoias (Resurrected)
 

 

RICK WAKEMAN, JEFF WAYNE, KEVIN PEEK “Beyond the Planets” Limited Edition 180 Gram Clear Vinyl Personally SIGNED by Rick Wakeman Now Available For Pre-order!

London - Now available for pre-order RICK WAKEMAN, JEFF WAYNE, KEVIN PEEK “Beyond the Planets” Limited Edition of 100, Hand Numbered, 180 Gram Clear Vinyl personally SIGNED by Rick Wakeman!

Have you even wondered what would happen if the king of progressive rock keyboards teamed up with the bloke who wrote “The War Of The Worlds” rock opera and the guitarist with the late lamented Classical Rock group Sky? Well, you need wonder no longer! A reviewer on the Prog Archives writes: “Beyond the planets” is essentially the performance of Holst's “The planets” in a rock context. Wayne's contribution is limited to the composition of an Overture for the album. As this ends, some brief narration by Patrick Allen is heard. Allen does a great impression of Richard Burton, which when combined with Wayne's distinctive sound, immediately creates echoes of “War of the Worlds.” Allen returns a couple of times during the album to link tracks together with further brief narration. The familiar introduction to “Mars” (as used by Rainbow on “Eyes of the World” among many others) then takes over, and we launch into a full rendition of “The Planets suite.” The music is performed dramatically and faithfully throughout, with Peek using various guitar sounds according to the mood of the piece.

This is a strict edition of 100 units, all hand numbered, pressed on 180 gram clear vinyl and personally SIGNED by Rick Wakeman released by The Strictly Limited Edition Vinyl Company.

Estimated delivery date : July 2019



TRACKLIST
FACE A
1. Waves / The Journey composed by Jeff Wayne
2. Mars (The Bringer of War)
3. Venus (The Bringer of Peace)
4. Mercury (The Winged Messenger)

FACE B
1. Jupiter (The Bringer of Jollity)
2. Circles / Saturn (The Bringer of Old Age)
3. Uranus (The Magician)
4. Neptune (The Mystic) / The Heavens Reply / Beyond (The Finale written by Rick Wakeman)

To pre-order: https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/226769/rick-wakeman-jeff-wayne-kevin-peek-beyond-the-planets

THE STRICTLY LIMITED EDITION VINYL COMPANY UNITED KINGDOM
The strictly limited edition vinyl company. produce strictly limited edition of 100 units per title 180gram, colour vinyl pressings of long lost classic albums and previously unreleased on vinyl

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

RICK WAKEMAN, JEFF WAYNE, KEVIN PEEK “Beyond the Planets” Limited Edition 180 Gram Clear Vinyl Personally SIGNED by Rick Wakeman Now Available For Pre-order!

London - Now available for pre-order RICK WAKEMAN, JEFF WAYNE, KEVIN PEEK “Beyond the Planets” Limited Edition of 100, Hand Numbered, 180 Gram Clear Vinyl personally SIGNED by Rick Wakeman!

Have you even wondered what would happen if the king of progressive rock keyboards teamed up with the bloke who wrote “The War Of The Worlds” rock opera and the guitarist with the late lamented Classical Rock group Sky? Well, you need wonder no longer! A reviewer on the Prog Archives writes: “Beyond the planets” is essentially the performance of Holst's “The planets” in a rock context. Wayne's contribution is limited to the composition of an Overture for the album. As this ends, some brief narration by Patrick Allen is heard. Allen does a great impression of Richard Burton, which when combined with Wayne's distinctive sound, immediately creates echoes of “War of the Worlds.” Allen returns a couple of times during the album to link tracks together with further brief narration. The familiar introduction to “Mars” (as used by Rainbow on “Eyes of the World” among many others) then takes over, and we launch into a full rendition of “The Planets suite.” The music is performed dramatically and faithfully throughout, with Peek using various guitar sounds according to the mood of the piece.

This is a strict edition of 100 units, all hand numbered, pressed on 180 gram clear vinyl and personally SIGNED by Rick Wakeman released by The Strictly Limited Edition Vinyl Company.

Estimated delivery date : July 2019



TRACKLIST
FACE A
1. Waves / The Journey composed by Jeff Wayne
2. Mars (The Bringer of War)
3. Venus (The Bringer of Peace)
4. Mercury (The Winged Messenger)

FACE B
1. Jupiter (The Bringer of Jollity)
2. Circles / Saturn (The Bringer of Old Age)
3. Uranus (The Magician)
4. Neptune (The Mystic) / The Heavens Reply / Beyond (The Finale written by Rick Wakeman)

To pre-order: https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/226769/rick-wakeman-jeff-wayne-kevin-peek-beyond-the-planets

THE STRICTLY LIMITED EDITION VINYL COMPANY UNITED KINGDOM
The strictly limited edition vinyl company. produce strictly limited edition of 100 units per title 180gram, colour vinyl pressings of long lost classic albums and previously unreleased on vinyl

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Classical-New Age Review: Samer Fanek-Guide Me

Release Date: December 11, 2018

Label: Independent

Website

Samer Fanek is a talented keyboard player. I covered his debut WishfulThinking two years ago. I gave it a 5-star rating and I have no reason to believe things would be different with his new offering Guide Me. This is an instrumental recording filled with classical and contemporary music with a new age feel.

According to the artist, the first track “Grand Opening,” is intended to be exactly what it says it is. The curtain opener is an exciting burst of colors and energy that has you envisioning a scene in an action movie or an emotional still picture with a soundtrack to make it come alive. It is an amazing song but it does not set the tone for the album that most opening tracks do because of the eclectic nature of the overall presentation. “Chasing Time” is similar to the high level of energy and general pace.

What you will discover while listening are different moods, a story being told through the fingers and ivory keys. There is no doubt that this music can move you and it is meant to. The changing tides of sound and textures are a credit to Samer’s characteristic creativity and tastefulness. It can give the astute listener an opportunity to step outside any sort of emotional bubble one may feel trapped in. 

An interesting point is the artist spent the last two years dealing with his own life and through the music found a path to enlightenment…a point of letting go and allowing himself to walk through the door of change and renewal. This is what Samer’s music can do for anyone. The first step is hitting play and letting the music encapsulate your surroundings and then changing your thought process. That is a monumental change for anyone feeling stress, distraught or just sad and lonely. If you have heard anyone say “I can be in a room with 300 people and feel alone,” then that gives you an idea of the level of pain one individual could be feeling.  I think the key is to own whatever it is you are feeling at the moment then be ready to let go and move on with the help of the music.

Guide Me is an extraordinary musical achievement that will give listeners the occasion to feel what the artist is feeling and what part they may be playing in the story. Sometimes, for me, it feels like I take on my own part in the story and get this flood of feelings and emotions listening to this music, and then any isolation I may be feeling just slips away. On the positive side of the coin, there is a necessary solitude that I enjoy. It recharges my inner batteries and gives my soul a shot of light and hopefulness. It may sound complicated to some folks but it certainly works for my listening experience.

As the music guided Samer it will guide you to another space and time with a mindset that can give you a healing internally that you will come to expect from this music. I had set the bar very high for Samer on his sophomore release and he came through with another instrumental masterpiece.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

December 10, 2018

Founder of:

MuzikMan Productions

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Tracks: 
01. Grand Opening
02. Long Time Ago
03. Newborn
04. Now You See
05. Guide Me
06. Guardian
07. Before Dawn
08. Chasing Time
09. For Lila
10. Sense of Purpose
11. Back to Hometown
 

New Age-Classical-World Review: Sangeeta Kaur-mirrors

Release Date: September 21, 2018

Label: Sangeeta Kaur Music

Website

This time last year I was introduced to Sangeeta Kaur with her amazing album Ascension - Niguma Vol. 2 The Mantra Project. It was easy for me to tag it as a 5-star album. I was genuinely moved by her music.

Mirrors is Sangeeta Kaur’s third New Age/Classical Crossover album. The album features renowned composer and producer, Nicolas Neidhardt on piano and keyboard as well as the multi-instrumentalist, Dat Nguyen on guitars and flute.  These excellent musicians become the quintessential element that elevates the vocalist to where she needs to be.

Once again, I am mesmerized by this woman’s voice. Mirrors can give a listener so much potential. I found it to be relaxing assurance, peace, and a smile was inside me just bursting to come out. This music and Sangeeta’s voice is something to celebrate.

The music is an effective combination of new age, classical, world and vocals. The difference in this recording is it was not recorded to match a stage presentation on the level of the last album. I can envision a multi-media project built around this music, however. The strongest instrument is Sangeeta’s voice. The musicianship is precise and quite beautifully arranged to accompany and accentuate a great vocalist. This combination worked well and at this point, there is no doubt there is a great vocalist that we all need to discover. Well, here she is, if you have not heard her, you need to. Even if you are not a fan of this type of music you can appreciate the talents of Sangeeta.

With Mirrors, I heard some more music presented in a different language and again, I was very pleased. I felt it was done just right, her warmth and sincerity come through the music with tremendous impact while at the same time gently inviting you in to partake in the festivities.

I think Mirrors says a lot through the music and the CD cover. This really does mirror the soul of a woman that wants to give you every ounce of energy that she can give. This music can mirror you the listener, it can give you purpose, validation, and clarity. That is the purpose of any good meditation or relaxation music. If you can sync with the music and feel the vibrations and tones, you will be swept away instantly, I can promise you that, and you will love it!

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

September 19, 2018

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Tracks:  
1. Bring It Down
2. Dust In The Wind
3. I'm Not Gonna Break
4. Adoro Te Devote
5. Mother Earth
6. If Time Stood Still
7. Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation - To Make The Impossible, Possible  
8. Thank You

New Age/Classical/Ambient Review: Karen Olson-SongPath

Release Date: July 13th, 2018

Label: Soundview Records

Website

SongPath is Karen Olson's 8th CD release and is a companion to her soon to be published book entitled, SoundPath: Using the Power of Sound and Silence for Health, Harmony, and Happiness. Notably, SongPath is in the top 10 on four Billboard charts including Classical and #3 as the Highest-Ranking Debut New Age Album so far in 2018.

According to Karen’s website:  She combines her unique background as a Violist, Recording Artist, Composer, Author, and intuitive Holistic Healer, to make a positive difference in the lives of others through interactive programming, events, and concert performances that are fun, inspiring, and transformative.

Karen Olson is a respected healer, practitioner, and musician. With SongPath she adds to her already incredibly impressive resume of releases and has reached the pinnacle (thus far) of her musical achievements for variety, depth, and healing. 

I think after listening to her latest offering I can agree with that statement. I covered A Hero’s Journey in 2016 and was quite impressed. It is nice to find out 2 years later that I feel the same about her music. 

SongPath is very wide-ranging. One of the tracks that caught me completely off guard was “New Ways.” It is an electronic-R&B- rap style song. I think it was titled appropriately considering I never expected to hear such a big change in direction on this album. Olivia Meihofer provides the excellent vocals as she does on other songs as well. I give Karen credit for stretching out musically and taking a chance. I enjoyed the song because it was so different and done very well. I imagine there will be new age fans that will probably not appreciate it but that is ok. All the rest of the album is more along the lines of what you would expect from Karen.

With her “New Ways” you will find “Inspiration” and “Serenity” and an “Adventure” inside the music. All of that is wrapped in a nice package for the prospective listener. 

Personally, if I can find pleasure in any type of music, it is healing. It doesn’t necessarily have to have a certain tag on it for it to work, but that is for me. In this case, the label of new age, classical and ambient certainly fits. What you will discover is joy, healing and quite a range of sounds and styles that would satisfy any musical palette. 

SongPath is a prolific release from my viewpoint mainly based on the fact the lead instrument is a viola. That my music loving friends is not an easy task to accomplish, yet Karen Olson makes it sound like it is all very natural, with very concise musicianship and a flow that syncs with your inner voice and soul.  That covers it all as far as I am concerned.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

September 9, 2018

Founder of:

MuzikMan Productions

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Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks: 
1. Ever Peace
2. Why Not
3. Adventure
4. Moving Higher
5. Reminding
6. Inspiration
7. New Ways
8. Gaining Grace
9. Serenity