For the globally beloved pianist and composer, David Lanz, Forever Christmas is an album of firsts. It’s the first recording the New Age legend has created from start to finish with a songwriting collaborator and his first prominently featuring a vocalist. It’s also Lanz’s first release since relocating from his longtime home in the Pacific Northwest to upstate New York.
As you may have already guessed, all of these firsts have something—someone—in common: Kristin (pronounced Christine) Amarie, a Norwegian-born vocalist who has, over the past few years, become not only Lanz’s musical partner but his partner in life. David and Kristin met about three years ago when the singer came to one of Lanz’s workshops. From that unassuming encounter, their love and their desire to make music together flowered. David made a guest appearance on Amarie’s debut album release, last year’s Notes From a Journey, and now Forever Christmas is the first full-length fruit of their personal and working relationship.
“We decided we wanted to do a Christmas record primarily because last winter was one of the worst on record,” says Lanz. “We were stuck in the house and it was snowing like crazy and I said, ‘Let’s write some Christmas music.’ That’s why most of the album ended up being original material. We picked two traditional songs because they’re our mothers’ favorites: Kristin really wanted to do ‘Oh Holy Night’ for her mom, and ‘Silent Night’ is my mom’s favorite.”
Kristin, who has traveled extensively and lived in several countries, is fluent in five languages, and sings part of “Silent Night” in the original German. Another track, “A Thousand Lights (Nu Tändas Tusen Juleljus),” is originally a Swedish-language song, sung here for the first time in English by Amarie.
The rest of Forever Christmas was written collaboratively by David and Kristin. The songs came to the pair—Lanz jokingly calls them the “Sonny and Cher of New Age”—in different ways. “We were traveling a lot so we even worked on one of them on the airplane,” says Amarie. “The guy sitting next to us thought we were crazy.” Mostly, though, the compositions arose either from melodic ideas or snippets of lyrics and were then developed jointly by Lanz and Amarie.
“When I play the piano I think in terms of melody and the reason I do that is because my left hand is the band,” says Lanz. “It’s the bassist and the drummer—and my right hand is the singer. That’s how I’ve always approached the piano and why I think my style is a little different than some of the other ‘New Age’ guys who just kind of noodle. I actually try to write a song: an intro, a verse, a hook, a chorus. So I’d start with a lyric and Kristin and I would talk about things and then we’d turn it into music and she would come in. She’s really good at helping to shape the melody so once I had a basic idea it was really a co- write.”
For Lanz, who has always been primarily an instrumental music composer, writing with lyrics and a vocalist in mind was a welcomed change. “It’s kind of like I’m reinventing myself through Kristin,” he says.
“And,” adds Amarie quickly, “I’m developing through him.”
For Lanz, of course, the process of writing and recording music with an equal partner is vastly different from the way he’s created throughout his long, stellar career, one which has seen multiple best-selling recordings, sold-out concerts, shelves full of awards and copious acclaim come his way. Forever Christmas is only Amarie’s second album-length release, but for her too the collaboration with Lanz, whom she calls a “mentor,” marks a new way of looking at music-making. “It’s much more hands-on for me now,” she says. “This one I was way more involved in the whole thing. David is absolutely amazing. He knows everything and is so talented.”
As they were crafting the music that would become Forever Christmas, David and Kristin were careful to avoid clichés in their writing and overused cover choices—it’s deliberate that there’s no “Jingle Bells” or “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” on the album. “It’s about the spiritual side of the holiday and a lot about love as well,” says Kristin. “Christmas has become so commercialized. That’s why in one of the lyrics we ask, ‘What is Christmas?’ At the very end the answer is peace within. That’s what the real message is supposed to be. I’ve always wanted to do a Christmas record,” she adds, “since I was a kid. To me, Christmas is the most romantic time of year.”
“We’re not trying to cloak our feelings about Christmas in any arcane ways,” adds Lanz, who adds that the title track, “Forever Christmas,” was inspired by the passing of his longtime assistant Carol last fall. “I made mention of friends who aren’t with us anymore in the song, so I have a sentimental attachment to it,” he says, adding, “Once I got the phrase ‘Forever Christmas’ locked into my head I thought it would be a great title for the record. In some people’s minds it is Christmas forever.”
Once the material was written, David, with assistance from trusted associate Chip Westerfield, recorded the piano at the home he and Kristin share. The couple then flew back to Washington state, where they teamed with David’s brother and longtime right- hand man Gary Lanz, who serves here as co-producer, engineer and mixer. After the basic tracks were recorded at Gary’s home studio, “Kristin came in and sang like an angel,” Lanz says.
Among the contributing musicians are bassist Keith Lowe and cellist Walter Gray, who contributed previously to Lanz’s last release, the Beatles tribute Liverpool, as well as guitarist Eric Tingstad and woodwinds player Nancy Rumble. Additional guitar was provided by Gary Lanz and Alonzo Davideo.
David Lanz and Kristin Amarie have launched a Kickstarter campaign for Forever Christmas and are seeking backers.
As you may have already guessed, all of these firsts have something—someone—in common: Kristin (pronounced Christine) Amarie, a Norwegian-born vocalist who has, over the past few years, become not only Lanz’s musical partner but his partner in life. David and Kristin met about three years ago when the singer came to one of Lanz’s workshops. From that unassuming encounter, their love and their desire to make music together flowered. David made a guest appearance on Amarie’s debut album release, last year’s Notes From a Journey, and now Forever Christmas is the first full-length fruit of their personal and working relationship.
“We decided we wanted to do a Christmas record primarily because last winter was one of the worst on record,” says Lanz. “We were stuck in the house and it was snowing like crazy and I said, ‘Let’s write some Christmas music.’ That’s why most of the album ended up being original material. We picked two traditional songs because they’re our mothers’ favorites: Kristin really wanted to do ‘Oh Holy Night’ for her mom, and ‘Silent Night’ is my mom’s favorite.”
Kristin, who has traveled extensively and lived in several countries, is fluent in five languages, and sings part of “Silent Night” in the original German. Another track, “A Thousand Lights (Nu Tändas Tusen Juleljus),” is originally a Swedish-language song, sung here for the first time in English by Amarie.
The rest of Forever Christmas was written collaboratively by David and Kristin. The songs came to the pair—Lanz jokingly calls them the “Sonny and Cher of New Age”—in different ways. “We were traveling a lot so we even worked on one of them on the airplane,” says Amarie. “The guy sitting next to us thought we were crazy.” Mostly, though, the compositions arose either from melodic ideas or snippets of lyrics and were then developed jointly by Lanz and Amarie.
“When I play the piano I think in terms of melody and the reason I do that is because my left hand is the band,” says Lanz. “It’s the bassist and the drummer—and my right hand is the singer. That’s how I’ve always approached the piano and why I think my style is a little different than some of the other ‘New Age’ guys who just kind of noodle. I actually try to write a song: an intro, a verse, a hook, a chorus. So I’d start with a lyric and Kristin and I would talk about things and then we’d turn it into music and she would come in. She’s really good at helping to shape the melody so once I had a basic idea it was really a co- write.”
For Lanz, who has always been primarily an instrumental music composer, writing with lyrics and a vocalist in mind was a welcomed change. “It’s kind of like I’m reinventing myself through Kristin,” he says.
“And,” adds Amarie quickly, “I’m developing through him.”
For Lanz, of course, the process of writing and recording music with an equal partner is vastly different from the way he’s created throughout his long, stellar career, one which has seen multiple best-selling recordings, sold-out concerts, shelves full of awards and copious acclaim come his way. Forever Christmas is only Amarie’s second album-length release, but for her too the collaboration with Lanz, whom she calls a “mentor,” marks a new way of looking at music-making. “It’s much more hands-on for me now,” she says. “This one I was way more involved in the whole thing. David is absolutely amazing. He knows everything and is so talented.”
As they were crafting the music that would become Forever Christmas, David and Kristin were careful to avoid clichés in their writing and overused cover choices—it’s deliberate that there’s no “Jingle Bells” or “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” on the album. “It’s about the spiritual side of the holiday and a lot about love as well,” says Kristin. “Christmas has become so commercialized. That’s why in one of the lyrics we ask, ‘What is Christmas?’ At the very end the answer is peace within. That’s what the real message is supposed to be. I’ve always wanted to do a Christmas record,” she adds, “since I was a kid. To me, Christmas is the most romantic time of year.”
“We’re not trying to cloak our feelings about Christmas in any arcane ways,” adds Lanz, who adds that the title track, “Forever Christmas,” was inspired by the passing of his longtime assistant Carol last fall. “I made mention of friends who aren’t with us anymore in the song, so I have a sentimental attachment to it,” he says, adding, “Once I got the phrase ‘Forever Christmas’ locked into my head I thought it would be a great title for the record. In some people’s minds it is Christmas forever.”
Once the material was written, David, with assistance from trusted associate Chip Westerfield, recorded the piano at the home he and Kristin share. The couple then flew back to Washington state, where they teamed with David’s brother and longtime right- hand man Gary Lanz, who serves here as co-producer, engineer and mixer. After the basic tracks were recorded at Gary’s home studio, “Kristin came in and sang like an angel,” Lanz says.
Among the contributing musicians are bassist Keith Lowe and cellist Walter Gray, who contributed previously to Lanz’s last release, the Beatles tribute Liverpool, as well as guitarist Eric Tingstad and woodwinds player Nancy Rumble. Additional guitar was provided by Gary Lanz and Alonzo Davideo.
David Lanz and Kristin Amarie have launched a Kickstarter campaign for Forever Christmas and are seeking backers.
