Paul Avgerinos, a five-time Grammy-winning artist with 40 albums and more than 300 million streams to his credit, just might be headed to a sixth Grammy win with Balance, a collection of eleven original ambient pieces and a playing time of sixty-eight minutes. Three singles were released ahead of the full album - “Repose,” “The Comfort of Silence,” and “Poise” - with each offering a tasty preview of the project. It is interesting to note that Paul composed, produced and engineered all of the tracks as well as providing all of the instrumentation including piano, vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and sound design. Called “one of the giants of Ambient Music” by All Music Guide, Paul has worked on over 1,000 film and TV projects with placements in the Super Bowl, World Cup, the Olympics, HBO, PBS and Lifetime, among others. Quoting the composer from his website:

“My life’s work is to spread Peace, Love, Joy, Healing, Tolerance, Contentment and Bliss through Gentle and Kind music and the Presence of my Being.”

Classically-trained and a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Paul has worked with an incredibly diverse group of people that includes The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, President Jimmy Carter, Buddy Rich, Charles Aznavour, Run DMC and Willie Nelson. After graduation from Peabody, he served as the principal bass of several major symphony orchestras around the world and gave solo recitals as well.

All eleven tracks on the album are very ambient, with gentle instrumentation that varies from piece to piece (or maybe “from piece to peace” is more apt!). As you listen to the music - especially the full album - you can feel the stress and tension leave your body while the music takes you to a place of warmth and calm. I found myself dozing off several times with various listens, and also turning to look out my window at the peaceful landscape rather than my computer screen. This album is truly a gift and a blessing in these chaotic times - a quiet place to escape to for a gentle mind massage and a warm musical hug. Ahhhhhhhhhh….

Balance is available to stream and download on Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes as well as on many streaming platforms including Spotify and Pandora. I think you’ll like what it does for your state of mind and physical well-being!