These are wonderful recordings.....great sound...even on my computer the highs are terrific....that means alot. In fact, that was part of the key to the Windham Hill sound, really good treble!
I love the ending to "Lost"!
Liz Story/Windham Hill Recording Artist
"A Delicate Balance" is the third solo piano release from Colorado pianist/composer Lisa Downing, and what a gem it is! A longtime piano teacher with an impressive training of her own, Downing brings a flawless technique to her playing that allows her to express whatever she chooses in her music. The twelve original pieces on this album are truly slices of her life, told with passion and grace through the language of the piano. Downing also explains the inspiration for each piece in the liner notes, offering insight and a very personal touch. I’m reminded of the wonderful musical storytelling of favorite artists like Robin Spielberg, David Lanz, and Spencer Brewer. I expect that "A Delicate Balance" will be one of my favorite albums of 2010.
“The Gift” is the opening piece, and is a composition that came to Downing all at once during a tumultuous time in her life. A graceful energy flows through the piece that is both thoughtful and life affirming. The sweet and dreamy “The Bedtime Song” refers to a time when Downing and her young son made up original songs together at bedtime each night. This melody was a favorite, conveying love and innocence. “Make Believe” is one of my favorites. Composed while watching her son building things with his Legos and creating a fantasy world with his teddy bears, the piece is playful yet intense and slightly mysterious, winding down at the end like a music box. “Lost” goes to the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, expressing the emotions felt when her beloved teenage son ran away from home for three weeks. The piece ends with a major chord, indicating that story has a happy ending. “Indecision” expresses the frustration and confusion of trying to make life choices and decisions - an amazing portrait of those troubling feelings. “Diaphanous Breeze” is another favorite. Inspired by a thick haze of cottonwood seeds drifting on the wind, the piece is dreamy, sensuous, and gorgeous. “Night Games” emerged while watching a group of neighbor kids playing in the cul-de-sac under the glow of a street lamp. Energetic and full of fun, it’s a delight! “Speaker/Listener” refers to a powerful tool for developing intimacy, where one person speaks his or her truth and then the listener speaks what he or she has heard. The piece elegantly conveys the message of several unique voices reaching out to each other.
"A Delicate Balance" is an incredible musical experience that shouldn’t be missed! It is available from LisaDowning.com, Amazon, CD Baby, and iTunes. Very highly recommended!
Kathy Parsons/Reviewer/MainlyPiano.com
It will come as no surprise that I find Lisa to be a very very fine pianist and composer...she is welcome to record here at any time... we'd be delighted to have her at Imaginary Road!
Will Ackerman/Founder of Windham Hill Records/2010
“Make Believe” is one of the coolest piano songs I've heard lately. I love it. Great tune!
David Nevue/Founder of Whisperings Solo Piano/2009
Lisa Downing’s third solo piano album, "A Delicate Balance," is inspired mostly by her son and this is evident by the passion with which she has infused her new CD.
Downing has channeled this passion into a wide range of emotions. The variety of moods runs the gamut from inner reflection and quiet contentment to confident determination and exuberant joy. Downing conveys all of this with engaging arrangements, lyrical melodies, and rapturous chords.
Two standout tracks on the album are “Indecision” and “No Matter What I Do.” Downing has been compared to Liz Story and Peter Kater and rightly so. With these two tracks, the adventurous and quirky spirit of Bruce Hornsby can also be detected.
Downing definitely has musical chops. Apparently, in addition to recording and touring, she is available for private engagements. If this CD is any indication, no one could go wrong booking her for anything from weddings to anniversaries and other social and corporate events.
"A Delicate Balance" is definitely recommended for connoisseurs of solo piano music and anyone interested in hiring a professional and accomplished musician.
Raj Manoharan/Reviewer
When searching by computer for talented artists in your favorite genre, a couple of simple search terms might quickly get you good results. If not, you can try searching the many recording labels to help you find talented artists, or at least point you in the right direction.
Lisa Downing is one name to search for, and Vision Quest Entertainment is another search term you can try. With either result, Lisa Downing’s name will appear since this business was originally her own record label and now a combined talent agency doing business as Vision Quest Entertainment, representing over 1200 musicians in Colorado.
Now that we know Lisa Downing as a businesswoman, let me tell you about her busy career as composer, recording artists, and concert pianist. Lisa performs in many concert venues including corporate and private events, along with conducting workshops and concerts with Liz Story and Joseph Akins, among many additional reputable artists.
Teaching piano along with her academic studies, Lisa attended the University of Colorado at Denver and Metropolitan State College to study music and piano performance. Graduating with a degree in Traditional and Nontraditional Music with Keyboard Emphasis in 1982, her educational pursuits appear to be nicely balanced too.
"A Delicate Balance" is her 2010 Solo Piano, New Age, Neo Classical release, in an album title that is pretty well equal to her business and creative endeavors as a Solo Pianist. What’s interesting about the inside cover of this CD is the special written diary about the thoughts behind each song’s composition which uniquely portrays Lisa’s intimate expressions during some rather personal moments in her life.
I did enjoy reading her diary of songs while listening and preparing for this review of "A Delicate Balance" since it meticulously brought her personal recounting for each composition into the picture, giving her piano melodies a conclusively heartfelt and well spoken reflection.
Without giving away all of the diary secrets, many songs like "The Gift," reflect a wonderful positive expression by the classical phrasing leading to the uplifting feel given by full register piano runs. This song aligned in a moderate tempo made me think of the intrinsic treasures a gift giver feels and the unexpected joyful surprises a recipient receives.
The song "Lost" nicely portrays the first quiet moments in piano composition before well placed notes makes one realize that someone dear has lost their way, leading to deeper moments of pause and curiosity by her intonation. After bolder dynamic chords suggest a winding road of lost hope, an upbeat conclusive ending happily points to a more familiar direction, ending with a more moderate calming tone of security.
"Indecision" is a faster moving piece where treble runs are shown like racing thoughts of indecisiveness, and lower register chords lean towards equal balance in an affirmative way, reflecting the decisive moments in life that are pretty much universal to everyone.
"No Matter What I Do" involves a special dedication and meaning to Lisa and does reflect this by quieter phrases giving way to pause, leading to a wider path, where positive chords suggest a new resolve in this scenario, ending in a more relaxed contemplation.
Lisa’s prior album "Think On These Things" is much like her current personal melodies with well timed moments of reflection, and her Holiday CD "Christmas for Two," are traditional holiday arrangements you will easily recognize and are easy to find CDs.
"A Delicate Balance" is a fine Solo Piano album with the personal Lisa Downing expressive touch. Reading her song diary while listening to her latest musical gift about finding many delicate lines during the search for perfect balance is sure to please everyone, provided they take the time to search and then find this talented artist for themselves.
John P. Olsen/www.newagemusicworld.com
For me the music that falls into the "new age" category usually end up as one of two differing opinions - it is either inordinately bland or smug, or it is of a higher order of quality and should be classified as modern classical music.
With pianist/composer Lisa Downing's latest album "A Delicate Balance," I feel it should be listened to as classical music; - by that I mean that its roots are inherited from the depths of European romantic classical and traditional music. While I am not suggesting that Ms Downing is an equal to say, Chopin or Rachmaninov, her music certainly holds up well emotionally and melodically in that tradition.
"A Delicate Balance" is a collection of twelve piano only instrumental tracks based on emotional events in Ms Downing's life - several are specifically drawn from the life of her son. That, of course, does give the music an emotional weight that you seldom find in other music. Of course, one can read too much into the heart of the music, and simply enjoy it for what it is. However, the personal notes on each track by Ms Dowling in the inlay booklet do indicate where her emotions were at during the composition of the music.
With track titles such as "The Gift," "The Bedtime Song," "Lost," "Slow Dancing" etc., you can see the emotional weave of this album. I think "A Delicate Balance" will appeal to listeners who wish to find some emotional resonance in the music, and will appreciate the sound of a piano played with skill and love.
John M Peters/The-borderland.co.uk
Lisa Downing's album will make you happy, and that's what music ought to
do.
John Shelton/Ivany Top 21 National News Bureau
"A Delicate Balance" is the third release of composer and pianist Lisa Downing. A very fresh album which consists of twelve tracks that are played with an amazing technique. It is a work that expresses beautiful and elaborate melodies of moments in Lisa's life; moments she remembers and shares with us. It is an album to listen very carefully to enjoy the skill that the artist displays in front of the big Yamaha C7. Imagine her hands dance this performance on the keyboard. It is a very exciting image.
"The Gift" is the theme that opens the CD. It is a delicate and cheerful piece inspired at a moment when Lisa's life was very hectic. It's fascinating how this song fills the listener with optimism thanks to the beautiful and graceful melody that Lisa draws with her right hand. Truly a work of art with which to begin this work. I love it.
"The Bedtime Song" is synonymous with endearing, showing the pure and infinite love of a mother for her child. With a delicacy that perplexes the listener, Lisa is giving birth to this beautiful and innocent lullaby. Pure delicacy and one of my favorites!
With the classic, "Make Believe," a piece inspired by the fantastic worlds which Lisa's son used to create with his toys while she was sitting at the piano, watching him. It is a sublime piece with an extraordinary composition which holds the constant attention of the listener. Again, Lisa surprised us with another masterpiece. Another of my favorites!
"Lost" tells us of pain, anger, love ... Endless emotions that emerged in the artist when her son, just fifteen years disappeared for three weeks. Difficultly, Lisa produces a heartfelt powerful melody, reflecting the despair of the artist to find her son. It is a bitter unimaginable situation with a happy ending. Another of my favorites!
"Indecision." is fast, and strong as Lisa's hands are on the keyboard at all times, creating a bewildering and exciting tune full of uncertainties. It is a piece inspired by her son and that his first attempts to start his own life, making his own decisions as an adult. Pure energy!
The longest piece on this CD is more than four minutes, and it is also the title of the album "A Delicate Balance." With a slow flowing, and improvisation, the melody gently paints a picture of the delicate balance that keeps life beautiful, elusive and at times, unpredictable. This piece is beautiful!
"No Matter What I Do" is about the helplessness of not understanding why certain unwelcome situations, appear in our life without apparent meaning. This theme is reflected in the frustration that, even though you try, avoiding them is impossible. The melody changes, while Lisa's hands stamp each note with courage, giving life to this song of discontent.
The romantic note to this album is "Slow Dancing." It is a song dedicated to her husband Pete. The wonderful melody begins hesitantly, and subsequently becomes lively and exciting, showing all the feelings of Lisa, as she and Pete corresponded through their first letters. Beautiful!
"Song for Emma" holds an interesting history. It is a Theme, composed for a girl who used to play in the street outside Lisa's suburban home. At just six years, Emma caught the attention of the pianist for her energy and enthusiasm about the games she played with other children. Lisa gave life to this piece, in a fascinating and affectionate way, which perfectly reflects the time that Emma enjoyed playing. Wonderful piece and another of my favorites!
The most powerful melody of this review is "Diaphanous Breeze." With a mixture of nostalgia and sense of freedom, the piece describes the spontaneous movement of cottonwood seeds carried in their flight. A beautiful image that captured Lisa as she looked through her window, and it added an extraordinary and sensitive soundtrack. Another of my favorites! Wow!
Inspired by a summer night in which several children play in the light of a lamppost, "Night Games" is a playful and intense piece, where Lisa's hands are on the keyboard masterfully describing the fun games that children performed this night. I love it.
"Speaker / Listener" is a theme based on a communication exercise to help to develop intimacy. The slow flow of the piece makes it perfect for this role, conveying a wonderful sense of stillness and peace. Amazing!
"A Delicate Balance" is a simply stunning album, which will form part of the albums nominated for Best Album of the Year 2010 RNA, Wow! An essential album for those piano lovers looking fall in love with beautiful and elaborate melodies composed with an amazing technique. "A Delicate Balance" captivates the listener from start to finish, making it a highly recommended work!
Alejandro Clavijo/Reviewsnewage.com/Spain
Lisa Downing is a solo pianist that resides in Denver where she has been composing and performing since 1982. On her latest release, "A Delicate Balance," Lisa offers up a dozen new tracks inspired by personal moments in her life. Her music is often compared to artists like George Winston, Jon Schmidt, and David Lanz.
"A Delicate Balance" is a soothing and heartfelt release. In most of my research on this album I frequently saw the genre “New Age” appear, but I wouldn’t really use that term based on my listens. While it is, when I think of New Age I often think of artists like Enya, Enigma, or Brian Eno (basically anything starting with “E” apparently). Downing’s songs are just pretty...relaxing...and simple piano compositions. They’re all rather comforting and I feel Neo-Classical is more reflective of what we hear here.
For those of you that have seen other reviews of mine, I’m generally a rock reviewer. I don’t often listen to piano compositions in my own time, so I can’t really be highly critical of the genre. As a knowledgeable music fan however, this is an enjoyable listen. I could certainly see it setting a nice reflective mood to a breezy day on the porch…Lisa Downing’s "A Delicate Balance" is a pleasant release and tranquil release that can be enjoyed by most anyone looking to set such a mood.
Key Tracks: Make Believe, Indecision, Diaphanous Breeze
Kevin Kozel Sr./MuzikReviews.com
I got this CD today and listened to the first few songs. Wow! It sounds incredible! I really, really like it! The piano sounds great and the recording is superb. Lisa's playing is incredibly mature, very clean and sensitive, yet powerful. Her writing has interesting progressions with some surprises, yet strong melodies that you can ride along with.
This CD is overdue! I think this one of the best solo piano albums I've heard recently. I also like the liner notes. The progression of her son's life for the first four tracks flows nicely. I like the title too. Anyhow, this is going on my regular playlist. I will be wearing out the grooves on this CD! (good thing I have an iPod)
: )
Joseph Akins/Whisperings Solo Piano Artist
If a quieter, more serene moment alone or with the object of your affection is what you desire on any given day or evening, I believe solo pianist Lisa Downing has what you need here in her latest offering, A Delicate Balance, a truly mesmerizing collage of beauty and melody dancing together so exquisitely.
As the pianist says, “It’s a fragile existence that we lead. It is a challenge to balance your job with your personal life, your outer-persona with your inner feelings, working versus having fun, helping your children or doing too much for them, day-dreams versus accomplishments. The list is endless and it touches every aspect of our lives.” So, what does the accomplished artist do? She channels those feelings and observations about life and uses them for inspiration in writing tunes that especially reflect the years she personally spent as a single parent struggling to raise her son on her own. Such a personal connection to the music allows for such a magnificent flow and depth of understanding, and it is all so evident in this quality production.
Formerly a “Metal Head” who spent high school as a fan of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and its former lead singer, Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple, Yes, and the like, Downing eventually found a different path, through various vehicles (like being a church youth pastor and playing in a Christian folk/pop/rock band), all the while harboring a passion for solo piano. The material offered here should serve as proof positive that she has found her “home” and shares it so warmly with us here.
Each delicate piece, beginning with the opening track, “The Gift,” and ending with “Speaker/Listener,” is presented with a true engagement of craftsmanship, as well as deep introspection. Just closing one’s eyes and succumbing to the seductive melodies could be one of the most positive and favorable self-indulgent acts you could perform. This is music that you’ll feel you owe yourself on many occasions. Smooth jazz as we’ve come to know it, no. Beautiful, thoughtful, and all-encompassing music for the soul, a huge “yes.” Take the time to pamper yourself with A Delicate Balance.
Ronald Jackson/The Smooth Jazz Ride/June 2010
Looking to ‘get away from it all’ in the confines of my office… I turned to Lisa Downing’s Solo Piano CD, "A Delicate Balance"for a bit of respite from the day… and in a magic moment, I am transported by her melodies.
Solo piano, like most music, is attention-getting and enjoyable if it features strong melodies, and Downing definitely writes with a strong melodic flow. But she also does a few things different than most of her competitors. Instead of always playing the melody with her right hand and the rhythm with her left, she sometimes switches the rhythm to the right high-notes and the melody to the left-hand on the lower notes (on NO MATTER WHAT I DO). On occasion she also plays different or counter-melodies with both hands so that they sort of weave together (SLOW DANCING). Another distinctive attribute is her tempo changes. She might speed up or slow down within a piece several times, and she has a judicious use of pausing as well (such as the tune SPEAKER/LISTENER).
The perfect musical compliment to soothe your soul…
Valery Amador/Amaze Magazine/July 2010
Lisa Downing is one of those pianists equally adept with left and right hands
When it comes to the new solo piano by Lisa Downing, I could spend a lot of time telling you what influenced this tune or inspired that track. But the bottom-line in music is how the music sounds and how it affects you. If you take a listen to this CD by Downing, titled A DELICATE BALANCE, I am sure you will enjoy what you hear.
Solo piano, like most music, is attention-getting and enjoyable if it features strong melodies, and Downing definitely writes with a strong melodic flow. But she also does a few things different than most of her competitors. Instead of always playing the melody with her right hand and the rhythm with her left, she sometimes switches the rhythm to the right high-notes and the melody to the left-hand on the lower notes (on “No Matter What I Do,” for example). On occasion she also plays different or counter-melodies with both hands so that they sort of weave together (“Slow Dancing”). Another distinctive attribute is her tempo changes. She might speed up or slow down within a piece several times, and she has a judicious use of pausing as well (such as the tune “Speaker/Listener”).
It all adds up an instrumental recording on an acoustic grand piano with a few fine-tuned twists that make the music more interesting to listen to than usual.
World’s #1 Music Forum/July 2010
Lisa Downing took musical inspiration for her new cd from years as a single-mom raising a son.
Musically Lisa Downing sounds like she knows exactly where she is going and what she is going to do when she gets there. This is one self-assured pianist. Maybe it is because she has a university degree in music/keyboard, has taught piano, has run an entertainment booking company and has performed solo piano concerts for years. This CD, A Delicate Balance, is her third album. It has a thematic concept.
Apparently the music was inspired by Lisa trying to maintain a precarious and delicate balance in her life, especially during the years of single-parenthood when she was raising her son. I suppose she was trying to balance her musical career with soccer games, composing a new piece with making a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, keeping her piano chops up balanced with helping the kid with his homework -- those types of juggling acts that we all try to manage as we go through life.
The CD starts with “The Gift” which immediately shows the confidence that I was alluding to earlier. The next composition, “The Bedtime Song,” has a bit of the feeling of a child and lullaby-time. “Make Believe” is aptly-titled since it also captures the feeling of a child playing (it begins with a lot of upper-register, child-like tinkling to set the mood). The title tune is a delicate piece (as you would expect). “Slow Dancing” has a bit of a classical feel. The most uptempo track is probably “Night Games” which you might think is about two adults in the bedroom, but the liner notes say it is about children playing street games.
All in all, this is a highly-enjoyable album which should be appreciated as “a cut above” by the many fans of solo piano recordings out there. For more info on Lisa, go to lisadowning.com.
Audiostreet.net/August 2010
Both Sides of Life
With a furtive glance, Lisa Downing looks over her shoulder on the back cover of her latest album A Delicate Balance. It is a look that says she "knows". Her solo piano music could represent the life of anyone, for what is life if not for balance? And she knows. The album represents some of the starts and stops, high and low points of her life and her quest to achieve equilibrium in all things, particularly parenthood. Like the rest of us, it is an on-going project. Fortunately, she has her New Age music as an exceptional form of expression with which many of us are able hum along.
I am one who celebrates the minor gifts of everyday. The sunrise is one; my wife’s morning smile is another. I celebrate the winking of a black-eyed Susan or the sweetness of a child's smile. Lisa celebrates in her opening song, The Gift. It is a composition that filled her mind all at once like the warmth of the sun or a blessing from a revered God, hence a gift.
The whimsical melody, The Bedtime Story is a music box song full of stardust and moonbeams, and eventually sweet dreams. Lisa creates a memorable tune which has sparkling stars in every note and just enough caresses to make it special, even for big people.
Probably the most dramatic song on A Delicate Balance is a number called Lost. A parent's worst nightmare is the disappearance of her child under any circumstances, even if it is voluntary. The song is about wonder and frustration, and the fruitless search for the truth. It is music that represents the maze of emotions we go through as parents and our quest to find the answers.
Sometimes in life you just want to tie on a pair of snowshoes and climb head and shoulders above the screaming crowd just to see what is going on in your own life. We are always looking for directions and of course, it is drummed into us that life does not come with an instruction manual. In the tune No Matter What I Do Lisa expounds on that axiom and through her music begs directions and the answers to some rather vexing questions.
I learned the exercise of Speaker/Listener when I worked as an executive in "big business". For me it was a communication tool. Lisa admits she learned the same concept in spiritual training. No matter how you learn something, it always comes down to a matter of truth. That is the expression in her song Speaker/Listener and it asks the question, "What truth have you learned today and how will you pass it on?" The tune has an echoing sound as if everything is reflective and I mean that it more ways than one.
Lisa Downing is a lifelong Coloradan that learned to play the piano at age ten. Fresh out of high school she attended University of Colorado at Denver and Metropolitan State College where she received numerous music degrees. She has released two additional albums, one of holiday music, which I reviewed in 2009. She has started her own music label and she continues to teach in the Denver area.
RJ Lannan /Zone Music Reporter/June 2010
Lisa Downing's solo piano music noted for counter-melodies and tempo changes.
Lisa Downing is apparently happy being a solo pianist. A Delicate Balance is her third album and she shows no signs of feeling compelled to start adding other instruments to the mix. Perhaps the reason is because she designs such full-bodied and complex arrangements for her original material. On one instrumental tune she might slow down and almost pause several times during the piece. On another she might be so boisterous and rollicking she leaves no room for anyone else. At times she shifts tempos within a composition. Other moments she has all kinds of melodic ideas developing with both hands, almost more than a single song can contain. Two pianists playing together might have trouble coming up with this many ideas for one tune!
She says the concept for this album is that life is “a delicate balance” in so many ways. It is easy to get too negative, or go off the deep end, or stub your toe on reality (insert your own cliche here). So she says balance your inner feelings with what you show the world, balance your workaday life with going out and having fun. This is just darn good advice. Lisa also says she tried to incorporate this feeling of balance into her music. I will take her word for it. The main thing is that the music sounds good and makes you feel good, so if it balances me (or centers me) while it is playing, all the better.
I like her playing -- gentle one moment and forceful the next. She keeps it interesting which is not that easy for many solo piano players who often run out of ideas. Downing sounds like she has an endless supply of inventive fire-crackers to throw into the mix to keep things crackling. I liked many of the tunes in the second half of the album best, especially “Slow Dancing” and “Diaphanous Breeze.”
Top 40-Charts.com/July 2010
Overall rating FIVE STARS
The title of the Lisa Downing solo piano CD says it all. A DELICATE BALANCE. The title not only describes the feeling of the music (ranging from joyous to mellow and subdued, from rapturous to a little melancholy), but also from her essential life belief -- the yin-yang, two-sides-of-a-coin, positive-equalized-with-negative, moderation, balanced-life ethic. This music is soft and gentle enough for massage therapy and relaxation/healing techniques; interesting enough to enthrall spa-goers through a variety of activities; and flexible-yet-powerful enough for yoga practitioners to use for simultaneous body-mind workouts. Symbolized on the cover by a cairn of precariously-balanced stones in the midst of raging waters, this music achieves its own delicate balance between mood-setting and mental-stimulation, between creating an environment for unwinding or making love, and between a stimulated listening experience or an ideal background for enticing dinner-party conversation. This is a very pleasurable recording that works well in a variety of settings.
Review Centre.com/August 2010
Pianist Lisa Downing believes life and her music are both a delicate balance.
Performing on a solo instrument has got to be one of the most difficult jobs in music. Oh, sure, you don’t have to worry about keeping the band together (or that drunken bass-player) or ending the song at the same time, but when you are in the spotlight all by yourself (in concert or on record) with nothing overdubbed, there is no place to hide, Jack. It is just you creating the music, and if it doesn’t hold the audience’s attention, there is no hole to crawl into.
So the question with a new solo piano album, like this one by Lisa Downing, is always: How interesting is it? The answer is: pretty darn interesting and entertaining. Downing works hard at varying not only the types of tunes she writes and presents here (slow, upbeat, refreshing, melancholy, etc.), but also she does some loop-de-loops WITHIN many of the pieces. She varies the tempo within a piece. It’s like she is saying that staying the same speed is a rule just meant to be broken. She will play delicate and gentle one moment, and then forceful, confident, energetic and playful the next. Sometimes she gets both hands moving so quickly and off on their own tangents, and you would swear she can’t hold it all together and bring the piece back to resolution. But before you know it, she ties up all the loose ends with a pretty silk bow, and you go away happy.
The best tunes, to my ears, are “The Gift,” “Indecision,” “Night Games” and “Speaker/Listener.” Also a shout-out for “Diaphanous Breeze” because I love the title (who uses the word “diaphanous” in a song title?).
One interesting note from the bio is that Lisa grew up loving heavy-metal music (!) before turning first to Christian music and eventually to the solo piano of George Winston and Liz Story. Wow! Don’t worry, the Led-Zep influences didn’t permeate her new musical direction. But if you dig the George Winston sound, check Lisa Downing out.
Muzic Forums/July 2010
I agree with musician Lisa Downing. Life IS “a delicate balance.” No getting around it. Go too far in any direction and you fall off a cliff. If you can balance your life so you have at least as many positive times as negative ones, you have done a good job. Someone once said we have to have some bad times or failures so that we know what the good times and successes are. Or so that we can fully appreciate them, or something like that.
Anyway, Lisa Downing records solo piano albums (A DELICATE BALANCE is her third one) and does solo piano concerts (she has toured and performed with Liz Story, Lee Bartley, David Lanz, Peter Kater, Joseph Akins, Scott D. Davis and Scott August).
Downing has lots of good musical ideas. She writes interesting melody lines. She arranges her original compositions with a variety of twists and turns thrown in. Instead of just playing the music straight through, she might speed up at one place or slow down at another. She often has some VERY interesting things going on with her left hand. Lots of pianists just use the left hand as a rhythm instrument, pounding out foundation chords or simple bass runs. But Lisa puts those piano-poor-boy-pinkies to work. They are all over the place -- highlighting what the right hand is doing, going off on their own tangent, and sometimes even playing the melody themselves and having the right hand do some of the rhythmic heavy-lifting. Cool.
Downing’s hands are perhaps most active on tunes such as “Indecision” and “No Matter What I Do.” The music ranges from the new-agey “A Delicate Balance” to the rousing upbeat “Night Games.” “Speaker/Listener” starts very slow and then speeds up some, and “Lost” has some of that same feeling because it starts out quiet (and ends that way too), but has a more gutsy section in the middle.
If you like acoustic pianists like Liz Story, Suzanne Ciani, David Lanz, Peter Kater, Ann Sweeten and Robin Spielberg, you will most assuredly enjoy listening to Lisa Downing.
Music Boards.com/July 2010
Solo Pianist Lisa Downing plays melodies and counter-melodies on new CD.
I was impressed by the Lisa Downing solo piano CD, A DELICATE BALANCE. I’m not the only one. The album is currently one of the most-played-on-radio instrumental recordings in the world (Top 5 for three months on the Zone Music Reporter international airplay chart).
The reason radio programmers are loving this CD, and are getting such great feedback about it from their listeners, is because it is full of great melodies, heartfelt performances and exemplary musicianship. Downing spices up her playing with counter-melodies and internal tempo changes which keeps listeners on their toes.
On this, her third album, Lisa Downing is making it known that she is an instrumental pianist to be reckoned with -- bringing beautiful music to a world that can never have enough of it.
Keep Music Alive Piano/July 2010
Don’t be too quick to assume that you’ll pass on a solo piano CD until you’ve had a chance to catch Lisa Downing’s A Delicate Balance, which will blow away all your previous assumptions about solo piano and amaze you with its simple elegance and austere beauty. This is only Downing’s third CD since her debut, Think on These Things, which was released in 1991, and it offers 12 flawless original tracks. Nothing against New Age pianists, but Downing falls more into the Neo-Classical camp; Neo-Classical, which does allow the artist a nod to the 20th century perspective, is inspired most by the rigor and restraint of Classical music. Downing is a highly accomplished pianist, and this CD is not to be missed.
Sounds like: Lisa Downing’s pieces have been compared to the solo piano styling of Liz Story, David Lanz, and George Winston.
ColoradoMusicBuzz.com/August 2010
A Delicate Balance is the third album by expert piano soloist and piano teacher Lisa Downing. The gentle, flowing, exquisitely beautiful music encapsulates the theme of balance in mind, body, soul, and nature. Downing's wonderfully evocative music is soothing, lovely, and far-reaching. A Delicate Balance is especially recommended as a gift to anyone who enjoys listening to lilting piano.
Midwest Book Reviews/July 2010
Oy, with all the bored, suburban moms out there that think they can be new age solo pianists, it's nice to have a reformed metal-head that found the light through some Christianity to show the way home. A lovely player, Downing seems to instinctually have it right in the pocket as this has no noodling, gratuitous riffing or filler parading as profundity. Just solid piano/ instrumental work, Downing is one of those players that fills the presence just by herself, and it's all you need. Well-played adult- listening for discerning ears in need of that audio respite.
Midwest Record/June 2010
"Lisa's music is impressive! it is at the same time strong and soft, expressing the different sensations of the human soul in moments of reflection and in the search of balance."
Marta Arruda/Anima Lumen Radio, Brazil/2010
I just finished listening to "A Delicate Balance". My, my, what a talent Lisa has! She embodies in her music what is unfolding in her external reality. What a gift!
C. Young/2009
Oh my.....this girl has got a gift! I finally was able to listen to this CD in its entirety, and it is truly wonderful and magical. As I was driving, it seemed like the geese were flying in harmony with her piano playing. I honestly don't know how she creates or how she compose such amazing melodies, but I really enjoyed all of them.
Thank you so much Lisa, for sharing your beautiful gift with us!
K. Rondeau/2009
I currently have 13 tracks from her CDs on my playlist and will add more if and when they become available. Most of them are from “A Delicate Balance”. Lisa’s music is an excellent asset for my live365 station, Smooth Piano & Keyboard...
Bob Engel/Smooth Piano and Keyboard Radio/2009
I don't care what the most ravenous jazz fan says... a change of pace ev'ry once in a while is part of keeping the "balance", and Lisa's beautiful solo keyboards, though not jazz, are as intimate a part of my own musical lifestyle as the ravingest free jazz on the globe. I'd imagine that's because I'm also a keyboardist, and know just how much yin/yang can be experienced in the joyous moments of realization. In Lisa's most capable hands, you'll be guided through (nearly) 50 minutes of pure pleasure and universal harmony; lest you think that's me "hyping", take a (headphone) listen to "The Bedtime Song"... not so much like a lullaby as it is a gate to astral travels during your rest period. There are 12 beautiful pieces here, but I found the short-titled "Lost" to be my absolute favorite on the CD. Lisa's playing on this one expresses the full range of emotions you might attribute to being "off the path" for a bit, but also brings you full circle back to the path. I'm enjoying this one immensely, as will you. I give it my MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an "EQ" (energy quotient) rating of 4.96.
ImprovJazzNation.com/2010
