Mystical America
by Laura Sullivan
August 1, 2004
Sentient Spirit Records
Product
Description
This
album of BEAUTIFUL PIANO MUSIC
combined with violin, guitar, flute, oboe and other ambient instrumentation,
takes listeners on a SOOTHING MUSIC
journey of music inspired by America s mystical and sacred places.
GRAMMY® Winning artist Laura
Sullivan has created another blissful masterpiece that you will love for MEDITATION MUSIC, MASSAGE MUSIC, HEALING
MUSIC, RELAXING SPA MUSIC, MUSIC THERAPY, BACKGROUND MUSIC, YOGA MUSIC, MUSIC
FOR RELAXATION, CALMING MUSIC FOR KIDS, DINNER MUSIC, CALM MUSIC, and RELAXING MUSIC FOR SLEEP.
Included
in this collection of MODERN CLASSICAL
MUSIC FOR RELAXATION and NEW AGE
MUSIC is the CALMING MUSIC of
the popular BEETHOVEN SONATA known
as the BEETHOVEN MOONLIGHT SONATA.
If
you are a lover of CONTEMPORARY
CLASSICAL MUSIC, RELAXING CLASSICAL MUSIC, ROMANTIC PIANO MUSIC, STRESS RELIEF
MUSIC, and THE MOONLIGHT SONATA
then you will love Mystical America.
So today I am reviewing something a little bit
different here on the blog - music. I
have very diversified tastes when it comes to music and will listen to just
about everything. When it comes to
reading though, I love to listen to relaxing instrumental music, especially
classical. There is nothing like going
into a bookstore and listening to Beethoven or Mozart while browsing the shelves
for my next new read. Recently I was
contacted by Grammy Winning Composer and Recording Artist, Laura Sullivan,
asking if I would like to review her New Age genre album, Mystical America. I must
admit that New Age music isn't something I normally listen to, but after
sampling her music on Amazon, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this is
one artist I needed to check out, so I happily agreed to listen and review her
album. This was one of the best
decisions I could have made!
Mystical
America is hauntingly magical and beautiful and a much
needed venue for relaxation in this crazy and at times hectic world. The music is beautifully arranged and is a
terrific playlist of soft, soothing and relaxing piano music along with other instruments.
There
are 12 tracks on this album and you can sample the songs HERE:
#1
America’s Stonehenge
#2
Chaco Canyon
#3
Coral Castle
#4
The Bighorn Medicine Wheel
#5
Tongass Island
#6
The Serpent Mound
#7
Red Rock Ridge
#8
Pictograph Cave
#9
The Heavener Runestone
#10
Sedona
#11
Hawaiian Islands
#12
Mt. Shasta (Moonlight Sonata)
Each track on this album is beautiful and
soothing, but my favorite track is #12 Mt.
Shasta (Moonlight Sonata). Beethoven
is and has always been my favorite Classical composer and Moonlight Sonata is my go-to song for relaxation. I will have to say that Ms. Sullivan probably
has Beethoven smiling from his grave because she has really done this song
justice by keeping this beautiful song the same yet somehow making it better.
Needless to say, I really enjoyed this album. I play it at work constantly and it is the
perfect relaxing background music to keep me focused and calm during the hectic
day. Once I get home, it is perfect to
listen to as I unwind from the day. Laura
Sullivan is a very talented artist and after listening to Mystical America, I have purchased several more of her albums to
add to my collection. I highly recommend
this album for anyone who desires music to create a relaxing and soothing environment to get you through those hectic moments that life presents to you.
5 stars
To listen to samples of this beautiful music and to
purchase your copy, visit: Amazon
Laura Sullivan’s Bio
Laura Sullivan is a GRAMMY® winning
composer and recording artist. Her original music has been included in the
score of two Emmy winning documentaries, as
well as in many popular television programs and advertisements for Fortune 500
companies.
Her recordings consistently receive more than 4 million spins a month on Pandora alone, among
many other stations around the world, resulting in broad international
airplay. Her albums have charted in the top 2 on The Zone reporter, the
internationally recognized New Age and ambient radio chart.
Her music publications are represented by Performing Rights
organization BMI which holds more than 500 of her original compositions in her
prolific Composer/Songwriter catalog.
Laura is the composer, arranger and visionary for the epic
crowdsourcing video, 900 Voices,
produced by herself and her Grammy® winning husband, Eric Sullivan.
900 Voices involves the singing participation of 938 people around the world singing in 27 languages, all in 1 song.
Laura's 2015 collaborations include music created on forthcoming
albums with Native American 17 year old virtuoso Gareth Laffely,
as well as Grammy® nominated New Age artist Paul Avgerinos,
among others.
Laura's 2014 collaborations include a project with internationally renowned best selling author Dr. Wayne Dyer titled Angel Blessings. The entire proceeds of this album goes toward the benefit of
Hospice organizations. The album is produced by award winning
artist Cindy Paulos and includes distinguished visionary
and best selling author Colin Andrews, Grammy® Award-nominated Artists Miss Amy
and Judy Pancoast, Grammy® Governor & VP San Francisco Chapter Nona Brown,
Independent Music Award winning Producer and award winning Illustrator Krista
Wallhagen, Multi-Grammy® Award-winning Producer Kevin Mackie, Producer of
Grammy® Award-nominated Album Alex Otey, Guinness World Record holder Rupam
Sarmah, World-renowned Film Composer Ricky Kej, Award Winning Americana
Singer/Song-writer Grant Maloy Smith, Award-Winning Concert Pianist Leonardo Le
San, Award-Winning Producer and Engineer Oscar Autie, and others.
Laura performed on the recording produced by Guinness World Record Holder Rupam Sarmah for his 2014
release of Omkara. This recording, Omkara -
The Sound Of Divine Love, takes the science of music to the chakras
– the seats of our energies – to inspire healing and balancing through
beautifully arranged tones and elevated vibrations.
Laura's other 2014 collaborations include the album Love Is by award winning artist D. Edward and The Gathering II produced by Grammy Winning and
Platinum artist, Will Ackerman. Other artists included on this album are
Lawrence Blatt, Louis Colaiannia, Masako, Shambhu, Heidi Breyer, Stanton
Lanier, Ann Sweeten, Vicente Avella, Isadar, Lynn Yew Evers and others.
Laura's Grammy® winning release, Love's River, includes Laura's piano music and the talents
of the great flugelhorn and trumpet player Jeff Oster (winner
of Echoes, NAR Lifestyle, and Independent Music Awards, and ZMR record of the year 2011), Grammy® Award winning artist Nancy Rumbel (of
Tingstad and Rumbel), virtuoso cello player and Grammy®
Award winning artist Eugene Friesen(member of the Paul Winter Consort), acclaimed oboe and English horn
player Jill Haley,
and four pieces produced by Grammy® Award winning
and platinum artist and founder of legendary Windham Hill Records, Will Ackerman,
who also performs on the selection title Blessed from
the album.
Distinguished engineers on the project include Tom Eaton of Imaginary Road Studios and Michael Starita, Director at ULUV MUSIC and Founder and CEO
at Bay Area Music Collective.
Laura Sullivan's release Love's River won
a GRAMMY® for BEST NEW AGE ALBUM in the 56th GRAMMY® awards which aired on CBS on January
26, 2014.
Love's River was named one of the top five productions to pass
through the hands of Will Ackerman since 2009 by Reviews New Age.
Laura enjoys a publishing deal with one of the largest private
production companies for music in film and television, where she composes
underscore for shows seen on CBS, NBC, Fox and Sony.
Laura's music is licensed for use in TV and film including So You Think You Can Dance, On the Case With Paula Zahn, The Dr. Oz Show, MTV's Catfish: The TV Show, 48
Hours, Under Dog toWonder Dog, The History Channel, commercials
for Hyundai and Everyday Paleo among
many others. Her music is featured in the Emmy Award Winning documentary
"Walk into the Wild: Spirit of Itasca" and the Emmy Award Winning documentary "The Greatest Silent Sport", which was also awarded
at the Fargo Film Festival. She composed original music
for the film "Valentines Day Special"
(starring Jon Polito).
Laura performed the music for the track "Sleepwalking on a Tightrope" written by Roy Finch for the movie "Wake." She was the composer for the feature film
"Emotions" directed by Gio Vitelle which premiered
at the New York Independent Film and Video Festival. She also
composed and produced original music for the short film Nine and A Half Minutes Left directed by Gunther Thallinger. Her music appears in the score to Quartett by Christina Kruse and Guy Lesser, which poetically brings to life the
characteristics of Nana de Bary's Liaison de
Perfum. This project was recognized by inclusion in ASOFF, Paris's first Fashion Film Festival.
Her music can be found on Amazon.com, iTunes, Rhapsody,
Pandora, and charts in frequent rotation on Music Choice, and many other retail stores
on and offline. Her discography receives airplay on radio stations around the world. Her albums have
charted in the top 2 on The Zone reporter, the internationally
recognized New Age and ambient radio chart.
Her release, Mystical America, was named #1 New Age Album of 2004 by, Wind and Wire.
Laura is a member of the piano artist collective Whisperings Solo Piano Radio founded by
composer, pianist and radio programmer, David Nevue. This artist community
promotes through its radio station and concert tours with artists including David Nevue, Scott D. Davis, Suzanne Ciani, David Lanz,
Wayne Gratz, and Robin Spielberg.
Ms. Sullivan was chosen as a featured artist on a TV Pilot,
Music Across America, produced by legendary Jazz artist, Stanley Clarke.
Her releases Mystical America and Pianoscapes for the Trails of North America were
produced by acclaimed artist Chris Camozzi,
(appearing with artists Jeff Lorber, Michael Bolton,
Maria Carey, Barbara Streisand and many others).
Some of the other wonderful artists who have performed with
Laura on her albums are Diane
Grubbe (flute), Mary Pitchford (violin), Noel Jewkes (saxophone), and Anthony Blea (violin).
Laura's debut album, Piano Solos,
includes several selections of music she performed written by film composer, Roy Finch.
Laura is the author of the ground breaking piano teaching
technique, Born Virtuosos: The Innovative Piano Course, as well as
the book and CD by the same title. This method uses playful techniques to train
young children to play like virtuosos, and learn to read music quickly.
Growing up on a farm in Northern California near the foothills
of Mt. Lassen, Laura’s mother was children’s book author Carol Purdy, who is best known for her books Least of All, Mrs. Merriwether’s Musical Cat, and Iva Dunnit and the Big Wind. Carol was also Laura’s
first piano teacher and started teaching her to play when Laura was four years
old.
Laura holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music with
an emphasis in Piano Performance. She is a former
student of Dr. Robert E. Bowman and
the recipient of the Emily A. Hauss Music Award and
the Jane Bowman Jewett Music Award. Laura also holds a Master’s Degree in Psychologythrough the School of
Education from the University of San Francisco. She has further graduate
training from the New School in New York City.
She has appeared as a guest presenter in music courses at CSU San Francisco and the Academy of Art College.
Laura is also the author of several musicals for children which
were produced by her group called “Star Company Children’s Theater.”
She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Grammy® Winning Producer, Film Director, and Technology VP, Eric
Sullivan, and their young daughter. She is a member of
the National Association of Recording Industry Professionals and
a voting member of the National Academy of Recording
Arts and Sciences (The Grammys®).
Connect
with Ms. Sullivan…….
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