Steven Halpern is a jazz-influenced composer who has released more than 100 albums and whose 1975 debut, Spectrum Suite, is credited for kick-starting the New Age music movement. ∙ Inspired by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Jimi Hendrix, Halpern began making improvisational music for meditation and healing during the late ’60s. ∙ He sold 1975’s self-released Spectrum Suite through health food shops, yoga studios, and metaphysical bookstores, helping to establish a market for New Age music. ∙ Three of his albums have made the Billboard New Age Albums chart Top 20, including 2011’s Deep Theta – High Coherence Soundscapes for Meditation and Healing, a No. 5 hit. ∙ Deep Alpha: Brainwave Synchronization for Meditation and Healing, from 2012, received a Grammy nomination for Best New Age Album. ∙ In 2014, Halpern was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ZMR Awards, which celebrate the best in New Age, world, and instrumental music. ∙ He has sold more than two million albums, a huge total for a New Age artist releasing records on his own label.