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Tribute (Yanni album)

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Tribute
Live album and concert film by
Yanni
ReleasedNovember 4, 1997
RecordedMarch and May 1997
VenueTaj Mahal, India; Forbidden City, China
GenreInstrumental
Length67:13
LabelVirgin Records
ProducerYanni
Yanni chronology
Nightbird
(1997) 		Tribute
(1997) 		Forbidden Dreams: Encore Collection, Volume 2
(1998)

Tribute is the second live album and third concert film by Greek keyboardist and songwriter Yanni, released in November 1997 on Virgin Records. It was recorded at the Taj Mahal, India in March 1997 and the Forbidden City, China, in May 1997, both featuring Yanni performing with a seven-piece band, choir, and 27-piece orchestra.

Tribute went to No. 1 on the Billboard Top New Age Album chart and No. 21 on the Billboard 200.[1] The concert film was released in December 1997. In March 1998, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling one million copies in the US. Yanni supported the album with the Tribute World Tour between January and July 1998, after which he put his career on a two-year hiatus.

Background

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In 1994, Yanni released his first live album, Live at the Acropolis, which saw him perform with his band and orchestra at the Herodes Atticus Theatre in his native Greece. It became his best selling album of his career with 4 million copies sold in the US alone. Yanni was influenced to perform at such locations while visiting his father in Greece following the success of the Acropolis concerts, who thought it was a shame "After going so far with my music, not to take it all the way around the world."[2] This led to Yanni's desire to stage concerts at other historic sites and the decision to perform in India and China, which he said took around two-and-a-half years to plan[3] and cost around $4 million.[4]

The shows at the Taj Mahal took place on three nights in March 1997, as part of celebrations around the fiftieth anniversary of Indian independence.[4] A temporary concert site was constructed which involved the Indian army building bridges across the River Yamuna.[4] The shows included a light display that marked the first time the monument was illuminated at night.[3] The concerts were met with some protests against them, claiming the lighting and sound systems would harm the building and its surroundings. Some local farmers went so far to threaten to immolate themselves on the site, until a financial settlement between them, the Indian government, and Yanni was agreed upon.[5] Yanni later said that the reports of immolation were rumours that were generated by the political dispute, and that he had met a group of local farmers and had tea with them which he said helped defuse the situation. "And they said 'no, we're not crazy.'"[6] The Supreme Court of India threw out a case filed by the Archaeological Survey of India that tried to cancel the shows.[5] A portion of the receipts was donated toward conserving the Taj Mahal, which is affected by smoke and brick kilns.[7] The second concert was broadcast live on Indian television.[3] Yanni was particularly nervous about presenting a setlist of new music and whether the Indian public thought what he did was "appropriate and respectful toward the monument."[3]

The shows at the Forbidden City followed in May 1997 and took place at the courtyard at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. This marked the first time a Western artist in modern times was permitted perform at the location.[5] The project began after Yanni received an invitation from the China National Culture and Arts Corp. Before the Forbidden City was chosen, locations by the Great Wall of China and the Temple of Heaven were possible candidates to stage the shows. The show's promoters asked for 5,000 seats, but they had to settle for around 4,000, hundreds of which were reserved for Chinese officials.[5] A request to beam lights from inside the temple outward was denied. The crew were instructed to have the sound no louder than 40 decibels. Before the show, Yanni performed sold-out shows at arenas in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Later in 1997, Yanni deemed the audiences as the best of his career.[5]

Yanni hired Armenian conductor Armen Anassian for the tour "on faith"; he had not seen Anassian perform before.[8] The conductor recalled being sceptical about the tour, "But the truth is, it happened. We did it" and said it was a "life-changing experience."[9]

Album

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Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
AllMovie[11]

In a review by Jonathan Widran of AllMusic, "Yanni's gargantuan popularity unfortunately makes him an easy target for those who see his orchestrally inspired works as glorified musical wallpaper. But if they'd listen for the whole picture before judging, it would be clear that he brings classically influenced symphonic qualities to modern instrumental music; it's highly charged film scoring, only without the movie. The musical images comprising Tribute and the photos in the packaging come from the famous places that not only inspired it but at which it was performed: India's Taj Mahal and China's Forbidden City. While conventional string and brass instruments lead the way, Pedro Eustache's bamboo sax and Doodook and the gypsy-flavored lead violin of Karen Briggs supply appropriate dashes of Eastern culture. "Waltz in 7/8" combines the traditional western rhythm scheme with Eustache's exotic flute improvisation. As always, Yanni plays keyboards, but he's more a ringmaster/conductor of an inspiring, symphonic brew that includes gospel and flamenco (with rousing vocals and an accompanying guitar textured over a mid size string section), powerful violin/funky sax duets (the core of the seven-minute "Renegade"), improvisational trumpet ("Dance with a Stranger"), and an intoxicating weave of an orchestra with upward climbing operatic voices. Yanni and friends tap on another culture on the closing track, the previously recorded African tribal piece "Niki Nana", which features Eustache's percussive flute and a hooky wordless vocal chant from a gospel-flavored, female choir. As we see from the other artists this month, there are many ways to build musical bridges between East and West; Yanni's approach is spiritual grandeur in a beautiful, theatrical setting."[12]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Deliverance"8:33
2."Adagio in C Minor"3:50
3."Renegade"7:14
4."Dance with a Stranger"6:45
5."Tribute"6:40
6."Prelude"2:27
7."Love Is All" (writers Pamela Lynn McNeill, Dugan McNeill; and performed by Vann Johnson)5:25
8."Southern Exposure"6:48
9."Waltz in 7/8"5:32
10."Nightingale"5:44
11."Niki Nana (We're One)" (Tommy Sterling, Yanni)8:15

RIAA certification

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Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Gold and Platinum database entries:[13]

  • (G=Gold, P=Platinum, M=Multi-Platinum)
  • YANNI TRIBUTE 03/11/98 VIRGIN P ALBUM SOLO Std
  • YANNI TRIBUTE 03/11/98 VIRGIN G ALBUM SOLO Std

Video

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Track listing

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  1. "Deliverance"
  2. "Adagio in C Minor"
  3. "Renegade"
  4. "Waltz in 7/8"
  5. "Tribute"
  6. "Dance with a Stranger"
  7. "Nightingale"
  8. "Southern Exposure"
  9. "Prelude"
  10. "Love Is All"
  11. "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  12. "Santorini"

Sound

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"Tribute"
Title track from the album Tribute
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Personnel

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Music

  • Yanni – keyboards
  • Karen Briggs – violin, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • Daniel de los Reyes – percussion, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • Pedro Eustache – flute, soprano saxophone, bamboo saxophone, duduk, quena, Chinese flute, ney, bass flute, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • Ric Fierabracci – bass guitar
  • Ming Freeman – keyboards
  • David Hudson – didgeridoo
  • Ramon Stagnaro – guitar, charango, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • Joel Taylor – drums
  • Alfreda Gerald – vocals, lead vocals on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • Vann Johnson – vocals, lead vocals on "Love Is All"
  • Jeanette Clinger – vocals
  • Catte Adams – vocals
  • Armen Anassian – conductor, violin on "Tribute"
  • Clif Foster – first violin, concertmaster
  • Beth Folsom – violin
  • Julian Hallmark – violin
  • Sayuri Kawada – violin
  • Neal Laite – violin
  • Ann Lasley – violin, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • Will Logan – violin
  • Julie Metz – violin
  • Pam Moore – violin
  • Cheryl Ongaro – violin, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • Delia Park – violin, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • Irina Voloshina – violin
  • Corinne Chapelle – violin
  • German Markosian – viola
  • Eugene Mechtovich – viola
  • Cathy Paynter – viola, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • John Krovoza – cello
  • Sarah O'Brien – cello
  • Lisa Pribanic – cello
  • Alexander Zhiroff – cello
  • Gary Lasley – contra bass, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • April Aoki – harp
  • Cheryl Foster – oboe
  • Matt Reynolds – French horn, chorus on "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • James Mattos – French horn
  • Paul Klintworth – French horn
  • Doug Lyons – French horn
  • Luis Aquino – trumpet
  • Kerry Hughes – trumpet
  • Rich Berkeley – trombone
  • Dana Hughes – trombone, bass trombone

Production

  • Yanni – production, arranger, engineer, orchestrations
  • Anthony Stabile – assistant engineer
  • Tommy Sterling – assistant engineer
  • Paul Sarault - monitor engineer
  • Curtis Kelly - monitor engineer / technician
  • Jeffrey Mark Silverman – orchestrations

The Tribute World Tour 1998

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Dates

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1997–1998

Cities

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For cities, see below

Set list

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  • "Deliverance"
  • "Adagio in C Minor"
  • "Renegade"
  • "Waltz in 7/8"
  • "Tribute"
  • "Dance with a Stranger"
  • "Within Attraction"
  • "Aria"
  • "Keys to Imagination"
  • "Nightingale"
  • "Southern Exposure"
  • "Marching Season"
  • "Nostalgia"
  • "Prelude/Love Is All"
  • "Acroyali/Standing in Motion"
  • "Reflections of Passion"
  • "Niki Nana (We're One)"
  • "Santorini"

Tour production

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  • Business Manager: Tom Paske
  • Video Director/Producer: George Veras
  • Tour Accountants: Diane Kramer, Pete Dorsey
  • Yanni Management Tour Support Staff: Anda Allenson, Richard Allenson

Tour dates

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[14]

Date City Country Venue
January 17, 1998 New York City United States Radio City Music Hall
January 24, 1998 Sacramento ARCO Arena
January 26, 1998 Worcester Worcester's Centrum Centre
January 27, 1998 Philadelphia CoreStates Center
January 29, 1998 Fort Lauderdale Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center
January 31, 1998 Washington, D.C. MCI Center
February 3, 1998 Fairborn Ervin J. Nutter Center
February 4, 1998 Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills
February 6, 1998 Cleveland CSU Convocation Center
February 7, 1998 Buffalo Marine Midland Arena
February 8, 1998 Pittsburgh Civic Arena
February 10, 1998 St. Louis Kiel Center
February 12, 1998 Indianapolis Market Square Arena
February 14, 1998 Moline The MARK of the Quad Cities
February 17, 1998 Knoxville Thompson–Boling Arena
February 18, 1998 Louisville Freedom Hall
February 19, 1998 Nashville Nashville Arena
February 21, 1998 Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena
February 22, 1998 Chicago United Center
February 25, 1998 Anaheim Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim
February 27, 1998 Inglewood Great Western Forum
February 28, 1998 Oakland The Arena in Oakland
March 19, 1998 Tulsa Tulsa Convention Center
March 20, 1998 Phoenix America West Arena
March 22, 1998 Reno Lawlor Events Center
March 24, 1998 Sacramento ARCO Arena
March 25, 1998 San Jose San Jose Arena
March 27, 1998 Salt Lake City Delta Center
March 28, 1998 Las Vegas Strip MGM Grand Garden Arena
March 29, 1998 San Diego San Diego Sports Arena
April 3, 1998 Portland Rose Garden Arena
April 4, 1998 Spokane Spokane Arena
April 5, 1998 Seattle KeyArena
April 6, 1998 Vancouver General Motors Place
April 9, 1998 Edmonton Edmonton Coliseum
April 10, 1998 Calgary Canadian Airlines Saddledome
April 12, 1998 Denver McNichols Sports Arena
April 18, 1998 Lincoln Bob Devaney Sports Center
April 19, 1998 Valley Center Kansas Coliseum
April 21, 1998 Milwaukee Bradley Center
April 22, 1998 Madison Dane County Coliseum
April 23, 1998 Duluth Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
April 25, 1998 Winnipeg Winnipeg Arena
April 26, 1998 Fargo Fargodome
May 18, 1998 Austin Frank Erwin Center
May 26, 1998 University Park Bryce Jordan Center
June 2, 1998 Rochester, NY
June 7, 1998 Boston Fleet Center
June 8, 1998 Hartford Hartford Civic Center
June 12, 1998 Atlanta Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 13, 1998 Atlanta Coca-Cola Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 14, 1998 Cincinnati The Crown
June 20, 1998 Chicago United Center
June 23, 1998 Syracuse Onondaga County War Memorial
June 26, 1998 Uniondale Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
June 30, 1998 Montreal Molson Centre
July 3, 1998 Quebec City Colisée de Québec
July 5, 1998 Hamilton Copps Coliseum

Charts

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Chart performance for Tribute
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 48
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 16
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 11
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 27
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 21
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] 40
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[21] 16
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 35
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 23
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 40
US Billboard 200[25] 21
US New Age Albums (Billboard)[1] 1

Certifications

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Certifications for Tribute
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 50,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[27] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[28] Platinum 1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[29]
Video 		2× Platinum 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Chart history for Tribute". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  2. ^ Smith, Stacy Jenel (November 21, 1997). "Singer gains insights in India, China". Fremont Tribune. p. 15. Retrieved January 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d Gettelman, Parry (December 5, 1997). "New Yanni album took a world of work". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Karp, Jonathan (March 20, 1997). "Yanni detractors say concerts sound ominous for Taj Mahal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e Chu, Henry (May 30, 1997). "Yanni opens the door to the Forbidden City". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Hosier, Anne (March 27, 1998). "Yanni on the spot". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  7. ^ "Taj Mahal can weather Yanni concert". Arizona Republic. March 15, 1997. p. B6. Retrieved January 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Profile at Serve.com". serve.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  9. ^ "Interview with Armen Anassian from the Toledo Blade". serve.com. 1998-02-01. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  10. ^ Allmusic
  11. ^ Allmovie
  12. ^ Jonathan Widran. "Review of Tribute". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
  13. ^ "Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Gold and Platinum searchable database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  14. ^ "Yanni 1998 Tour Dates". setlist.fm. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Yanni – Tribute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Yanni – Tribute" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Yanni – Tribute" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Yanni – Tribute" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Lescharts.com – Yanni – Tribute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Charts.nz – Yanni – Tribute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Yanni – Tribute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Yanni – Tribute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Yanni – Tribute". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Yanni Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Yanni – Tribute". Music Canada. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  27. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 944. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  28. ^ "American album certifications – Yanni – Tribute". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  29. ^ "American video certifications – Yanni – Tribute". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
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