Big Sur

Big Sur is a lightly populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. Although it has no specific boundaries, many definitions of the area include the 90 miles (140 km) of coastline from the Carmel River in Monterey County south to the San Carpoforo Creek in San Luis Obispo County, and extend about 20 miles (30 km) inland to the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucias. Other sources limit the eastern border to the coastal flanks of these mountains, only 3 to 12 miles (5 to 19 km) inland. Another practical definition of the region is the segment of California State Route 1 from Carmel south to San Simeon. The northern end of Big Sur is about 120 miles (190 km) south of San Francisco, and the southern end is approximately 245 miles (394 km) northwest of Los Angeles.

The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big country of the south". This name refers to its location south of the city of Monterey. The terrain offers stunning views, making Big Sur a popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak is the highest coastal mountain in the contiguous 48 states, ascending nearly a mile (5,155 feet/1571 m) above sea level, only 3 miles (5 km) from the ocean.

Big

Big means large or of great size.

Big or BIG may also refer to:

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Organizations

Armada Music

Armada Music /ɑːrˈmɑːdə/ is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic music, co-founded by Armin van Buuren.

Armada Music is an independent record company founded in June, 2003 by Armin van Buuren, Maykel Piron, and David Lewis, whose names abbreviate to "Armada".

Throughout the years, the record company has brought countless releases within the wide spectrum of electronic dance music to its fans. Armada Music is actively releasing records in trance, deep house, progressive house, techno, and even in the pop genre, making it a label that stands out from the crowd.

From 2009-2013, the record label received five consecutive International Dance Music Awards for 'Best Global Dance Label'. Armada received 22 nominations at the 2014 IDMAs, winning 10, including 'Best Compilation' for A State of Trance. The Academy of Electronic Music, a joint venture between Armada, Google, Point Blank, and DJ Mag, was the recipient of the 'People's Voice Award' at the 2014 Webby Awards. CEO Maykel Piron was awarded with a ‘Feather’ — a prize awarded to someone within the Dutch music industry for making an extraordinary contribution to Dutch music. Maykel Piron is the youngest person to have ever received this prestigious award.

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. They emerged at the vanguard of the "California Sound", performing original surf songs that gained international popularity for their distinct vocal harmonies and lyrics exploring a southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance. Influenced by jazz-based vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and doo-wop, Brian led the band in devising novel approaches to music production, arranging his compositions for studio orchestras, and experimenting with several genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic and baroque.

The group began as a garage band managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, with Brian's creative ambitions and sophisticated songwriting abilities dominating the group's musical direction. After 1964, their albums took a different stylistic path that featured more personal lyrics, multi-layered sounds, and recording experiments. In 1966, the Pet Sounds album and "Good Vibrations" single vaunted the group to the top level of rock innovators and established the band as symbols of the nascent counterculture era. Following the dissolution of Smile, Brian gradually ceded control to the rest of the band, reducing his input because of mental health and substance abuse issues. Though the more democratic incarnation of the Beach Boys recorded a string of albums in various music styles that garnered international critical success, the group struggled to reclaim their commercial momentum in America. Since the 1980s, much-publicized legal wrangling over royalties, songwriting credits and use of the band's name transpired.

Tim Janis

Tim Janis is an American composer with 10 Billboard charting CDs, over one million albums sold, four National Public Television Specials, and a constant touring presence.

Career

Tim Janis has worked with some of the top artists in the music and entertainment business including Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, George Clooney, Jackie Evancho, and James Earl Jones. He has also conducted the Czech National Symphony, the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

On 30 November 2012, Janis produced "The American Christmas Carol" concert for Kate Winslet’s Golden Hat Foundation supported by Sarah McLachlan, Loreena McKennitt, Andrea Corr, Hayley Westenra, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys,an orchestra, a choir, etc. in Carnegie Hall. He has continued to produce similar concerts for 2013 and 2014.

Tim Janis, who has conducted the Czech National Symphony, the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in addition to writing his own music, studied piano and received a degree in composition from the University of New Hampshire in 1991. He has cited composers John Williams, John Barry, and Hans Zimmer as major influences.