Chrysolite Records   "The Creative Christian Label"

Defining Dan Dobek's music is a little like trying to explain electricity. "Well, it's the invisible force, it seems to come from some mysterious place and it sort of energizes everything, and it's very powerful, one might say of both, and be right." But beneath the awkward search for words that work is a deeper force, the source of inspiration for Dan's profound talents as a composer and performer of dazzlingly beautiful instrumental music.

"The spirit in my music comes from this inspiration - the word inspiration, means in spirit," Dan explains. "The feeling of inspiration that comes from my walk with the Lord is what drives my expression."

Dan is an artist who is a Christian. The music he creates conveys that sense of spiritual commitment and dedication - perhaps more remarkable since most of his work is instrumental. It might be called Christian Jazz, and even people with no religious frame of reference have been able to recognize that this is music with a most unusual and powerful energy.

"An artist writes from experience, Dan says. "It comes from my joy, my struggles, even from dark places where faith is challenged, but always from where the hope is.

"As an instrumentalist, it's challenging to communicate this; yet I feel that people do feel that creative energy. A lot of artists claim to be tapped into creative energy. If you really understand the Scriptures and the gift that God has given us to be creative, it flavors the whole creative process, because you know you,re co-creating with the creator of all the universe.

Dan's career began at a very early age. By 10, he took top honors in a national contest for performance on the piano accordion, As he matured, he moved to other instruments, first to piano and then to jazz organ. After a brief stint at Berklee School of Music, Dan decided to investigate the piano thoroughly, searching for the broadest range of its possibilities. In 1990, with the release of his acclaimed CD Jazz For My Father, things began to gel. "That's when I realized that I was a writer, he recalls. "I started to view myself as a composer and not just a player. I feel that inspiration from something in my spiritual life and put that feeling to music.

Now, four recordings later and with another about to be released, Dan Dobek is sharing the love of God with his listeners. "That's the heart motivation and the musical motivation of my writing, he says. And it's that heart and music that reaches beyond perspectives, beyond personality, beyond time, to touch us all.

Meet  Dan dobek