Jim Brickman
Straddling the line between pop and new age, Jim Brickman's mellow piano compositions evoke romance, hope, and quiet inspiration. Brickman first made his name in the mid-'90s as a Windham Hill artist -- he's one of the few solo instrumentalists to break into the Top 40 of the pop albums chart -- and branched out from there with pop and country collaborations (including the Top Ten country hit "Valentine" with Martina McBride), Christmas recordings, and two albums of classic Disney covers. Throughout his decades-long career, Brickman has earned two Grammy nominations and a Dove Award and has seen over 20 of his albums reach number one on the Billboard new age chart.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Brickman enrolled in the Cleveland Institute of Music in his late teens. The focus was on classical music, but he could not escape the lure of mainstream music, and at age 19 began writing commercial jingles. This led him to compose music for such major outfits the Gap, Isuzu, Sprint, and Kellogg's as well as with Jim Henson and Henson Associates. During his association with Henson, Brickman composed for the Muppets and for projects on Sesame Street. He also assisted on some of Henson's Disney projects.
Brickman recorded his debut album, No Words, on Windham Hill in 1994. The following year, he released By Heart on the same label, and in 1997 issued Picture This as well as The Gift, a collection of seasonal favorites. Visions of Love followed a year later, and in early 1999 Brickman returned with Destiny. A classy live effort, My Romance: An Evening with Jim Brickman, appeared in 2000. Two years later, Brickman crafted a beautiful children's album called Love Songs and Lullabies. Efforts such as Grace, Peace, and The Disney Songbook followed in the relaxing yet elegant vein of his earlier work; 2003's Peace earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
In 2006, Brickman left longtime label Windham Hill and released Escape on Savoy Jazz. In 2007, Hope was released by Compass, followed by the holiday-themed Homecoming. Brickman continued recording for Savoy in 2008 with Unspoken, followed by a whopping four albums and a DVD in 2009: Beautiful World was the audio component to a DVD performance of the album with special guests; From the Heart found him revisiting some of his best-known compositions backed by a 75-piece orchestra; and two new holiday-themed recordings were released in The Hymns & Carols of Christmas and Joy. The ever industrious Brickman issued Love, Home, and Never Alone (which featured Lady Antebellum, Marc Antoine, Jake Simpson, Carnie Wilson, and Gerald Levert) in 2010. He found inspiration in Italian song for 2011's Romanza, which was followed that year by All Is Calm: Peaceful Christmas Hymns and Yesterday Once More: A Tribute to the Music of the Carpenters.
Piano Lullabies: Baby's Bedtime Favorites came in 2012, as did the hymn collection Blessings and the covers album Romance. The next year brought Love 2 and The Magic of Christmas, which were followed in 2014 by an album of a few original songs mixed with classic covers like "Moon River" titled Timeless, as well as Pure Worship: A Soothing Collection of Contemporary Worship Melodies on Piano, the also religious Piano Inspirations, and the guest-loaded benefit album On a Winter's Night: The Songs and Spirit of Christmas. Just in time for Valentine's Day 2015 was Pure Romance, which was soon followed by Pure Piano and Comfort & Joy: The Sweet Sounds of Christmas. Brickman released three more albums in 2016, starting with renditions of favorite film themes in March's Pure Cinema; solo piano versions of patriotic American songs on June's Freedom Rings; and Soothe, Vol. 2: Sleep (Music for Tranquil Slumber) in September. He issued another trio of albums in 2017: Wedding Songs, Soothe, Vol. 3: Music for Peaceful Relaxation, and A Joyful Christmas.
Brickman returned to holiday music in 2019 with the release of Celebration of Christmas. Piano Tributes: Songs of Carole King appeared in 2020, followed by Brickman on Broadway in 2021. The next year, Brickman issued Disney on Piano, Vol. 2, a sequel to his popular 2005 Disney songbook collection.
© Sandra Brennan & Marcy Donelson /TiVo
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The Hymns & Carols Of Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by Green Hill Productions on 11 Nov 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Very Merry Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by Green Hill Productions on 14 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Romance: An Evening With Jim Brickman
Classical - Released by Windham Hill Records on 1 Nov 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Valentine (25th Anniversary Remix)
Jim Brickman, Olivia Newton-John
International Pop - Released by Green Hill Productions on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Joyful Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC on 3 Nov 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Picture This
Classical - Released by Windham Hill Records on 27 Jan 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
By Heart
New Age - Released by Windham Hill Records on 10 Apr 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jim Brickman's American Songbook Collection: The Music Of George Gershwin
Lounge - Released by Green Hill Productions on 21 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Hits
Classical - Released by Windham Hill Records on 3 May 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pure Jim Brickman
Classical - Released by Windham Hill - Legacy on 22 May 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
No Words
Classical - Released by Windham Hill Records on 28 Feb 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Destiny
Classical - Released by Windham Hill Records on 10 Nov 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jim Brickman's Piano Bar: 30 Love Songs Of The 50s & 60s
Lounge - Released by Green Hill Productions on 11 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pure Piano Chill
New Age - Released by Green Hill Productions on 1 Jan 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Gift
International Pop - Released by Windham Hill Records on 15 Sep 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Disney on Piano: The Disney Songbook (Vol. 2)
New Age - Released by Green Hill Productions on 25 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Songs & Lullabies
Classical - Released by Windham Hill Records on 1 Aug 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Simple Things
Classical - Released by Windham Hill Records on 23 Sep 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peace
International Pop - Released by Windham Hill Records on 10 Nov 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Romance
Christmas Music - Released by Green Hill Productions on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo