Album Notes

Hi. This is my story and what I accomplished by taking a leap of faith out of love.
“Music is a Universal Bridge from the Heart to the Soul“

Industry standard music description: Beautiful and powerful Contemporary Classical and New Age Instrumental Piano performances by a seasoned pianist, who effortlessly embraces romance, love and hope, while pushing the music's positive influence on the listener to new heights.

* Début at #3 and a Top 10 for 3 months, Top 100 for 5 months at Zone Music Reporter.com
* NARAS - Consideration in the 48th Grammy Awards for Best New Age Album.

Artist statement.
I do not think I am a virtuoso and I have nothing to prove. I am drawn to the piano to play and write music to stay sane and I have been doing it for many years. I trust it intuitively, so it grows. I believe in showing respect to another human being, trust and ones word goes a long way. I know I am loved, my music reaches the hearts of many and I am considered a fine art artist. And then there is the “your awesome dude.”
To me it all has meaning.

** Reviews:
“Mr. Wish has crafted a style bridging New Age and serious Classical music. Bravo to Evan Wish and his Lullaby of Love.”

** Press: The Morning Call in Allentown. PA. New Age: David L. Gaskill
“The strength of New Age music today lies not in its ethereal amiability but in its hard-nosed compositions. Pianist Evan Wish’s debut disc certainly measures up to this newer manifestation of the genre. His sound is more layered than Jim Brickman’s, less fiery but more quietly intense than Szakcsi, less derivative than Ken Pedersen’s. His music is like the flickers of sky experienced as you drive through pale green, birch-filled glades – it shimmers and surprises at almost every turn in the road. There’s an emotional maturity, too, that glows from behind his notes, a confidence that infuses the listener with the surety that, on the spiritual plane, at least, all is well. If it’s hard to single out any one tune for praise, it’s because Wish seems preoccupied with exploring and sharing the multifarious harmonics of his soul. That’s no flaw, certainly - for those who are capable of embracing such gladness-inspired emanations. Besides, one could do worse than be a dappler of birches.”

Zone Music Reporter - R. J. Lannan
"Wish has converted his feelings into music so well that it affects the listener without warning“ and “Wish’s music is an amalgam of romantic songs without words and contemporary instrumentals with feather - light classical influences.

Mainly Piano - Kathy Parsons
“Is an Audiophile recording, a live performance. The result is a pure, clean, piano sound without reverb or equalization. He brings a wealth of experience to his original music. A most impressive début from Evan Wish."

"Of the many Indy records I receive, Evan Wish's record is one of the few that will go into my personal collection."
Mark Strictland - Hot/Modern/AC Editor & Dept. Mgr. at All Access Music Group.

"Melodically compelling, heartfelt and honest." Michael Lang a recording Jazz pianist with Varese Sarabande and pianist heard on the Simpson’s TV show.

“It was certainly a pleasure and a very interesting experience having met you at the MIDEM Music fair in Cannes. Very rarely I have the chance to personally talk to such talented and musically dedicated professionals like you. Thank you for leaving the LULLABY OF LOVE album with me for evaluation. Most people at our company, whom I introduced your CD to, seem very impressed about the artistic expression and the beautiful arrangements embodied.”
Global Chrysalis Music Publishing, Germany. Mr. Alexander K. CEO Global Musikverlag.

Hi Evan, I got some good news! Ron pitched you to the network today and Fox would like you be an alternate Classical Music / Music Theory expert on Friday Dec 11.09 for the filming of our show OUR LITTLE GENIUS airing in 2010. Matt Shanfield - Associate Producer at Mark Burnett Productions.

** Highlights of release: I hired a team of professionals and together we garnered Airplay Worldwide: Syndicated Radio Stations with Public and College Radio, Muzak, Music Choice, DMX In-Flight audio programming, Music Sojourn, Internet & Live 365 Audio Streaming, All Music Guide, Muze, Loudeye, Yahoo/Launch, AOL.com. Galaxie CBC Cable TV in Canada. International countries were Spain, Japan, Republic of Belarus, Latvia, Australia, Hungary, Romania, Italy & the Netherlands.

* Featured Artist on the “New Music Gallery” series at WMNR for “Fine Arts Radio” in Monroe, CT. and hosted by Mr. Dick Hageman. Broadcast weekly over four stations, WMNR, WGRS, WGSK & WRXC covering much of Connecticut and parts of adjacent New York State. The combined stations have 68,500 listeners reported by Arbitron, with close to 5,000 to 6,000 people listening to the folk and new age programming. The tracks featured were # 4, 7, 11, & 13.

** Biography:
Born in a small town in the mid-west of Canada and raised in Brandon, Manitoba.

My classical piano training was at the Conservatory of Music and started at age 7. Received Honors and First Class Honors in my studies, with ongoing competitions I was garnering 1st. place. It established me as a young pianist with a command of the piano and an emotional gift.

I played tenor and alto sax in the City Schools Band, Jazz Band the tenor sax, and in the City School Orchestra, I played the oboe. We would tour across Canada, US and considered one of the top city schools band and jazz band.

My years of development with the pieces of the classical masters instilled my devotion to the piano and as a young man I began composing through inspiration. Wanting a career in music and to establish respect as a composer led me to the United States with funding provided by the Manitoba and Canadian Government in Ottawa.

Attended the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles when it was a private school and you had to be accepted. Studied for three years mentored by composers in the entertainment industry. I wrote for 22-Piece Big Band and Orchestra. We were required to do all the arranging, orchestrating, copying of the parts and to conduct the piece in a studio for a recording.

Required to write in all the different styles of contemporary music that is standard in the industry. Studied under Jack Smalley and Dick Grove with master classes by Bill Conti, Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle and many others.

My resume now encompasses Canada, the US and Europe with performances of original music as a solo pianist and my writing credits cover a variety of genres. Classical piano mentor is the esteemed Dr. Yakov Birman of the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

In the mid 90’s I had the opportunity to live in Provence, France for two years. My performances were billed as: “La passion d’un romantique” - translated to “The passion of a romantic” which pretty much sums up the music I write. *

The Making of - Lullaby of Love:
Started as a one-day demo with a producer in the late 90’s. Periodically I would return to Los Angeles from performing and living in Provénce, France. We literally walked into the studio, I sat at the piano and he recorded. This remained stored away and never released for 7 years.

Upon my return to Los Angeles for good and ready to jump into my music career, I rented a house in Culver City. It burned due to a plumber 6 months after moving in, uninhabitable and this only a day before Christmas. I was devastated as my life and music would be put on hold. Gaping holes and I could see the sky… all I could think of was whether my piano or written music still in boxes was damaged as I went in and wrapped it up as best I could.

It took me two years to put my life back together. I needed inspiration and decided to go back to my roots with a mentorship in classical music with Dr. Yakov Birman of the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

The passing of my father was the catalyst to look at my life. I also decided to dedicate this work in Loving Memory with hope, love and prayer. It gave me the strength to abandon everything and focused solely on releasing Lullaby of Love.

I had no expectations and witnessed from every corner around the world, acknowledgements and accolades began to arrive for the beautiful and moving melodies that touch the very depth of the heart and soul.
It is a never - ending quest of mine to evolve and develop in my life my writing and bring this to my performances.

The pieces are performed live in the studio and recorded in "Audiophile" recording format. This means no compression; equalization, reverb and other recording techniques are used to enhance the original sound, plus there can be no mistake when I do a piece and record it… as it is live.

I believe that feelings put into every note are magical when consistently done. This is what I strive for, to feel the magic and if I don’t hear it, I do it again. Lullaby of Love is when I gave it my all.

The production of the recording is the mastery of Mr. Peter Granet with years of wisdom recording many great artists. His work is a who's who list dating back to the 70s’ with a Grammy Nomination. I am grateful that we met and he believes in me as an artist.

Producer/Engineer: Peter Granet
The album, "Lullaby of Love" is the culmination of years of work by Evan and me. Our collaboration began in 1997 when we met at a dinner party. As the party was winding down, our host put on a cassette of solo piano music that blew me away. I asked (Ellen) whose music that was and she introduced me to Evan. We immediately hit it off. I suggested that we get together so I could hear all his works. What I heard was beautiful and very different from the derivative "New Age" background music I had expected. I could hear the classical influences in his work as well as the melodic hooks that define his work. He is a master of melodic composition.

We began our voyage with a one-day demo, recording thirteen compositions I chose from his vast collection of material that would six years later realize itself as "Lullaby of Love".

During the years that followed our initial recordings and our lives took different paths, but we always knew we had a mission to finish what we had started. In the spring of 2004 we found ourselves talking about "The" recordings we had made and decided the time was right to bring our work full circle.

I was astounded by Evans improvement as a pianist and I suggested that we should not make just another solo piano record, but make the best most expressive recording we were capable of. I worked with Evan to add even more power and dynamics to his performance at the piano and suggested that we record "Lullaby of Love" as a pure "Audiophile" recording.

"Audiophile" recording process:
Using a matched pair of AKG 3000E condenser microphones, fed through an Avalon AD2022 microphone preamp and straight to a digital recorder. Mastered using Sonic Solutions 5.2.1 and a T.C. Electronics (M5000)

The finished product is more than I expected. Evan's playing is powerful and expressive, the recording, so pristine and unforgiving, it has not failed to stir everyone that has heard it.

I hope you will enjoy our labor of love when you hear it.