cafe idly @ bangalore: February 2011

Monday, February 21, 2011

Yanni Releases new Album "Truth of Touch"

WATCH YANNI live at the TAJ

Yanni's "Truth of Touch" Album Review

By: Markos Papadatos.

Acclaimed composer and world-renowned pianist, Yanni, released his latest album "Truth of Touch" on Feb. 8, 2011. This is Yanni's sixteenth studio album, and he arranged, wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks.

Throughout his illustrious career in music, Yanni has sold over twenty million records, and has garnered two Grammy nominations for his "Dare to Dream" and "In My Time" records; moreover, his 1994 "Yanni Live at the Acropolis" concert, which was seen by half a billion viewers in over sixty countries, is considered to be among the top PBS fundraisers of all time.

Particularly impressive about this album is that it emerged from Yanni's experimenting and playing in his Miami recording studio. The end result is a fresh new sound to Yanni's music, with less live orchestration, yet more rhythms and catchy melodies. With its stellar opening song, the title track, Yanni is able to take his listeners on a journey, transporting them to alternative realms.

Equally promising tracks include "Flash of Color," "Vertigo," "Can't Wait," "Secret" and "Mist of a Kiss." On the operatic and soulful "O Luce Che Brilla Nell' Oscurita," Yanni collaborates with gifted vocalist Nathan Pacheco. "Can't Wait," which contains elements of gospel music, features Kentucky native Leslie Mills on vocals; while the jazzy "Yanni and Arturo" represents a soaring collaboration with veteran Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval. "Secret," featuring Chloe Lowery on lead vocals, is a soothing and hypnotic track with which he closes his album, leaving audiences yearning for more.

All three guest vocalists, Pacheco, Mills and Lowery, re-unite with Yanni on "Truth of Touch," after previously working with him on his 2009 Yanni Voices record.

In summation, Yanni's newest album "Truth of Touch" is an eclectic fifteen-track masterpiece. It is a substantial indication that Yanni's contemporary instrumental music is like fine Greek wine; he only gets better with each release. Yanni's "Truth of Touch" may very well be every Greek-American's "guilty pleasure."

Yanni is slated to embark on a forty-city North American tour in Spring of 2011, including leading venues such as New York's Radio City Music Hall, as well as Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. For more information on Yanni, his music, and his upcoming North American tour, please visit his official website: www.yanni.com.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Have you got the BLues????

Above: Blues Legend BUDDY GUY Live in Mumbai 2011

Like Rock and roll, heavy metal music, hip hop music, reggae, country music, and pop music, blues has been accused of being the "devil's music" and of inciting violence and other poor behavior. In the early 20th century, the blues was considered disreputable, especially as white audiences began listening to the blues during the 1920s.

Blues is a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads.

Some of the well known bands or artists that have a strong blues flavor are Eric Clapton, Lenny kravitz, Santana, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, John Mayer trio, Johnny Cash, The White Stripes, Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Rolling Stones and Miles Davis.

Many of Led Zeppelin's earlier hits were renditions of traditional blues songs.

One blues rock performer, Jimi Hendrix, was a rarity in his field at the time: a black man who played psychedelic rock. Through these artists and others, blues music influenced the development of rock. Prominent jazz, folk or rock performers, such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Bob Dylan have performed significant blues recordings.

Most forms of modern music and artists that we listen today have an influence or have a strain of blues to them. Some of the Most Popular Blues artists are B.B king, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, "T-Bone" Walker.

Have you listened to a song that is real bluesy? Please do let us know.

Till then keep rockin, err Happy bluein....

Source: Wikipedia.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Best Selling Musicians of All Time : Really????

Have you ever wondered why the Greatest Musicians of all time are called Great in the first place???

Is it because of their talent, voice, skill or is there something more? You bet if they couldn't sell their music to a lot of People you and I would'nt be even talking about them. While Music undoubtedly is a central aspect of the who they are, it is the little nuances and intricacies in their whole approach to life that add a different dimension to their persona and creates that aura around them which eventually lead to album sales - yes the all important moolah!!!!

While there are thousands of talented music artists around, the following list made it really big and there is something unique about each one of them other than the music.

What sets them apart? You let us know:

The Beatles:

Genre:Pop, rock Claimed Sales: 1 billion