Denise Young
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Denise Young

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"DENISE YOUNG's, "Something You Dream Of...""

Denise Young
Dancing Horse Music (2007)

With so many piano releases in the new age/adult contemporary instrumental genre these days, it takes a lot to stand apart from the crowd. An exceptional producer, excellent accompanists, and memorable compositions (accessible yet not maudlin, sappy, or cliché), are all paths to success. Oh, and of course, the pianist should have talent, too.

On Something You Dream of…, her second release, Denise Young hits all the right “notes.” Exceptional producer: Will Ackerman; excellent accompanists: Steve Schuch on violin, T Bone Wolk on bass, Eugene Friesen on cello, et al.; memorable compositions: tasteful and varied, all penned by Young herself; and finally there’s Young’s abundant artistry and technique on piano itself.

This is a lovely CD, filled with subdued, serene and wistful music, sometimes colored with the sepia tones of sweet nostalgia while at other times tinted a darker shade with regretful/reflective emotions. One track features solo piano and the other ten have accompaniment which is frequently sparse and sometimes doesn’t even make its appearance until the song’s halfway point. I don’t know as I agree with that approach, but it makes Something You Dream Of…stand out from the rest of the pack.

The opening “Time Alone” starts off in a pensive mood with a minimal sad piano refrain, joined later by Jill Haley’s evocative English horn. “Falling Leaves” begins livelier with the piano’s upper and lower registers playing off each other nicely. The music paints a musical image of walking through a forest as gold and red leaves fall from the canopy high overhead as sunlight filters through the branches. Schuch’s violin floats above Young’s keys and, while at times the pace is quite spirited, the emotional content stays subdued nonetheless.

The title track has some classical music influence but is dominated by romanticism evidenced through both Young’s piano and David Weiss’ clarinet. The two pirouette and sway gently around each other, like two people meeting shyly and being swept away in the throes of love at first sight. The short piece, “You Were Always There” (on which cellist Friesen makes his guest appearance) has a mournful sound as if this was meant as a memorial of sorts.

Two tracks that depart from the dominant somber mood are “Love Will Light Your Way” and “Why” which feature combinations of percussionist Derrik Jordan as well as Schuch, and Wolk and Ackerman himself (on guitar, of course). “Love Will Light Your Way” has a pleasant midtempo cadence and a light-heartedness to it, while “Why” morphs from its quiet solo piano opening into a lively tune with Appalachian folk flavor.

The CD ends on an extremely touching and soothing note with the nine-minute tone poem “Autumn Colors” featuring Jordan, Wolk and Noah Wilding (on wordless vocals) providing exceptional support for Young’s subtle carefully nuanced playing. This last selection stands out as something very special, comparing favorably to Erik Satie’s or George Winston’s minimalist approach and it can be summed up with one word: sublime.

I’ve sung the praises of producer Will Ackerman so much in the last year that to do so again would be redundant and even appear sycophantic on my part. However, the man does indeed seem to have a sixth sense when selecting talent to produce. Denise Young’s Something You Dream Of… stands out in the flood of current piano releases, partly on the strength of her playing and compositions alone, but also through the care and quality exhibited by Ackerman and the assembled guest artists. Praise is due all around, obviously. While the entire album is enjoyable, “Autumn Colors” is one of those ultra-special tracks that, all by itself, makes the CD an easy “highly recommend” on my part.

Bill Binkelman
New Age Reporter
- Bill Binkelman, New Age Reporter


"True To Its Title"

True to Its Title
The year 2007 is shaping up to be an incredible one for guitarist and producer Will Ackerman at his Imaginary Road Studio. The founder of Windham Hill Records has turned his focus on producing, and its quite apparent that he has the Midas touch when it comes to helping artists create beautiful heartfelt albums. This album is one of four that has come out of his studio this year that I have heard, and Will’s ability to draw the best out of the soloists he works with is quite remarkable.

Denise Young is an extremely talented and passionate pianist and composer, and her playing is elegant, warm and straight from the heart. There is a distant familiarity to her touching melodies, and yet they are all uniquely shaped from her own creative spirit. And her playing serves as a source of inspiration for the small group of talented artists who join her on this album, including Jill Haley on English horn, Steve Schuch on violin, Eugene Friesen on cello, and Will Ackerman on guitar.

It is hard to pick a favourite from this album, as they are all beautiful pieces in their own right. Of particular note is the poignant piano and violin duet “Falling Leaves” with Steve Schuch, the passionate piano and cello duo “You Were Always There” with Eugene Friesen, the inspiring solo piano piece “Livia’s Song”, and the memorable “Autumn Colors”, with a beautiful haunting vocalise sung by Noah Wilding.

For lovers of heartfelt music and beautiful piano melodies, this album is a must. I highly recommend this album.
Rating: Excellent

- John Iverson, CKUW Radio, Winnipeg Canada


""Something You Dream Of...""

Something You Dream Of...” is pianist Denise Young’s second CD.
Produced by Will Ackerman and recorded at his Imaginary Road Studios, Young composed seven new pieces for this project and reworked four from her previous release, “Time Alone.” The older pieces were rerecorded on
a Steinway grand (rather than keyboards) and parts were composed for additional musicians. “Something You Dream Of...” has a lot of the same
personnel as recent recordings by Karen Marie Garrett and Dana
Cunningham, so if you like the sound of those albums, you’ll love this one, too. Eugene Friesen’s haunting cello, Jill Haley’s English horn, Steve Schuch’s violin, and Noah Wilding’s ethereal vocals enchant, but seem a bit too similar to the other two recent productions from Ackerman, inviting comparison. That said, this is a gorgeous album, and
I love the music. Calming and uplifting, Young seeks to bring joy with her music. A music therapist and instructor as well as a pianist and songwriter, her playing is graceful and her music heartfelt. With Ackerman’s production skills and Corin Nelsen’s recording genius, the sound quality is warm and pristine. Only one track is solo piano from beginning to end, but this is definitely a piano album with brilliant accompanying artists.

The CD opens with “Time Alone,” a lovely flowing piece that is a piano
solo for most of the first half and then becomes a haunting and
introspective duet for piano and English horn. “Falling Leaves” also
begins as a piano solo that evokes images of colorful leaves dancing in
the wind. Steve Schuch’s violin enhances the swirling feeling of
freedom. “Green Mountain Meadows” paints a picture of gentle contentment with wildflowers and long grasses swaying in the breeze.
Ackerman’s guitar and T Bone Wolk’s bass add a folk song flavor. The title track is exceptional. Inspired by “The Benny Goodman Story” and Goodman’s passion for his music, it features David Weiss on clarinet. The emotions expressed really grab and hold you - a great piece! “Livia’s Song” is the only piano solo, and is a beautiful, graceful waltz. “You Were Always There” is my favorite. I love piano and cello, and Eugene Friesen is a master. This haunting piece could melt rocks and makes me say “wow!” every time I hear it. I also really like “Love Will Light Your Way,” a more upbeat and optimistic composition for piano, percussion, and bass. “West River” is a duet for piano and guitar that carries feelings of longing and of open space. “Autumn Colors” is the closing track. At almost 9 1/ 2 minutes, it takes its time to develop and evolve. Noah Wilding’s incredible voice accompanies
the piano with floating, wordless vocals. The piano is Satie-like in
its evocative simplicity, soothing the mind and creating dreamy images.

“Something You Dream Of...” is a wonderful listening experience and
should put Denise Young high on the charts. Check it out at
www.deniseyoung.com and cdbaby.com. Recommended!





- Kathy Parsons, Solo Piano Publications


"From "The Heart of a Romantic""

"Denise Young has the heart of a romantic, but her music is not lost in unnecessary ornamentation. Livia’s Song, for instance, is a deeply emotional composition which never relies on flourish or bombast to make it’s point or to reach us on a very powerful level. There is an element of innocence to Denise and her music which enables the listener to go to a musical and emotional place that is not commonly found these days: the world is poorer for it, but we are the richer for her sincere and heartfelt composition and graceful performance."

- Will Ackerman, Grammy Award Winner, Producer, Guitarist, Recording Artist


Discography

The most recent recording, "Something You Dream Of..." ranked #2 on NEW AGE REPORTER charts for June and July, and #3 for August, 2007 abd was recently recognized in 2008 as #3 on NEW AGE REPORTER for airplay in 2007!

The previous CD is entitled, Time Alone, is a 62 minute journey originally created for a spa or to create a soothing environment!

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Bio

At the age of five, I was driven to carve my name in my piano in an attempt to keep the instrument during the separation of my parents. I hope to always hold on to it as a symbol of keeping my music dreams alive. The love for piano and music led me to a dream realized - working with Grammy Award Winner, Will Ackerman, Founder of Windham Hill who produced my newest CD, “Something You Dream Of…”

Throughout her life as a songwriter, pianist, music therapist, and instructor, her passion and a bit of synchronicity has led her toward the right road. In January of 2006, she sent her demo CD to Will at Imaginary Road Studios, and received the answer that brought her dream closer into focus. Will became her producer, and for the months prior to the studio recording at Imaginary Road Studios in September 2006, Will provided guidance and inspiration for Denise, expanding her expression on her instrument, the piano. She is very grateful to say that Will and his guitar are beautifully present on track 3, Green Mountain Meadows, track 9, Why, and track 10, West River of the new CD. Other celebrated artists are Eugene Friesen, Grammy Award winning cellist, Jill Haley on English horn, Derrik Jordan, percussionist, Steve Schuch on violin, David Weiss on clarinet, Noah Wilding, vocalist, T-Bone Wolk on bass, and Imaginary Road’s Grammy Award winning engineer, Corin Nelsen.

“My mission is to move and delight the world with my music. Since music has a miraculous ability to express, it can be very healing; emotionally, physically, and spiritually, whether you are the listener, the musician, or the vessel of its creation."

I love to play venues, small and large - and some of my favorite places that I have performed include: Borders Books and Music, Live Radio, Charity events - "Food for the Hungry" and many churches, coffee houses, and parties...