Edito de Awakening of DreamsBiography & Booking Information Doug Wollman. Gifted composer. Talented keyboardist. Visionary Leader. Caring husband to his wife Stacey and their four children Dylan, Shelby, Whitney and Nathan. All of the above phrases give you a word picture of this man who is passionate about his faith, family and music. It is Doug's strong family ties and spiritual commitment that shaped his life from an early age. Born and raised in South Dakota, much of his inspiration comes for the beauty of creation and his deep love for his state and country. Doug began to nurture his God given music ability early on in his life. His parents recognized his musical talents and supported his desire to play the keyboard. Doug played weekly in his home church's worship band, performed at local events and venues, traveled with the WRECK youth band. In 2002 he joined singer/song writer Ken Verheecke with Wind and Wheat Music, touring across the United States adding his keyboard gifts to the inspiring acoustic sound of Ken. He recently lent his talents to Ken Verheeke's Heartcall Music release "Taken by the Wind...songs of intimate worship vol. 2." Doug has an innate ability to create and set different moods with his music. He uses the Korg Triton Pro as his instrument of Praise. He acknowledges God who has given him the ability to write and compose and it is Doug's desire to give it all back to God. Doug's Debut release on Wind & Wheat Music is titled "Face of the Deep" is an instrumental recording that celebrates the beauty of creation. "Face of the Deep" is sure to encourage, uplift and touch you deep within your soul! The same holds true for Doug's newest instrumental release "Awakening of Dreams". To book Doug Wollman for a concert (605) 209-0649 Email: dougwollman@heartcall-music.com Check out Doug's schedule at www.dougwollman.com REVIEW FOLLOWS ***************** DOUG WOLLMAN Awakening of Dreams Spirit Breeze Music (2004) [Review by Bill Binkelman] Sophomore efforts are tricky things. Does an artist play it safe and just reprise his/her first recording? Or should he/she strike out in a new direction altogether? What needs work from the first album and what doesn't? Decisions, decisions, decisions. I'm happy to report that, for the most part, keyboardist Doug Wollman's second release, Awakening of Dreams, has found the right balance of emphasizing what made his first CD, Face of the Deep, a good debut, while also pushing his own personal envelope just enough to continue refining his musical persona. He has tightened the focus of this CD, while still retaining a good variety of laid-back quasi-new age tunes and adult contemporary/gently rocking numbers. He has eliminated some of the weaker sounds from his Korg that occurred on his previous recording, and he has only misstepped on one song, that being the arena-rock blistering guitar on the title track which is woefully inappropriate, as is the Journey-ish piano which follows. He also allows some guitar to intrude on the otherwise gently rhythmic piano tune, "Ex Nihilo (Out of Nothing)," but it's nowhere near as intrusive as it is on "Awakening of Dreams." That cut excepted, there are many other well-performed instrumental tracks on this fine album. Once again, Wollman displays a flair for crafting melodic hooks, embellished with tasty solo work in the bridges between choruses. As I mentioned in my review of Face of the Deep, his music reminds me of Val Gardena in that it features trace elements of smooth jazz, but without any of the usual faux urban sensibility, yet he never really crosses over into either outright new age or adult contemporary. Tracks on the CD include "Out of the Shifting Shadows" which showcases the more forceful side of Wollman's piano playing amidst a backdrop of swirling synth textures and midtempo trap kit drums, "Transcendence" with twinkling keyboards, sighing chorales, and lively but light-footed piano, and the Mark Sloniker-ish "Subliminal Magnitude" featuring reverberating vibes at the outset, which get married to funky bass and rhythms, and are joined by echoed piano in the upper registers that evokes late night cityscapes. Wollman slows down on some songs like the somber "Resting Place" (consisting of mostly solo piano with trap drums, most notably kick bass drum work). He also revs up on "Romantic War Cry," although by starting things off with a spoken-word "Hit it!" I was scared this was gonna be another quasi-rocker, but instead it turns out to be a solid rhythmic instrumental tune, featuring dramatic (but not over the top) drums and moody piano, with an undercurrent of synth textures and a tasty rolling piano refrain. Wollman continues to impress me with his versatility on his keyboards, his quality control of the assorted sounds and samples, his ability to turn a musical phrase, his confidence in navigating the straits between new age and adult contemporary, and his adroitness balancing the assorted musical elements to come up with a cohesive sound that is uniquely his own. If he can just see his way clear to leaving the electric guitar alone (or use it more as a rhythm guitar, not a lead), I, for one, would be happier. He sure has everything else nailed! Recommended, especially for playing while driving. [Bill Binkelman] Well, that's the review I was given for this project! I hope you enjoy great music...hopefully including mine! Lire la suite