dzeraus' blog on imeem

Mini Karaoke

dzeraus — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:21:55 -0000

From this LOGO below, you can open the site and download your own mini karaoke, then you can search the song with lyrics you desired.If you still dont get it, you can message me.Enjoy..!

Type artist or song name:

Kitaro Biography

dzeraus — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:29:38 -0000

KITARO

Kitaro was born in 1953 as Masanori Takahashi in Toyohashi, Japan. In Highschool he loved Soul and Rhythm & Blues. He learned playing E-Guitar and performed with his band "Albatross" on parties and in clubs. His biggest influence in this time was Otis Redding. "Rhythm and blues has a kind of depth, emotions how can I say it? The audience feels something like same kind of emotions from my music. My music is not rhythm and blues, but it feels like soul.".

His nickname Kitaro was given to him by friends after the main character from the japanese cartoon television series "Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro".

In the early '70s he changed completely to keyboards. He joined the band "Far East Family Band" and toured with them around the world. In Europe he met the german synthesizer musician and Tangerine Dream-cofounder Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and expanded Kitaro's knowledge of synthesizers.

A quotation from Kitaro gives us his view on synthesizers: "With a synthesizer I could create an ocean, a winter coastline, a summer beach, a whole scene."

In 1976 Kitaro left the "Far East Family Band" and made a long trip throught asia, visiting countries like Laos, China and Thailand. In India he lived for about 6 months in Poona at the (at that time) famous ashram of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.

Back in Japan Kitaro started his solo career in 1977. The first two albums Ten Kai and From the Full Moon Story became cult favorites of fans of the nascent New Age movement. But it was his famous Soundtrack for the NHK series "Silk Road" which brought him the international attention.

He struck a worldwide distribution arrangement with Geffen Records in 1986; in 1987 he collaborated with different musicians, e.g. with Micky Hart (Grateful Dead) and Jon Andersen (Yes) and his record sales soared to 10 million worldwide.

In 1994 he won the Golden Globe Award for his soundtrack for Oliver Stones movie "Heaven & Earth". He was also nominated several times for a Grammy in the category New Age (which he won in 2001 for his album Thinking of You).

Kitaro is a star, but he is very modest. "Nature inspires me. I am only a messenger", he said. "To me, some songs are like clouds, some are like water". Since 1983 his reverence for nature leads Kitaro to annually give thanks to Mother Nature in a special "concert" on Mount Fuji or near his house in Colorado: on the day of August full moon he beats on the Taiko drum from dusk to dawn. Frequently his hands become bloodied, but he continues to pound.

From 1983 till 1990 he was married with his first wife Yuki (they have a son, Ryunosuke, who lives in Japan). They separated because Kitaro worked most time in the United States while she lived and worked in Japan. In the middle of the 90ths Kitaro married Keiko Matsubara, a musician who already played on several of his albums. With her and her son Kitaro lived in Ward, a little town outside Boulder/Colorado (USA) on a 180-acre spread in a big house with his own studio, called "Mochi House". Latest information say that Kitaro and Keiko recently moved to Occidental, a small town north of San Francisco (North California).

DISCOGRAPHY.

1978 - Ten Kai/Astral Voyage/Astral Voyager/Astral Trip
1979 - Full Moon Story/Daichi
1979 - Oasis
1980 - Silk Road (a.k.a. The Soghdian Merchants on VHS)
1980 - Silk Road II
1980 - In Person Digital
1980 - Silk Road Suite
1981 - Silk Road III: Tunhuang (Japanese original title: Tonko)
1981 - Best of Kitaro vol 1
1981 - World of Kitaro
1981 - Ki
1982 - Millennia (Queen Millennia movie soundtrack)
1983 - Silk Road IV: Tenjiku/India
1984 - Silver Cloud/Cloud
1984 - Live in Asia/Asia Super Tour Live/Asia
1986 - Toward the West
1986 - Tenku
1987 - Light of the Spirit
1988 - Ten Years/Best of Ten Years
1990 - Kojiki
1991 - Live in America
1992 - Dream/Lady of Dreams
1993 - Heaven and Earth
1994 - Mandala
1995 - An Enchanted Evening - Live
1996 - Peace On Earth
1997 - Cirque Ingenieux
1998 - Gaia-Onbashira
1999 - Best of Kitaro vol 2
1999 - Thinking of You
2000 - The Soong Sisters
2001 - Ancient
2002 - An Ancient Journey
2002 - Daylight, Moonlight in Yakushiji - Live
2003 - Best of Silk Road
2003 - Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai
2004 - Shikoku 88 Places
2005 - Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Volume 2
2006 - Spiritual Garden
2007 - Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Volume 3

OTHER ALBUMS

Asian Cafe/Ashu Chakan (Best Of)
All Roads Lead To Rome
Across The Karakum Desert
Across The Pamir
Dansu
Deep Forest
Endless Journey
Healing Forest (Best Of)
Ninja Scroll (Soundtrack)
In Silent
In Search Of Wisdom
Journey To The Heart I
Journey To The Heart II
Journey To The Heart III
Journey To The Heart IV
Kaiso (Kitaro's World Of Music)
Karuna (Kitaro's World Of Music)
Mu Land
Mizu Ni Inorte
Morning Light
Music For The Spirit Vol. 1
Music For The Spirit Vol. 2
Music For The Spirit Vol. 3
Music For The Spirit Vol. 4
Nile (Single, 2001)
Six Musical Portraits
Tamayura (DVD)
Tento Chi
Tokusen 1
Tokusen 2
Vertigo
Yakushi-Ji

Kitaro with Others

Far East Family Band - Far Out (1973)
Far East Family Band - The Cave Down To Earth (1974)
Far East Family Band - Nipponjin (1975)
Far East Family Band - Parallel World (1976)
Far East Family Band - Tenkujin (1977)
Gyoto Monks - Gyoto Monks
Gyoto Monks - Freedom Chants From The Roof Of The World

Oliver Shanti's Biography

dzeraus — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:15:14 -0000

One of my Favorite Musician.

Oliver Shanti

Oliver Shanti (Born Ulrich Schulz 16 November 1948 in Hamburg), later known as Oliver Serano-Alve, is a New Age musician. His group "Oliver Shanti & Friends" has recorded several CDs, including "Circles Of Life" - The Best Of Oliver Shanti (1997), "Tai Chi", "Seven Times Seven, "Alhambra", "Listening To The Heart", "Medicine Power", and "Rainbow Way".Two tracks by Oliver Shanti & Friends were featured in the Buddha Bar compilations: "Onon Mweng (Rainbird)" in the Buddha Bar II compilation produced by Claude Challe and "Sacral Nirvana" in the Buddha Bar III compilation. In 2002, a warrant for his arrest was issued in Germany (English version), with a €3000 reward offered.

Real Identity:

Name : Ulrich SCHULZ,

• DOB 16th November 1948, place of birth: Hamburg,
• married, German
• height 186 cm (corresponds roughly to 6’ 1’’)
• extreme overweight (140 - 170 kg, corresponds roughly to 308 – 374 lbs),puffy face
• dark hair shoulder-length, parted in the middle,
• grey full beard.

Ulrich SCHULZ has used so far also the following aliases and pseudonyms,
respectively: Oliver SHANTI, Oliver SERANO, Oliver SERANO-Alve

Astrud Gilberto's Biography

dzeraus — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:53:24 -0000

Astrud Gilberto, known as "The Girl from Ipanema" and often referred to as "The Queen of Bossa-Nova", is an artist with roots firmly planted in Brazilian music. Her music has become an interesting combination of the sensual rhythms of Brazil and American Pop and Jazz.

Born in the Northeast of Brazil, in the state of Bahia, one of three sisters of a German father and a Brazilian mother, Astrud grew up in Rio de Janeiro. She immigrated to the United States in the early 1960s, where she resides since then.

Astrud was first introduced to the World at large in 1964 through "The Girl From Ipanema", the Grammy-winning recording with Stan Getz and her then-husband João Gilberto (the father of Bossa Nova). The fact that Astrud seldom grants interviews made it possible for many untruthful versions on how her guest appearance in the Getz & Gilberto album came about to be printed here and there, such as that she was "discovered" by Creed Taylor, or by Stan Getz, or yet, by Jobim, when the only truth is that she was invited to participate in the album by João Gilberto, who has great admiration for her singing talents.

Astrud's recordings exposed the nations of the World to the sensuality of Brazilian music and to her unique vocal interpretations of American music, such as "The Shadow of your Smile", "It Might as well be Spring", "Fly Me to the Moon", "Look to the Rainbow" (from her album of the same title, with Gil Evans), "Love Story", etc...

Following the hit with "Ipanema", her recording career quickly took off. Her first solo effort, "The Astrud Gilberto Album", was an immediate best-seller and was itself nominated as album of the year. Her next albums were all chart-toppers and were released on a yearly schedule. Her talents were much in demand in other areas as well as she appeared in two motion pictures, "The Hanged Man" and "Get Yourself a College Girl" and also recorded the soundtrack for "The Deadly Affair", arranged by Quincy Jones. She made appearances in all of the popular US television shows of the time, and had TV specials built around her in Europe, Japan and Africa. For many years she was the voice of Eastern Airlines, having recorded award-winning commercials.

In the early seventies Astrud revealed another facet of her talents, her songwriting, which was introduced on the albums "Astrud Gilberto Now" (1972) and "That Girl From Ipanema" (1977). On the "That Girl from Ipanema" album Astrud recorded one of her songs, "Far Away" (with lyrics by Hal Shaper), as a duet with the legendary Chet Baker. As she has revealed in interviews, this was one of the most rewarding events of her career, since Chet has been one of Astrud's idols dating back to her teenage years. In 1976, one of her compositions, "Live Today" (co-written with Jerome Schur), received an award at the Tokyo Music Festival.

In the early eighties, Astrud Gilberto formed a group, a sextet comprised of piano, bass, drums, trombone, guitar and percussion. Her son, Marcelo Gilberto, joined her group as bassist. With this group format, she toured Europe, Japan, Canada, and the United States. With the aid of Marcelo's valuable musical contributions, she polished the group's arrangements and entered a different phase in her career, as her music became more diversified and her songwriting more proliferous. Her shows, from the beginning of her career up to her last public appearance (2001), have been usually sold out and at many venues she has broken the house record in attendance. Seeking for a way to overcome her stage fright, which was sometimes overwhelming, Astrud attended the Stella Adler School of Acting, for a couple of years, in the early eighties. The experience was helpful. Although still shy, Astrud learned to control the stage fright to the extent that she can "live with it".

Her album "Astrud Gilberto Plus The James Last Orchestra", released in 1987, solidified her career as songwriter. The album includes a few of her own original compositions of which "Champagne & Caviar", "Amor e Som" and "I'm nothing without you" (Astrud's lyrics to A.C. Jobim's melody) are best known. The release of this album combined with the reissuing of some of her early records as CDs has created a whole new generation of fans for Astrud Gilberto all over the world, in addition to her already large number of followers. The "Astrud Gilberto Plus the James Last Orchestra" album was extremely well received by critics, as well as fellow artists.

In 1990, Astrud Gilberto, along with her sons Marcelo Gilberto and Gregory Lasorsa, formed Gregmar Productions, Inc. In the years that followed, Astrud toured extensively, developing her live show and writing new material.

In 1992, Astrud received the "Latin Jazz USA Award for Lifetime Achievement" for her outstanding contribution to Latin jazz music.

In 1995, the first project by Gregmar studios was released on an album as tribute to Jobim on the label Ps Flag/BMG ("Heirs To Jobim"). The song, "Forever Green", one of Jobim's last compositions before passing away, features saxophonist Michael Brecker. In that same year, in a sold-out Thursday night appearance, Astrud Gilberto became the first "Jazz" Artist to sing at the trendy "House of Blues" in Los Angeles, which had until then presented Blues and Rock acts, exclusively. She has also broken house records at the very popular "Jazz Cafe" club in London.

In early 1996 the first album from Gregmar was released in the Asian territories, including Japan, on the Pony Canyon label. It is comprised of various live performances recorded in NYC in 1989, for which is called "Astrud Gilberto - Live in New York".

The "Desafinado" duet with George Michael, in the Fall of 1996 included on the "Red Hot & Rio" album, gained international attention, and exposed the Bossa Nova style to a large number of Pop music fans. "Desafinado" has also been included on George Michael's 1999 release "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Best of George Michael".

Also in 1996, Astrud recorded a duet with the famous European vocalist, French Pop star, Ettienne Daho. The song, "Les Bordes de Seine", included on Daho's "Eden" album, was co-written by Daho and Gilberto and was particularly well received by "Hip-Hop" fans.

In late 1997, a studio album (also by Gregmar Productions), produced by Astrud and Marcelo Gilberto, was released in the Asian territories by the Pony Canyon label. Comprised entirely of Astrud Gilberto's original compositions (with the exception of just one American standard), the album bears the title of "Temperance". Yet to be released outside of Asia, the album features guests Michael Franks and the New York Voices. Astrud is particularly proud of this work, because it is a labor of love. Both of her sons, Greg and Marcelo perform on it.

Astrud Gilberto's sold-out performances at the "House of Blues", and her legendary shows at NYC's SOB's continued to be musical "happenings" to her fans up until 2001, when she decided to take indefinite time off the "road", in order to be able to spend more time with her family, and do more writing and painting (she is also a fine art artist (click here to view some of her artwork).

Astrud's style has been a strong influence in contemporary music. Many artists have revealed the fact that they have been inspired by her musical style, among them: Basia (who recorded a tribute to Astrud, a song named "Astrud"), Sade, Sinead O'Connor, Michael Franks, Pat Metheney, and Suzanne Vega. Several "avant-garde" groups have also professed having Astrud as their "inspiring muse".

Astrud's work as songwriter has gradually but surely developed from a "side thing" in the beginning of her career, to an integral part of it, in the later years. Since the mid-eighties, her live shows featured a large number of her own original compositions, to which audiences have been just as receptive as they have always been to old standards such as "The Girl from Ipanema", "One Note Samba", or "Quiet Nights".

Astrud Gilberto's 2002 "Jungle" album release, is a showcase of Astrud's songwriting, as it features ten original new compositions.

In April of 2002 Astrud Gilberto has been inducted to the "International Latin Music Hall of Fame".

Karunesh Biography

dzeraus — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 13:24:17 -0000

One of my Favorite Musician.

Karunesh

Biography by Johnny Loftus Karunesh took an active interest in music during his youth in Germany, back when he was still known as Bruno Reuter. But it wasn't until he was 23 and took a mean spill off his motorbike that Reuter received his epiphany in the form of new age spiritualism. A pilgrimage to India followed, where he reemerged as Karunesh (Sanskrit for "compassion"). He issued his debut LP, Sounds of the Heart, in 1984, and never looked back. Karunesh was remarkably consistent over the next 20 years, releasing numerous albums influenced by the windy landscape of world music and punctuated with breathy flutes, introspective guitars, and hints of vocal and electronics. He worked with the Nightingale, Oreade, Etherean, and Real Music imprints, among others; album highlights include Heart Chakra Meditation (1992), Secrets of Life (first issued in 1996), and 2001's Zen Breakfast, which leaned toward the new age subgenre of music for massage/relaxation.

Karunesh is a new age / ambient musician born in Cologne, Germany in 1956. His music has strong Asian and Indian influences prevalent throughout, with liberal use of Indian instruments (like the sitar for example).Although he had been drawn to music as a child and played in bands as a teenager, he chose to study graphic design as a career. However, after attaining his degree, Karunesh was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. His brush with death prompted him to rethink his life and embark on a spiritual journey of sorts, and in 1979 he travelled to India. His accident also prompted him to choose music as a career instead of graphic design. In 1987, Karunesh released his first album entitled Sounds of the Heart, which was met with success, followed by Colors Of Light the following year and Sky's Beyond the year after that. As of 2006 Karunesh has released 17 albums (see Discography below). Karunesh has lived in Maui, Hawaii, since 1992.

Discography:

1987 Sounds Of The Heart

1988 Colours Of Light

1989 Sky's Beyond

991 Heart Symphony

1992 Heart Chakra Meditation

1993 Beyond Body & Mind

1996 Secrets of Life

1997 Osho Chakra Sounds (Note: Co-artist 'Osho' is sometimes dropped from the title)

2001 Wanderer (May 8, 2001)

2001 Zen Breakfast (July 10, 2001)

2002 Nirvana Cafe

2003 Silent Heart (July 1, 2003)

2003 Global Spirit (September 2, 2003)

2004 Call Of the Mystic (May 11, 2004)

2004 Beyond Heaven (June 8, 2004)

2006 Global Village (April 11, 2006)

2006 Joy Of Life (October 24, 2006)