Hi all, I'm new to the forums but I had to jump in on this one...are any of you familiar with Suzanne Ciani? I love her. Someone else mentioned David Lanz, who is great, but Suzanne really is my personal favorite:

http://www.sevwave.com/ciani/MP3%27s.htm

Billy Joel is my choice lol.
Never heard of any of them people in this whole post. This place needs a rock forum or something.

A good jazz pianist can cross over to new age any time he/she desires to do so. It's like an olympic athlete becoming a gym teacher.

In that light, I nominate Yanni as the best new age pianist.

In posts like this, something has sparked my curiousity.
Of the few forums i visit and read, no one ever mentions Liberace. I was never a huge fan of the person mostly due to the media. When i was growing up there were many strange rumors about the guy so I guess it gets embedded in your head or something. However, as a pianist he is quite amazing. I see his stuff on youtube and its mind blowing speed and accuracy. I cannot imagine anyone more coordinated on the piano than that.

So why is the guy never mentioned? Did he actually stink at piano or is mentioning him too obvious? Or is it because he only played other peoples songs, and wasnt actually a composer?

And people in Opera said Mario Lanza wasn't an opera singer.. yet none had more worldwide appeal...

I've just finished reviewing an excellent CD by Swiss pianist Ralph Zurmühle entitled "Our Mother". If you enjoy relaxing, melodic piano music, this is definitely worth investigating. There's a sample as well at the bottom- if you like Spigel im Spiegel (Arvo Part),you'll enjoy this particular track.

www.piano-heaven.co.uk

I love Ralph Zurmuhle!!!! I have all his albums, and I've even emailed him begging for the sheet music to the shortened version of "Horizon" that plays on David Nevue's "Whisperings" internet radio station. (He was very nice and emailed back, explaining that he doesn't have sheet music for any of his pieces. )

One of my absolute favorite Zurmuhle pieces is "I'll find you there" from the "Between" album. Check it out:

Ralph Zurmuhle, "I\'ll find you there"

Hello Monica!
I also love the Between album, and am shortly going to review that as well. It's in the car at the moment, but my favourite tracks are 1, 2 and 10. I'd never heard of him, and to discover a pianist as talented as this gives me great pleasure.
You might be interested to know that an interview with Ralph has been scheduled for September on Piano-Heaven- I'll ask about the Sheet Music for you!
I agree, he's a great guy.

EDIT: Yes, I do love Track 3 (your favourite) as well- reminds me a little of Kostia.

And ask him if he wrote "I'll find you there" with lyrics in mind... it's got such a strong melody that I find myself coming up with words to it, and--trust me on this--I am NOT usually a lyricist!

[Actually, I think I would rank "I'll find you there" as my number 2 favorite Zurmuhle piece; the album (long) version of "Horizon" is probably my #1 favorite... it is so mesmerizing and calm and peaceful, very special in many ways. ]

I shall ask him that! And I agree- the twenty minute version of "Horizon" is in fact one of my all-time favourite pieces of music. I've never heard the edited version (I'm from England, UK) but I'm sure my current version would be my preferred choice- the listener can really drift away with the music. I never tire of it either, despite its simplicity.

If you like "Horizon", you might like "Traveler" by Wayne Gratz, "Isis" by David Hicken and "Spiegel im Spiegel" by Arvo Part.

I've come to the conclusion that I like melodic, minimalist piano. If anyone has any further recommendations, please can you post them here.

www.piano-heaven.co.uk

A piece very similar in spirit to "Horizon" (repetitive, melodic, minimalist) is "The Great Wheel" by James Asher (from the album of the same name). Thirty minutes of sublimeness.

I've just finished reviewing "Between" by Ralph Zurmühle on Piano-Heaven; the second CD of his I've done. it's an excellent solo piano CD for anyone who likes melodic, relaxing and unhurried piano music.

www.piano-heaven.co.uk

I have just posted an interview with Swiss-born pianist Ralph Zurmühle for anyone who is interested. He has produced some lovely, melodic piano music in the New Age genre.

www.piano-heaven.co.uk

One of my favorite New Age pianists is a guy named John Herberman.

He records for the Solitudes label and has some really beautiful music out.

http://www.quiescencemusic.com

May be a little off topic .... but

I was searching for Christmas Piano and found the sight of this pianist, that just released a Christmas/Winter CD in July 08.

Very nice ....

http://www.amylaurenpiano.com/

I very much enjoy the work of Jennifer Haines. Her MySpace page is HERE .

Abdullah Ibrahim, formerly, dollar Brand, is one of the finest pianists around today

Well, I've been really enjoying two New Age piano CDs over the past few weeks.

The first is called Jeff Herge by, er, Jeff Herge. It was written way back in 1992 but is as fresh as anything around today. I particularly love the track "Raindrops". A great solo-piano CD.

I've also been enjoying "Biography" by the very talented Tim Neumark. There's some beautiful music to be found within his debut CD, released in 2007. I recommend it very much. Another superb solo-piano CD.

Both CDs are reviewed in detail at Piano-Heaven.

Does anyone else have any new recommendations? I have an insatiable thirst for new music! Please post here.

Best Wishes,
Stephen

www.piano-heaven.co.uk

Hi, a big thank you,

This is my first introduction to New Wave piano music and I'm having so much enjoyment checking out all your recommendations.

Another New Age pianist I enjoy is Jeff Bjorck. Jeff's got a great touch on the piano and his music is first rate. Check out "Pure Piano Portrats" and listen to some tracks for free at http://cdbaby.com/cd/bjorck3

--------------------------------
Play New Age Piano
http://www.quiescencemusic.com

I have just posted an interview with the very much up-and-coming pianist Tim Neumark. His responses were very interesting, and I recommend his music to anyone with a taste for Kostia, George Winston, etc.
And, yes, I enjoy the music of Jeff Bjorck as well.

Stephen
www.piano-heaven.co.uk

Any Michael Jones fans on here? His music twinkles!

And what about Michael Allen Harrison? The two pianists are almost opposites in style, but are both very talented.

I have just ordered a CD by Helen Jane Long- anyone heard of this pianist?

Have just finished interviewing a US pianist by the name of Jeff Herge. You can read the interview at Piano-Heaven.

Stephen

www.piano-heaven.co.uk

Yeah. Love Michael Jones. In fact, "Pianoscapes" may be the first New Age piano CD I ever bought. Now here's a guy who isn't afraid to just "be" at the piano and share it with the world. Highly recommended.

-----------------------------
Play New Age Piano
http://www.quiescencemusic.com

I absolutely adore Michael Jones's style of playing. His sound really is quite unique. I love his new album, "Almost Home", but I am particularly fond of the 1987 album "Amber" which featured David Darling on cello. The piano is the dominant instrument, and the cello is in the background... it is a match made in heaven.

This is a little OT, but a link on LearnJazzPiano led me to www.pianotoday.com and an article by W.A. Mathieu. Here's an excerpt: I know nothing about Minimalism or New Age, but I'm very interested in hearing the cited work. Has anyone here played "Railroad (Travel Song) and would be willing to post a recording? I've been unable to find a sample on Amazon, youtube or anywhere.

Other Meredith Monk works are on youtube and are interesting.

I have never heard of this piece, and I too would be interested to give it a listen.

W.A. Mathieu (Walter Allaudin Mathieu) composed one of my favourite piano pieces- "To The Well". Have you heard the piece, xcal? It's on the Windows: 25 Years of Windham Hill Piano album, as the original Mathieu recording ("Available Light") has been long Out of Print.

By the way, I have just redesigned Piano-Heaven, for anyone who is interested.

Thank you.

Stephen

www.piano-heaven.co.uk

Steven, I've never heard "To The Well", or any of Mathieu's music. This style of music is all new to me. I downloaded an MP3 from Amazon. It's very nice. I like the voice with the piano.

I did find a book of Meredith Monk's which included "Railroad (Travel Song)" and was able to look at the first page. I recorded it and you can listen here:
http://www.box.net/shared/kuid9m62ci
There's no time sig (tempo is marked "Grounded" and the meter changes frequently so I'm not sure how it should sound. Y'all may have a new convert. I really like this. I'll probably buy the book.

Hello again,
If you're interested, here's an extract from my review of Windows at Piano-Heaven:

"W.A. Mathieu (Walter Allaudin Mathieu, but sometimes known as Allaudin Mathieu) features in the collection's ninth track- "To the Well". There can be no disputing the fact that this is his most popular composition and very beautiful it is too. Originally written as a solo-piano piece, both Allaudin and Will Ackerman agreed that the track needed that little extra something. Together, they concurred that wordless vocals should be added, and they managed to secure the services of internationally acclaimed composer and vocalist Bobby McFerrin. The addition of the vocals allows the composition to reach new heights and, as such, has become one of my all-time favourite tracks. It has a timeless quality. It's also worth noting that "To the Well" is one of Will Ackerman's favourite tracks in the entire Windham Hill catalogue- and that runs into several hundred tracks."

Best Wishes,
Stephen

www.piano-heaven.co.uk

I think the best new coming New Age Pianist is Phillip Mills. You can find him on you tube or phillipmills.ning.com.

Check him out.

W.A. Mathieu (Walter Allaudin Mathieu) is a master of music.