12 October 2021: Patrick Moraz; Renaissance

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Due to the City Council Work Session broadcast on KMXT, tonight's show may begin later than 9 pm.

The first half of tonight's show celebrates the 45th anniversary of Patrick Moraz's first solo album, The Story of I.

 After the success of Relayer, Yes next made a decision that each member would make a solo album. The Story of I is the first solo album by Patrick Moraz. By the time the album was released, Moraz was still touring with Yes but he was let go by the band in late 1976 after Rick Wakeman was booked on a session musician basis during the Going for the One recording sessions in Switzerland.

The album is based around a romantic story of a massive tower in the middle of a jungle. The tower lures people from all over the world to go inside it. Inside the tower, people are able to experience their wildest desires and fantasies. The only rule is that the people inside the tower may not fall in love with each other. However two people inside do so and decide to escape since the tower acts also as a prison which inhabitants are slaves of their own desires.

The album consists of fourteen tracks related to the story. The album, particularly the percussion section, is strongly influenced by Brazilian music. Much of the Latin percussion was recorded in Rio de Janeiro over two days in August 1975 and dubbed on to the tracks. The album uses pitch-bend controls on the synth/organ notes. The Story of I was chosen as the album of the year by Keyboard Magazine.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Allmusic's retrospective review praised the album's blending of styles, finding in the various tracks "hints of funk and marimba, Caribbean and South American styles, and even flamenco, all guided by Moraz's whirlwind keyboard playing." They also made special note of Andy Newmark's drumming and the strong variety of instruments, and concluded, "The Story of I is a refreshing twist from this progressive craftsman and can sincerely be appreciated by all audiences."^[1]

If time permits we will play some tracks from 50th Anniversary - Ashes Are Burning - An Anthology Live in Concert. This release is a perfect celebration of a legendary and treasured body of music. 2019 live show featuring a set list which included songs which had never been orchestrated or performed with an orchestra before. The most memorable concert took place at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA on 12th October 2019. This sold-out concert saw the band perform a set which included such classics as 'Carpet Of The Sun', 'Ocean Gypsy', 'Running Hard', 'Day Of The Dreamer' and 'A Song For All Seasons' and also saw a special guest appearance by Renaissance founder JIM McCarty who performed on the song 'Island' and the epic closing piece 'Ashes Are Burning'. It was a truly magical evening. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the formation of Renaissance, vocalist Annie Haslam and band performed a series of concerts with an orchestra in the USA in October.

24 August 2021: Circuline; Oliver Wakeman & Steve Howe

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The first half of tonight's show will feature the New York progressive group, Circuline, and their 2016 release, Counterpoint.

Nominated for PROG magazine's Limelight award for best new band, cinematic New York-based prog rockers Circuline have managed to gather an impressive all-star line-up of SEVEN guest guitarists on their latest release "Counterpoint", including members of Enchant, Happy the Man, Renaissance, and Sound of Contact. Circuline performed at the 13th International Rites of Spring festival (RoSfest), Philadelphia's Liberty Music Fest, Chicago's Progtoberfest, New Jersey's ProgStock, and has toured England opening for IO Earth.  Find them on Facebook.

credits

released May 5, 2016

Circuline is:
Andrew Colyer - keyboards, sound design, vocals
Darin Brannon - drums, percussion, keyboards
Natalie Brown - lead vocals
William "Billy" Spillane - lead vocals, rhythm guitars
Paul Ranieri - basses
Beledo - guitars

Vocal lyrics and melodies by Randy Mcstine.
Vocal harmony arrangements by Natalie Brown, Andrew Colyer, and William Spillane.

Guest Guitarists:
Ryche Chlanda (Fireballet, Renaissance, Flying Dreams)
Alek Darson (Fright Pig, Samurai of Prog)
Matt Dorsey (Sound of Contact, Dave Kerzner Band)
Randy McStine (The Fringe, Lo-Fi Resistance)
Doug Ott (Enchant)
Alan Shikoh (Glass Hammer)
Stanley Whitaker (Happy the Man, Oblivion Sun)

Recorded at:
The Cave, Red Hook, NY; engineered by Andrew Colyer and Darin Brannon

Mixed by: Alek Darson (alekdarson.com)

Mastered at: Sun Room Audio, Cornwall, NY; engineered by Dan Coutant (www.srmastering.com)

Photography by Rob Shannon Fotopic Photography, Catskill, NY (fotopic.com)

Art illustration/graphics/cd design by Darin Brannon of DB Media Productions

Legal management: Ronald Bienstock

Band Housing courtesy of Sally and John Bowkett

 all rights reserved

 circuline rock cinematic rock crossover prog progressive rock New York

 

For the second half of tonight's show, we will feature The 3 Ages of Magick, the 2001 release from Oliver Wakeman and Steve Howe.

From reviewer SouthSideoftheSky on Prog Archives:

As a complete Steve Howe fanatic, I had to check this album out. Steve plays on several tracks - both acoustic and electric guitars. I was surprised about how good this album is, and not just because Steve plays on it.

Oliver has picked up more than a few tricks from his father. Their playing styles are indeed very similar. Rick has taught both his sons very well. But I would not say that Oliver doesn't bring anything new. I don't think that this album just as well could have been a Rick Wakeman album - Oliver has developed his own style. What impressed me the most was not the playing but Oliver's ability to write music. This is very good instrumental material. The album is varied yet consistent and does not get boring half way through as so many instrumental albums do.

The music is something of a crossover between Rick Wakeman and Mike Oldfield. The Celtic influences and instruments stand out in particular. But this is hardly New Age music even if some tracks have that feeling. This music has much more punch than New Age music. Some tracks really rock! In their own kind of way.

For fans of Rick and Steve, give Oliver a chance. 

Studio Album, released in 2001

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Ages Of Magick (5:48)
2. Mind Over Matter (4:02)
3. The Forgotten King (3:02)
4. The Storyteller (3:42)
5. The Whales Last Dance (4:30)
6. Time Between Times (5:03)
7. Flight Of The Condor (4:48)
8. Lurey And The Mermaid (3:02)
9. Standing Stones (4:31)
10. The Enchanter (6:04)
11. The Healer (4:18)
12. Through The Eyes Of A Child (2:13)
13. Hy Breasail (8:38)

Total Time: 59:41

Bonus Tracks on 2013 reissue:
14. Hit 'N Myth (Previously Unreleased) (5:14)
15. The Faerie Ring (Previously Unreleased) (5:36)
16. Dream Weaver (The Storyteller Demo) (3:33)

Line-up / Musicians

- Oliver Wakeman / piano, keyboards, Hammond, composer, producer
AND
- Steve Howe / electric, acoustic & steel guitars

With:
- Tony Dixon / Uilleann pipes, whistle, flute
- Jo Greenland / violin
- Tim Buchanan / fretted & fretless basses
- Dave Wagstaffe / drums, percussion

Releases information

Artwork: Anne Sudworth

CD Resurgence ‎- RES144CD (2001, UK)
CD Esoteric Recordings ‎- ECLEC 2415 (2013, UK) Remastered with 3 bonus tracks

 

 

 

05 November 2019: Mostly Autumn / Bernhard Wostheinrich

This week FreeForm returns to its progressive rock roots by featuring Mostly Autumn's  2019 release White Rainbow.
According to The Prog Mind:

Sometimes, albums just appear out of thin air.  That’s what it felt like for the new Mostly Autumn record.  I see now that Prog Magazine shared the information, and the band did, too, but for some reason Facebook decided to omit it from my timeline, so the album seemingly came out of nowhere for me.  In fact, the limited edition was mailed out to fans around Christmas, so some people have had it for a couple months already.  In the end, the band seems to consider this a 2019 release, and I believe the release date was officially the 1st of March.

Mostly Autumn hails from the UK and has been at the game since 1995.  The band currently consists of Olivia Sparnenn on vocals, Bryan Josh on guitars and vocals, Chris Johnson on guitars, Iain Jennings on keyboards, Angela Gordon on flute and keys, Andy Smith on bass, and Alex Cromarty on drums.  A couple things to note: This is Olivia’s fifth album with the band since the original singer left in 2010.  This is also only the second album without original rhythm guitarist Liam Davison after his death in 2017.

Mostly Autumn has been around so long that I feel as if progressive folk rock is literally defined by them in some ways.  Their music is definitely progressive rock, but they focus on soaring vocal melodies, momentous guitar solos, hefty folk portions, and organic atmospheric accents that elevate the whole experience.  Hearing one of their albums will truly transport you to dark forests, starry night skies, and inner turmoil.  So, this band is more like Renaissance than like the typical prog legends of yesteryear.

“White Rainbow” feels far more textured than any of their past albums.  The music come across as effervescent, mysterious, and nostalgic.  You will again hear weighty portions of folk and Celtic music, but progressive rock shines through in several important moments, such as the 19 minute long title track.  It’s truly a haunting experience from beginning to end, and that is exactly what I want from a Mostly Autumn record.

This is one of those albums that just has so many “heavy hitter” songs.  It seems like every song on it is well-written, well-structured, and a pure joy to behold.  For instance, “Procession” and “Viking Funeral” begin the album.  “Procession” is beautiful Celtic music intro, and you’d think that “Viking Funeral” would follow this ethnic suit, but it actually has more of an electronic overlay to it that gives it both modern and an ancient feelings.  The combination is outstanding.  The song actually revisits some melodies from my favorite Mostly Autumn album, “The Ghost Moon Orchestra”, and the baritone vocal harmonies near the end are perfect.

Once you move passed such an amazing couple of tracks, you almost expect a filler song.  However, what we get is “Burn”, the first track with Olivia on lead vocals.  It is a brightly shining star in the exquisite darkness of this album with huge melodies and this overwhelming sense of longing.  “Run for the Sun” follows and offers a similarly brilliant performance, specifically with an epic and emotional guitar solo.  And so the album continues with strong track after beautiful track.  It may be the band’s most consistent album to date.

Some of my other favorites are just as strong.  “Western Skies” starts out as a soaring ballad, but transitions into an orchestral gallop of huge proportions.  The title track itself, though, is a work of pure brilliance, and in some ways outshines everything else.  It is an epic only in the sense that is almost 20 minutes long: The way it plays, however, is as a collection of dark transitions that pass through melodic highs to riffing lows.  Rather than being an over the top expression of the Mostly Autumn sound, it is more subdued and subtle.  It feels introspective and grounded, and I absolutely love that: This restraint applies even for the crescendo near the end, which maintains its mature tone.

Overall, “White Rainbow” is a 78 minute album that doesn’t feel anywhere near that long.  It spirits you away to dark nights and distant feelings, but still feels organic, human, and grounded.  That is not an easy balance to maintain, but the band pulls it off with flying colors.  If you are fan of progressive rock with folk tendencies, like so many newer bands, it is time to visit the band that I consider to be the modern mother of them all.

In the second half of tonight's show, we'll be playing Live at Electrozone Festival 2018, Part 1 from Bernhard Wostheinrich's 2018 release, Live in Ithaca.   This release is available at a pay what you want download at Wostheinrich's Bandcamp page - click on the title for the link.  There are several other titles also available as pay what you want at this link.

Materiaal Series, Part XXI

Recorded at ElectroZone festival, Risley Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, on October 14, 2018.

Composed, programmed, and recorded in real-time by a crazy mind and his laptop. No prepared sequences, patterns, or melodies used.

This was the closing performance at the Big EZ Festival; the first ElectroZone multi-day event at Risley Hall on the Cornell campus.

The ElectroZone's goal is to create an electromusic community that celebrates inclusion, collaboration, empowerment, and performance innovation.

"We were so fortunate to have Bernhard perform at our festival. He was our headliner and final performer. Crouched on mats on that dark the stage he was like a figure from a fairy tale, Bernhard’s music transported us to the shared place of our imagination and artistry. He was the perfect summary of all that we were trying to do with the festival. His music was not a conclusion to the event, but an inspirational mandate to go out and create. I am honored to know Bernhard and I wish all you listening the same privilege" - Elijah Joseph Weber-Han

www.facebook.com/ithacaelectrozone/

credits

released October 11, 2019

Bernhard Wöstheinrich: Keyboards and virtual synthesizers, Minimoog ModelD (reissue), Live-Sequencing

Editing, mixing and mastering: Markus Reuter
Cover drawing: Christine Kriegerowski

Special thanks to Elijah Joseph Weber-Han, Mike Hunter and George "G$" Bley

02 October 2018: Dialeto and Gryphon

Review by kev rowland

SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

When Dialeto released their previous album, 'Bart'k In Rock', famed ex-King Crimson violinist David Cross made an appearance on one song, and in my review I said that he had made such an impact I really wish he has played on more. Well, at this concert on 22nd July 2017, he stuck around for way more than just one song. Coming onto stage in time for the sixth number on the CD and staying there all the way through to the end. The Brazilian trio are mostly instrumental, and here they were promoting their last album, which took compositions by B'la Bart'k and then moved them into their own genre, with lots of improvisation. Interestingly, one of the songs featured on this CD is 'Mikrokosmos 78', which Dialeto hadn't worked on, and it was only after the suggestion of Cross that a version was put together especially for this concert.
Cross is a very busy musician, but one hopes that he sticks around for more gigs and recording with the trio, as they all blend their skills so very well together, to create an album that is exciting, invigorating, and just bloody great fun to listen to. The interaction between all four is incredible, as they extend and move away from songs and take them into new areas. The first eight songs are by Diaelto, and then we have four from King Crimson and one from David's own band. 'Starless' is instantly recognisable, and gets a reaction from the crowd; it is the perfect way to close out the concert (with drummer Fred Bayley showing that he is a fine singer, and it is a choice for the band to be instrumental as opposed to lack of skill). But before then everyone has been treated to an amazing concert, with four great musicians bouncing ideas off each other, allowing the music to take them where it needs to go. Dialeto have been building quite a reputation, and deservedly so, and hopefully this work with Cross will see them being recognised by a far wider audience, as it is certainly deserved.

Live, released in 2018

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Roumanian Folk Dances 3: Standing Still (3:39) video
2. Roumanian Folk Dances 2: Peasant Costume (3:01)
3. Roumanian Folk Dances 4: Stick Game (4:58)
4. Mikrokosmos 149: Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm II (3:48)
5. Mikrokosmos 113: Bulgarian Rhythm I (4:44)
6. Mikrokosmos 78: Five Tone Scale (7:31)
7. An Evening in the Village: 10 Easy Piano Pieces No. 5 (4:38)
8. The Young Bride: For Children Vol. 1 No. 17 (5:15)
9. Exiles (10:59)
10. Tonk (3:34)
11. The Talking Drum (6:39)12. Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part Two (7:33)
13. Starless (11:19)

Total Time 77:38

Line-up / Musicians

- Nelson Coelho / Guitar, Mellotron Guitar (13)
- Gabriel Costa / Bass Guitar, Vocals (10)
- Fred Barley / Drums, Vocals (9,13)
With:
- David Cross / Violin (5-13)

Releases information

Format: CD, Digital
May 2, 2018 (Digital) June 4, 2018 (CD) 

Red Queen to Gryphon Three is the third studio album made by the band Gryphon. The album was released on Transatlantic Records in the UK with a blue cover, while Bell Records released the album in Canada with the cover border in black.
Red Queen to Gryphon Three is a concept album based loosely on a game of chess. The music, which frequently evokes a medieval mood, blends and alternates Baroque, Renaissance, English folk and progressive rock music styles. Themes are presented, developed and recapitulated in the fashion of classical music.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Opening Move"	Richard Harvey, Graeme Taylor, Brian Gulland, David Oberlé	9:42
2.	"Second Spasm"	Taylor, Gulland	8:15

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
3.	"Lament"	Taylor, Gulland, Philip Nestor	10:45
4.	"Checkmate"	Harvey, Taylor, Gulland, Oberlé	9:50
Total length:			38:32

Personnel

• Brian Gulland – bassoon, krumhorn
• Graeme Taylor – guitars
• Richard Harvey – keyboards, recorders, krumhorn
• Philip Nestor – bass guitar
• David Oberlé – drums, percussion, tympani

Production^[2]

• Arranged by Gryphon
• Produced by Gryphon & Dave Grinsted
• Recorded & Mixed by Dave Grinsted at Chipping Norton Studios, August 1974
• All songs published by Heathside Music.
• Organ manufactured by Ernest Hart
• Acoustic bass manufactured by Pete Redding