Contemporary Instrumental Review: Holland Phillips - Leaning Toward Home

Release Date: September 21, 2018

Label: Ageless Records

Website

My experience with the music of Holland Phillips is Circles of 8 and then I went on another journey with Under a Second Moon. Now another year has already passed and Leaning Toward Home will be arriving within a matter of days.

I get off easy calling Holland’s music contemporary instrumental. It is hard to define so that is the best tag to put on it. It is a fusion of sounds. You can call it whatever you want but I do highly recommend giving it all a good listen.

All the music was composed and performed by Holland. The man is a magician on the keyboards and he generates enough instrumentation to sound like an entire band on this recording.

I like being challenged with music, in a sense that it makes me think, it allows me my own space inside my head and in my soul. That is the complete circle for this listener. It takes a special kind of music to allow that to happen. Holland could not have said it better when he referred to this production as magic. To me, that is the beauty and perfection of music, more importantly, instrumental music that has the ability to sweep you away to an altered consciousness, a better state of mind, body, and spirit.

The title track said it all for me. It has that magical and mystical atmosphere that takes you right in and hangs on until the track fades away. There are so many sounds, consistencies, and bright colors to be discovered on “Leaning Toward Home.”  In fact, the entire recording offers so much diversity in sound that each track brings another feeling and atmosphere to light, it is like watching an ever-changing colorful lava lamp except this is translated to sounds, vibrations, something that is more meaningful and spiritual.

I think what Holland Phillips wants more than anything is for you, the listener, to discover the magic that he did in the music. Your realizations that are found inside the music can be joyous, revealing and mind-expanding. It is what you make it, the choice is yours.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

September 11, 2018

Founder of:

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

Write A Music Review

Prog Rock Music Talk

New Age Music Reviews

Rate The Tracks

Review Provided By MuzikMan Music Reviews & News

Tracks:
01. Prelude to a Dance
02. Before the Epilogue
03. Roadside Brew
04. Time Travels
05. A Sip of Potion
06. Moving Forward
07. Leaning Toward Home
08. Full Circle
09. Surprising Turns
10. Along the Way
11. Bedtime Stories
 

Day of the Dreamer Tour - Music Legends Renaissance Featuring Annie Haslam in Support of Their New DVD Release to Play Select US Dates Fall 2018!

Including a Special Date With The Renaissance Chamber Orchestra

Music legends Renaissance featuring Annie Haslam will be back in the US Northeast playing select dates in November 2018. Based on the great success in 2017 with the addition of a “10-piece Chamber Orchestra” on four of their shows, the band has been invited to once again bring this special line up to the Scottish Rite Auditorium, Collingswood, NJ. November 17th. 2018 marks the 49th year since the band's formation and its tenth consecutive year of touring since their reactivation in 2009.

Renaissance leader and vocalist, Annie Haslam remarks, “The band keeps getting stronger and stronger and the addition of the chamber orchestra has been the most exciting development for the band in years. This addition of 'live' orchestral musicians adds an incredible dynamic to our big numbers like 'Mother Russia,' 'Carpet Of The Sun' and 'Song For All Seasons,' Day of the Dreamer, all of which included an orchestra on the original recordings.”

Ms Haslam will be joined on stage by long time musical director and associate; Rave Tesar on piano, along with Geoffrey Langley on keyboards, Mark Lambert on guitars, Frank Pagano on drums and percussion, and Leo Traversa on bass.


photo by Esa Ahola

Tour dates:
NOV 8 THU - THE KENT STAGE - KENT, OH
NOV 9 FRI - THE TRALF - BUFFALO, NY
NOV 11 SUN - YMCA BOULTON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS - BAY SHORE, NY
NOV 15 THU - BALTIMORE SOUNDSTAGE - BALTIMORE, MD
NOV 16 FRI - NEWTON THEATRE - NEWTON, NJ
NOV 17 SAT - SCOTTISH RITE AUDITORIUM - COLLINGSWOOD, NJ (With The Renaissance Chamber Orchestra)
NOV 18 SUN - TARRYTOWN MUSIC HALL - TARRYTOWN, NY

Renaissance is a band with a rich history unique unto themselves as progressive rock pioneers who rose from the ashes of the seminal UK rock band, The Yardbirds. Acclaimed for their unique blending of progressive rock with classical and symphonic influences, the band's career has spanned forty plus years spearheaded by the 5 octave voice of Annie Haslam and the masterful songwriting skills of Michael Dunford. They are widely considered to be the band that most successfully and routinely utilized the sound of a full orchestra in their recordings.

The band has toured throughout the world and has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and additionally at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Chorale Society. Renaissance had a top ten hit in the UK with their song Northern Lights that still demands airplay to this day.

On September 14th Renaissance will be releasing their new DVD entitled 'A Symphonic Journey'. The DVD was filmed in October of 2017 and included for the first time the addition of The Renaissance Chamber Orchestra, a hand-picked group of 10 musicians, including strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. This is their third DVD release preceded by the 2015 'Live at the Union Chapel, London, England' and the 'Turn of the Cards/ Scheherazade and Other Stories' 2011 release 'Live' at the Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA. For this new DVD the band once again returned to the Keswick Theatre, this time employing the use of track and boom mounted cameras to create more up close and personal shots of the band and orchestra. The concert also featured large screen projections of original paintings by Annie Haslam, with corresponding titles to each song performed throughout the concert.

The DVD/2CD set will be available from Amazon USA, Europe, and Japan. Also, 'Annie Haslam' signed copies will be available through the band's website: www.renaissancetouring.com

Click on the links below to watch samples from the new DVD:
Carpet of the Sun w/Renaissance Chamber Orchestra - https://www.facebook.com/pg/RenaissanceTouring/videos/?ref=page_internal
Song for All Seasons w/Renaissance Chamber Orchestra - https://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceTouring/videos/1835487619824141/

You can learn more about the band by visiting:
www.renaissancetouring.com
facebook.com/renaissancetouring
www.anniehaslam.com
facebook.com/anniehaslamart

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

Day of the Dreamer Tour - Music Legends Renaissance Featuring Annie Haslam in Support of Their New DVD Release to Play Select US Dates Fall 2018!

Including a Special Date With The Renaissance Chamber Orchestra

Music legends Renaissance featuring Annie Haslam will be back in the US Northeast playing select dates in November 2018. Based on the great success in 2017 with the addition of a “10-piece Chamber Orchestra” on four of their shows, the band has been invited to once again bring this special line up to the Scottish Rite Auditorium, Collingswood, NJ. November 17th. 2018 marks the 49th year since the band's formation and its tenth consecutive year of touring since their reactivation in 2009.

Renaissance leader and vocalist, Annie Haslam remarks, “The band keeps getting stronger and stronger and the addition of the chamber orchestra has been the most exciting development for the band in years. This addition of 'live' orchestral musicians adds an incredible dynamic to our big numbers like 'Mother Russia,' 'Carpet Of The Sun' and 'Song For All Seasons,' Day of the Dreamer, all of which included an orchestra on the original recordings.”

Ms Haslam will be joined on stage by long time musical director and associate; Rave Tesar on piano, along with Geoffrey Langley on keyboards, Mark Lambert on guitars, Frank Pagano on drums and percussion, and Leo Traversa on bass.


photo by Esa Ahola

Tour dates:
NOV 8 THU - THE KENT STAGE - KENT, OH
NOV 9 FRI - THE TRALF - BUFFALO, NY
NOV 11 SUN - YMCA BOULTON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS - BAY SHORE, NY
NOV 15 THU - BALTIMORE SOUNDSTAGE - BALTIMORE, MD
NOV 16 FRI - NEWTON THEATRE - NEWTON, NJ
NOV 17 SAT - SCOTTISH RITE AUDITORIUM - COLLINGSWOOD, NJ (With The Renaissance Chamber Orchestra)
NOV 18 SUN - TARRYTOWN MUSIC HALL - TARRYTOWN, NY

Renaissance is a band with a rich history unique unto themselves as progressive rock pioneers who rose from the ashes of the seminal UK rock band, The Yardbirds. Acclaimed for their unique blending of progressive rock with classical and symphonic influences, the band's career has spanned forty plus years spearheaded by the 5 octave voice of Annie Haslam and the masterful songwriting skills of Michael Dunford. They are widely considered to be the band that most successfully and routinely utilized the sound of a full orchestra in their recordings.

The band has toured throughout the world and has performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and additionally at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Chorale Society. Renaissance had a top ten hit in the UK with their song Northern Lights that still demands airplay to this day.

On September 14th Renaissance will be releasing their new DVD entitled 'A Symphonic Journey'. The DVD was filmed in October of 2017 and included for the first time the addition of The Renaissance Chamber Orchestra, a hand-picked group of 10 musicians, including strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. This is their third DVD release preceded by the 2015 'Live at the Union Chapel, London, England' and the 'Turn of the Cards/ Scheherazade and Other Stories' 2011 release 'Live' at the Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA. For this new DVD the band once again returned to the Keswick Theatre, this time employing the use of track and boom mounted cameras to create more up close and personal shots of the band and orchestra. The concert also featured large screen projections of original paintings by Annie Haslam, with corresponding titles to each song performed throughout the concert.

The DVD/2CD set will be available from Amazon USA, Europe, and Japan. Also, 'Annie Haslam' signed copies will be available through the band's website: www.renaissancetouring.com

Click on the links below to watch samples from the new DVD:
Carpet of the Sun w/Renaissance Chamber Orchestra - https://www.facebook.com/pg/RenaissanceTouring/videos/?ref=page_internal
Song for All Seasons w/Renaissance Chamber Orchestra - https://www.facebook.com/RenaissanceTouring/videos/1835487619824141/

You can learn more about the band by visiting:
www.renaissancetouring.com
facebook.com/renaissancetouring
www.anniehaslam.com
facebook.com/anniehaslamart

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

King Crimson Guitar Legend Trey Gunn Presents "Intro to Modes" 8-Week Music Course - October 15 to December 8, 2018

Work directly with Trey Gunn on a weekly basis in this group course.

King Crimson guitar legend Trey Gunn is presenting “Intro to Modes”; an 8-week music course that runs from October 15 to December 8, 2018. 

For all instrumentalists and singers. 

In this course we will break down one of the basic building blocks of music - the modes - into digestible parts, both sonically and theoretically, so they can be used with ease.

www.originalvoice.coach/modes-course/

This course will:

Help you to immediately find your ground in a piece of music

Give you flexibility when improvising

Give you greater color choices when developing your own compositions

Help you grasp command of the core material of music

Give you a long-term pathway to hear deeper into the relationships of the notes 

This course is designed to work for all players:

Beginning players - We'll start with the basics.

Intermediate players - Hone the fundamentals in your hearing for improved playing and writing

Advanced players - Find the gaps in your melodic hearing. Apply practices to close the gaps and take your playing further

Learn to play confidently while capturing the unique quality of each mode in your improvisations and compositions. This ease only comes from the deep exploration based on how you hear, in your own particular way. This course breaks down that exploration into its core essence, step-by-step.

- - -

When most musicians play by thinking in modes, or scales, they tend towards using all the tones equally and without their full meaning. This results in bland musical lines. Lines that come across like white light where, instead, there could be gorgeous color.

How a painter uses color is a useful analogy for working with the modes. Any musical idea can be tinted with one of the modes. The idea remains essentially the same; but the color of the music changes based on which mode you are using.

This course is designed to establish these “modal” differences in your ear so you can use them as you need to, much as a painter pulls from his or her palette of colors.

- - -

Learning about modes isn't about the information. The information is easy. Learning this material, the way I think we should, is about getting to know each tone intimately within its context - the mode's center of gravity, or tonal center.

This course will use a progression of practices to develop our sense of each note and how that note fits into its mode.

This is an oversimplification; but based on many years of practice, study and playing I have honed an approach to go directly into the sounds.

First, we learn the sounds. The information can come afterward, simply to help us organize.

- - -

This will be a type of correspondence course with info/practices being presented each week and all of us digesting it together via a Google Group. There is no real-time participation, so any time-zone or personal schedule will fit with our work together.

The course will adapt to the people participating and how things develop as we go along. But the general curriculum will be based on the following progression:

Week 1

General Concepts of Modes

Language And Method For The Course

Root, Fifth, Octave (+ listening/singing)

Week 2

Thirds (+ listening puzzles)

Week 3

Sevenths (+ extra singing)

Week 4

Sixths (+ playing)

Week 5

Seconds (+ composition)

Week 6

Fourths (+ audiation/memorization)

Week 7

Full Modes (+ pentatonics/hexatonics)

Week 8

Locrian/Pathway to Exotics (+wrap-up)

Cost: $299.00

50% discount for Early Registration before October 1, 2018

For more information: www.originalvoice.coach/modes-course

Press inquiries: 

Glass Onyon PR

PH: 828-350-8158

glassonyonpr@gmail.com

King Crimson Guitar Legend Trey Gunn Presents "Intro to Modes" 8-Week Music Course - October 15 to December 8, 2018

Work directly with Trey Gunn on a weekly basis in this group course.

King Crimson guitar legend Trey Gunn is presenting “Intro to Modes”; an 8-week music course that runs from October 15 to December 8, 2018. 

For all instrumentalists and singers. 

In this course we will break down one of the basic building blocks of music - the modes - into digestible parts, both sonically and theoretically, so they can be used with ease.

www.originalvoice.coach/modes-course/

This course will:

Help you to immediately find your ground in a piece of music

Give you flexibility when improvising

Give you greater color choices when developing your own compositions

Help you grasp command of the core material of music

Give you a long-term pathway to hear deeper into the relationships of the notes 

This course is designed to work for all players:

Beginning players - We'll start with the basics.

Intermediate players - Hone the fundamentals in your hearing for improved playing and writing

Advanced players - Find the gaps in your melodic hearing. Apply practices to close the gaps and take your playing further

Learn to play confidently while capturing the unique quality of each mode in your improvisations and compositions. This ease only comes from the deep exploration based on how you hear, in your own particular way. This course breaks down that exploration into its core essence, step-by-step.

- - -

When most musicians play by thinking in modes, or scales, they tend towards using all the tones equally and without their full meaning. This results in bland musical lines. Lines that come across like white light where, instead, there could be gorgeous color.

How a painter uses color is a useful analogy for working with the modes. Any musical idea can be tinted with one of the modes. The idea remains essentially the same; but the color of the music changes based on which mode you are using.

This course is designed to establish these “modal” differences in your ear so you can use them as you need to, much as a painter pulls from his or her palette of colors.

- - -

Learning about modes isn't about the information. The information is easy. Learning this material, the way I think we should, is about getting to know each tone intimately within its context - the mode's center of gravity, or tonal center.

This course will use a progression of practices to develop our sense of each note and how that note fits into its mode.

This is an oversimplification; but based on many years of practice, study and playing I have honed an approach to go directly into the sounds.

First, we learn the sounds. The information can come afterward, simply to help us organize.

- - -

This will be a type of correspondence course with info/practices being presented each week and all of us digesting it together via a Google Group. There is no real-time participation, so any time-zone or personal schedule will fit with our work together.

The course will adapt to the people participating and how things develop as we go along. But the general curriculum will be based on the following progression:

Week 1

General Concepts of Modes

Language And Method For The Course

Root, Fifth, Octave (+ listening/singing)

Week 2

Thirds (+ listening puzzles)

Week 3

Sevenths (+ extra singing)

Week 4

Sixths (+ playing)

Week 5

Seconds (+ composition)

Week 6

Fourths (+ audiation/memorization)

Week 7

Full Modes (+ pentatonics/hexatonics)

Week 8

Locrian/Pathway to Exotics (+wrap-up)

Cost: $299.00

50% discount for Early Registration before October 1, 2018

For more information: www.originalvoice.coach/modes-course

Press inquiries: 

Glass Onyon PR

PH: 828-350-8158

glassonyonpr@gmail.com