Live Concert by Joan Sánchez Presents a Romantic Option for Valentine's Day 2022

A CONCERT IN YOUR HOME: Enjoy Joan Sánchez & Iratxe Ibaibarriaga, from Barcelona to your Big Screen

Joan (aka Juan to fans in the U.K. and U.S.) Sánchez is a classically-trained musician who enjoys experimenting with emotive expression through ambient and electronic music, painting musical worlds of twilight and sweet melancholy, often precise, unforgettable and elegant. The music understands our personal concerns and helps to dissipate any tension, allowing a sense of comfort to surround and protect our spirit.

Sánchez gave a rare live concert on Friday, January 21, 2022 at 8 pm for a small live audience in the Rosazul Studio in Barcelona, Spain. The ticketed event was also live streamed worldwide thanks to a flawless two-camera production by ElSusurro.com, and runs just under 54 minutes in length. The contemplative nature of the music, the candlelit atmosphere, and lack of dialogue make it a likely favorite for casting to “the big screen” to set a romantic atmosphere at home.

We see the two musicians, Sánchez seated at a black piano with rows of small white candles, and cellist Iratxe Ibaibarriaga, elegantly dressed in black and seated throughout the performance. Ms. Ibaibarriaga plays on many of the selections, alternating with Juan playing solo piano. This review highlights just a few tracks from the concert set list of 11-songs, fan favorites chosen from across Sánchez’ three albums released in recent years.

The first selection, "Piga al Cel" (performed on Piano & Cello) is from the artist’s new album TOUCH & SOUND. The name of the song comes from a Catalan language expression that in English means “freckle in the sky.” Juan shares in an earlier interview, "This is how my sister as a child used to describe the moon, she said that the moon was a freckle in the sky. I always found this description of the moon so sweet and tender that I wanted to write a song about it."

"Very Young Old Man" (on Piano) from Sánchez’ second album NOW THE SILENCE pays tribute to the man who shaped Sánchez's view on the piano and music in general; piano teacher Enric Torra Pòrtulas. “I was 20 years old and he was 80 years old. I was amazed, as I'd never seen so much energy and enthusiasm in a person of his age. He loved teaching piano; anyone could see that immediately. He was a Very Young Old Man."

The word Ataraxia refers to the total absence of desires or fears, achieving mental peace and happiness by controlling positive and negative emotions, a state of mind that is characterized by tranquility and the total absence of desires or fears. The concept of ataraxia is to achieve mental peace and happiness impossible to alter by controlling positive and negative emotions, "Ataraxia" (on Piano & Cello) from the album TOUCH & SOUND.

The term "Paralian" comes from ancient Greek origins, meaning "one who lives by the sea.” "Paralian" (Piano & Cello) from the album TOUCH & SOUND, "There are a million and one things I take for granted in my life, and living within 10 minutes of the Mediterranean sea is definitely one of them. There’s nothing quite like being able to pop down to the beach in a heartbeat whenever you need it. Because of this, I think it’s one of the best places to go to feel closer to nature and connect with the planet, more so than anywhere else." 

Listening to the music of Juan Sánchez is haunting and profound; sometimes the story is difficult, there is a beauty in the hesitant searching for words, and then cascading ideas tumble forth, a visitation from a blurred face, passions remembered and lost, the warm sunshine and awkward moments meeting new friends for the first time, and always, the quietude that  endures. Sánchez’ cinematic songs inspire filmic moments in listeners’ minds.

Watching Sánchez perform these original pieces in concert reminds us that there is a person behind the magic moments he creates for us. Calm and confident, Sánchez plays effortlessly throughout the concert, eyes closed, head bowed as if in meditation, and then he is present again, transitioning smoothly between solo performances and duets with Ms. Ibaibarriaga. His earlier life experience as a performing musician is evident in his comfort at the piano, and in the generous interplay with his fellow performer on cello.  The candlelight concert concludes with the title track from his debut album, “Rebirth.” 

At the end of the livestream, as the performers stood for applause, Sánchez addressed his live audience in his native Catalan language, a charming reminder that we’ve enjoyed an intimate moment in this elusive artist’s life from across the world.  Hopefully, such performances by Sánchez will be less rare as the world opens up again.

Where to Watch: 

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/669108816/8763f69c07            

YouTube: https://youtu.be/LDVnDnxBGsg 

Perfect for fans of: Ludovico Einaudi, Max Richter, Fiona Joy Hawkins, Lindsey Stirling

Five Stars *****

CONCERT SET LIST

• Piga al Cel (Piano & Cello) from the album TOUCH & SOUND
• Very Young Old Man (Piano) from the album NOW THE SILENCE
• Ataraxia (Piano & Cello) from the album TOUCH & SOUND
• Woolgathering (Piano) from the album NOW THE SILENCE
• Paralian (Piano & Cello) from the album TOUCH & SOUND
• Beautiful Rose (Piano) from the album REBIRTH
• When Daybreak Comes (Piano & Cello) from the album TOUCH & SOUND
• November 2021 (Piano)
• Now The Silence (Piano) from the album NOW THE SILENCE
• Those Fridays (Piano & Cello) from the album TOUCH & SOUND
• Immersion (Piano) from the album TOUCH & SOUND
• Rebirth (Piano) from the album REBIRTH

All links to music, information and media are available at www.juansanchezmusic.info

                                                

Video: https://vimeo.com/669108816/8763f69c07

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MUSIC REVIEW: The Silence of Grace

New Sounds by Music Pioneers Deborah Martin & Jill Haley 

https://orcd.co/the-silence-of-grace

https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/the-silence-of-grace/ 

Electronic and acoustic instrumental music of inspirational calm and great beauty. The Silence of Grace combines the electronic music of Deborah Martin with Jill Haley’s oboe and English horn. There’s something very magical about the serenity of nature, and Jill has connected her music with the spirit of the wilderness. Deborah Martin’s passion is to visualize and create music that takes each listener on a journey through time and space. Each track contains the synergy of the woodwinds and electronics, interpreting the peace that can be experienced in natural settings, such as forests, parks and by waterways. 

This flowing and beautiful soundscape is filled with opportunities for adventure. The music I hear on this album represents to me the adoration of the Earth, seeking an  understanding of natural phenomena, and finding commonalities between all living things, things that are best studied as a whole. Seeking to understand how the world and universe around us works. This laboratory is alive. Jill brings the light while Deborah brings the love of mystery, and the combination of these two amazing musicians (stargazers, ambassadors from another time) is magical to behold.

Grace has confidence. Nature sometimes has a way of slowing life down, presenting a complicated system of causes, allowing the inquisitive to discover common patterns. Mother Earth has her own agenda, perhaps seen in the beautiful nighttime and early morning light. "The Silence of Grace" (6:54) is filled with passion, dreams, and magic, recalling spacious skies and mountain majesties, expressing theories of divine natural forms, there is almost nothing to compare to it.

Hues change by time of day and season, wrinkles in the earth’s crust are actually mountains that wear the dawn like "Indian Heaven" (6:52), revealing an immensely intense feeling of a state of love, peace and joy, celestial electronics and deep confident cadences, hand percussion and a quiet reverence for the mysteries of life and death.

Rugged and remote, "Verdant Sanctuary" (5:01) invites the listener to meander further into the wilderness, to discover ancient trees and dramatic cave formations which appear with mirage-like effects. I hear chimes and swirling electronics joined with an oboe to create a tone poem, describing a forest filled with life, a vast roadless wilderness. Hidden seeds contain future forms, which are responsible for the reproduction and growth of succeeding life forms, listen to the tiny DNA ribbons of color. Our sacred earth sometimes begets butterflies!

The wild character of these sound regions is due, in part, to their sheer size. The water continues to flow, solitude is one of the many assets held in the woodlands. Allow yourself to be mesmerized by the greenest mountains, and the flora and fauna found in the ground and the water, a gaunt beauty and place of profound quiet. "The Stillness of Forest Bathing" (6:20) is expressed with the sound of cosmic radiation that gives way to the calm glory of solitary interaction with nature, providing the spirits of the land a chance to shine their light directly on you.

Fog lies like a soft white blanket on the indescribable ghostliness, hundreds of miles of pure snow-covered rocks and virgin lakes and high timber. Find yourself in a stunning place, a place buffered from change, and give yourself a reminder that you are a part of this magical world. "Fountains" (6:06) bring tingling droplets of water in motion lifted by complex layers of weaving instruments and air, filled with cascading melodic breezes.

The beauty that surrounds the Earth is both grand and subtle, come to the edge and look outward, explore with your ears a different walking path today, seek out that rugged vista, the river and its tributaries, and the wind calling, feeling as if you have found the very edge of the world, embarking on adventures that no one has before. "Earth Stone Water Sky" (4:06) evokes the beauty of the calm water, the light on the mountains, and mysterious elements containing light, whispers, and time.

The whole valley, as far as the eye can reach, is full of trails of smoke, curling up from its fissured floor. What I hear is a hot pulsing didgeridoo, a primitive dancing engine, joined by hand percussion as the woodwind breezes swirl overhead, electronics flow throughout until they transform into ascending spirits that trickle down as gentle droplets, almost like rain. It seems as if time has dropped away a million years and we are back in a primordial world, in the pouring rain, "From Fire Into Water" (6:36).

Time is a river flowing beyond the reach of the quietus, preserving the wild beauty and deep history that extends over the reach of humans, with perpetual cycles of precipitation, evaporation, run off, and infiltration. Water is like many mobile beings, bodies in motion, rising into the air to peacefully soar on the wind in a frolic. "Water Flows of Clouds and Thunder" (7:32) depicts dark winds gathering power, and then becomes a sparkling celebration of motion, as a delicate harp emerges to join the airborne dance. What I hear gives me an indescribable sense of a mysterious elsewhere, a vivid glow that illuminates the clouds and its plume, revealing a cloud-cloaked landscape, hanging pinnacled in midheaven, sometimes you can’t really see it clearly while you are there. The beauty is, in its starkness, something that seems worlds away. Humans and nature have lived together for thousands and thousands of years. Each natural object was carefully placed as if Mother Nature had a specific outcome in mind. A safe place is where someone can feel relaxed and find peace. 

Deborah Martin is known for her mastery of subtlety and the essence of understatement, creating richly textured and highly emotive musical sojourns that always takes the listener on a journey. Some of her recent works include Hemispherica Portalis (a collaboration with Dean De Benedictis); Eye Of The Wizard; Under The Moon; Deep Roots, Hidden Water; Between Worlds (a collaboration with Erik Wøllo); Anno Domini (a collaboration with J. Arif Verner); Tibet (a collaboration with Madhavi Devi); and Ancient Power (a collaboration with Steve Gordon).

Jill Haley is an oboist, English horn player, pianist and composer who visits National Parks in the United States, often as an Artist in Residence, and composes music about the Park while living there. Some of these parks include Montana’s Glacier National Park; Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado; Badlands National Park, South Dakota; Wrangell/St. Elias National Park, Alaska; Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico; and Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. Her catalog includes The Canyons and Mesas of Bandelier, The Winds of Badlands, Zion and Bryce Canyon Soundscapes, Glacier Soundscapes, The Waters of Glacier, Mesa Verde Soundscapes, and National Park Soundscapes. 

Being outdoors and connecting with Mother Nature is probably as close to heaven as you can possibly get on this Earth. Find the place that you are surrounded by, the place which makes you feel most alive. Treat yourself to a musical nature walk. The views for your ears are spectacular! Experience the surreal musical tranquility of The Silence of Grace. Just sit and take it in with your headphones and observe the beauty.  

TRACKLIST
1 The Silence of Grace
2 Indian Heaven
3 Verdant Sanctuary
4 The Stillness of Forest Bathing
5 Fountains
6 Earth Stone Water Sky
7 From Fire Into Water
8 Water Flows of Clouds and Thunder

ENJOY A SAMPLE & PEEK INSIDE THE PACKAGE!

GIFT IT FOR MOTHER's DAY!

https://orcd.co/the-silence-of-grace

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And also on BANDCAMP! 

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Music Review

Longitudes and Latitudes: Laid-back, World Class Guitar

New age guitarist Lawrence Blatt displays his mastery of the genre he represents with his new album Longitudes and Latitudes.  As the title implies, the fifteen tracks on this record will take you on a tour around the world.  Recorded at Imaginary Road Studios and produced by new age genius Will Ackerman, this album holds five years of storytelling and passion straight from Lawrence’s heart.

On an Imaginary Road...

Right out of the gate, “Two Shades of Sunshine” makes you feel like you’re sitting on a warm terrace in Hawaii.  The song is rife with contemporary rhythm and Blatt’s distinctive finger-picking guitar tunes. The mood slows down a notch over the next few tracks until stepping it back up on “Open Fields and Running Water” in which he picks the groove back up and introduces new beats and a layering of different, subtle sounds. It is a tastefully done sonic interpretation of the city of Huangshan, China. 

“Morning In Beerse” transports you into a sun-filled room in Belgium. It’s truly an anthem for those lazy, languid mornings. The next track “Upon Griffy Lake” pays homage to Blatt’s roots growing up in Indiana. The soft female vocals add a dreamy vibe to the already calming tune.  

Lawrence Blatt, guitarist & composer

He really kicks up the mood with my favorite track “Noches De Barcelona.” It’s a passionate, upbeat track that makes me envision couples swaying in the balmy moonlight. The violin work is truly romantic.

Longitudes and Latitudes is laid-back and full of class, the ideal album for all those world travelers out there.  

Listen at www.LawrenceBlatt.com 

 - Samantha G.

Fiona's Brush-Stroke Reviews

On Eagle Mountain by Todd Mosby

I chose to review this album for two reasons.  Firstly because I love it.  Secondly because while I was in transit from Sydney to LA I watched an awesome movie called Eddie the Eagle – which I also loved and I felt the eagle reference was a sign of semantics to write about Todd’s really stunning guitar album titled On Eagle Mountain.

Produced by the team at Imaginary Road Studios (Will Ackerman & Tom Eaton) this album couldn’t miss.  Not just because of the great people and production but because Todd has his own unique defining style that sets him apart.

As I listen I feel transported to another place, but more than that, I’m drawn into Todd’s world, a clever and well constructed world where I can choose to stay on the surface and listen to his music in an ambient way, or I can concentrate and find depth way beyond the definition of ‘ambient’.  A wonderful combination and most artists cannot achieve both attributes at the same time.  I believe it takes a sense of trust in the artist that they will lead you somewhere – in both instances.

In art-speak I would liken Todd Mosby’s album On Eagle Mountain to French painter, printmaker and ‘intimist’  Pierre Bonnard who was able to capture the spirit of the moment by playing with light and decorative surfaces using impressionist techniques.  He was not interested in obscure symbolist subject matter and was not a mystic. Instead, he was satisfied - even fascinated and delighted by the scenes of simple daily life around him into which, as observers, we are drawn.

Excellent work.  A cut above. 

                                                                                              - Fiona Joy

*Fiona Joy is a composer/pianist/producer/vocalist...and painter. View her work here.

Going Beyond Mainstream Music

ZMR Continues A Tradition of Drawing Top New Age, World, Ambient and Electronica Artists to New Orleans...catch the ZMR Awards Tomorrow Night at The Joy Theater!

Deuter: Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016

Zone Music Reporter (aka ZMR) kicked off tonight at The Vacherie!  An impressive lineup of presenters and performers are scheduled for the weekend concert at The Joy Theatre in New Orleans, Saturday May 7, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. 

Fans of new age, world, ambient, solo piano and electronic music are in The Crescent City this weekend to celebrate the greatest artists in alternative instrumental music at the 12th Annual ZMR Music Awards.  A showcase for legendary and newer artists alike, this year’s ZMR Music Awards will feature performances by Darlene Koldenhoven, Erik Scott, Jennifer Zulli, Jonn Serrie, Louis Colaiannia, Paul Avgerinos, Robin Spielberg, Ron Korb and Terra Guitarra. Biographies of the performers can be seen at http://www.zonemusicreporter.com/admin/performers.asp 

The evening’s highlight will be honoring German born, Santa Fe based composer and multi-instrumentalist Deuter for his groundbreaking career, which began with the release of his debut album D in 1971 and has included over 60 recordings. He is known for his meditative style which blends elements of Eastern and Western music, as well as his mastery of a multitude of ethnic instruments and continued exploration of new frequencies and resonances. 

“One thing that is important for me is that I love dancing on the edge of the unknown- to play around and open doors I haven’t walked through before,” Deuter says. It is this very outlook that has kept him at the forefront of musical evolution for over four decades. Over the years, he has released albums with Kuckuck Schallplatten, Higher Octave Music, Celestial Harmonies and New Earth Records. His most recent albums including the compilation Eternity, an album of nature sounds he recorded himself and his newest releases Mystic Voyage, Reiki Hands of Love and Illumination of the Heart, all released in 2015.

David Arkenstone and your's truly, 2014.

The show will be hosted by renowned music writers RJ Lannan and Bill Binkelman, with Award Presentations by Steven Halpern, Jennifer DeFrayne, Tom Carleno, Ricky Kej, Ann Sweeten, Erik Scott, and Candice Michelle. In addition to the performers and presenters, popular artists – many of whom are also nominees -- confirmed to attend include Fiona Joy, Get Tribal, Hans Christian, Andy Mitran, Al Jewer, Lisa Downing, Wouter Kellerman, Jeff Oster, Neil Tatar, Kori Carothers, Josie Quick, Bruce Hecksel, Bob Ardern, Sensitive Chaos, Jeff Pearce, David Nevue, Paul Speer, Barbara Hills, Catherine Marie Charlton, Cathy McIntyre Oakes, Jim Combs, and more, providing a great opportunity for fans, artists, and broadcasters alike to meet and mingle.

Open to the public, the event welcomes music lovers from across the globe, as well as local residents preferring quieter vibes following the city’s famous Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest events. One of the best-priced concerts of its kind, the show includes hours of live performances by myriad ZMR and GRAMMY® award-winning artists, with the awards presentations in between acts. 

Will Ackerman (Windham Hill/Imaginary Road)
 & friends performing in recent years. 

With the continuous growth of the small, privately owned ZMR Music Chart & Awards, several exciting satellite shows are scheduled around town on the nights leading up to the event. Renowned electronic guitarist Jeff Pearce performs an intimate FREE show at Pete’s Pub at the Intercontinental Hotel on Friday, May 6 at 11 p.m. Electronic artists Sensitive Chaos, allthecolorsofthedark with Mark Louque and Proud Father will play on Thursday, May 5 at the Mudlark Public Theatre at 9 p.m.

The ZMR Music Awards are a hugely popular event amongst music industry professionals. A great many recording artists, performers, radio promoters, producers and a slew of industry executives travel from all corners of the globe to attend the weekend-long celebration, which has joined with InterContinental New Orleans as its official hotel partner this year. 

The 2015 event was an overwhelming success, turning into a four-day triumph, and this year promises to be bigger and brighter than ever, with multiple networking and social events rounding out the weekend. For over a decade, Zone Music Reporter has been establishing itself as the premier resource for the best in New Age, World, Electronic/Ambient and Instrumental music. New Orleans’ Joy Theater has become the spiritual home of the yearly ZMR Music Awards. 

Peter Kater (Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree, 2015) & Tina Malia

Winners will be announced live in New Orleans on May 7, 2016; the awards are interspersed with live concert performances, beginning at 7:00pm. There are thirteen categories voted on by Radio Programmers and DJs this year, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Piano Solo, Best Acoustic, Best Ambient, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Best Chill/Groove Album, Best Electronic Album, Best World Album, and many more. For a complete list of categories and nominees, please visit Zone Music Reporter. A sampling of performances from recent ZMR Award Shows can be viewed here on YouTube. 


Follow the ZMR Awards on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ZMRAwards