Track Listings (15) - Disc #1 CD - Running Time: 73:51 

1. Desert Crossing - music only
2. Falling - music only
3. For my Baby - music only
4. Sunnyside - music only
5. Earth Bones - music only
6. Elves' Chasm - music only
7. Apasionado Uno - music only
8. Breathe - music only
9. New Day - music only
10. Dance in the Desert - music only
11. Gypsy Camp - music only
12. Spanish Town - music only
13. Ambrosia - music only
14. Streets of Old San Juan - music only
15. Djunga - music only

Nicholas Gunn

Once in a while a rare talent emerges in the competitive arena of contemporary instrumental music. Recording artist Nicholas Gunn has planted himself firmly in the forefront of remarkable talent.

Nicholas Gunn's formal training was as a student of the Royal School of Music in Rochester, England, Gunn's birthplace. It was there that he studied the flute and learned basic theory and music appreciation. When Gunn moved to Southern California, he began writing, producing and performing his own material from his at-home, state-of-the-art production facility.

Johannes Linstead

Performing is like meditation, Johannes says, With total mental, physical and spiritual concentration, the music emerges pure and without restraint. It's heaven.

A slice of heaven is delivered to listeners each time the evolving, self-taught Toronto, Canada, guitarist performs his original compositions with virtuoso speed and brilliance. In addition to his mastery of the Spanish guitar, Johannes is also an accomplished pianist and performs instruments as diverse as the bazouki, wood flute, mandolin and bass.

Johannes' work is deeply rooted in the South American and Caribbean cultures he experienced while on a spiritual journey of personal and artistic awakening. Influences from his travels to Spain, the Caribbean Islands and Latin America shaped his profound respect for life and moved him to create new musical soundscapes. It is his eclectic fusion of virtuoso fretwork, global rhythms and intriguing instrumentation that keep Johannes' music fresh and alive.

Johannes' music combines the familiar stylings of classic flamenco, gypsy, salsa and Brazilian with infectious contemporary rhythms and hypnotic melodies. And while his compositions are innovative, the recognizable energy and mood of Spanish guitar emerges as it subtly merges with piano, horns, flute and percussion.

Loren Gold

Keyboardist / songwriter Loren Gold obtained national exposure as Musical Director for pop sensation Tiffany in the 1990's, which lead to more extensive work and creative control with other artists. Loren established himself as a top session musician in Los Angeles recording for Mandy Moore and Mindi Abair, among others. By 2003, Loren became the lead keyboardist for Hilary Duff. Working with such multi-faceted artists, Loren has traveled around the globe playing stadiums and arenas, and performing on radio and television, including appearances on the Tonight Show, The Today Show, The American Music Awards, Good Morning America, The Late Show, and MTV. Loren Gold brings the right sound and performance to each project. A native of Palo Alto, California, Loren Gold began fingering out Beatles songs on the piano at age seven and subsequently started his classical training. The rest of his musical life plays like an eclectic mix from both of these art forms; he played rock in high school, loved R&B (Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles) and jazz (Herbie Hancock) and began playing Mozart piano sonatas a la Fats Domino and the Beatles.

David Arkenstone

After coming to California from rural Chicago at age 10, David immersed himself in all the music he could find. Spending high school and college in various bands and performance groups, he then criss-crossed the country several times playing popular music. He finally settled down to concentrate on developing his own sound, and when computers and instruments could finally communicate to each other, David knew his time had come. He could now hear a good portion of what he could imagine.

'Technology has produced some wonderful tools for making music. The computer allows me to fully orchestrate my pieces and really fine tune them,' said David.

David's music has recently been described as Cinematic new age rock. 'It is sometimes difficult to categorize my music and this is a term I can live with,' David responded.

'I enjoy bringing many different influences together in my music,' he continues. World music, classical rock, and new age are some of the styles I draw from and enjoy weaving into an entertaining and adventurous whole.

'I have always loved the sound of the orchestra. Now I believe I have refined a wonderful blend combining the best elements of the acoustic world, with the electronic world.'

When not chained to his Apple Macintosh composing, David likes to play baseball, create 3-D art projects, and write screenplays.

LIVE! is all about choices. As part of the Audio Visual Connect Series from Gemini Sun Records, you can choose to listen to the entertaining music on the CD or you can watch the actual performance of the same tunes on the DVD. How often do you get these choices? For me, it doesn’t happen often enough.

Both the CD and DVD come in a single package, unlike Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance where you either had to buy a CD or a DVD. It’s like getting two for one! And I can assure you that you will use and enjoy both options often.

Gemini Sun Records has really made a great decision by mixing medias in a single package. With today’s technology, just about everyone has players in their homes and one their computers and even in their cars to accommodate these two formats. The visual impact of the performances on DVD introduces anyone who hasn’t been exposed to these four great musicians to their true personalities and styles. The CD format makes the performances extremely portable for anyone.

Filled with 15 fabulous cuts, each introduced by the authoring artist, LIVE! isn’t your ordinary New Age music album. If you like to listen to Nora Jones, you’ll hear her influences along with blues to good old rock and roll all blended into the instrumentals. Influences from the Middle East to Africa are incorporated into cuts such as Desert Crossing, and Earth Bones. You’ll hear Puerto Rico’s Latino influenced Streets of Old San Juan and Apasionado Uno as well as Caribbean influenced Spanish Town. This album is a blend of World music which is upbeat, clean, and moving all at once.

I found the cuts featured on LIVE! to be perfect music for listening while being physically active. It’s got rhythm and beat to make you want to move and dance. It’s a great album for playing in the car as well because there’s nothing sleepy about it. While the DVD is something you’ll want to sit and relax while watching, you’ll find the CD returns again and again to your home or car stereo for energetic listening.

It’s so nice to be able to watch the skilled musicians like flutist Nicholas Gunn perform with such heart. Loren Gold’s keyboard and the six-string and twelve-string guitars of David Arkenstone and Johannnes Linstead are all highlights of World music.

They clearly love the music they have created and it shows in the DVD’s 73+ minute performances. Each cut on this DVD has appeared on albums before but has never been compiled into a LIVE! performance available in a set like this before. You’ll want to plug this audio visual experience in to share with friends when they visit.

I recommend this multi-media CD/DVD set to everyone. If you love visuals, instrumental acoustic guitar music, and you’ll watch this world music DVD frequently. If you love background music that reaches into your heart and gets your spirit moving, you’ll enjoy the CD format over and over again. I can’t wait to see what Gemini Sun comes up with next in their Audio Visual Connect Series and after you hear and see LIVE! Featuring David Arkenstone, Nicholas Gunn, Johannes Linstead and Loren Gold, you will feel the same way.