CD REVIEWS:
"Seven short years ago Jennifer Haines began composing. For an aspiring musician waiting to see the fruit of her labors this can add up to a lifetime.
I can tell you it was worth the wait. I had the pleasure of reviewing Christmas Magic, Jennifer’s holiday album, and the warmth and tenderness she exhibited on that album show up everywhere on this one. All the pieces of Thought & Dreams are solo piano works. Occasionally, Jennifer hit a series of notes that are reminiscent of The Lanz Style of Music. I say this in a complimentary fashion. Her overall style is light, sparkling and intricate. Such is the stuff that dreams are made of.
Dark clouds roll on the horizon and a briskened wind sweeps the leaves from the paths. The trees bow and sway as the music fills you with a sense of urgency and trepidation. The opening track The Storm Begins has a lot of movement in the notes. Raindrops the size of pennies begins to fall with a tap-tappet-ta sound on the top of your umbrella. Instinctively, you head for home and safety.
There is a pair of songs called Ocean - Atlantic and Pacific that are quite remarkable and you can hear countless stories in the tunes. Jennifer does an excellent job of turning the past into music. You can hear about the Atlantic, a corridor between America and Europe that is dark green, violent and full of history and myth. It is the rough carpet that was crossed by explorers and armadas by the score and immigrants by the millions with the idea of discovery and hope fresh on the crest of every wave. The Pacific is clear blue, vast and a bottomless bowl to the hungry of several continents. It is a living breathing entity filled with unfathomable trenches and sleeping volcanoes. It is Mother Nature’s ongoing project.
Desert Beautiful is a favorite. It is the sound of hidden beauty and hope. For some the desert is a dry, ugly place with miles and miles of nothingness. To the practiced eye it is place of cactus colonies with outstretched arms, rainbow rock formations that delight the eye and life small and large that thrives despite the unfavorable odds. The sky may well be the color of God’s eyes.
There is something exciting about having a feeling and rushing to the door on a cold winter’s night and getting a surprise. The porch light makes sparkling whites jewels out of the millions of snowflakes that come tumbling silently in the soft illumination. The music you should be listening to is Jennifer’s tune Flurries. By morning Nature will have donned her spotless white mantel to the delight of all.
Finally almost at day’s end is Twilight. The bright orange-red ball of light falls from sight as the earth turns over for the night. The sun gives the earth a final goodnight kiss and the sky blushes with a rosy glow. It is an instance where time slows and hands and hearts touch with emotion. Jennifer’s passionate piano offers a sweet, but reluctant goodnight as well. This is another of my favorite tunes.
Jennifer Haines began her musical career at the age of three. Singing her own songs for self-amusement. She lost the passion briefly, but began again in earnest at sixteen and taught herself to play piano. It is apparent that she had an apt teacher. She began composing in 1999 and has seven albums to her credit. Artist, composer, guitar player and soccer mom. We can hear her faith and passion in her music, but where does she get the energy?"
RJ Lannan
New Age Reporter
"Pianist/composer Jennifer Haines’ new release, “Thoughts and Dreams,” has the distinction of being the first album I’ve reviewed from my new Oregon Coast home. Haines’ gentle musical optimism is the perfect accompaniment to watching the tiny birds I can’t yet identify darting from tree to tree in the summer coastal wind, the sky a bright blue backdrop with wisps of fog floating by. Haines’ previous release, “Christmas Magic,” is a delightful collection of her arrangements of favorite Christmas songs, but “Thoughts and Dreams,” is all original material, right down to the charming watercolor cover artwork. The music of “Thoughts and Dreams” is warm and inviting without being saccharine or superficial, and while a consistent mood is sustained throughout the album, the thirteen pieces are distinctive and individual. In the liner notes, Haines briefly explains the inspiration for the music, allowing us a glimpse of her private and personal world.
The opening track, “The Storm Begins,” reminds me a bit of Robin Spielberg, one of my very favorite composers. The contrasting of the high treble and deep bass notes is always effective, perhaps describing the bright first raindrops and dark, forbidding clouds. This is not a ferocious storm, but it has energy, and the piece is wonderfully refreshing. The title track is light and playful, referring to the artist’s ability to escape to her imagination in otherwise boring situations. “Pacific” recalls a favorite childhood memory of a day at the ocean with her family and friend, and conveys the ceaseless rhythmic flow of the waves and their constantly-changing energy - beautiful! “Miles Apart” is a wistful musical love letter to parents who live far away, full of longing and deep emotion. “Desert Beautiful” depicts the richness of the desert, contrasting the delicate cactus flowers with the solid, awesome rock formations. “Wildflower” is a simple, freeform little piece that describes the varied colors and forms of wildflowers, as well as their gentle innocence as they sway in the breeze. “Flurries” is my favorite track. Energetic and dancing like the first snowflakes of winter, the piece has a free-flowing sense of excitement that is infectious and joyous. “Morning” promises a fresh start with the beginning of each new day. “Twilight” is an enchanting love song, telling the story of a romantic marriage proposal on the very spot where the happy couple met.
“Thoughts and Dreams” is a delight from start to finish, and should boost Jennifer Haines into the forefront of contemporary pianist/composers. While not overly complex structurally or harmonically, the music comes from the heart and brings a gentle sense of peace and well-being. It is available from usfourmusic.com and cdbaby.com. Highly recommended!"
Kathy Parsons
MainlyPiano.com
"Jennifer Haines's CD Thoughts and Dreams is a spiritual work of art. This CD gives me peace of mind and spirit much like what I experience when surrounded by the natural beauty of a Japanese Garden. Her piano playing and compositions are totally new compared to anything I've ever heard. Every chord and melody is like a splash of fresh water or a breath of fresh air. Throughout all 13 pieces I was amazed at how her left hand would play melodic counterpart to the right hand, sometimes even more melodic than the right hand. And she used the bass section of the piano with very rich and equally unique chords. It's almost as if she's discovered an entirely new harmonic structure that has never been explored before on piano or any other instrument. Jennifer has re-established and breathed new life into the whole definition and world of 'solo piano' and 'new age piano'!"
Steven Cravis
www.newagepiano.net
"When the full weight of reality starts to set in, we could all use a little escape. Unfortunately, we don’t all have the luxury of running away from it all. At times like that, we need a little fantastical voyage, a journey through the imagination. Time to relax, reflect, do a little soul-searching…It offers magical moments where we can get away from it all, hiding in the shelter of our own thoughts, hopes and dreams.
Spectacular solo pianist Jennifer Haines somehow just seems to “get” that. Her latest collection of creative compositions, Thoughts & Dreams is a beautiful 45 minute trek that’s pensive, poetic and moving. In a world that threatens to weigh you down with the trivial, mundane and the maniacal, this CD is like a soothing balm specially prepared by the very Muse of music herself.
With thirteen breathtaking breaks from the normal chaos we call life, you could package and sell this album as therapy!
I’m a big fan of anything Jennifer’s written, I’ve been listening to her for years. So, there’s a chance I might be a little biased. But there was something different about this album – it seemed more personal, more fragile, whimsical – somehow almost vulnerable. It caught me up and carried me away on an audio-visual adventure. I couldn’t have asked for more…
And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better – it did! The album cover was so stunning (it turns out that Jennifer designed and created it herself) that I couldn’t help but take it out and take a peek inside. You should too!
Rarely can a listener see the music through the eye of the composer. But that little peek inside was like taking a look at the world through the same window she did, caught up in those moments of plain and simple creative genius.
Thoughts & Dreams ranks in the “Gotta Have It” category for New Age and Solo Piano enthusiasts alike, no questions asked!"
Jennifer Gibbs
www.jennifergibbs.com
"Hi Jennifer, I just picked up and listened to your new CD, "Thoughts and Dreams" for the first time. I must say, this is an *exceptional* solo piano album. One of the best I've had the pleasure of listening to for quite awhile. I have a stack of 13 solo piano CDs on my desk that I'm actively reviewing right now and yours is definitely the best in the stack. It's refreshing, and you definitely have your own unique vibe going on it. Congratulations on a job VERY well done. You should be proud. It's terrific."
David Nevue
Host of Whisperings Solo Piano Radio
