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GRAMMY NOMINATED PIANIST DAVID LANZ is a contemporary instrumental legend
whose deeply-felt compositions helped forge the New Age music movement over 20
years ago. Since then, countless fans around the world have embraced his music
which is infused with a passion and tranquility much sought after in the face of
today's world.
Born on June 28, 1950, Lanz started his performing career in his early teens
playing keyboards with his rock band
"The Towne Cryers". The Towne Cryers were a local hit and placed third in a
field of 300 bands at the 1965 Seattle Teen Fair. (See
Downloads for mp3's from The Towne Cryers)
From his young teens through his late 20s, the Seattle native was a rocker
with groups steeped in both classic covers and what he terms "Northwest
Instrumental Rock". The talented young musician honed his skills working with an
eclectic array of groups and recording projects, including playing keyboards on
Terry Jack's 1974 world wide smash hit "Seasons in the Sun" and recording one
album for Mercury Records with Canadian super-group BRAHMAN in 1971. (See
Downloads for mp3's from Brahman)
YEARS LATER IN THE 1980’s,
deftly playing blues and jazz in a piano bar, he "stumbled" onto a different
path.
"My friend, Dr. Larry Iverson, was leading a seminar and wanted some music to
illustrate the flow of energy through the centers of the body sometimes referred
to as chakras," Lanz says. "I was also interested in the healing qualities of
music and it's effect on body and soul, so I made a little tape of solo piano
for the seminar and just about everyone who heard it, to my utter surprise,
wanted a copy!"
"There was no musical style quite like it in those days," he says. "And it
certainly wasn't called New Age. I used the music I composed for this seminar as
the basis for my first solo piano album, HEARTSOUNDS."
1984’s HEARTSOUNDS helped launch Narada Records into the mainstream and led
Lanz into a chart-topping career which featured nine bestselling solo albums and
three popular collaborations with producer/rock guitarist Paul Speer--NATURAL
STATES, DESERT VISION, and BRIDGE OF DREAMS.
Lanz's solo recordings include the landmark CRISTOFORI'S DREAM (Number One on
Billboard's first adult alternative/new age chart for 27 weeks); NIGHTFALL,
SKYLINE FIREDANCE, RETURN TO THE HEART, CHRISTMAS EVE, BELOVED, SACRED ROAD, the
live recording AN EVENING WITH DAVID LANZ, and a variety of "Best of"
collections including The Ultimate David Lanz Narada Collection: ROMANTIC.
MUSIC PUBLISHING GIANT, HAL LEONARD, has
released over a dozen songbooks of David’s piano music, and in his instructional
piano video, THROUGH THE HANDS OF DAVID LANZ (1997), David reveals his versatile
style through discussions, demonstrations and performances of his beloved
melodies. The video includes complete performances of some of his most popular
songs.
On 1998's SONGS FROM AN ENGLISH GARDEN, Lanz paid homage to
many of his favorite classic 1960’s British Invasion bands, paving the way for
2010’s LIVERPOOL...RE-IMAGINING THE BEATLES.
The year 2000 brought David his first Grammy nomination for
the new age-orchestral rock event EAST OF THE MOON, produced by legendary rock
producer Hugh Padgham. (Sting, Phil Collins, Melissa Etheridge).
In 2002-2004, he set about FINDING PARADISE and THE GOOD LIFE
in the realm of smooth jazz, working with instrumental stars Dave Koz, David
Benoit, Peter White, Gregg Karukas, and Jeff Lorber.
IN 2005, DAVID LANZ AND WORLD FLUIST GARY
STROUTSOS created their first collaboration, SPIRIT ROMANCE, a recording
of elegantly-composed serenades for piano and flute. In 2007 they came together
again to create the moody Southwest inspired soundtrack for film maker Jan
Nickman’s, SACRED EARTH (originally titled LIVING TEMPLES) aired nationally on
PBS.
David’s brother, record producer, singer songwriter, and
multi-instrumentalist, Gary Lanz, stepped in as the producer/engineer for both
projects, as well as co-producing David’s solo piano recordings, SACRED ROAD
REVISITED (2006), A CUP OF MOONLIGHT (2007), and PAINTING THE SUN (2008)
"All the years I was playing rock while getting into jazz and classical music,
I had a feeling I might be destined for some success, and the fact that it came
in Contemporary Instrumental music was a wonderful surprise," he says. The most
fulfilling thing by far is meeting young musicians who get excited about making
music by hearing my own. I think back to how important my influences were as a
kid, and I feel blessed to play that role for others."
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