David Howard Lanz (born June 28, 1950 in Seattle, Washington) is a Grammy-nominated pianist and composer. His album '' Cristofori's Dream'' topped the New Age music charts in 1988.

Early years

Lanz attributes his interest in the piano to experiences during his childhood in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. He was inspired to play piano by his mother. She played songs by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, and

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

on the piano and became his first musical mentor. Lanz started his performing career as a teenager during the 1960s. In 1971, he recorded an album for

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

with the Canadian group Brahman. He played keyboards on the hit song "

Seasons in the Sun "Seasons in the Sun" is an English-language adaptation of the 1961 Belgian song "Le Moribond" (in English "The Dying Man") by singer-songwriter Jacques Brel with lyrics rewritten in 1963 by American singer-poet Rod McKuen, portraying a dyi ...

" by

Terry Jacks Terrence Ross Jacks (born March 29, 1944) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer and environmentalist, best known for his 1974 hit song " Seasons in the Sun". Early life Terry Jacks was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His fa ...

. In the late 1970s, he was musical director for the Seattle band the Sweep, with Ken McCann as singer, Peter Pendras on lead guitar, Glenn Ayers on drums, and Hugh Gerrard on bass. Saxophonist Robbie Jordan was added to the group after a gig in Boise, Idaho. Lanz shifted to playing solo acts in local clubs. At a nightclub in Seattle, he began to perform his own compositions and moved from rock to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

Recording career

The 1980s saw the birth of a new type of musical talent in Lanz. During this time, with the help of a friend, he began composing what would now be considered New Age music. From the 1980s onward, he has released a steady stream of albums, including his ground-breaking album ''Heartsounds'', his first solo album, which boosted the popularity of his record label,

Narada Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...

Style

Lanz's goal is to have his music create an atmosphere of hope and enlightenment. In an interview with

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...

, Lanz stated that he wanted to create an atmosphere similar to that of

Steven Halpern Steven Halpern is an American new-age musician. He is a Grammy Award nominee and considered one of the founding fathers of new-age music. Early career Halpern played trumpet and guitar in the New York City jazz scene of the 1960s, but became di ...

's music, but with a "more popular hook in it". Lanz has said, "

he piano He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

is the most divinely inspired instrument on the planet. It presents a great attraction to our left-right brain relationship. My goal is to create entertainment that also provides hope and enlightenment." In the front of his Musicbook, ''The David Lanz Collection'', he writes: "At the piano, I'm able to communicate in a way that is very intimate and direct. My approach at music is a bit like talking to a friend. You don't have to be very complicated when you speak. If you say what's in your heart, it's usually very simple." Lanz's style spans the popular songbook as well. His 2009 release, "Liverpool: Re-imagining The Beatles", made with Xiao flute master Gary Stroutsos pays homage to the music of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Discography

Studio albums

* 1983 ''Heartsounds'' * 1985 ''Nightfall'' * 1985 ''Natural States'' (with

Paul Speer Paul Speer (born 1952 in Lewiston, Idaho, Lewiston, Idaho) is a Grammy nominated guitarist, composer, and record producer. He has released several solo albums, music video albums, and collaborations with other artists such as pianist David Lanz, ...

) * 1985 ''Solstice'' (with Michael Jones) * 1987 ''Woodlands'' (with Tingstad and Rumbel) * 1987 ''Desert Vision'' (with Paul Speer) * 1988 '' Cristofori's Dream'' * 1990 ''Skyline Firedance'' * 1991 ''Return to the Heart'' * 1993 ''Bridge of Dreams'' (with

) * 1994 ''Christmas Eve'' * 1996 ''Sacred Road'' * 1996 ''Convergence'' (with

David Arkenstone David Arkenstone (born July 1, 1952) is an American composer and performer. His music is primarily instrumental, with occasional vocalizations. Most of Arkenstone's music falls into new age category; however, he also worked in other genres, inclu ...

) * 1998 ''Songs from an English Garden'' * 1999 ''An Evening with David Lanz'' * 1999 ''Cristofori's Dream'' (remastered with additional track) * 1999 ''The Christmas Album'' * 1999 ''East of the Moon'' * 2002 ''Finding Paradise'' * 2003 ''The Symphonic Sessions'' * 2004 ''The Good Life'' * 2005 ''Spirit Romance'' * 2006 ''Sacred Road Revisited'' * 2007 ''A Cup of Moonlight'' (revised official release with additional tracks - 2003 limited website edition) * 2008 ''Living Temples'' * 2008 ''Painting the Sun'' * 2009 ''Liverpool: Re-imagining the Beatles'' * 2011 ''Here Comes the Sun'' * 2011 ''Here Comes the Sun'' (solo piano edition) * 2012 ''Christofori's Dream Re-envisioned'' * 2012 ''Joy Noel'' * 2013 ''Movements of the Heart'' * 2014 ''Forever Christmas'' (compilation with Kristin Amarie) * 2015 ''Silhouettes of Love'' (compilation with Kristin Amarie) * 2016 ''Norwegian Rain'' * 2017 ''French Impressions'' * 2020 ''Water Sign'' * 2022 ''Lettere D'amore - Letters of Love'' (with Kristin Amarie)

Singles

* 2000 ''Angel in My Stocking – Limited Edition''

Live albums

* 2010 ''Liverpool Trio: Live in Seoul''

Compilation albums

* 1995 ''Beloved: A David Lanz Collection'' * 2001 ''Love Songs'' * 2002 ''Romantic: The Ultimate David Lanz Collection'' * 2003 ''Heartsounds/Nightfall'' (rereleased/remastered) * 2005 ''The Best of David Lanz''

Compilation appearances

*''

20 Years of Narada Piano ''20 Years of Narada Piano'' is a 2001 compilation release by Narada. It peaked at #12 on Billboard's Top New Age album charts in the same year. Track listing *1.1 "Endings" – Michael Jones – 5:33 *1.2 "Sunrise" – Kostia ...

'' *''

Grand Piano (Narada Anniversary Collection) ''Grand Piano'' is a 1997 compilation by Narada. It peaked at No. 10 on ''Billboard's'' Top New Age album charts in the same year. From album liner: "In Narada's 15-year history, no single instrument has more clearly expressd our musical vision ...

'' *''

Narada Smooth Jazz ''Narada Smooth Jazz'' is a 1997 compilation release by Narada. It peaked at #25 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums in the same year. Track listing *1.01 "Redwood/Nocturne" – Spencer Brewer – 4:20 *1.02 "Gravity" &ndash ...

'' *''Narada Film and Television Music Sampler''

Sources

External links

www.davidlanz.com
nbsp;— official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanz, David Musicians from Seattle 1950 births Living people New-age pianists Narada Productions artists People from Pittsford, New York 20th-century American pianists American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians