Yanni

  I was home alone last Monday evening; Jan had to run to Juneau for a dental appointment and I was left to fend for myself, which was fine.  When I'm fishing I spend many a night alone and after the first few days or so of loneliness, I adapt to the dinners out of a can or from my good friends at Stouffer's or Swanson's. In any event, I had to work for a few hours that night and when I returned home I decided to listen to my latest  Yanni CD. The dog was laying in his bed, under his sleeping bag, the TV was off and I put down the book I've been reading and just listened. Frankly, it was heavenly. For anyone not familiar with Yanni, I guess his music is described as New Age, which in my opinion isn't quite accurate, but I'm no music critic, so what do I know? New Age conjures up images of people chanting or doing yoga or listening to some bonehead expound on spiritual awareness of which he has no idea, while he takes their money and sends them off to die in a sweat lodge.  Anyway, I can't accurately describe the music Yanni produces. Every album is different. As you can see I have several videos and a DVD as well as eight CD's and three cassettes. One of the videos, Live at the Acropolis, shows Yanni standing between two pianos and playing them both at the same time. On that video he's playing with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His mother and father are in the audience and the stadium is packed to the hilt. He plays a song that he wrote for his mother called Felitsa- his mother's name. It is one of the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard. On the Tribute video his live performances occur at the Taj Mahal in India and also at the  Great Wall of China. His Live DVD takes place in the Mandolay Bay in Las Vegas. Like all of his concerts, the auditorium is packed. He's got a worldwide fan base and tickets to his performances can run into the hundreds of dollars. All of  his performances that I've seen come with a light show, coordinated with the music, so it's a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.
   I was watching Good Morning America years ago, back when Joan London and Charlie Gibson were the hosts and they had him on as a guest and he played one of the songs from his concert in Athens. I was hooked immediately. Incidentally, I first heard Enya on GMA too, another one of my favorite artists. I don't know why so many musicians go by their first name only. If I went by Tom alone, I doubt that I would be famous at all. Most likely I'd be considered a world class nut case. I guess that's the price I pay for not having any musical ability.
  If you haven't heard Yanni before, I would encourage you to take a walk on the wild side and give him a try. If I had the technical ability to reproduce one of his songs with this blog, I most certainly would. He's a musical genius and he's used his God given gift well. I hope he continues to produce what in my opinion is some of the most beautiful, stirring music a person could listen to. I've listed the titles of his music that I own  below.
 Live at the Acropolis  
 Tribute
 Yanni Live
 Snowfall
 If I Could Tell You
 Voices
 The Ultimate Collection
 Ethnicity
 Truth of Touch 
 In the Mirror
 Love Songs
 Devotion

Comments

  1. Yanni wins a vote from me for having written for the duduk, an ancient reed instrument, in some of his pieces. Amazing. While I have categorized his music, at least in my head, as 'popular', perhaps I ought to give him more of a listen.

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  2. Hi Jeremy,
    As you can see, I'm a big fan. I can't remember what video it was that I saw him play the duduk, it might have been Tribute, the one where he is at the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall. The man who plays it also played four other instruments during the performance. Yanni hires world class musicians to work with. All of the violinists are superb. He also had an Aboriginal man from Australia play the dirigadoo, and the fellow who plays the bongos did a number with a couple of hollow bamboo type sticks that he thumped on the floor kind of like STOMP. It was great entertainment. If you happen to be in town some time, stop by. Your folks have seen several of my videos and seemed to enjoy them. Thanks for checking in.

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  3. I'm usually not a huge fan of your music, but have to agree that I do love Yani, he is extremely talented.
    However, not as talented as me, I can play three pianos at once, two with my hands and another with my feet. At the same time I play a harmonica through my nostrils...sooooo...

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  4. I'm a huge fan of Yanni!! It started my love of "new age" music which has evolved to smooth jazz. I had a radio station that played it in both Cleveland and Columbus (I live in the middle)and was happy for many years. They have decided that it is no longer popular so have made them into country stations now. color me sad:-( .
    Enjoy you weekend listening!

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  5. Well Autumn, no one is quite as talented as you, sooo... maybe you could send me some money from your vast stash of cash so I could fix up my boat.
    Donna, to the best of my knowlege, Yanni wasn't around yet when I lived in Marion. I was all caught up in the modern songs- Three Dog Night and Neil Diamond and whatnot. When Jan and I were married in 1972,and on our way down to Key West for my new assignment to the USS Kretchmer, the most popular song was Roberta Flack- Killing Me Softly. We listened to it a lot in our little Ford Pinto all the way down. I still enjoy a variety of music, but as I mentioned Yanni and Enya have a special place in my heart. I also discovered Anthony Miles- he has some great New Age sounds. Have a great day. Thanks for checking in.

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  6. Trouble...trouble, trouble, trouble! And I will send you down some cash as well as a pineapple! ;)
    I just got on Phoebe's page on facebook and asked if you had hidden any custard or cookies from her lately. Was just thinking of her sniffing the air and following Rigby into your office for the plate of cookies! Gotta love Jen!

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  7. Man...I had to crack up seeing this blog....I remember the year you got that Yanni video for Christmas and we all sat and watched it and if anyone got a little loud you'd get all frustrated...I like to relax to that kinda music, but I can't listen to it all day....but....I did want to point out, Autumn, that I can play the violin, using my butt cheeks to hold the reed and that frees up my hands to play the piano with one hand and pick my nose with the other...soooo...just sayin.

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  8. You were always so talented Amber. What do you use to paint the paddles with though, your toes?

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  9. well...sometimes my toes, sometimes the wedge of my knee...sometimes I fit it into my earing hole...it all depends on what kinda mood I'm in...

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