I received an email from a reader regarding a unique musician. I think it would be marvelous to highlight such talent here:
Hi,
Renowned Jordanian composer and pianist, ZADE has joined with 100 musicians from 40 nations to present “a message of peace to the world” in ZADE – One Night In Jordan: A Concert for Peace out on CD February 9th and to be released on DVD on March 9th.
ZADE’S cinematic music blending East and West draws inspiration from the anthems of the great film composers, his homeland’s natural beauty and the efforts of His Majesty the late King Hussein of Jordan to make peace in the Middle East.
The epic music event features musicians from around the world including; London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Voices Choir, virtuoso violinists Karen Briggs (Soul II Soul, Wynton Marsalis) and Grammy winner Charlie Bisharat (Elton John, Black-Eyed Peas), Ramon Stagnaro on Spanish guitar (Josh Groban, Shakira) and world music woodwind maestro Pedro Eustache (Paul McCartney and Don Henley) all performing ZADE’S uplifting compositions at one of the world’s largest remaining Roman Amphitheatres, built nearly 2,000 years ago.
I have advance copies of One Night In Jordan: A Concert for Peace for review. Below is a link to additional assets. Please let me know if you are interested in featuring ZADE.
Download (cover art, photos, bio and press release):
http://www.specialopsmedia.com/assets/Zade/Assets.zip
One Night In Jordan: A Concert for Peace Preorder Link:
http://zade.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=29054_29206
Zade’s official site:
http://www.zade.com
FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZADE/189051320768?ref=ts
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/zade_zdrecords
iLike:
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Zade
ZADE - One Night in Jordan: A Concert for Peace
Epic Music Event featuring Musicians from Around the World Performing in The Name of Peace at Historic Roman Amphitheatre to air on PBS in 2010.
Concert CD from ZD Records, Distributedby EMI,
to be released in the US on February 9th, 2010, followed by the DVD release.
LOS ANGELES – Named by the Washington Post as a "gorgeous pianist/composer/hunk," and recognized by The Washington Times as "Jordan’s leading Cultural Ambassador (who) dedicates his music to building bridges of peace and tolerance," the young Jordanian composer and pianist ZADE makes his television performance debut joined by one hundred musicians from 40 nations to present “a message of peace to the world” in ZADE – One Night In Jordan: A Concert for Peace airing as a PBS special in 2010. The CD and the DVD of the concert will be released in the US on February 9th, 2010, followed by an international tour by ZADE in Spring, 2010.
The composer’s epic cinematic music blending East and West draws inspiration from the anthems of the great film composers, his homeland’s natural beauty and the efforts of His Majesty the late King Hussein of Jordan to make peace in the Middle East. Recently, ZADE and some of the world’s finest musicians – including London’s renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Voices Choir, virtuoso violinists Karen Briggs (Soul II Soul, Wynton Marsalis) and Grammy winner Charlie Bisharat (Elton John, Black-Eyed Peas), Ramon Stagnaro on Spanish guitar (Josh Groban, Shakira) and world music woodwind maestro Pedro Eustache (Paul McCartney and Don Henley) traveled to Jordan to present an uplifting and majestic musical journey of ZADE’S compositions at one of the world’s largest remaining Roman Amphitheatres in the world, built nearly 2,000 years ago.
This monumental concert television event was filmed in HD, under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and dedicated in loving memory of His Majesty the late King Hussein of Jordan. It was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, ever concert staged in Jordan.
Following the live concert, ZADE was flooded with emails from Jordanian fans urging him to “tell the world that we want peace,” while thanking him for “giving us back the hope we have sometimes lost.”
While The Los Angeles Times noted that for ZADE, “making music and advocating world peace go hand in hand,” People Magazine lauded ZADE as a piano prodigy. No stranger to U.S. audiences, ZADE’s previous albums have spent months on the U.S. Billboard charts – beginning in 2003 with his self-titled debut – and his wild popularity in Jordan helped his albums reach No. 1 on the Jordanian Album Charts.
Music featured on ZADE – One Night in Jordan: A Concert For Peace includes original compositions that ZADE composed and produced ranging from his signature epic “Kingdom of Peace,” to the Latin inspired “Tango,” the energetic “Amman,” and the reflective “Santiago’s Dream,” inspired by the book “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.
America’s love affair with ZADE began in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Feeling that “terrorists have hijacked my religion,” ZADE began a humble grassroots effort to create a better understanding of his culture in the West by performing house concerts across America. Playing in people’s living rooms, churches, temples, schools, and hospitals, he toured non-stop from 2001 till 2005, performing an average of 200 nights a year and earning praise for his efforts to combat world polarization. These earnest community concerts for peace catapulted the artist onto the world stage, ZADE has performed before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, First Lady Laura Bush, and their Majesties Jordan’s King Abdullah and Queen Rania.
In 2005, ZADE established the ZADE Foundation for International Peace and Understanding, a U.S. non-profit organization helping musicians expand their role to become proactive peace builders and future community leaders. Under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, and with support from Berklee College of Music and Seeds of Peace, ZADE toured with musicians from around the world. Not only did the concerts feature artists from war-torn regions working together through music, but each stop of the tour included different cultural workshops in which band members were able to talk about their experiences growing up in their respective countries. The performances and workshops had a positive affect: a performance at a Washington, DC area synagogue prompted a new dialogue between the Muslim and Jewish communities in the area, the tour helped launch The Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance at Rice University, as well as the creation of The Peace Song Initiative in Detroit, MI.
ZADE studied Western and Middle Eastern music composition and piano
performance at Noor Al Hussein’s National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan and later continued his studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
ZADE – One Night in Jordan: A Concert for Peace features band members including John Robinson (Drums), Walter Rodriguez (Latin Percussion), Frank Crawford (Keyboards), Michael Thompson (Electric Guitar), John Peña (Bass Guitar), Gary Innes (Accordion), Lilit Khojayan (Qanoon), and Nasser Salameh (Middle Eastern percussion).
Executive Producers are Danny O’Donovan and Gustavo Sagastume; Producer: Danny O’Donovan; Associate Producer: Betsey Kamel; Director: Steve Purcell. A presentation of WLIW21 in association with WNET.ORG.
Cheers!
Becky
Well, I hope this one will bring our readers new musical discovery worth hearing and talking about .
Friday, February 5, 2010
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Killers Live in the Philippines
Wow January is going to be huge. The band The Killers will be here live in Manila!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Very Best of Enya
I am so excited about the collector's edition. I read from amazon that there is even a 12- inch vinyl.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Whatever It Takes and Somewhere In Between by Lifehouse(Unplugged)
Lifehouse may not be the band critics either love to bash or adore. But there is something in Jason Wade's songwriting that takes me deep. Here are two videos taken from VH-1 Unplugged from October 2007 .They don't label themselves as a Christian band because they feel it excludes people who are not Christians.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
New single from Lifehouse off New Album Out!
Yes folks. The band is back. And they are rocking more than ever. I heard the song "Halfway Gone" off the band's myspace page and what can I say? I like it. It has a bit of the old Lifehouse and the more experimental off the terrain of Snow Patrol there.
You can get more info here:http://www.myspace.com/lifehouse
Picture courtesy of the band's myspace page.
You can get more info here:http://www.myspace.com/lifehouse
Picture courtesy of the band's myspace page.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Masskara Festival 2009
The biggest event in my hometown is here. Sorry to be too lazy to mak a coverage. I work at night so there is no WAY I can be there. But for those who are curious...I will let you in for details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MassKara_Festival
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MassKara_Festival
Friday, September 25, 2009
Within Temptation: The Silent Force Tour
Sharon den Adel shines in this wonderful album as a lead vocalist. The Silent Force was released in 2004 . The band's operatic and black metal influences earned them cult following from around the globe. The Silent Force is very much recommended if you want your black metal ethereal and a truly grand listening experience.
Labels:
bands,
black metal,
dutch bands,
sharon den adel,
silent force,
within temptation
Monday, September 21, 2009
Labyrinthine Heart by Sleepthief Now Out
Long wait is over. The much awaited follow up to Dawnseeker is up for grabs. You can purchase the wonderful album Labyrinthine Heart at amazon.com. Don't forget to read the Interview I did for Justin Elswick, the man behind Sleepthief.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Vienna Teng-Inland Territory
Korean-American Vienna Teng still continues to weave wonderful tapestry of melodies in her latest offering Inland Territory under Zoe, Rounder records. The album is recorded over five months in four cities.
The Last Snow Fall opens with that sampled crackling sounds found in vinyl records. It is a gradual song embellish by oohs and ahhs amidst her sweet sounding voice.
White Light is an upbeat pop tune that comes to mind Vanessa Carlton's territory. The blues guitar works fine here along with the synthesizers. The lyrics deals with the push and pull of relationships.
Antebellum is opened by piano flourishes. Her legato is excellent. When she hits that high tender note, it is so exquisite that it makes you really want to open your heart and seize the day. This is the style she has been known for, starting with her previous albums and this is her strong point. The orchestral sweep is cinematic and she can really belt out a tune considering that she is a pianist.
Kansas has that waltzing tempo set about by the cymbals. There is a lounge bluesy feeling that predominates the entire song.
In Another Life Calls to mind that Mary Hopkins song in the 70s "Those Were the Days" with the snazzy brass ensemble and jaunty piano.
Grandmother Song is something totally new and different. Here she calls her live gang to perform the hand claps, the drums as well as the brass on the back up. You can hear people hooting throughout the entire song. You can tell that this has been recorded in a totally natural environment. The absence of her piano makes this song really different. But it works!
Stray Italian Greyhound is back to her territory of wonderful melodies and tinkling piano lines. Again, the introduction of the sweeping strings and walkabout tempo calls to mind those walks on the beach and lazy afternoons.
Augustine has that swirlling harmony of voices. The beat has that anticipation to it before hitting the beautiful climax of the song as she sings "ooohhh breaking down,". This is Vienna at her best.
No Gringo opens with a gentle tambourine. Solemn piano follows. Snare drums lead the verse into a breaking harmony . Again the presence of hand claps and orchestra makes the song a grand piece.
Watershed is a kind a gradual song that builds into an anthem.
Radio recaps Whitelight's upbeat spirit and the quirky atmosphere of Grandmother Song. Again the abundance of syncopated and poly rhythm makes it a slightly uneasy on the end.
St. Stephen's Cross closes this album.Again it's a nice slow tune . Something that you bring along when you walk in the park.
Vienna Teng has the versatility that can match Tori Amos' piano playing and a heavenly voice of Sarah Mclachlan. Fans and new ears will most like buy this album for it's overall chill out effect. But for those who appreciate beautiful music in terms of skill and artistry, this is also something for you. Though I'd say her previous efforts are those I gravitate more on, but hey nothing is wrong with an artist evolving and going on to new territories right?
The Last Snow Fall opens with that sampled crackling sounds found in vinyl records. It is a gradual song embellish by oohs and ahhs amidst her sweet sounding voice.
White Light is an upbeat pop tune that comes to mind Vanessa Carlton's territory. The blues guitar works fine here along with the synthesizers. The lyrics deals with the push and pull of relationships.
Antebellum is opened by piano flourishes. Her legato is excellent. When she hits that high tender note, it is so exquisite that it makes you really want to open your heart and seize the day. This is the style she has been known for, starting with her previous albums and this is her strong point. The orchestral sweep is cinematic and she can really belt out a tune considering that she is a pianist.
Kansas has that waltzing tempo set about by the cymbals. There is a lounge bluesy feeling that predominates the entire song.
In Another Life Calls to mind that Mary Hopkins song in the 70s "Those Were the Days" with the snazzy brass ensemble and jaunty piano.
Grandmother Song is something totally new and different. Here she calls her live gang to perform the hand claps, the drums as well as the brass on the back up. You can hear people hooting throughout the entire song. You can tell that this has been recorded in a totally natural environment. The absence of her piano makes this song really different. But it works!
Stray Italian Greyhound is back to her territory of wonderful melodies and tinkling piano lines. Again, the introduction of the sweeping strings and walkabout tempo calls to mind those walks on the beach and lazy afternoons.
Augustine has that swirlling harmony of voices. The beat has that anticipation to it before hitting the beautiful climax of the song as she sings "ooohhh breaking down,". This is Vienna at her best.
No Gringo opens with a gentle tambourine. Solemn piano follows. Snare drums lead the verse into a breaking harmony . Again the presence of hand claps and orchestra makes the song a grand piece.
Watershed is a kind a gradual song that builds into an anthem.
Radio recaps Whitelight's upbeat spirit and the quirky atmosphere of Grandmother Song. Again the abundance of syncopated and poly rhythm makes it a slightly uneasy on the end.
St. Stephen's Cross closes this album.Again it's a nice slow tune . Something that you bring along when you walk in the park.
Vienna Teng has the versatility that can match Tori Amos' piano playing and a heavenly voice of Sarah Mclachlan. Fans and new ears will most like buy this album for it's overall chill out effect. But for those who appreciate beautiful music in terms of skill and artistry, this is also something for you. Though I'd say her previous efforts are those I gravitate more on, but hey nothing is wrong with an artist evolving and going on to new territories right?
Labels:
albums,
Chillout,
Female Voices,
Inland Territory,
Piano players,
Vienna Teng
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Weird Products for Weird Buyers@ amazon.com
Are you a strange buyer? Do you adhere to what's conventional or do you go further. Some people buy it for kicks some buy it because they REALLY need it. Check this out and you might find what you want :)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Weird-World-Of/lm/R3V6BQ2PE4RV7T
http://www.amazon.com/The-Weird-World-Of/lm/R3V6BQ2PE4RV7T
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