Sunday, January 24, 2010Now available - CD review of Clifford Borg's "Origin"

Friday, January 22, 2010James Cahall Release "Coming Home"

Showcasing his range as a pianist, New Age Solo Pianist James Cahall's sophomore album, "Coming Home," takes listeners on a breathtaking journey through the natural world. Each song urges self-searching, but always leads back to the happiness we derive from the unconditional love of those closest to us. From the rising of the tides to the ending of a season, James' varied collection brings life's many changes into perspective. For the world traveler or someone content to sit by the fireplace, this album will feel like you've come home in mind, body, & soul. James shares his music to bring forward hope and optimism from deep within the collective spirit.

Hear what NewAgeStar's BT Fasmer had to say about "Coming Home":
BT Fasmer's Review

Now available at:

CDBaby.com

iTunes Music Store

http://www.jamescahall.com

Thursday, January 7, 2010Linda Seeley's CD 'Full Moon' made Kathy Parsons top 20 of 2009

Greetings and Happy New Year!
I just posted my 20 Favorite CDs for 2009, and yours was/were included! The link directly to my list is:

http://www.mainlypiano.com/Mainly_Piano/Kathys_2009_Favorites.html

And here is the list in alphabetical order by album title:

Antiquus - David Wahler
Away, Melancholy Away - Eric Harry
Bajo el Sol - Russ Hewitt
Clair de Loon - Serge Mazerand
Full Moon - Linda Seeley
The Garden Gate - Greg Maroney
In A Dream - Peter Kater & Dominic Miller
Language of Flowers - Eric Harry
The Lullaby Album - Jennifer Thomas & Carolyn Southworth
Music Seeds - Vincent Cordel
1973 - Mario Lopez Santos
Nostalgie - Michael Hoppe & Joe Powers
Periplos - Mario López Santos
Relaxing Piano Artists For Alzheimer’s Research
Siyotanka - Michael Brant Demaria
Solo Piano, Volume 1 - Neal Fox
Spirit Touch - Joseph Akins
Touching - Mark Pinkus
Two Views - Wayne Gratz
Voces - Yanni

Congratulations and very best wishes for a happy, healthy, and creative 2010!

Kathy
MainlyPiano.com

Wednesday, January 6, 2010Venice pianist Sirotich now heard in the movies

By ABBY WEINGARTEN Correspondent
Published: Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 1:00 a.m. (Last Modified: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 10:44 a.m.)

Without leaving his home base of Venice, pianist Wally "Gator" Sirotich has gone nationwide, thanks to his flair for cybermarketing.

The musician's compositions recently appeared in the John Lennon documentary "Strawberry Fields," and are slated to make cameos in the Justin Timberlake film "The Open Road" this summer. Because of Sirotich's presence on networking sites such as TuneCore.com and SoundClick.com, which feature his original MP3s, producers across the country have picked up his melodies for high-profile projects.

"Not bad for a piano player from Venice," Sirotich said with a laugh.

"I'm super excited about having my music placed in motion pictures. That's the dream of a lifetime coming through."
In "Strawberry Fields" are 15 of Sirotich's songs, including "From Lennon's Closet," which the film's producer simply found on a Web site. The 14 others were born when Sirotich viewed the documentary DVD and custom created tracks to fit with the narrative.

In "The Open Road," Sirotich's piece "The Gospel According to Gator" is featured during a bar scene with actor-singer Lyle Lovett.

"I love writing my solo compositions for films," Sirotich said. "It gets my creativity flowing. That's a niche I needed to explore more."

A Buffalo, N.Y., transplant, Sirotich became a lover of the ivories at age 7. His nickname, taken from that of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, Wally Gator, has been his trademark since he began performing on the Sarasota and Longboat Key bar and restaurant circuit. During the slow seasons, Sirotich retreats to his home studio, records sessions and posts albums, like his most recent, "Circle of Love," online.
Throughout Sirotich's career, he has shared the stage with Elliott Randall (who played on several Steely Dan albums), Dickey Betts, "Dangerous" Dan Toler, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, Bo Diddley, Odetta and Richie Havens. Sirotich also opened for Steppenwolf, the Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet, Toto and Jerry Jeff Walker.

"Most people, when they record these days, they record with full bands. What I'm doing now with my piano playing is getting back to the basics," Sirotich said. "It's working out well for me. That's where my heart is now."

Sirotich is currently booking gigs at Rum Bay Restaurant on Palm Island and now performing Wed through Sundays at the First Street Chop House Sarasota, Florida.  

For more information on Sirotich and his upcoming shows, visit http://www.gatermon.com. You can purchase Wally's songs or CDs on Itunes, or tunecore.

Thursday, December 24, 2009'Acoustic Visions' - Now Available on iTunes

The 'Acoustic Visions' audio CD is now available on iTunes:

Monday, December 14, 2009Check out the review of Linda Seeley's 'Full Moon' CD by Kathy Parsons. See link below. The CD was rated as a #1 pick!

'Full Moon' by Linda Seeley 2005 / Linda Seeley, 50.8 minutes “Full Moon” is Linda Seeley’s second solo piano release of original material and is another reminder of how many great pianist/composers are out there who have yet to be heard by a wide audience. Based in southern Wisconsin, Seeley is a music educator living on a 70-acre farm as well as an avid outdoors-person. Much of this music is inspired by nature and has a strong classical influence. Some of the music is quiet and soothing while other pieces are much bolder and more dynamic. I love the contrasting styles and the way they demonstrate Seeley’s range both as a composer and as a pianist. To say I’m impressed would be putting it mildly! “Full Moon” begins with “The Great Man,” a piece composed in honor of Seeley’s late father-in-law. Sometimes quietly reflective and sometimes bigger and more powerful, it’s a wonderful tribute to a beloved man. “The Magic of Nature” is much lighter and more joyful - almost dancing - and describes the many cycles of life; I really like this one! I also really like “Fireflies and Fairies,” a magical little piece that doesn’t have a care in the world. The light-hearted energy of the music is infectious. My favorite track is a fascinating piece called “Esox.” Named for a mighty muskellunge, “the king of freshwater fish. They are a ferocious predator and very hard to catch.” The piece begins very gracefully and reminds me of watching a large fish swimming peacefully and slowly. Then the theme changes to a much more dramatic style that is also more discordant and dark and causes a similar gut reaction to hearing the theme from “Jaws.” The piece then returns to calm beauty and sparkling water. What a great musical storyteller Seeley is! “Soulmates” is a gorgeous love song - passionate and from the heart. Another musical story is found in “Frozen Charmed Woodlot,” which describes an event that happens every fall where the lush woods become leafless and frost begins to form. That’s apparently also the best time to hunt bucks, so the piece is a combination of a peaceful frozen landscape and the thrill of the hunt. “Making Ice” sparkles and dances all over piano, creating a picture of bone-chilling cold and stark beauty. “Sunflower” warms things back up with a lovely grace. The title track is very dark and mysterious yet magical and full of life - another favorite! “Full Moon” obviously isn’t a new release, but it certainly bears checking out! It is available from www.seeleys.biz, Amazon, CD Baby, and iTunes. Very highly recommended! Kathy Parsons http://www.mainlypiano.com/ 12/12/09 http://www.mainlypiano.com/Artist_Pages/Linda_Seeley.html

Saturday, December 5, 2009John Albert Thomas releases Zuzu's Petals

This third release features 11 original piano works depicting the life of little girls, including lullabies, dances, fairy tales, and flowers.

While composing the music for my new piano CD, my little girls would dress up in their princess costumes, pull up the entry rug, and dance together on the tile floor. It was pure, it was innocent, it was fun!

It reminded me of a scene in the famous Jimmy Stewart movie, It’s A Wonderful Life, where little Zuzu explained to her Daddy why she didn’t wear her coat in the rain–to protect her precious flower petals. To her they were so precious that she did whatever it took to protect them from damage. Later in the movie, they became a reminder to show Daddy what was REALLY important in life.

This album is about innocence and purity. It’s about flowers, dancing, fairy tales, and just about everything else little girls dream about. Those are Zuzu’s petals.

Zuzu's Petals is available for purchase at the following websites:
http://johnalbertthomas.bandcamp.com
http://johnalbertthomas.com

Tuesday, December 1, 2009GP Walsh's Newest Release

GP Walsh has released a new solo piano album entitled 'Emptiness Dances' which contains 15 new original pieces performed by the composer. It is truly an accomplishment when an artist can both relax you and engage you at the same time. This is exactly what Mr Walsh has accomplished. Almost 50 minutes of piano mastery to accompany your life.
The album is available for purchase at http://gpwalshmusic.com/latest-releases.php