Written by William Joseph & David Foster

“First time I heard William Joseph play, I immediately knew he was special. I liked him so much I put him on my show that first night. William never disappoints, it is hard to tell where his fingers stop and the keys begin. He has managed to take incredible technique and wizardry on the piano and make it so palatable for everyone. I gotta say he plays much better than me, more skilled and better technique, although I have a pop sensibility that he doesn’t have.”

This statement received from David Foster speaks volumes of the respect and admiration the legendary producer has for pianist/composer William Joseph.  Born William Joseph Schwartz III, the virtuoso musician was discovered and mentored by Foster in the early nineties. The Hitman signed him to his label, 143 Records, and supervised his first two records, Within and Beyond.

This week, the attention is focused on the title-track of his sophomore 2008 cd, Beyond. The Song of the Week is “Beyond”.

This cd was produced by Foster’s right hand man, Jochem van der Saag, with supreme arranger/composer William Ross. Foster served as executive producer on Beyond, but did have a strong hand in the making of the cd. Foster co-wrote a few key numbers, co-arranged the material and played some keyboards here and there. The title-track was one of the pieces co-written by Joseph and Foster. “Beyond” is an evocative instrumental that mixes classical music and pop with an emotional melody and cinematic atmosphere. Joseph’s sublime piano playing owns the stage supported by gorgeous orchestral work, programmed drums and Foster’s synth bass. One mention goes to the late, unforgettable Courtney Blooding (1980-2016) who was Foster’s assistant and sung harmonies on “Beyond.”

Take a look in the archives for more of Joseph’s music including “Once Upon Love” and “Apasionada.” Both were co-written by Foster and also appeared on Beyond.

Listen

• Acoustic Piano: William Joseph
• Drum Programming: Jochem van der Saag
• Synth Bass: David Foster
• Additional Drums: Steve Aho
• Vocals: Courtney Blooding

• Arranged by David Foster, William Joseph, William Ross & Jochem van der Saag
• Produced by Jochem van der Saag & William Ross
• Executive Producer: David Foster

Lyrics

No Lyrics

At the dawn of the new millennium, David Foster took Josh Groban and Michael Bublé under his wing and brought them to international stardom. A couple of years later, Foster applied the same path to another new name in the industry, William Joseph. In Foster’s mind, the skilled composer and piano player was destined to fill the instrumental pop slot occupied through the years by household names like Kenny G. and Yanni. Although Joseph didn’t generate high sales, he quickly built a solid reputation as one of the best piano artists in the classical crossover field. Joseph’s style was a clever mix of his classical origins with some world music influences and a powerful cinematic atmosphere. Joseph’s cds, Within and Beyond, were supervised by Foster in 2004 and 2008 respectfully.

These cds achieve the same emotional impact and sonic grandeur of Groban’s first works under Foster’s guidance. The material, partially co-written with The Hitman, shows the exquisite taste of Foster’s classic albums of the eighties including “The Symphony Sessions” and his seminal 1986 self-titled release.

 Although we have previously highlighted two William Joseph gems, “Stella’s Theme” and “Apasionada,” the Song of the Week pays homage to the tender ballad “Once Upon Love.” This orchestral beauty was included on the Beyond cd and proved to be a special treat featuring both Joseph and Foster on piano. The Canadian super-producer has a knack for delivering a world-class melody that pulls all the right heartstrings. This can be heard on “Once Upon Love.” The wonderful melodic theme was given all the required elements to truly make it ear candy. The lush orchestra arranged by William Ross, also the producer here together with Jochem van der Saag, surrounds the elegant and colorful piano playing with evocative power. “Once Upon Love” emotionally echoes the killer instrumentals written by Foster including “Water Fountain” and “All That My Heart Can Hold.” The piano performances are stunning and delivered with total class without any useless virtuosity.

 Beyond was a good seller on the Classical Crossover chart by reaching #6 in 2008. 2012 saw the Arizona-born pianist release another cd titled Be Still without Foster in the control room. However, Joseph does stay in the 16-times Grammy winner’s circle of friends. He often appears at Foster’s high-profile charity concerts.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/once_upon_love.mp3|titles=Once Upon Love|artists= William Joseph]

Piano: William Joseph
Piano & Synth Bass: David Foster
Synth & Drum Programming: Jochem van der Saag
Cello Solo: Vanessa Freebairn-Smith
Arranged by David Foster, William Joseph, William Ross & Jochem van der Saag

Produced by William Ross & Jochem van der Saag

Lyrics

No Lyrics

Written by David Foster & William Joseph

William Joseph is a piano virtuoso who was discovered by David Foster and signed to Warner Brothers back in 2004. His first album, “Within,” gained immediate attention from fans for his fusion of classical and new age music with a catchy pop twist.

Foster oversaw Joseph’s debut CD that echoes the producer’s critically acclaimed solo albums of the eighties. To give the talented pianist/composer more exposure, Foster often enlisted him on his charity shows and on last year’s very successful “Hitman: David Foster & Friends.” There Joseph performed a fantastic instrumental entitled “Asturias” from his new album, “Beyond.” This second offering was released in the spring of 2008 and again produced by Foster. “Beyond” continued the winning combination of classical/new age material mostly co-written by Joseph. It showcases Joseph’s absolutely remarkable piano performances while highlighting his romantic side on the more emotional numbers.

Foster co-wrote the title track and some of the album’s more tender moments like “Once Upon Love,” “Sweet Remembrance Of You” and the flamenco-inspired “Apasionada.” He even showcased his piano playing along side Joseph on “Once Upon Love.” “Beyond” includes perfect covers of Ennio Morricone’s “Cinema Paradiso” and Led Zeppelin’s anthem, “Kashmir.” It also includes “Heroes,” written by Joseph and a finalist for the 2008 Beijing Olympics theme. Among the names involved in the project were guitarists Jesse Cook and Ramon Stagnaro, violinist Lucia Micarelli and arrangers extraordinaires Jochem van der Saag, Chris Boardman and William Ross. The album reached #6 on Billboard’s Top Classical/Crossover chart.

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/apasionada.mp3|titles=apasionada|artists=William Joseph]

Acoustic Piano: William Joseph
Acoustic Guitar: Ramon Stagnaro
Percussion: Rafael Padilla
Drums & Drum Programming: Steve Aho

Produced by David Foster

No Lyrics

At the dawn of the new millennium, David Foster started developing new talents for his 143 Records label. He achieved immediate success with Michael Bublè and Josh Groban. Both of these amazing artists reached the top of the charts worldwide with their Foster-produced efforts. On the heels of these triumphs, the Canadian music-maker added another couple of names to the roster, singer extraordinaire Renee Olstead and William Joseph, a young, brilliant, classically trained pianist. Joseph’s 2004 debut for the 143 Records label was entitled “Within.” This pop instrumental album is rich in classical overtones. It presents the young, but skilled, piano virtuoso to the same mainstream audiences that had embraced Josh Groban a few years before. “Within” was perfectly produced by Foster in the same vein of some of his best instrumental work of the eighties like “Winter Games,” “Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire” and the classically inspired “The Symphony Sessions.” The album is also rich of Josh Groban reminders that are made even stronger by the presence of frequent Groban collaborators like Lucia Micarelli on violin and songwriter Marco Marinangeli, who is responsible for the haunting melody of “Se Si Perde Un Amore.” “Within” also offers a few strong originals written by Joseph including “Piano Fantasy,” a perfect vehicle for Joseph’s masterful playing. A couple of pieces, “Stella’s Theme” and “Grace,” are co-written with Foster and are amazing triumphs of passion and emotion. “Within” also includes very good updates of classical pieces by Chopin and Bach as well as powerful covers of two rock anthems; Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” with special guest Garou on lead vocal and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Joseph’s piano is always in the spotlight supported by beautiful orchestral work and creative arrangements courtesy of Foster and his partners, Jochem Van der Saag and Chris Boardman.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/stella_s_theme.mp3|titles=Stella’s theme|artists=William Joseph]

Acoustic Piano: William Joseph
Programming, Sound Design & Synths: Jochem van der Saag
Orchestra Arranged & Conducted by Chris Boardman
Arranged by: David Foster, Chris Boardman, Jochem van der Saag & William Joseph
Produced by David Foster
Co-Produced by Jochem van der Saag & Chris Boardman

Lyrics

NO LYRICS