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Topic: Carolyn Southworth
There's nothing more fulfilling than closing a musically diverse year with a complete work of art. Carolyn Southworth's "At the End of the Day" has the fragile beauty and soulful depth of a painting; every note is a graceful stroke of the brush. Labels such as "New Age" or "jazz" cannot aptly describe the haunting, evocative qualities of these gorgeous instrumentals. Southworth's stunningly rich piano playing already dazzles from the beginning, the poignant melodies that transform the title track into a transcendent, magical piece. What makes Southworth's piano playing so engrossing is the emotional pull they create; they simply draw you in unlike many of her peers who keep their distance, letting us admire the sounds they create but not feel them. --Adam Harrington, Whisperin & Hollerin (UK), December 2006 Southworth's piano is smooth, soothing and fresh from the opening title track to the reverent "Nocturne." Each work is melodic and catchy but also deep with emotion and musicality. Southworth has created a CD that will appeal to fans of healing new-age music. But it also set the bar high for fan's expectations. It can stand alongside such new-age artists as David Lanz, Suzanne Ciani and Tingstad & Rumbel. --Scott Iwasaki, Deseret Morning News, Music Editor, October 27, 2006 Carolynsouthworth.com | LISTEN to tracks at Amazon.com
Melody and pulse spin outward in a fusion of vibrant musical dialogue that soars through spatial imagination and passion to create astonishing dimensional compositions. Jeff Oster's new CD True is the brilliant formation of this congruent expedition... Oster's musical expression of flugelhorn and trumpet opened up an original sphere in the New Age/ World-Jazz genre last year, with his debut CD entitled Released. A CD infused with harmonious structure and moving, fluid sound captivated fans and critics alike. True embarks on a deeper exploration of Oster's innovative musical style, with an accompaniment of premiere musicians and co-writers. The line-up includes phenomenal musician and producer Will Ackerman, of Windham Hill, who produced True... World-class musicians include Keith Carlock, drums; T. Bone Wolk, guitar and bass; Philip Aaberg on piano, synthesizer; and Michael Manring, bass. In addition, Oster also enlisted the incomparable vocal talents of Melissa R. Kaplan, Ugandan artist Samite and Noah Wilding... True conveys multiple music configurations, yet seamlessly arrives in a cohesive expression. The album's tracks stratify from cosmos to world ethos with varying intensity, intonation and beat. 
Review A perfect musical marriage. I love Iris's compostions and piano playing and Tom's compositions and guitar playing so putting the 2 together is for me perfection. - Reviewer: Dr Catherine Galatola --website posting 
Easy listening acoustic finger style... 
Jeffrey Fisher is a very talented composer, but also a highly respected spiritual teacher, Tai Chi master and painter. His album "Triumph of the Spirit" is inspiring and enlightening. "Triumph of the Spirit" marked an evolution in Jeffrey Fisher's career as a composer, presenting music born of an unprecedented collaboration with Taos, NM-based painter Charles Collins and his "Between Worlds" collection of paintings. With this album, Fisher delivers five breathtaking works, including the title song "Triumph of the Spirit", creating symphonic poetry, enlivening Collin's paintings with sound. 
In MUSIC FROM MY HEART, Margie paints a portrait of self-expression and moving heartfelt emotion She says, “I love it when songs just come to me, and I love it when they come in dreams. I enjoy the challenge of trying to solve the puzzle of what I almost hear, the chipping away of the idea to get it right. I really love collaborating and have written songs with a large number of super talented players and writers. I feel very blessed about this and about sweet inspiration, because I have zillions of ideas that are always buzzing around. Music is for everyone. It has been a thrill to teach, compose, play, and, I hope through music, speak directly from my heart.” 
CONSUMER INFORMATION
“Patterns” is Sean Mahnken’s debut CD of original piano solos. Richly varied in moods and emotions, this CD was fifteen years in the making. An electrical engineer who minored in music at Utah State University, Mahnken began composing at the age of eighteen as an outlet for his emotions. He started piano lessons at the age of eight, but quit after three years. In college, he became frustrated by not being able to play the popular music of the time, so he started making up his own music, finding chords and harmonic patterns that worked for him. Mahnken’s playing style is very natural and expressive, but his piano doesn’t quite keep up with him on some tracks, sounding a bit metallic, as digital pianos do. A few of the tracks have some additional keyboard accompaniment, but most are solo piano. “Patterns” is a very solid first recording.