Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner - Non Classical Who is the best current new age pianist?

Nope - we're still neighbors. I'm a few miles NW of town. I simply meant that Jim is no longer our neighbor.

Thanks for the Awakening tip!

This is the best new age pianist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i95K987oWeY

Isn't it just Jazz? I remember my father playing like this, with jazz/boogie woogie improvisations, when I was a kid. Monty just sounds repetitive to me. What makes it "new age"?

Jim Bajor is really good, his christmas stuff is the best!

I've just spent a couple of days listening to Jim Bajor's albums on Rhapsody. Good stuff indeed!

Two other artists I like a lot but don't think have been mentioned yet in this thread are:

1.) Jeffrey Bjorck. http://www.purepiano.com/default.htm Jeff reminds me a lot of David Nevue, both in terms of his story and the type of music he writes. He's a psychology professor in addition to being a musician and is largely self-taught. He's a down to earth guy and has very kindly emailed back and forth with me a few times talking about his background and music. If you go to his website you can sign up to be on his monthly email list that gives you free music downloads and does drawings for free CDs.

2.) Ralph Zurmuhle. http://www.ralph-music.com/

Zurmuhle's music is very calm and melodic. Rhapsody carries one of his albums ("Our Mother"), but I've had to order the others through his website. One of the tracks on "Our Mother" is "Horizon," a 20-minute tour de force of quiet and repetitive themes (very much like James Asher's "The Great Wheel" if you're familiar with that piece). The Whisperings radio station plays a 6-min version of Horizon, and I loved it so much I even emailed Zurmuhle to see if there was sheet music for it that I could purchase. (The answer, alas, is no.)

I totally agree...these artists are awesome!

Monica,

I actually just did an interview with Jeff Bjorck for my New Age piano lessons site.

I asked him 5 questions I wish I had the answers to when I was first starting out.

Find the interview at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/jbjorck.html

-- Edward

Thanks, Edward... I just read the interview. I find it impressive and inspiring that Bjorck has been able to accomplish everything he has through self-teaching.

I like your website. I have always intended to sign up for your lessons, by the way, although the working mom factor has not made it feasible. In fall when I'm on sabbatical and no longer teaching I will finally have big blocks of free time. I will definitely revisit your site then.

I just checked out David Nevue this week. I listened to a couple of pieces from "Postcards from Germany".

Is it wrong that I'm under the impression that his pieces are a tad bit repetitive? Don't get me wrong, I think his music has "prettyness" to it, but sometimes he would just "loop" a musical phrase for a minute long (maybe a little exaggerated, but you know what I mean).

I don't think I could have listened to more than 4 pieces without getting worn out.

I'd like to give him another chance. Does anyone recommend any specific pieces that you can consider his signature?

Tuan Vo,

Try David Nevue's "Broken", "The Vigil" and "While the Trees Sleep". These are a few of his most popular songs from what I've been told.

His CD titled "Overcome" is my favorite and had won "Best Instrumental Piano Album of 2005" at the LifeStyle Music Awards.

Ok, this is the best new age pianist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3OOwglVldI

.

I cant agree - I think you need something you can hum along with, like this... I want to do this number with one of the bands I play for - (we won't need any more numbers).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r21206DbBaE&feature=related

my favorite right now is Keiko Matsui, www.keikomatsui.com, i have been listening to her a lot recently (walls of akendora album). if you haven't heard her music you should really check it out. she is on the line between jazz and new age, and is sometimes labeled as "fusion", with songs usually leaning one way or the other. whatever you want to call it, i love her music.

Keiko Matsui - Forever Forever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzqsWxau_gI


Keiko Matsui - Full Moon/The Shrine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou1kZgskhgU


some of my other favorites include david lanz ,christofori's dream among others, jim brickman, love his disney arrangement songbook!, george skaroulis, the dance and athena from the athena album, secret garden ,nocturne and the song from a secret garden among others, and tom barabas, riding the rainbow from his romantic rhapsodies album. also worth mentioning although not necessarily new age, nobuo uematsu, for his extensive work on the Final Fantasy video game series and his latest master piece from the game Lost Odyssey.

Monica,
I'm not sure it this will post in the correct place, as I am new to these forums. Just wanted to say THANKS for your very kind words about my music! Thanks also to Edward Weiss for his great interview!

Peace,

Yup, you're in the right place. And welcome to the forum! There's a lot of new age fans in the Adult Beginners forum, too.

rct203 - Thank you very much for the RE-introduction to Kieko and her beautiful music!

A decade ago (or more) I had several of her CDs which I remember practically wearing out at that time(not easy to do), which were more fusion jazz than new age (I think I still have them around somewhere) - but haven't heard her since then until your post.

She looks & sounds great on the YouTube clips!
What a super touch - what a great sound!

Many thanks again,

JF

hey, no problem JF! glad to hear you are enjoying her music, i am lucky to have re-discovered it myself. to me that is one of the beauties of forums like these, to exchange and share ideas with like minded individuals. i have a feeling my cds are headed the same was as your's, worn out. at least now a days though, i can always make myself another copy if that happens (legally purchased from iTunes of course).

yeah, some of her newer albums like white owl and walls of akendora show some new age flair with her jazz roots woven in all around. her newest cd moyo is entirely on the jazz end of the spectrum,at times having a latin/brazilian flavor. if and when it is released on iTunes+ (higher quality), i will buy it.

i might go and see one of her shows in boston next month hopefully. she has an autographed book of sheet music called "compositions" that she sells on her website, but the store page is down now. i'd love to get a copy of it if they are selling it at the show. she does have a couple sheets on her site though, for anyone that's interested, www.keikomatsui.com .


*slightly off topic side note. my brother works at this high end audio shop in the area. last night i went to the showroom with him to have a listen to some things, so naturally, i brought keiko with me. the music sounded out of this world cranked up on those b&w's and boston acoustics! i was in heaven. i also was able to view my chris botti live blu ray in the demo home theater room with this ridiculous hd projector and top of the line surround sound system. for any fans of jazz with an hd tv and blu ray player/PS3 this dvd is a MUST MUST have. billy childs is a master of piano. chris's whole band is top notch of course.

check out billy's solo at about 3:48, but listen to the whole song as well (this low quality clip does not do the performance justice, get the blu ray!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RkdWBiZSmI

I just watched the Keith Jarrett link video that was posted earlier. To me, he is a jazz musician and improvises like one. Jazz improv is amazing stuff.

I have not seen this kind of improv in new age music. Does anyone know of any? To me, new age is just not as complicated as jazz (not that it is a bad thing.)

Four pages and no one has mentioned Philip Aaberg?

May I ask a serious question, without being seen as self-promoting? I am stuck for a genre.

All of this discussion of New Age and Keith Jarrett and jazz... Jarrett was the primary model that led me to free improvisation, but improvisation heavily influenced by classical. I uploaded several tracks to mp3.com, and the limited choice of categories made me file them as New Age. But I don't think that fits. (Or, I HOPE that doesn't fit...)

When I want to tell other musicians what I play, I'm at a loss. It's not classical, but it's not New Age. "Improv" imparts various meanings. Neoclassical? What's that?

Please - this is an example:
http://www.tfrog.com/audio/102007a.mp3
A very simple theme is developed and expanded throughout. Anyone who has 11 minutes with nothing to do, I'd appreciate nothing more than a classification. Where do I file this?

dwight - between rock and a hard place