The
new age
genre has become such a powerful commercial presence in the industry that many forget that its origins came from the idea of music as a healing agent. The spirit of healing the wounds from 9/11 runs throughout this gathering of 17 acoustic pianists, compiled and produced by
Eric Chapelle
. Early that September, piano teacher and editor
Kathy Parsons
sent out a bulk e-mail to numerous piano performers of renown, asking them to complete the sentence, "Music is...." When 9/11 happened,
Chapelle
was moved to ask those on her address list to participate in a benefit recording, and this is the thoughtful result. Certain to help with the marketing efforts here is the fact that the list included some of
music's biggest names, including
Suzanne Ciani
(whose elegant
"Turning"
is one of the more optimistic tracks amidst a lot of mournful pieces),
Spencer Brewer
,
Ira Stein
, and
Ray Lynch
.
answers the question through this collection, in essence, agreeing that music is indeed intrinsic to the healing process. It's also a wonderful showcase for up-and-coming talent and displays the intense emotional power of the acoustic piano. ~ Jonathan Widran