One of the great things about Joe Bongiorno is that he often highlights other artists who provide the kind of thoughtful, earnest music he does. For instance, he just released a collection of music called “Whisperings Solo Piano Volume 1.” You can buy the CD here.

While listening to that collection, I heard for the first time a piece called “Awaken The Dawn” by Stanton Lanier, a pianist I’d also never heard of before. Well, I’m now a big fan of his music.

You haven’t heard this song yet? Check out the video below:

Here’s the description of the CD from the website: “‘Whisperings Solo Piano Volume 1′ was recorded on a Kawai RX7 grand piano at Piano Haven Studio in Seattle, Washington. No equalization or additional sound ‘coloring’ was added to the recording (only soft limiting and minimal ambience).” You’ll get to see that piano later in this blog entry.

It’s a gorgeous collection with a great variety of songs. Of course, some of the musicians I’m already familiar with, thanks to Joe.

In fact, I like Wayne Gratz‘s music quite a bit. (Okay, I am kind of partial to the fact that his first name is the same one I have.) He tends to make a lot of music with a faster tempo, and when I’m on the way to work, I like that kind of inspiration in the car.

His is the first piece on the CD, and it’s called “Natalie’s Song.” Check out this video:

Another artist I like who has a song on the CD is Joe Yamada. In this video, he’s performing “A Silent Tear” live during a concert at Joe Bongiorno’s place in Seattle:

If the setting looks familiar in this next video, it should! Michele McLaughlin is at the piano performing “Irish Rain,” another favorite of mine from the CD:

To wrap up this musical interlude, we end up where we started, with Joe Bongiorno. The song he does on the CD is called “Tears Of Joy, ” and he’s live during a concert at his home a few months ago.

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