Afternoon Journeys with Al Conti

We all have our unique body timing. For me, it seems that at 2:20 each day, my eyes wander to the clock and I know its time to have tea and refresh my mind. Music is a wonderful way to reawaken one's mind, especially if it's upbeat yet not disturbing to your coworkers.

That said, I'm glad to have discovered the music of award-winning composer Al Conti, after he won a Best of 2010 Award from Amazon.com. His music is an upbeat hybrid of new age, world and contemporary instrumental with backstory that takes one to the land of the vikings (Northern Seas) or the Middle East (Scheherazade).

One can easily stream previews of Al's four albums on his website, or purchase CD or downloads from Amazon.com, where it is noted that people who bought his music also bought Enya, Yanni, Gandalf and Bill Leslie...good company to be in. Signing up for the Quarterly newsletter earns you a free download, too.

Appropriately, Northern Seas has been submitted to the 54th Annual GRAMMY(R)Awards for 2011 (Best Album: New Age); I wish this talented composer the very best of luck!

Follow Al's progress on composing and recording his forthcoming album at: http://alconti.blogspot.com/

Website: http://alconti.net/northern.html#
Amazone: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VI0F4O/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Twitter: @al_conti

Painting in Sound with Heidi Anne Breyer

Heidi Anne Breyer, who won Zone Music Reporter’s Best Instrumental Piano Album 2010 and Best New Artist of 2010, has signed a distribution agreement with New Leaf Distributing, to begin this Fall. She also announced the recording of a new album, due out this winter, and a forthcoming DVD collection of relaxing music videos.

The new album, Breyer says, promises an introspective view of the artist’s life, combined with a passionate perspective on her adopted country, the United States. Central to that theme is the ever-evolving piece “American Gothic,” which Breyer debuted on her initial album release, Winter Light. The new album will be produced with GRAMMY® Award winning Producer and Engineer Corin Nelsen of SynchroSonic Productions Inc. in Maine.

Another Place and Time garnered across-the-board critical acclaim and won Breyer the aforementioned ZMR honor, which is decided largely by airplay and the votes radio DJs. Recorded and produced by Grammy®-Award winning producer Will Ackerman at his Imaginary Road Studios, Another Place and Time is a collection of Breyer’s original compositions with haunting melodies and vocals that reflect upon the most intimate moments of our lives. In addition to piano and vocals by Breyer, Another Place and Time features several of today’s finest musicians including cellist Eugene Friesen, Charles Bisharat on violin, Jeff Oster on flugelhorn, Jill Haley on English horn and turns on guitar by both Will Ackerman and David Cullen.

In describing Breyer’s first two albums, respected music reviewers like Kathy Parsons, Bill Binkelman, RJ Lannan, and Michael Debbage have used phrases like “haunting,” “powerful and evocative,” and “a stunning contemporary piano album.” Breyer’s work as a musician, vocalist, lyricist and composer often reflects the art and poetry that inspires her, whether it be the introspective paintings of Alexander Volkov or the poignant poetry of Maricet Delaney or Mary Oliver. In fact, Volkov's paintings were the inspiration for various pieces on Another Place and Time, leading to a series of 12 music videos, soon to be available as a collection on DVD.

Click thru to read the full story...http://www.prweb.com/releases/HeidiAnneBreyer/2011/prweb8728017.htm