Restaurant Background Music

I've bought several of Joe Baker's recordings to help with relaxation and studying, and I've been very happy with them. This one is quite strange, however. First, when I think of "restaurant background music," I tend to of think accessible arrangements of jazz standards, not the classical piano-recital fare on this recording. Second, the performances are digitally created. The electronic origins of the sound are mostly not overpoweringly evident--for much of the recording, I found it easy to imagine that I was listening to an old saloon pianola rather than a computer. But sometimes the electronic timbre of the "piano" is unmistakable, and on a few occasions (e.g., around the 57-minute mark, in an arrangement from "The Nutcracker") undisguised synthetic sounds are allowed to make an appearance.It's hard for me to imagine what kind of restaurant might use this recording for background music. Nor is this recording, it seems to me, what most people would find relaxing. Nevertheless, it is perfectly suited for use in a car, because (unlike most classical recordings) it has a very narrow dynamic range. In other words, once you set your car speaker volume to a comfortable level, you'll be able to hear everything, without straining to hear the soft passages or being deafened by the loud ones. When I'm driving and don't want to listen to talk or music that demands my attention, this recording is ideal. And for 99 cents, how can you go wrong?

This album is a perfect and relaxing listening experience. This album contains one continuous 71-minute track of soft piano music. The volume is essentially level throughout the recording. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, and Schumann - all of these masters are included. Only their softest and most soothing pieces were selected for inclusion.

Very entertaining, you may be reminded of elevator music. However, It is past such neutrality. Good selection. It has my vote,