Aquamarine By Al Jewer & Andy Mitran ft Hans Christian

 

Aquamarine

By

Al Jewer & Andy Mitran ft Hans Christian

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The luxurious tones of this brand new single by the well-known new age music partnership of Al Jewer & Andy Mitran is deeply palpable and also containing the lush energies of the supreme cellist Hans Christian, Aquamarine is sure to be a winner, but there is something quite moving in this latest release that frees the emotions to leave a sanctuary of peace, calm and serenity for the listener.

The combination of these three instrumentalists recently gave us Sapphire, another stunning reverie, so it is good to see this theme of musical interpretations of crystals continue and flourish, in a meditative and soothing way.

The gentleness of the opening is delightfully pleasing, utilising soft piano and flute to ease us into an incredible musical experience, the introduction of Christian adds a whole new layer to the composition, and his cello delivers a touch of classical toning to the overall structure of the arrangement, even the marimba played by Mitran has a calming touch to it.

Jewer’s comforting performance on flute is wonderfully lulling, and without doubt this is one of those singles you could leave on repeat and never get tired of, as such, this textured tapestry of tone and timbre will doubtlessly become a much desired moment of listening time from fans and followers alike, and a very big chart position must also be glistening on the horizon for Aquamarine by Al Jewer & Andy Mitran ft Hans Christian.

Roses' Garden By Louis Colaiannia

 

Roses' Garden

By

Louis Colaiannia

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Louis Colaiannia has become well known for his gentle piano performances and has indeed had many chart topping hits in both the album and singles charts, here today Louis releases a memory based composition called Roses' Garden, and in doing so has manifested one of his most artistic and well-crafted pieces of all time.

The single is of course a multi-instrumental delight, and has indeed captured the essence of a garden with consummate ease, but the use of light percussion, a tender flute sound and strings, all go to demonstrate a deeply spiritual offering, one bathed in the energies of beautifully layered past memories, and magical moments throughout many lineages.

For me, I enjoyed being in Roses' Garden, one could feel alone, yet still connected, one can almost smell the subtle scents of the flowers and the drifting loving touch that is a constant in this location, almost like being in the garden of talking flowers that Alice found after entering her looking glass.

Without doubt this has to be one of the most kind-hearted and affectionate compositions ever created by Colaiannia, and I feel that will be appreciated by fans and followers alike, and as such a huge hit could well be on the cards for Roses' Garden by Louis Colaiannia.

Swell! by Craigology

 

Swell!

By

Craigology

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

This presentation by artist Craigology is as sweet as a fresh summer day, as sultry as a hot August evening, and as smooth as a layer of silk drifting on the cadence of a light July breeze, by my aforementioned statement you can probably tell that this piece brought a smile to my face, as the single Swell drifts into the harbour of jazz, with the rhythmic hand of funk steadily on its shoulders.

The opening segment has a certain exploratory feel to its essence, one that soon flows into the open arms of a composition that is bathed in smooth jazz, and layered with a little funky beat that is so textured and tempting. Craigology’s performance on keyboards tells a similar tale; this may have started out as a more ambient construction, but after a few bars the energy and vibration of the offering turned the manifestation into something deeply rhythmic, with pulsing percussion, and full flowing keyboards.

There can be no doubt that Craigology has got the balance absolutely perfect in this his latest single, even the slight uplift on the almost rock styled ending was incredibly artistic, as such I can see Swell! By Craigology becoming a bit of a fan favourite, and it should be one that finds a most favourable position in the up and coming charts, which indeed would be Swell!

Letting Go By David Buchs

 

Letting Go

By

David Buchs

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

There is always time for something incredibly beautiful in your life, today I found that to be the case when I pressed play on this amazing new EP from David Buchs called Letting Go, something I have been doing a lot lately in all avenues of my life! Here on this brand new release David manifests something that is possibly transcendent and most certainly meditative.

Within this new release we have three of the most amazingly peace driven, soothing musical narratives you could ever wish for, I have now played this EP on repeat multiple times and have found great solace in its musical realms, the soft synths and keyboards matched symbiotically by a delightful cello create for me, one of the finest examples of cathartic music there is.

The opening piece is the title track and thus Letting Go is the pastiche of brilliance that is stunning, and one that paves the way for the classy two tracks that follow, the times I found myself replaying this piece from the start, I found that this is an addiction I am more than happy to give myself to, at times the opening progression reminded me of Llewellyn’s Journey To The Temple album in its slow moving narrative, one that drew upon an ageless motif to bring us a timeless reverie of tranquillity.

The middle offering from this EP is entitled The Spirit Within; here is a track that slowly crawls across the landscape of concern, and manifests a soft synth bed of serenity and calm to ease you, one could easily watch a sunrise in late autumn to this piece and feel every second of the love that fills the heart. The gentleness of this track has to be stated strongly, this segment is delightfully meditative, and the cello is equally delicate, the tender build and progression reminds me of some of the more haunting pieces composed by synth master Kevin Kendle.

I am so glad I can program my player to repeat as it’s extremely hard to leave this EP, to emphasise that statement the last delightful reverie is entitled Rest in My Love. For me this was a perfection that summed up the entirety of the project, the slightly more pronounced cello created for me a moment that drifted me back to a more classical motif, akin to the works of Vaughn Williams or in more recent times the works of composer Eric Whitacre. Regardless this was a sublime way with which to conclude the project, one that left me with tears of release and happiness in both eyes.

Letting Go by David Buchs is a stunning new release from the artist; in just three tracks he manifests moods, feelings, artistry and a meditative energy that others may struggle to achieve in triple that amount. Here is an EP of an extremely high standard, if you are contemplating working on yourself emotionally, or you are trying to bring a sanctuary of cathartic moods into your life, then without a shadow of a doubt I would recommend Letting Go by David Buchs, this is the EP that fans of new age music have been waiting decades for. 

Ancient World By David De Michele

 

Ancient World

By

David De Michele

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Speaking with my musician’s hat on, it is sometimes good to spread your wings and try something different, and on Ancient World David De Michele the artist most certainly does that, whilst retaining some of the core components of space David along the way, on this new release which is a veritable configuration of both new age with Celtic motifs.

This eight track collection of perfectly produced music starts with an illuminating first offering entitled Forest Whispers, a charming scene setting opus that takes us right there in the ever green woodlands, a place I have always called home. A tentative and sensitive opening builds perfectly, and added to this cornucopia of new age delights, the artist adds some of the cleanest and most crisp vocals to enhance the composition even further.

The main body of any album is usually the title track, and here on Ancient World we have a dramatic yet textured arrangement that contains a moving backdrop of synths and sounds, one that literally hovers through the aforementioned forest like mist on a late autumn afternoon. The intensity, build and progression on keyboards here is something to behold.

The journey continues with Beyond the Ruins, a piece that contains an onward sense of movement and fluency, a musical journey literally brought to life. The soft pastiche of synths and steady keyboard work symbiotically laced with ethereal vocalisations, gifts us an arrangement completely bathed in the ancient energies of past civilisations themselves.

On our journey we have seen and heard many things, here on Call of the Ancients, we hear the sound of distant voices and horns, in an anticipatory moment of musical magic, that in its early inception reminded me of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds opening forays, the build-up, dramatic overtones entwined with expectancy, would allow me to say without doubt that this offering would be my personal favourite from the album.

In all its glory this next track explores the oneness and balance of humanity and nature and respect, something that is all too rare these days. Celebration is just that, an uplifting narrative that floats on the winds of the eons with utter ease. Whilst to my happiness a sound of a storm starts the next piece called Enchanted Forest, this splendid piece contains a multitude of varied keyboard works and a beautiful Celtic styled vocal, to enhance the vista of this gigantic forest and all in it that surrounds us now.

We have arrived at a doorway in an a huge tree that has stood for many ages, and as we creak open its entrance we hear the penultimate offering of the album entitled Isles in the Mist. Light flute sounds, combined with harp lead our way through this passage of time and timbre; this is a classic new age styled offering that would have gone down so wonderfully in the early part of this century, in a genre that is once again making a massive comeback.

We can now conclude the album with the final offering entitled The Journey Home. Once more David utilises the superior vocals and harp sounds, to manifest a pitch perfect ending to the release, in this final manifestation we feel utterly wonderful, textured keyboard motifs and blissfully layered synths, all cumulate to create one of the finest concluding pieces that the artist has ever created.

Ancient World by David De Michele is a step in a direction that the artist will be more than happy he embraced, he has moved solidly to the natural world, in a vast green woodland, and produced a new age styled collection of splendid music that could well define a dualistic voyage of direction for the composer and his future, this is a very classy release, one that needs to be enjoyed by all who truly appreciate truly good full flowing music.

New World By Matias Bacoñsky

 

New World

By

Matias Bacoñsky

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Matias Bacoñsky is an accomplished pianist and composer, one that has been on my musical radar for some 9 years now, but lately we have been on a journey of dystopic proportions in a musical voyage which has cumulated in an album in 2025 called New World, and it is this road we must now travel.

This is an amazing story from the musician and composer, and many of the tracks upon this stunning work have been released as singles, and it would be easy to recount the entire tale of mystery and imagination to you, but I firmly believe this is something each listener should personally invest themselves into overtime, the opening piece is a startling reverie that may well entice you and called Retrouvailles, a veritable power play of a piece that features the vocals of Munay Anaya.

New World is a 10 track release that could well be made into a television series with ease, and pieces like the popular Together Again, a single from 2023, give us a combined effort a depiction of musical reunification, in a beautiful flowing musical narrative, whilst offerings like Hope featuring the vocal skill sets of Marcela Bovio, only go to emphasize just what a classy album this is from Bacoñsky, the operatic elevation here raises the energies and optimism of the arrangement and story.

The next musical offering Rise Again is one that I think could have words written for it and made into a hit single it is that good, the original piece was released back in 2024, but is still one that energizes the whole project and uplifts the storyline to an almost crescendo like manifestation.

The compositional structures are easily of a quality soundtrack for a film and there can be no doubt that the artist should be regarded as a sublime pianist of great stature, I would point to this anthem like opus as evidence of that aforementioned statement, as I introduce you to the piece Heart Vs. Mind, a track also released last year as a single.

As we move down the dirty sidewalks and avenues of our dystopic world, we come across a piece called Charmolypi, it utilises the talents of Zuberoa Aznarez incredibly well on vocals and they dance with the blissful presentation on piano by the pianist in a symbiotic way, while offerings such as Love Story featuring Ambre Vourvahis on vocals gift us a harmonic resonance bathed in the one true language of love, a song that drifts across the very edge of time itself, and balances itself perfectly on an Occam’s Razor of musical plenitude.

The deeper waters of the release are now found, as we caress a positive statement of happiness within the track Daydreamer that perhaps our dreams, aspirations and hopes will all one day come to fruition. Here Matias Bacoñsky produces one of the most powerful pieces in his career, this presentation of symphonic glory and piano will most certainly give you the chills.

Eye of the Storm contains the voice of Ulli Perhonen and is a salutary reminder to us all to be forever vigilant that sometimes all is not what it seems to be, the vocals partnering the artists piano were some of the most powerful I have heard and touching, a Native American chant crossed with an operatic motif can be found here, and that is no mean feat, a track illuminating uncomfortable decisions and choices to be made perhaps.

The concluding musical narrative is called Everything Ends; it explores the postulation of choice, attitude and action, and indeed Bacoñsky finishes the album with an utterly astonishing creation a dramatic conclusion indeed can be found here, and one the artist should be proud of, one that rounds off the project off with a flourish, leaving the listener wanting more.

New World by Matias Bacoñsky is a magnificent new album that should receive praise from all who follow the genre of soundtrack style piano based material, and to be honest anyone with a good taste in music should absolutely adore a talented artistic composer and performer like Matias Bacoñsky. This is an album that has everything, fire, passion, flair, and a compelling story narrative, it’s packed full of truly stunning performances and presentations, and should be a guaranteed hit with fans and listeners alike across the globe.

Exits By Strat Andriotis

 

Exits

By

Strat Andriotis

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I knew this time wouldn’t be far away one day, the day a Cypriot resident would write a review for a Greek born jazz performer, and one of the finest in his trade, a man who has links to many luminaries, bands and artists, and here today we celebrate the release of his stunning new album entitled Exits.

Jazz in Cyprus is huge; our country is far from a little back water only playing localised traditional folk music, and its love of all things jazz is growing year on year, here on Exits I get to explore the music narrative portrayed by Strat Andriotis and his trusty musical weapon of choice his Fender Stratocaster, an instrument that he plays with such soul and craft on the opening piece Dominions.

This masterful composition is followed by Far Away Tears a composition of great colours, textures and rhythms. This would be one of my personal favourite pieces from the release; the onward smooth forward walking bass was sublimely elevated by some of the most artistic jazz guitar from the artist.

Exits is a classy 8 track album of high quality and Andriotis has that delicious and stylish technique that could make a grown man cry with pleasure, pieces like Between You And I would be a good example to point to, another one of my personal favourites, it is quite easy to see from this stand point, that those days spent by Andriotis were not wasted, listening to bands like Cream and Hendrix.

There are a multitude of elements and constructive patterns within this release that are so fascinating, the progressive pattern and nature of Timer for example, a track that wends its way down rain swept alleys and towards cosy coffee shops, with the crisp and fluent style of Andriotis leading the way.

While one must save a mention for a transitionary title track in Exits, the steady bass filled configuration, is driven by the polished and sophisticated performance on guitar by the artist and composer; this one offering took me to an elegant oasis of jazz bliss mixed with a subtle rhythmic blues motif.

Exits by Strat Andriotis is one of those imaginative and eloquent releases that come around rarely, and when they do they must be snapped up in haste, as this release is a class above all others before it. Here is an album that flaunts with a passion it’s self-assured and self-confident tones and vibrations, and is simply a new jazz album that should not be ignored at all costs, and called Exits by Strat Andriotis.

Solo Piano II By Aura Noctis

 

Solo Piano II

By

Aura Noctis

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The depths and dark passage ways of musical genius that this album took me on was some of the most profound I have felt for ages, especially in the solo piano genre. Today I visited a collection of supremely moody and influential songs called Solo Piano II by pianist Aura Noctis, and it left me enthralled and musically fulfilled, in a way that only recently a Tim Burton movie could have done.

The album is packed with mysterious refrains of passion and power, and the opening piece stands tall among them and called Behind the Mask, the presentation was dark, deep and brought memories of a certain Phantom of the Opera, this shadowy composition is a great lead into piece, moving into the more light-hearted tones of the short form narrative of Nana, and the sensitive timbre of fascinating tracks like the following piece called Amnis, a pause for thought can be found within the dimension of this track, and a delightful change of tempo too, in a creation that is film score standard like the opening arrangement.

There is no doubt that the artist has manifested something here that is deeply compelling, and one has to say that listening to this album has been like a breath of fresh air for me, especially coming from a genre that is vastly over populated like Solo Piano. The windows to a fresh approach are pushed further open when the listener arrives at the track El Cantar de las Hojas, (which I think in English is the song of leaves) this crisp and pronounced manifestation blows in the vibrational pathways like autumn trees in late October, still offering much, but in a state of gentle change.

Short form styled compositions can also be found here, ones that are well worth delving into, like the fluent charm of tracks like Primer Viaje, before we make our move back into the musical voyage of plenty and we can do this through the medium of this next heart felt composition entitled Desde el Silencio, (from the silence) for me personally this is a track that I was invested in emotionally, the trickle down passage, the deep waters of a minor construction, compiled for me an arrangement that was just truly moving and sublime, playing with both shadow and light the pianist pulls off in my view the best performance from the album.

La Danza del Duende is the next way marker in the album, and this fast moving piece is a reminder of our solo piano voyage, the sheer intensity of this offering is formidable and flourishing, but that could be said for this entire release, that prevailing strength is quietened beautifully with another one of my personal favourite tracks from the album in Let Go, one can feel a sense of release from within the performance that is so very palpable, and also cathartic in its energies and tones as well.

It is true that any sensible listener who takes some time with this album will be truly moved by it, the release is rounded off with stunning precision by the concluding musical narrative entitled Renacer. This is a crafted finish, the presentation gifts us a moment of rebirth, re-found energy, and then an ever onward progression to more captured potency, and is one of the best closing pieces I have heard in this genre for simply years.

So there you go, what an amazing journey of solo piano, one of the most enjoyable I have had for eons, and as such I tip my hat to Solo Piano II by Aura Noctis, for me this album had it all, a stylish and confident performance with power and intensity, and balanced perfectly with subtle tender moments of musical clarity and emotive brilliance, as such this is an album that the solo piano genre has waited years for, and an early highlight for 2025, and one all lovers of this genre should embrace with haste.

The Depths By Monica Logani

 

The Depths

By

Monica Logani

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The misty haze of a new winter’s day was born upon our dusty and craggy landscape, and as the sun tried to push the clouds at bay, an announcement was made that would lift the day to unheard of parallels. That glorious statement was that a new Monica Logani album was to be released and called The Depths, one of the finest examples of piano with instrumentation albums to manifest a musical sanctuary ever.

It was indeed very pleasing to see Monica’s name come up on my e mail, our last connection was the breath taking The Long Road some 5 years back, here on this new release the artist has seized the moment and produced something very special indeed. The opening offering is always the best place to start and Dreams of Zagyva is where we begin, and if it is the Zagyva I am aware of in Hungry, I say kiváló! This beautifully moving piano with strings opus almost dances across the ice filled river and into our hearts.

Here is a stunning new release of no less than 14 beautiful pieces, the title composition is abundant in its grace and splendour and of course called The Depths, this flowing musical narrative creates a sense of calm whilst listening, and develops a sanctuary of sound that any listener would feel so very secure within, but the same can be said of that entire album, it is a home of peace filled creations that allow us as listeners to roam in its serenity with total safety.

We can add an acoustic guitar into the mix on this most mystical of pieces entitled Midnight Express, a track that constantly moves onwards through the darkness of the night, in a soft blanket of sound that wraps itself around us.

Within each composition Logani brings a reality of tranquillity that is so poignant and soothing, tracks like the harmonic bliss like Wonder, or perhaps Solitude, with its tempting safe haven of a musical vibration, one could imagine sitting in a log cabin alone watching the snow fall to this track, and having all the time one needs to solve any of life’s issues.

The offering Diamond Gaze is a multi-faceted composition that has a creative healing energy about its compositional structure; it is easy to drift on the wings of time and tide to this so fluent of piano performances.

Offering, which is track 12 on the album, features an electric guitar which opens the musical portal, while Logan’s piano is the master narrator that holds our hand on this most mysterious of final compositions, one that is truly artistic and inventive in all its aspects.

The Depths by Monica Logani is an album containing 14 delightful tracks, an album that has most certainly been worth while waiting for, this album touches many musical genres, we have a wonderfully presented ambience, a sumptuous level of melody, tone and timbre, and a mysterious lilt that will entice any eager listener’s ear. In short The Depths by Monica Logani is the best work of the artist by far, and easily the perfect album to embrace the new year with.

Rainbow By Jeffrey Baker

 

Rainbow

By

Jeffrey Baker

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I freely admit to being a fan of the work of Jeffrey Baker and his timeless piano music, lately I have had the pleasure of listening to and writing reviews for two of his pervious singles in My Heart and Anthem, and here on this latest single release called Rainbow, we have another segment of piano based reveries to drift within.

The New York based composer certainly knows how to manifest a composition that is both beautiful and redolent of the subject matter and the performance at the piano by Frank Martin is one that is equally textured and soothing, and combined with the production mastery of Shambhu, a winning arrangement is sure to be found.

Again one has to state that this composition by Baker has that timeless repose, in an almost multi-dimensional reality of tone and timbre, this energy can also be found on Bakers two previous singles as well, and in my view this makes his creations quite unique and extremely listenable.

We can be very blessed that the music of Jeffrey Baker is amongst us, and in my view he has freshened up the vast genre of piano music, and on this new single Rainbow, we can rest assured that not only another big hit will be found, but our sonic sanctuaries of sound will be appeased and calmed by this beautiful new single entitled Rainbow, by Jeffrey Baker.

Moonlight Poem By Andrea Sertori

 

Moonlight Poem

By

Andrea Sertori

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

I have had the pleasure of listening to this piece several times today, and it has taken me to a place of calm and peace like none other recently, the artist is the amazing Andrea Sertori, a pianist of great colour and skill, and this composition, a brand new single entitled Moonlight Poem.

The softness of touch on this new creation of utterly divine, so much so, that one could listen to it on repeat and never get tired of its tones, the flowing piano narrative is part of Sertori’s quality skill set, the charming natural drift of vibrancy and tranquillity is very pleasing to the ear and mind also.

There are some clever changes in the middle of the track that are wonderfully performed and executed, and then this gentle ramble of a composition continues, with a similar heart felt warmth that the late but still great Annie Locke used to manifest so well.

This is indeed a magical creation, one only further enhanced by the literally beautiful art work that can be found within. I have a feeling, that without a shadow of a doubt, that Moonlight Poem by Andrea Sertori will find its way into the hearts and minds of each eager lover of piano music, and once there, will never leave.

Shine By Alise Ashby

 

Shine

By

Alise Ashby

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

This new song by Alise Ashby is simply the most perfect start to a new year of music that simply anyone could wish for; it is a piano with instrumentational pleasure pit of beautiful music beyond dreams, combining layer upon layers of tone and timbre, and called Shine.

Ashby’s sensitive yet lyrical style floats with the listener on a bed of soothing piano, a veritable pastiche of tenderness of tasteful vibrations, and all gathering together to give us, the ever eager listener, a sanctuary of calm and tranquillity to reside within.

There can be no doubt that Ashby has an ear for the emotive style of flowing piano, and her build and progression on this new single reminds me of some of the classic artists in the new age scene from as early as the nineties in artists like Mike Rowland, or perhaps the ability to manifest a warming cover of serene motifs like the ever brilliant Bernward Koch.

Regardless, this new manifestation from Ashby is one of the most beautiful offerings in this somewhat overflowing genre, and as such I predict a huge hit is absolutely on the cards for Shine by Alise Ashby, and perhaps even more!