New Age/ Piano Instrumental Review: Joe Heinemann-Gratitude

Release Date: January 15, 2016

Label: Independent

Website

Joe Heinemann has been dipping his toe into music since the young age of seven. Studying everything from jazz to classical and dance music, he has progressed to solo piano. This new album is all about leaving something behind. To explore new horizons and know that what you've accomplished is what you were meant to do. It is a theme that resonates with a lot of artists, writers and composers and with this album, the desire is well met. 

Gratitude brings us a look at the tender emotions that make up life and living and the knowledge that in one breath, it could be gone in an instant. "Lenape" is the first song on the album, and begins with tender strokes along the piano keys. Each touch of the finger brings meaning and introspection. We are alive. We breathe. We feel-even when it hurts. Strings slide along and whisper sweet nothings alongside the piano movements, crafting a sweet melody that haunts the soul and draws us into the album.

"Sign of Spring" is one of the flagship tunes on the album. It begins with a poignant glimpse into a brisk spring morning, full of hope and expectation. Rain splashes down on the fresh green stalks of grass, each bursting with life. Each keystroke is implemented with a purpose, plodding and well thought out. It is an awakening of the earth and the soul.

"Gratitude" is the title track on the album and a very apt song title. Meaningful keystrokes illustrate emotion, highlighting our inner lives. Gratitude comes when you appreciate the world around you. It is in the small things. The simple act of giving, a lick from a dog who loves you, a tender glance between husband and wife. It is the air we breathe and the essence of our being. With every keystroke, Heinemann illustrates why it matters. To have gratitude is to appreciate life in all of its foibles and idiosyncrasies. To be fully aware that we aren't perfect and to be loved in spite of it.

Joe Heinemann has created an album filled with blissful moments. For days I've listened contently writing while my dogs huddle around my feet in abject happiness. There is joy in the little things and today as rain clouds tease me with the promise of a dark afternoon for writing and thought, I'm grateful for this music and happy canine companionship. Heinemann takes our longing, our late nights and our solace and wraps it up in one neat little album. Every note is right on. Every emotive melody there for us to relish over and over again. And I have-and will again. This album is a must have if you enjoy a quiet interlude away from the world.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Sign of Spring, Gratitude, Lenape

Tracks:
01.Lenape
02.Enduring Hope
03.For Satie
04.Sea Dream (Away)
05.Sign of Spring
06.Longing
07.Solace
08.My Song (Carried Along)
09.Gratitude
10.Golden Waves
11.Late At Night
 

Dana Wright, Sr. Staff Writer

January 22, 2016

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Featured Stream: Joe Heinemann - Lenape

Joe Heinemann's new release Gratitude says how the artist feels about life and he then translates that in his music.

The track of choice is "Lenape." It is a beautiful dance of grace and sound. Joe's fingers are the translator and his piano is the messenger.

The soft intro pulls you in and grabs your attention. The pace is purposeful and meaningful. 

"Lenape" is one example of what is in store for the listener on the new release. Lovers of instrumental, classical and new age music will find this an enjoyable piece to listen to.

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck


More About Joe Joe Heinemann:

http://www.joeheinemann.com

Some music career voyages start early, some start late, but each one shares a point where the commitment to working on one's craft becomes

important. For pianist Joe Heinemann, that happened at the young age of 7, shortly after he began taking piano lessons. His mother was the only

member of the household “really into music,” and was the guiding force in his early musical development and the emergence of his performing

talent. “My mother pushed me when I was young, which was key, because I wasn’t aware of what I was developing completely. I wasn’t self-driven.

There were many small steps to feeling good about becoming a really proficient player and side-man, and that made making music more valuable as

I aged."

Joe Heinemann grew up in Portland, Oregon, and studied classical piano from the age of 7 until he turned 20 (including a brief stint at the

Music Conservatory in San Francisco). His professional playing career began smack-dab in the middle of that spell, at a mere 13 years old. As a

young teen in Portland, he found himself drawn to jazz by listening to albums at friends' houses. In his twenties, he heard a Keith Jarrett

album and a light bulb went on over his head. “I was a strong solo pianist and always wanted to do that most. When George Winston appeared [on

the scene] I thought it was great that he could do concert halls with a casual appearance. I wasn’t at a point in my life to follow a similar

path to [Winston's], though.”

After his formal studies, Heinemann funneled his energy into jazz and dance music, as well as a great amount of freelancing (he would end up

playing piano and keyboards with an assortment of bands until he turned 45). For two years in the mid '80s he lived in Amsterdam, playing local

gigs and touring Europe, performing and recording, including dates with saxophonist Archie Shepp. These years represented his most intensely

focused jazz-playing period.

Moving back to the States, he launched a career as a jazz and blues keyboardist in both Portland and San Francisco, most notably touring and

recording with Charlie Musselwhite's Band. Between 1992 and 2001, Joe recorded and shared the stage with many well-known artists (e.g. Robert

Cray, Steve Miller, Bonnie Raitt, and Albert Collins, to name just a few), developing a reputation as the consummate sideman. He also fronted

his own group, releasing six recordings under his name. One of his earlier songs, "Straight Ahead," placed in the top ten in a Jazzizz magazine

national keyboardist contest. As accomplished as he had become, something was missing. “I knew in 2001 I had to leave freelancing and playing in

other people’s bands. I needed to take time to develop my music and discover my true voice. I knew it would be a long process and I had to make

a living, so I built a private piano teaching business in the Bay Area and left performing for a living to teach while I wrote and developed my

own piano repertoire. That lasted about 12 years.”

In 2012, he and his wife moved to New York City (where they currently reside) and Joe spent time “getting to know himself” as a different kind

of piano player and composer. “I fully realized I wanted to (and needed to) find a way to be a solo pianist, perform for respectful audiences on

nice pianos, express my original music in a relaxed and mature environment.” This process of discovery slowly took shape, culminating in the

artist reaching out to noted producer Will Ackerman, founder of Windham Hill Records and currently part of one of the hottest producer/engineer

tandems in music alongside Tom Eaton at Imaginary Road Studios in rural Vermont. It is here that Joe recorded his latest work, Gratitude. While

subtle elements of jazz can be heard on the album, “...with this music I’m doing now, melody is primary. Will stresses this and I think it’s

part of why his judgment is so valuable. I will probably revere melody more for the rest of my life because of Will’s influence.”

As Joe Heinemann continues to evolve, those first glimpses of this new direction his music would take all those years ago (with the discovery of

Jarrett and Winston) have crystallized. “This solo piano, original music, played on great pianos, with quiet listeners that want to hear you,

working with the greatest producer in the business, and an audience ready for my music, is all I really wanted since I was very young.

Ultimately, I want to leave something behind after I’m gone. The music I’m making now will allow for that.”