New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Presto Public Relations) For
David Lanz, it's getting better all the time! Liverpool: Re-Imagining the Beatles, the beloved pianist's critically acclaimed album that pays tribute to the world's greatest rock band, was recently released, with expanded distribution via the Alternative Distribution Alliance - a Warner
Music Group company - an acknowledgement by the music industry that this stunning collection of exhilarating interpretative performances is worthy of reaching an even wider audience than it already has.
Says Lanz, "I am very pleased to have ADA in our corner now. These are timeless songs, and the creation of this recording was a true labor of love. ADA's expertise in getting music distributed and into the public eye gives Liverpool a chance for the exposure I feel it deserves." To celebrate the re-launch, Barnes & Noble will feature Liverpool in a special promotion (beginning in April) at 542 of its stores, with in-store play and a counter display at each outlet.
The prolific Lanz has also produced a new DVD, Liverpool: An Inside Look, which includes three music videos based on tracks from the Liverpool album, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, making-of-the-album interview material and more.
In addition to the reissue of Liverpool and the production of the DVD, the world's largest music print publisher, Hal Leonard, will release a new songbook featuring the music from Liverpool: Re-Imagining the Beatles. Lanz has sold over a quarter-million copies of his dozen-plus Hal Leonard songbooks throughout his career, and this latest addition will certainly be among the most coveted.
"David is a great talent with whom we've had the honor of working for decades, publishing his bestselling songbooks," says Jeff Schroedl, VP of Pop and Standard Publications for Hal Leonard Corporation. "We look forward to continuing this mutually fruitful relationship for many years to come."
The Liverpool project had its origins, not surprisingly, in Lanz's lifelong love for the music of the Beatles. Lanz is joined on the album by flutist Gary Stroutsos, cellist Walter Gray and a number of guest musicians, among them the celebrated session musician Larry Knechtel, who passed away just weeks after contributing a Hammond organ part to "Rain Eight Days a Week," a composite of two familiar
Beatles tracks. Also included are such timeless Lennon-McCartney compositions as "Lovely Rita," "Norwegian Wood," "Yes It Is" and "Things We Said Today." The album also features a handful of medleys, including "London Skies (A
John Lennon Suite)," which combines a number of Lennon's most memorable melodies into one gorgeous pastiche. Liverpool finds Lanz taking music that has long been ingrained in popular culture and doing the impossible with it: allowing us to hear it anew.
"Re-imagining the phenomenal
Beatles would seem such a daunting endeavor, but
David Lanz succeeds with his own phenomenal interpretation and execution," says Jim Linkner, the independent producer/engineer who brought Lanz to the attention of the new distributor. "Liverpool is an extraordinary tribute; it interjects nuances of the Beatles' sounds into David's skillful performance. It's a must-have for all audiences. Now that
David has joined with Warner
Music Group's ADA distribution, his music will receive the exposure it truly deserves."
Lanz is currently in the studio recording additional
Beatles tracks "I Am the Walrus," "For No One," "Here Comes the Sun," "Help!," "Penny Lane," and "Please Please Me." A live CD, recorded in Seoul, South Korea and featuring
Beatles material as well as re-workings of earlier Lanz favorites, has also been recorded and may see release later in the year.