JIM BRICKMAN
Escape

True to the title of his upcoming first recording for SLG Records, Jim Brickman has for more than a decade graciously given fans all over the world a romantic Escape into a world where fantasies are created, wishes are fulfilled and the simplest dreams come to extraordinary life.

Brickman’s remarkable career--which has included six Gold and Platinum selling albums, three #1 and twelve Top Ten Adult Contemporary radio hits and a 2003 Grammy nomination—may have begun with beautiful solo piano pop melodies with No Words (the title of his 1994 Windham Hill debut), but he has since become a masterful collaborator with top artists from the worlds of pop, country, Contemporary Christian and smooth jazz.
In addition to being a mainstay on the Billboard New Age chart, where he frequently debuts at #1, Brickman has over the course of his career received the SESAC Songwriter of the Year award, a Canadian Country Music Award for Best Vocal/ Instrumental Collaboration and a Dove Award presented by the Gospel Music Association for The Gift. His catalog includes By Heart (1995), his 1997 pop breakthrough album Picture This (which featured “Valentine”), The Gift (1997), Visions of Love (1998), Destiny (1998), My Romance: An Evening With Jim Brickman Live (2000), Simple Things (2001) and Love Songs & Lullabies (2002).
Over the years, Brickman, a former jingle writer whose rich and eloquent emotional expressions have revolutionized the sound of Adult Contemporary music, has scored hits with Martina McBride (“Valentine,” his first #1 single on both the AC and country charts), Michael W. Smith, Pam Tillis, Herb Alpert, Carly Simon, Kenny Loggins, Michael Bolton, Point of Grace, Donny Osmond and Olivia Newton-John.

Always striving to put new and exciting spins on his trademark style, Brickman soars to new creative heights on Escape with spirited creative contributions from an exciting variety of new friends from across the musical spectrum.
As with most of his recordings featuring single word titles that say it all, the pianist’s concept for his first collection of original music in three years (following his second Christmas release Peace, the spiritually themed Grace and 2005’s stirring ode to The Disney Songbook) cuts straight to the heart. “I realized that people need music for all kinds of different reasons,” he says. “Sometimes as a soundtrack for their lives, other times to magically carry them away when the world seems chaotic and difficult.”

In a remarkable move, SLG Records is servicing two singles from the album to Adult Contemporary radio simultaneously. The first is the inspiring and anthemic country ballad “Never Alone,” featuring the powerful voice of Sara Evans, the Academy of Country Music’s 2006 Female Vocalist of the Year, and produced by Dan Shea, the musical genius responsible for Brickman’s chart-topping singles “Valentine” and “The Gift.” The other single is the evocative and cozy winter-themed gem “When It Snows,” sung by Geoff Byrd, an explosive new vocal talent who has toured this year with Hall & Oates.

Brickman also collaborates on Escape with French born acoustic smooth jazz guitarist Marc Antoine, who adds his trademark touch of sizzling exotica to the Latin flavored title track; famed R&B vocal great Gerald Levert (who attended the same high school in Cleveland as Brickman did!), who adds his deep, raw and soulful vocal brilliance to “”My Angel”; onetime “Star Search” winner Jake Simpson (who enchanted America with his appearance on Oprah with his idol Stevie Wonder), who sings the heart rending “To Hear You Say You Love Me”; and violinist David Klinkenberg, a Brickman discovery from the Pacific Northwest who soars with the pianist on the classical-flavored, instrumental “Winter Waltz.”

The pianist is also at the top of his romantic game, running the gamut of emotions from optimistic to wistful and melancholy on the wonderful originals that he performs either on solo piano or with light orchestral or percussion accompaniment: “Waterfall,” “Paradise,” “Barcelona,” “Awakening,” “Big Sky,” “Timeless” and “First Flight.”
The pianist, who will be embarking on a five month tour beginning November 3, 2006, infuses his 125 or so annual concerts with an ongoing mix of greatest hits with the support of guest vocalists and musicians. Recently, he performed on the sold-out Jim Brickman Valentine Cruise, a unique event that is quickly emerging as an annual favorite (it runs this season from January 27-February 3, 2007).
A strong supporter of Public Broadcasting, Brickman has taped three concert specials for that network, which include Jim Brickman at the Magic Kingdom: The Disney Songbook (2005), My Romance: An Evening With Jim Brickman (2000) and Love Songs and Lullabies (2002).
In addition to his incredible musical output, he has established himself as a veritable multi-media phenomenon whose endeavors include a weekly syndicated radio show, Your Weekend with Jim Brickman, and two best-selling books of essays, Simple Things and Love Notes: 101 Lessons from the Heart. Brickman also performed at ABCs Gala for the President at Fords Theatre, was music correspondent for NBC’s Today, and hosted the A&E special Winter Solstice on Ice.
Always looking to touch more hearts and share his innumerable musical and entrepreneurial gifts with the world, he has also established Brickhouse Direct, an on-line marketing, website-design and fulfillment business which creates websites and offers marketing tools to the entertainment industry. His company currently boasts a client list that includes Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Michael Feinstein and Universal Records.
“With me, there’s always that desire to reach out to listeners and say, come see what I’m doing, let me share a part of myself with you,” Brickman says. ““I love touring and playing for audiences more than anything. My feeling is you have to take people on a journey and give them a highly theatrical experience. I think of myself as an entertainer as much as a piano player. It’s all about the connection the artist makes with his listeners, whether at home or in a concert hall. To have them feel what I feel is the most gratifying thing of all.”