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'{{Infobox musical artist | name = David Lanz | image = | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|6|28|mf=y}} | birth_place = Seattle, Washington, U.S. | genre = [[New-age music|New age]], [[Jazz music]] | occupation = Musician | instrument = Piano, Tastiere | years_active = 1964&ndash;present | label = [[Narada Productions|Narada]] | website = {{URL|www.davidlanz.com/}} }} '''David Howard Lanz''' (born June 28, 1950 in Seattle, Washington) is a Grammy-nominated pianist. 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]]. He was inspired to play piano by his mother.<ref>[http://www.narada.com/images/ArtistBio/Lanz/david_lanz_biography.htm David Lanz Biography<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> She played songs by [[Ray Charles]], [[Frank Sinatra]], and [[Nat King Cole]] 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]] with the Canadian group Brahman. He played keyboards on the hit song "[[Seasons in the Sun]]" by [[Terry Jacks]]. 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]] and [[blues]]. ==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 Productions|Narada]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} ==Style== Lanz's goal is to have his music create an atmosphere of hope and enlightenment. In an interview with [[Barnes & Noble]], Lanz stated that he wanted to create an atmosphere similar to that of [[Steven Halpern]]'s music, but with a "more popular hook in it".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://music.barnesandnoble.com/features/interview.asp?NID=159270&z=y |title=Barnes & Noble.com Music - New Age Interview<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2006-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518175450/http://music.barnesandnoble.com/features/interview.asp?NID=159270 |archive-date=2008-05-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lanz has said, "[The piano] 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)|Xiao flute]] master [[Gary Stroutsos]] pays homage to the music of [[The Beatles]]. ==Discography== ===Studio albums=== * 1983 ''Heartsounds'' * 1984 ''Nightfall'' * 1985 ''Natural States'' (with [[Paul Speer]]) * 1985 ''Solstice'' * 1987 ''Woodlands'' (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 [[Paul Speer]]) * 1994 ''Christmas Eve'' * 1996 ''Sacred Road'' * 1996 ''Convergence'' (with [[David Arkenstone]]) * 1998 ''Songs from an English Garden'' * 1999 ''An Evening with David Lanz'' * 1999 ''Cristofori's Dream'' (remastered with additional track)<ref name="Inc.1997">{{cite book|title=Virgin Acquires Narada Label|work=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AwoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA111|date=27 September 1997|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=111–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> * 1999 ''The Christmas Album'' * 2000 ''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'' ===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]]'' *''[[Grand Piano (Narada Anniversary Collection)]]'' *''[[Narada Smooth Jazz]]'' *''Narada Film and Television Music Sampler'' == See also == * [[List of ambient music artists]] ==Sources== David Lanz, "Solos for New Age Piano" copyright 1991 NARADA Music Inc. pp.&nbsp;2–3 {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.davidlanz.com www.davidlanz.com]&nbsp;— official site {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanz, David}} [[Category:Musicians from Seattle]] [[Category:1950 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:New-age pianists]] [[Category:Narada Productions artists]] [[Category:People from Pittsford, New York]] [[Category:20th-century American pianists]] [[Category:American male pianists]] [[Category:21st-century American pianists]] [[Category:20th-century American male musicians]] [[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]'