Rapture (Bradley Joseph album)
Encyclopedia
Rapture is the second album by Bradley Joseph
, and his debut album on the Narada
label, released in March 1997 (see 1997 in music
). This is an instrumental album in which Joseph wrote and conducted all of the scores. In addition to incorporating a core band including violinist Charlie Bisharat
and drummer Charlie Adams
, he utilized a 50-piece orchestra. It is an "expression of a life's work and dreams", featuring intimate piano pieces, quartets and full orchestrations, "combining smooth jazz with contemporary instrumental themes". It reached New Age Voice (NAV)'s "Airwaves Top 30" at #15 in July 1997.
and Sheena Easton
, Joseph released his debut album, Hear the Masses
in 1994. Subsequently, Joseph attracted the attention of Narada Productions
via the World Wide Web
. A representative for Narada came across Joseph's website and downloaded some music. This sparked their interest and resulted in signing Joseph to a multi-record deal. The outcome was Rapture, Joseph's second album, which was recorded at a number of different studios including Captain and Tennille's studio in Los Angeles
, and Pachyderm Studio
in Cannon Falls, Minnesota
In addition to utilizing a core band including Charlie Adams
on percussion, Charlie Bisharat
on violin, and Steven Trochlil on clarinet, Joseph brought in a 50-piece orchestra and conducted and wrote all the scores. Wind and Wire Magazine contributor, Michael Debbage, recalls, "It was the year 1997 and New Age music had already peaked commercially as the interest and exposure seemed to lag. The genres main labels – Narada, Windham Music, and Higher Octave – were beginning to explore worldly themes versus the warm, earthly, acoustic themes that prior artists had established. It appeared that the abundance of new artists was becoming a dying breed. An exception to the rule was Bradley Joseph, who released his first mainstream album Rapture to glorious reviews, and to this day it remains his tour de force." Among other instruments, Joseph used the Yamaha and Bösendorfer
pianos for this album. He often references the past when he names his songs and his music is frequently reminiscent of his rural Minnesota roots. His company, Robbins Island Music, [and song] is named after a city park in Willmar, says Anne Polta of the West Central Tribune.
notes that often New Age music sounds as if it should be played in a supermarket. The songs can sound like musical cotton candy — soft, airy and ultimately uninteresting. "For the most part, Bradley's music doesn't make that mistake." "The music is cinematic, filled with introspective piano solos, swelling violins, and a hypnotic song pacing that allows the listener to daydream."
"Special thanks to the St. Olaf Players."
Additional recording at:
Bradley Joseph
Bradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
, and his debut album on the Narada
Narada Productions
Narada is a record label formed 1983 as an independent New Age music label and distributed by MCA Records. Now a fully owned subsidiary of EMI, Narada evolved through an expansion of formats to include music from other styles including world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar...
label, released in March 1997 (see 1997 in music
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
). This is an instrumental album in which Joseph wrote and conducted all of the scores. In addition to incorporating a core band including violinist Charlie Bisharat
Charlie Bisharat
Charlie Bisharat is a Grammy-winning violinistwho has extensively toured and/or recorded with numerous artists. He was a member of Shadowfax who won a Grammy in 1988 for Best New Age Performance for Folksongs for a Nuclear Village...
and drummer Charlie Adams
Charlie Adams (drummer)
Charlie Adams is an American drummer, percussionist, drum engineer, composer, music producer, and film producer. He formed the rock band Chameleon in the 1980s, and was known for his revolving, upside-down drum set. He has been drum lead for Yanni through nine major concert tours...
, he utilized a 50-piece orchestra. It is an "expression of a life's work and dreams", featuring intimate piano pieces, quartets and full orchestrations, "combining smooth jazz with contemporary instrumental themes". It reached New Age Voice (NAV)'s "Airwaves Top 30" at #15 in July 1997.
History
During his years of world-wide concert tours as keyboardist with YanniYanni
Yanni , born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States.He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time...
and Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
, Joseph released his debut album, Hear the Masses
Hear The Masses
Hear the Masses is the debut album by Bradley Joseph, , a self-produced and self-published release consisting of 10 original instrumental compositions ranging from upbeat piano to orchestral ballads....
in 1994. Subsequently, Joseph attracted the attention of Narada Productions
Narada Productions
Narada is a record label formed 1983 as an independent New Age music label and distributed by MCA Records. Now a fully owned subsidiary of EMI, Narada evolved through an expansion of formats to include music from other styles including world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar...
via the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
. A representative for Narada came across Joseph's website and downloaded some music. This sparked their interest and resulted in signing Joseph to a multi-record deal. The outcome was Rapture, Joseph's second album, which was recorded at a number of different studios including Captain and Tennille's studio in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and Pachyderm Studio
Pachyderm Studio
Pachyderm Recording Studio is a residential recording studio located in rural Cannon Falls, Minnesota, United States, 35.8 mi southeast of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. It is located in a secluded old-growth forest with a vibrant trout stream. The studio was founded in 1988...
in Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Cannon Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,795 people, 1,550 households, and 996 families residing in the city. The population density was 946.4 people per square mile . There were 1,611 housing units at an average density of 401.8 per square mile...
In addition to utilizing a core band including Charlie Adams
Charlie Adams (drummer)
Charlie Adams is an American drummer, percussionist, drum engineer, composer, music producer, and film producer. He formed the rock band Chameleon in the 1980s, and was known for his revolving, upside-down drum set. He has been drum lead for Yanni through nine major concert tours...
on percussion, Charlie Bisharat
Charlie Bisharat
Charlie Bisharat is a Grammy-winning violinistwho has extensively toured and/or recorded with numerous artists. He was a member of Shadowfax who won a Grammy in 1988 for Best New Age Performance for Folksongs for a Nuclear Village...
on violin, and Steven Trochlil on clarinet, Joseph brought in a 50-piece orchestra and conducted and wrote all the scores. Wind and Wire Magazine contributor, Michael Debbage, recalls, "It was the year 1997 and New Age music had already peaked commercially as the interest and exposure seemed to lag. The genres main labels – Narada, Windham Music, and Higher Octave – were beginning to explore worldly themes versus the warm, earthly, acoustic themes that prior artists had established. It appeared that the abundance of new artists was becoming a dying breed. An exception to the rule was Bradley Joseph, who released his first mainstream album Rapture to glorious reviews, and to this day it remains his tour de force." Among other instruments, Joseph used the Yamaha and Bösendorfer
Bösendorfer
Bösendorfer is an Austrian piano manufacturer, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone...
pianos for this album. He often references the past when he names his songs and his music is frequently reminiscent of his rural Minnesota roots. His company, Robbins Island Music, [and song] is named after a city park in Willmar, says Anne Polta of the West Central Tribune.
Critical reception
Ken Moore of the Naples Daily News cites, "Joseph's music is backed by 15 talented musicians, some playing three or more different instruments that make up a symphony of sounds ranging from quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth." It contains "...heavy flowing strings and emotion-filled keyboard melodies, as on 'A Lover's Return'", states the Johnson County Sun, while Ross Boissoneau of Allmusic contradicts saying, "...Joseph has a good ear for melody, but he pretty much refrains from Yanni's trademark sweeping, whooshing synth swells." A review of Rapture from New Age Voice states, "Joseph is smooth, painting romantic pictures in sound with voices and instruments that escalate from quiet, intimate passages to big, energetic movements. The arrangements are structured so that the trumpet can lead a line out on 'Be Still' signaling an introspective sort of mood. Yet the strings swell on 'The Passage', engulfing the listener in an ocean of sound. Even cuts that start quiet, such as 'Healing the Hollow Man' or 'Blue Rock Road' ebb and flow between quiet moments and crescendos." John Blake of The Atlanta JournalThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
notes that often New Age music sounds as if it should be played in a supermarket. The songs can sound like musical cotton candy — soft, airy and ultimately uninteresting. "For the most part, Bradley's music doesn't make that mistake." "The music is cinematic, filled with introspective piano solos, swelling violins, and a hypnotic song pacing that allows the listener to daydream."
Track listing
- "A Lover's Return" – 4:08
- "Feel" – 4:32
- "Jewel" – 4:26
- "Healing the Hollow Man" – 4:12
- "Blue Rock Road" – 3:13
- "Robbins Island" – 3:54
- "Stray" – 6:05
- "A Stolen Kiss" – 4:08
- "The Gallery" – 4:30
- "Be Still" – 2:52
- "Coastal Highway" – 3:14
- "Storyteller" – 4:56
- "The Passage" – 4:18
Personnel
- All songs composedComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arrangedArrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
, and produced by Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
.
- Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals - Charlie AdamsCharlie Adams (drummer)Charlie Adams is an American drummer, percussionist, drum engineer, composer, music producer, and film producer. He formed the rock band Chameleon in the 1980s, and was known for his revolving, upside-down drum set. He has been drum lead for Yanni through nine major concert tours...
, Marc AndersonMarc AndersonMarc Anderson is an American percussionist who has toured and recorded with Steve Tibbetts since 1977. He hasalso toured and/or recorded with artists such as Lorie Line, Bradley Joseph, Butch Morris, Tony Moreno, Don Cherry, Peter Ostroushko, Claudia Schmidt, Dave Moore, Greg Brown, Max Roach, Taj...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - James AntonJames AntonJames "Jim" Anton, is an American bass guitarist who has toured and/or recorded with such artists as Steve Tibbetts, Bradley Joseph, Jesse Johnson, Willie Wisely, Choying Drolma, Peter Ostroushko, Mandy Moore, John Gorka, Joey McIntyre, Delta Goodrem, Glen Phillips, and Jonny Lang. He has also...
– electric bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Gordy JohnsonGordon Johnson (musician)Gordon "Gordy" Johnson, is an American double bassist and bass guitarist who has toured and/or recorded with numerous artists, a few of which include Roy Buchanan, Bill Carrothers, Lorie Line, Chuck Mangione, Dewey Redman, Greg Brown, Peter Ostroushko, Paul Winter Consort, Cliff Eberhardt, Maynard...
– string bass - Daniel Neale, Aron "Pumpkin" Trooien – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- James Wheeler – drumDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s - David LevinDavid Levin (singer)David Levin is an American singer-songwriter who has recorded with such artists as Bradley Joseph.His first release, Heaven, features David Barry , Paul Peterson , and Rick Barron ....
, Clystie Whang – vocals - Charlie BisharatCharlie BisharatCharlie Bisharat is a Grammy-winning violinistwho has extensively toured and/or recorded with numerous artists. He was a member of Shadowfax who won a Grammy in 1988 for Best New Age Performance for Folksongs for a Nuclear Village...
– solo violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello.... - Terry Brau – bass clarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Melissa HasinMelissa HasinMelissa "Missy" Hasin, is an American Cellist who was raised in Newport Beach, California. Although her parents wanted her to stick with Classical music, she played the electric bass in various blues and rock bands as a teenager but later concentrated mainly on the cello...
– solo celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... - Brian Pearson – fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Jennifer Schumacher – English horn, oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
- Steven P. Trochlil – clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
"Special thanks to the St. Olaf Players."
Production
- Recorded at Pachyderm StudioPachyderm StudioPachyderm Recording Studio is a residential recording studio located in rural Cannon Falls, Minnesota, United States, 35.8 mi southeast of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. It is located in a secluded old-growth forest with a vibrant trout stream. The studio was founded in 1988...
, Cannon Falls, MinnesotaCannon Falls, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 3,795 people, 1,550 households, and 996 families residing in the city. The population density was 946.4 people per square mile . There were 1,611 housing units at an average density of 401.8 per square mile...
. Engineered by Bob DeMaa and Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
.
Additional recording at:
- The "A" room at Creation Audio Recording, Minneapolis. Engineered by Lynn Peterson and Bradley Joseph.
- Rumbo Recorders, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Engineered by Mark Agostino. - More Core Music, Minneapolis; and Big World Studios, Willmar, MN. Engineered by Bradley Joseph.
- Mixed by Dan Harjung and Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
at Secret Sound, Franklin, TN; assisted by engineer Chuck Linder. - Executive Producer - Dan Harjung
- Mastered by - Treavor Sadler, Narada Media, using Apogee's UV22 digital process.
External links
- Official Website
- Rapture at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Rapture at Planet Earth Music
- Rapture at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....