Yanni

new age

Yanni (real name: Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης / Yiannis Hrysomallis) is a self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who was born in November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece. Starting his career in 1977, joining up the Minneapolis-based rock group Chameleon, his musical efforts have spanned over three decades and brought him international popularity. Although many fans and critics call his music New Age, Yanni himself has distanced himself from that label. In his autobiography, Yanni devotes an entire chapter to the subject, stating that he prefers to call his music contemporary instrumental. Yanni is a self-taught pianist who began his musical interest by giving recitals for family members, though he had no formal training and could not read a note. At the age of 18, he attended the University of Minnesota, having moved out of his native Greek to immerse himself into American culture. While a student there, Yanni joined an up-and-coming local group called Chameleon where he met drummer Charlie Adams. Chameleon earned some modest commercial success touring throughout the Midwest. After receiving a B.A. in psychology, Yanni determined that sought a life in music, making it his life's work. He moved to California in pursuit of opportunities to work on movie soundtrack works. His first solo album, titled 'Optimystique', was recorded in 1980, and it showed his debt to instrumental electronic music of the past as well as other styles such as jazz, smooth pop, and the ...