Duane Frybarger:Bio

Duane Frybarger in an accomplished composer/performer whose music has been aired worldwide. His five albums encompass a wide range of styles including jazz, classical, world, Brazilian, rock, blues, ambient and more. He spent much of his youth working as both a soloist and accompanist for church, school and private functions. At the age of 26, he began composing, primarily in a jazz/pop vein. Several years of writing led him back to the Classical era for studies and compositions. Over a period of five years, he wrote a wide variety of Symphonic Suites, Piano Etudes and various chamber pieces. In 1995, he contributed some previously written works as well as a specifically composed piece for a PBS/ITV segment on Alternative AIDS treatments. His music was featured in Keyboard Magazine's Discoveries column in September of 1996 and he has written technical articles for a small publication in Oregon, the Transoniq Hacker. His debut release "A Musical Feast", recorded under the name "Pangaea World Orchestra", gained airplay on more than 130 radio stations on four different continents in 1997. This first release was an eclectic blend of World, Jazz, Pop and New Age music. His second release in 1998, "A Road Less Traveled", is an album of Neo-Classical works for piano and chamber orchestra that gained airplay on numerous New Age/Easy Listening radio stations and programs, airing for more than a 20 months on Al Santos' "Smooth Jazz Sunday Brunch" on WJZW 105.9 FM in Washington, DC and reaching the Number 1 position on "Mystic Music" on KKUP in San Jose, CA. His other three albums, Sketches, Dreams and Memories and Another Voice, Another Place are all collections of mostly improvisational works on piano and ukulele.

Duane Frybarger:Reviews

Promotion for an independent artist is particularly difficult at any stage in one's career, but those who help at the beginning make all the difference. Three people were extremely supportive in my early efforts to get my music heard on the radio and I would like to thank them here.

Barbara Blake of Citizen Planet Radio was the most instrumental in giving me invaluable advice and a great deal of encouragement in my early days. Barbara has had an amazing career and is still very active in promoting music as well as other healing arts and philosophies on her web site. Be sure to check out all of her amazing interviews with an amazing number of jazz legends on the Music page of her site.

Also, I want to thank David Hooper who created Cathode Ray Music and broadcast my first casette tape on WUMS 92.1 in Tupelo, MS.and DJ Ottic of Alphabeats of Radio Marabu in Germany. Other very supportive radio personnel were Al Santos (Smooth Jazz Sunday Brunch) of WJZW 105.9 in Washington, DC, Chito Gebhard (The Morning Breeze) of KSBR 88.5 in Mission Viejo, CA, Jim Miller (Nightlite) of WCSY 98.3 in South Haven, MI, Mike Pauli of KMNR 89.7 in Rolla, MO and Aaron Michael Nakama of CKUL 99.7 in Lethbridge, AB, Canada. There were many other wonderful DJs and program directors that really made the difference in a very positive way in helping me get my music out to the world.

These are reviews from radio personnel who played cuts from A Musical Feast and A Road Less Traveled as well as professional reviewers in the late 1990s.

"..he weaves hypnotic little inventions made up of cleverly crafted patterns. While that may sound like a recipe for minimalism, he leapfrogs over that style, tapping the African and Asian antecedents of minimalist music...he turns a dizzying array of swirling rhythms and melodies into a charming musical spell."
Titus Levi, Keyboard Magazine

"When it comes to soothing, relaxing music, they don't get much better than this! ...each piece is a sweet, gentle breath of fresh air. ...Erik Satie's influence is apparent on many cuts, and 'Shadows' is my favorite track. I also like the change in rhythm on 'A Road Less Traveled'. This CD creates an excellent backdrop for working, reading, or perhaps a leisurely dinner..."
Kathy Parsons - Wind & Wire

"Got the CD and enjoyed it very much.... have a stick'em note on it with the following written on it: 'NICE!'"
Al Santos, "Smooth Jazz Sunday Brunch" - WJZW 105.9 FM Washington, DC

"Extremely delicious CD. ...the title track touches a resonance with me."
Kenn Bhimkumar-Reyes, DJ - "Close to the Edit", KCBL-Sacramento, CA

"Great stuff!"
Tani Chen, DJ - "Dreams of a New Age", WMBR-Cambridge, MA

"Beautiful stuff! Wonderful!"
Samantha Wright, KBSU, Boise, ID

"We will be working your cd into the playlist. Very nice work."
Judy Leigh - Producer, - "Mellenium Radio", WBBE-Jupiter, FL

"The Pangaea World Orchestra is one man's creation but it is a feast of musical influences."
Kim Ellen Levis - Jazzebeat, CIUT, Toronto, Ont, Canada April 1997

A grain of sand under the microscope