Nashville-basedcomposer,producerand long-time keyboardist/musical director for Michael W. Smith, Jim Daneker is pleased to announce the release of his debut instrumental album, AD ALTA. Over a year in production, AD ALTA (Latin for “to the summit”) is an ambitious and inspiring project inFluenced by iconic Film scores such as Star Wars, Braveheart, Gladiator, and Schindler’s List - along with anthemic pop/ rock and ethnic music from around the world. It features a live orchestra, Nashville’s Finest studio musicians, and notable guest performers from as far away as Vienna, Austria. Since moving to Nashville in 1995, Daneker has helped many of Christian music’s top artists bring their music to life in the studio and on tour, including Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman and many more. All that time, he dreamed of expressing his own artistic vision through a soundtrack that would reFlect the whole of human experience. In January 2016, Daneker Finally took a leap of faith and stepped away from other work to pursue this dream, thanks to the help of fans & supporters via a successful Kickstarter campaign. Daneker describes the project as a musical metaphor for his journey through the ups and downs of life, which he believes any listener will relate to. “There’s something on this record for everyone, no matter where you are on your own journey. At one point or another we all experience pain, loss, and difFiculty... but hopefully some triumphs, adventures, and healing as well. This is my story set to music so it reFlects all of those things, but I hope it deeply moves and encourages the listener, that it helps tell their own story, and ultimately that it reFlects the hope that there are better days ahead.” Having grown up on the Film scores and pop music of the 70s & 80s, Daneker also hopes AD ALTA is just plain fun to listen to. “John Williams wrote the soundtrack to much of my life. There are certainly nods to him on AD ALTA, as well as other Film music greats like Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, and Ennio Morricone... and some 80’s icons like Peter Gabriel and U2.”