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

GRAMMY-winning Guitarist Will Ackerman, Pianist Fiona Joy,

Guitarist Lawrence Blatt and flugelhornist Jeff Oster Create

Compelling Original Contemporary Music as FLOW 

 

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.”

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Enchantingly memorable musical magic with FLOW (the Group) – Live Show Review, Royal Room, 2018/05/15

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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Echoes.org Review of the Zone Music Reporter Music Awards 2018

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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FLOW Celebrates BEST NEW AGE ALBUM Win at The 16th Annual Independent Music Awards, Looks Forward to May 2018 Tour Dates from New Orleans to L.A.

Jeff Oster, a founding member of the ensemble FLOW, accepted the IMA honor live at Lincoln Center’ alongside fellow honorees in a wide array of music genres. The event’s judges included Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Slayer, Bakithi Kumalo, Michael W. Smith, Amy Lee of Evanescence, and Sepultura.

New York, NY (April 5, 2018) — Established artists and rising stars from around the world packed Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium on Saturday, March 31st to celebrate the vitality of the indie music community at The 16th annual Independent Music Awards (IMAs) and Independent Music Party. FLOW flugelhorn and trumpet player, Jeff Oster, accepted the group’s Independent Music Award for Best New Age Album for its eponymous debut album, FLOW, produced by Will Ackerman and Tom Eaton, and released by LMB Music.

“This honor is so appreciated, and the timing couldn’t be better as we prepare for our May 2018 tour,” Oster said, adding “Hopefully, some of the new friends we’ve made here today will join us on The Arrival Tour to experience FLOW live in concert; it’s a beautiful thing.”

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FLOW Announces Tour Dates, Award Nominations

FLOW Announce The Arrival Tour and Award Nominations

https://www.flowthegroup.com

https://soundcloud.com/flowfyc/sets/flowthegroup/s-JhGxo

Featuring

GRAMMY®-Winning Guitarist Will Ackerman,

Pianist Fiona Joy, Guitarist Lawrence Blatt,

Trumpet & Flugelhorn player Jeff Oster & Guest Artists

FLOW will kickoff a Spring tour with two New Orleans performances, including a set at the Zone Music Awards, followed by West Coast dates. The new ensemble is nominated for Two ZMR Awards (Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album) and Two IMAs (Best New Age Album and New Age Song) Following Two Months at #1 on the ZMR Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart, an Appearance on Nationally-syndicated PRI Radio Show ECHOES and Multiple “Best of 2017” Honors.

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FLOW Performs to a Full House

The following is an article from BT Fasmer, of the NewAgeMusic.Guide. Click here to read the article on the NewAgeMusic.Guide website.




LMB Music announces the debut of FLOW, an exciting new ensemble whose self-titled release presents a fresh, international, acoustic sound; the album released globally on October 6th in both physical and digital formats. The group, consisting of GRAMMY-winning guitarist Will Ackerman, pianist/vocalist Fiona Joy, acoustic guitarist Lawrence Blatt, and flugelhornist Jeff Oster, celebrated their debut by performing to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City, joined by special guest artists including Eugene Friesen (cello), Vin Downes (guitar), Tom Eaton (bass and keys) and Jeff Haynes (percussion).

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Huffington Post’s Review of FLOW

The following is a review from Mike Ragogna, of the Huffington Post. Click here to read the review on the Huffington Post website.


“FLOW” EXCLUSIVE FROM WILL ACKERMAN’S QUARTET FLOW

PHOTO CREDIT: ANTHONY SAINT JAMES
Flow L-R: Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster, Fiona Joy, William Ackerman

Flow is the brand new quartet featuring Grammy® Award winner, guitarist and Windham Hill founder Will Ackerman. In addition to Ackerman, the group includes world-class instrumentalists: acoustic guitarist Lawrence Blatt, Australian pianist/vocalist Fiona Joy, and flugelhorn virtuoso Jeff Oster.

 

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Guitar Talk: Will Ackerman Goes with the FLOW

The following article is from the January 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar by Blair Jackson. Click here to read the article on AcousticGuitar.com.


During a recording career that spans more than 40 years, acoustic guitarist Will Ackerman has enjoyed tremendous success. As founder of—and the original artist on—the highly influential Windham Hill label (Alex de Grassi, Michael Hedges, Shadowfax, George Winston, et al), he has played on and produced Gold, Platinum, and Grammy-winning albums. As owner and creative head of Imaginary Roads Studio in rural Vermont, he has produced literally hundreds of albums—more than 80 in the past decade alone—many in the sort of modern acoustic chamber-music style that Windham Hill pioneered in its glory days (Ackerman sold his interest in the company 25 years ago). But through all those years Ackerman had never really played in a group. That has now changed with a group and album called FLOW—the name is an acronym from the names of the members: pianist/vocalist Fiona Joy, guitarist Lawrence Blatt, flugelhorn master Jeff Oster, and Ackerman.

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Billboard World Premiers FLOW

The following article was written by Gary Graff and originally appeared on Billboard.com. Click here to read the original article.


Will Ackerman Premieres ‘Free Ascent’ From New Group FLOW: Listen

Will Ackerman has never exactly gone with the flow during his length career in jazz and New Age music. But now he’s going with FLOW, a new all-star group whose self-titled debut album comes out Oct. 6 — including the track “Free Ascent,” which is premiering exclusively below.

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