JazzTimes (6/02, p.110) - "...Lanz uses his instrument as a paint box to support memorable melodies covering a nice range..."
NAPRA Review (07-08/02, pp.57-58) - "...Lanz's serene piano gently assists in the search for personal paradise..."
Personnel includes: David Lanz (piano); Dave Koz, Marc Antoine.
Recorded at Nightowl Studios, Granada Hills, California.
Perhaps the most striking track on FINDING PARADISE is the only one that pianist David Lanz didn't compose. "America," originally written and performed by Neil Diamond, is reprised here, but the difference is all in the timing. Lanz, who performed this version soon after the events of September 11, 2001, turns out a song whose patriotism is tempered by pathos.
This theme of loss is explored on other songs on the album, including the wistful "The Sound of Wings," composed in memory of a victim of cancer, and "Lost in Paradise." However, "That Smile" is far more upbeat, while "Romantica," which he performs with saxophonist Dave Koz, sounds like it was composed from the comfort of a hammock.