Month: May 2018

The following is an interview with Fiona Joy of FLOW, posted at VENTS Magazine. Click here to read the interview on ventsmagazine.com.

Hi people, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
This is Fiona Joy answering on behalf of FLOW. Thanks for the interview. We are all in pretty good spirits given the overwhelming success of something that eventuated from putting our collective big toes in the water. The reviews and audience reaction has been encouraging to us. In a world of fragmented people, diluted music and traffic jams, we are getting to make a difference. Music is a powerful thing and it’s our pleasure to be making some small contribution.

Can you talk to us more about your song “Flow”?
“FLOW” is one of our focus tracks – its the track we feel represents the ‘middle’ of the album because it covers all the elements, directions and flavors the group has to offer.

Any plans to release a video for the track?
Coming soon…. We have some really great videos so far and have concentrated on nature themes from the farthest reaches of Antarctica to Space (with real NASA footage), but we have a few surprises to come.

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The following is a review of FLOW live from The JW Vibe Click here to read the review on The JW Vibe website.

A little over a year ago, when I first got wind of the newly formed new age/contemporary instrumental super group FLOW, I immediately felt it would be like hearing an inspired gathering of longtime musical acquaintances.

I had written individually in the past about Grammy winning guitarist and legendary Windham Hill label founder Will Ackerman, pianist Fiona Joy and guitarist Lawrence Blatt – and had reviewed one of trumpeter/flugelhornist Jeff Oster’s albums. I had the unique opportunity to hear the album in its entirety, months before its October 2017 release, in the presence of Fiona and Jeff. It drew me in from the get go, with a soulful, inviting blend of ambience, melodic grace and infectious rhythmic textures.

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LOS ANGELES – From the New Orleans Jazz Museum and the 2018 ZMR Awards – where they won Zone Music Reporter’s Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album – to the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, FLOW continues to create a buzz around a spirited and dynamic musical synergy worthy of its cool moniker.  (www.FlowtheGroup.com)

The ensemble’s soulful all-original, genre-transcendent vibe has been described as a fresh, international acoustic sound rooted in the classic tradition of Windham Hill, the label founded by one of the group’s members, GRAMMY®-winning guitarist Will Ackerman. If you ask the ensemble – which includes Australian pianist/singer Fiona Joy, acoustic guitarist Lawrence Blatt and trumpet and flugelhorn player Jeff Oster – they’ll simply say, “We’re just good friends making music together.”

Continue reading “FLOW WINS ALBUM OF THE YEAR AT ZMR MUSIC AWARDS, PREPS FOR GRAMMY MUSEUM CONCERT THIS SATURDAY, MAY 19”

The following is a review of FLOW live from Contemporary Fusion Reviews Click here to read the review on the Contemporary Fusion Reviews website.

Enchantingly memorable musical magic with FLOW (the Group) – LIVE SHOW REVIEW, ROYAL ROOM, 2018/05/15: There couldn’t have been a more fitting venue for this wonderful show… I had planned on going down to New Orleans to witness the first show of F.L.O.W.’s Arrival Tour, but (as often happens) “events got in the way“. So when I realized they would be playing right here in the Great Northwest, it was a “must” date… unquestionably one of the most enjoyable I’ve had in recent memory. As you watch their opening salvo of their Royal Room show, you will realize why they received a “PICK” from me for their marvelous album.

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The following is a review of the 2018 ZMR Music Awards from the echoes.org Click here to read the review on the Echoes website.

The ZMR Music Awards descended on New Orleans this year, a quiet counterpoint to the Bourbon Street mania happening a few blocks away. There were no Hurricanes or “yard-long” drinks at this event, nor beads tossed to woman flashing their assets. This is a more genteel, contemplative and sedate affair.

In my first review of the annual ZMR Music Awards in 2016, I wrote that “The children and grandchildren of Windham Hill Records had a family reunion this weekend.” This year I’m going to have to add great-grandchildren to that.

The nominees of the Zone Music Awards this year are an odd collection. There’s a 70-year-old, Tom Moore, who won along with Sherry Finzer in the Best Meditation/Relaxation Category. He flew corporate jets, earned a masters in religious studies and played with Keith (“98.6”) and other 60s pop acts on shows like Where the Action Is. Many of the attendees are old enough to remember that show. But not Faith Angelina. The now 13-year old pianist managed to beat out several more senior and seasoned musicians for the Best New Artist Category at the ZMR Awards

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