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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!


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Showing posts with label Steve Hillage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Hillage. Show all posts

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Purple Pyramid Records: Reimagining The Court of the Crimson King - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Reimagining The Court of the Crimson King and it's a modern day replication of Fripp's early masterpiece. Opening with 21 Century Schizoid Man, Todd Rundgren and Arthur Brown on vocal is a bit more outrageous than Greg Lake's stellar vocals on the original release. Fripp who masterminded everything that KC did played guitar beautifully on the original yet Chris Poland pushes the envelope yet further. Michael Giles, who plays drums on the original track I always thought did a masterful job yet Ian Paice really does a nice job here as well and the addition of Mel Collins on sax really is a great touch. Excellent! One of my favorites form the original composition is I Talk To The Wind with Jakko M Jakszyk on vocal, guitar and keys and he really does a nice job. Django Jakszyk on flute holds the sub melody. Very nice. Danny Faulkner has the lead on Epitaph and really carries it well. Joe Lynn Turner sings Moonchild adding just a touch of theatrics to the original track and Jah Wobble on bass compliments the track with tight lines, and Marty Friedman on guitar sails. Title track, The Court of The Crimson King features James Labrie on vocal and Steve Hillage on guitar. Hillage creates trademark solos joined by Carmine Appice on drums. The release returns with instrumental takes on Schizoid Man and Brian Auger runs an elaborate keyboard solo certainly justifying the addition. 


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Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Purple Pyramid Records artist: Prog Collective - Dark Encounters - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dark Encounters, from Prog Collective, a project founded and helmed by Billy Sherwood of Yes note. Opening with Darkest Hour, longtime Billy Idol guitarist, Steve Stevens is featured with soaring guitar riffs over Sherwood's bass, keyboard and drum composition. Atmospheric and intense, this is a strong opener. Steve Morse (Dregs/Deep Purple) adds his own virtuosity to Ominous Signs with a more structured composition allowing more freedom for Sherwood's own exploration. Dark Days is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Bumblefoot (GNR) contributing some real nice guitar and vocals, Patrick Moraz (Moody Blues) on keys, Omar Hakim (Weather Report) on drums and Sherwood on bass. Soft Machine's John Etheridge lays down some nicely phrased guitar lead on The Fifth Hour, paired with Sherwood on bass, keys and drums. Very cool. Another of my favorite tracks, Between Two Worlds features Steve Hillage (Gong) on guitars and Gregg Bissonette on drums and Sherwood on vocal, bass and keys. King Crimson's Pat Mastelotto sits in on drums on For All To See with strong guitar lines by Sherwood who also plays keys and bass. Bonus Tracks include Todd Rundgren's top ten hit, I Saw The Light featuring Rundgren on vocal and Rick Wakeman on keys and an up tempo cover of 10CC's I'm Not In Love featuring Wakeman on keys and Nektar. 


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Monday, March 13, 2023

Arthur Brown - Monster's Ball - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Monster's Ball, from Arthur Brown and it's a cool, twisted blues rocker. Opening with Lucifer Sam, a driving rocker, Brown is joined by Ian Paice on drums, Steve Hillage on guitars, Fernando Perdomo on Hammond, Mellotron and bass and James Booth on guitar. On Jack Bruce's I Feel Free, Brown uses his own style on Bruce like vocal and Cream's arrangement. Joining Brown are  James Williamson on guitar, Rat Scabies on drums and Jurgen Engler on bass. Arthur Brown's 60's hit, Fire is up next and with only minimal changes in arrangement, Brown rolls this one out in full power. Backed by James Williamson on guitar, Carmine Appice on drums, Brian Auger on organ and Engler on bass, this track still rocks. Wrapping the release is ELP's Karn Evil #9: 1st Impression, Pt. 2 and with Brown's own twists in the arrangement, it's cool to hear this old track played with enthusiasm from Jordan Rudess on keys and Billy Sherwood on bass.


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  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! ”LIKE”

 For added exposure - Blues World Wide Group "LIKE" 

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 “Like” Bman’s Facebook page and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

For your convenience, you can click the title of this post above to be taken to a site where this cd can be purchased - Happy Listening

Friday, August 2, 2013

Steve Hillage premieres Mood Magic's video for "Hinotori" single

Album released by G-Wave Records - Monday 23rd September 2013
"Hinotori" single EP released - Monday 3rd June 2013
London & Manchester 2014 Concerts

Tickets available from 9am Wednesday 29th May from: www.musicglue.com/rovoandsystem7

Fans will receive a free mp3 download of the
"Hinotori" EP when ordering tickets
Rovo and System 7 announce two UK concerts next year when they will perform works from their new album "Phoenix Rising", released in the UK on Monday 23rd September.
Official artwork for the "Phoenix Rising" album
The dates include Manchester Ritz on Friday 7th March and London o2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on Saturday 8th March 2014. Tickets available from 9am Wednesday 29th May from www.musicglue.com/rovoandsystem7. Fans will receive a free mp3 download of the "Hinotori" EP when they order tickets.
Manchester Ritz
Friday 7th March 2014

Tickets: £20.00 plus booking fee
Doors: 18.30
London o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Saturday 8th March 2014

Tickets: £25.00 standing, £27.00 seated plus booking fee
Doors: 19.00




Video directed by Mood Magic (K.Morimoto H.Sakota A.Watanabe)
New album "Phoenix Rising" released 23rd Sept 2013
UK/Europe Tour March 2014 | Japan Tour Nov 2013
Rovo and System 7 "Hinotori" EP released June 3rd 2013. Digital download available from iTunes and http://rovoandsystem7.bandcamp.com. CD EP available from www.planetgong.co.uk
ROVO are a popular Japanese progressive rock/jam band. They feature two drummers, funky bass and innovative keyboards and are fronted by guitarist Seichi Yamamoto (formerly with The Boredoms) and masterful electric violinist Yuji Katsui.
ROVO
SYSTEM 7 is the dance music project of Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, presenting a unique combination of tech-house beats and live musicianship, who have had a strong influence on the development of psychedelic ambient and electronica.
System 7 featuring Steve Hillage (Guitar, Programming) and Miquette Giraudy (Synthesiser)
PHOENIX RISING live is a combined show of Rovo and System 7 playing together, sometimes using the techno beats as the rhythmic basic and sometimes using the live drums, seamlessly morphing from one to the other.
The concert will showcase some of the most sophisticated blends of electronic beats and live playing ever produced, made possible by the skilled musicianship of eight players. Fans of System 7's Steve Hillage can be assured that in the format of "Phoenix Rising" his masterful electric guitar style is fully unleashed, with extensive soloing and duets with the electric violin of Rovo's Yuji Katsui.
THE ALBUM
After a groundbreaking tour of Japan in 2011 and a successful Tokyo show at O-East, Rovo and System 7 decided to take the project further by recording a "Phoenix Rising" studio album.
The album was recorded in Tokyo in September 2012, and was completed in January and February 2013 with overdubs in Steve Hillage’s London studio, with final mixing in Tokyo.
The album is released on 23rd September 2013. The first single, "Hinotori", is released on 3rd June 2013 as a digital download (on iTunes etc) and as a Ltd Edition CD/EP.
"Phoenix Rising" features original collaborations from Rovo and System 7. It also includes a new arrangement of "Meeting of the Spirits" by the Mahavishnu Orchestra – a perfect showcase for the album’s astonishing blend of guitar and electric violin.
ALBUM TRACK-BY-TRACK
1. Hinotori (Album Version) - A reworking of the brilliant Rovo live rock adaptation of System 7’s “Hinotori”, fully based on the live band with soaring guitar and violin solos.
2. Love for the Phoenix - A techno tour de force loosely based on the classic System 7 track "Habibi" from the first System 7 album (1991) but made with a completely new beat and overlayed with live playing and violin. A powerful emotion is employed that evokes the suffering and spirit of rebirth in Japan’s recent national tragedy, and the heart-based symbolism of the Phoenix.
3. Meeting of the Spirits - A simplified cover version of the iconic Mahavishnu Orchestra track, showcasing the fantastic blend of lead guitar and electric violin, and also displaying the extraordinary beats of the two Rovo drummers.
4. Cisco (Phoenix Rising) - An epic live Rovo track in the "Krautrock" spirit of Can and Neu, with one of the trippiest tempo changes of all time, and featuring an intricate middle section composed by Steve Hillage.
5. Unbroken - An electro/breakbeat track composed by System 7 that starts completely programmed and switches to completely live playing around the same theme, with another Mahavishnu-style guitar and electric violin melody
6. Sino Dub (Phoenix Rising) - Another live Rovo track combined for Phoenix Rising with a techno trance programmed beat in typical System 7 style.
7. Unseen Onsen - A floating ambient track with lush live playing, composed by Miquette Giraudy in the Mirror System style.
PHOENIX RISING
The Phoenix (in its Asian equivalent) is a national symbol of Japan. It’s a universal concept of the Bird of Fire that rises again and it has particular resonance after the terrible events in March 2011 that continue to place a dark shadow over Japan.
This project promotes Japan’s rebirth, and is supported by Rumiko Tezuka whose father Osamu Tezuka created the iconic manga series Hi No Tori (literally Bird of Fire in Japanese),
and also features elaborate artwork and video visuals created by Mood Magic (who made the System 7 videos) and video animator and artist Koji Morimoto (Animatrix).
PHOENIX RISING – MUSICIANS
Steve Hillage [Guitar – Programming]
Miquette Giraudy [Synthesiser]
Yuji Katsui [Electric Violin]
Seiichi Yamamoto [Guitar]
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki [Drums]
Yoichi Okabe [Drums – Percussion]
Jin Harada [Bass Guitar]
Masuko Tatsuki [Keyboards]
SOCIAL NETWORKING
TWITTER
Steve Hillage
 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Steve Hillage unveils ROVO / SYSTEM 7 Album & Tour

Album released by G-Wave Records - Monday 23rd September 2013
"Hinotori" single EP released - Monday 3rd June 2013
London & Manchester 2014 Concerts

Tickets available from 9am Wednesday 29th May from: www.musicglue.com/rovoandsystem7

Fans will receive a free mp3 download of the
"Hinotori" EP when ordering tickets

Rovo and System 7 announce two UK concerts next year when they will perform works from their new album "Phoenix Rising", released in the UK on Monday 23rd September.
The dates include Manchester Ritz on Friday 7th March and London o2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on Saturday 8th March 2014. Tickets available from 9am Wednesday 29th May from www.musicglue.com/rovoandsystem7. Fans will receive a free mp3 download of the "Hinotori" EP when they order tickets.
Manchester Ritz
Friday 7th March 2014

Tickets: £20.00 plus booking fee
Doors: 18.30
London o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Saturday 8th March 2014

Tickets: £25.00 standing, £27.00 seated plus booking fee
Doors: 19.00
Rovo and System 7 "Hinotori" EP released June 3rd 2013. Digital download available from iTunes and http://rovoandsystem7.bandcamp.com. CD EP available from www.planetgong.co.uk
ROVO are a popular Japanese progressive rock/jam band. They feature two drummers, funky bass and innovative keyboards and are fronted by guitarist Seichi Yamamoto (formerly with The Boredoms) and masterful electric violinist Yuji Katsui.
ROVO
SYSTEM 7 is the dance music project of Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, presenting a unique combination of tech-house beats and live musicianship, who have had a strong influence on the development of psychedelic ambient and electronica.
System 7 featuring Steve Hillage (Guitar, Programming) and Miquette Giraudy (Synthesiser)
PHOENIX RISING live is a combined show of Rovo and System 7 playing together, sometimes using the techno beats as the rhythmic basic and sometimes using the live drums, seamlessly morphing from one to the other.
The concert will showcase some of the most sophisticated blends of electronic beats and live playing ever produced, made possible by the skilled musicianship of eight players. Fans of System 7's Steve Hillage can be assured that in the format of "Phoenix Rising" his masterful electric guitar style is fully unleashed, with extensive soloing and duets with the electric violin of Rovo's Yuji Katsui.
THE ALBUM
After a groundbreaking tour of Japan in 2011 and a successful Tokyo show at O-East, Rovo and System 7 decided to take the project further by recording a "Phoenix Rising" studio album.
The album was recorded in Tokyo in September 2012, and was completed in January and February 2013 with overdubs in Steve Hillage’s London studio, with final mixing in Tokyo.
The album is released on 23rd September 2013. The first single, "Hinotori", is released on 3rd June 2013 as a digital download (on iTunes etc) and as a Ltd Edition CD/EP.
"Phoenix Rising" features original collaborations from Rovo and System 7. It also includes a new arrangement of "Meeting of the Spirits" by the Mahavishnu Orchestra – a perfect showcase for the album’s astonishing blend of guitar and electric violin.
ALBUM TRACK-BY-TRACK
1. Hinotori (Album Version) - A reworking of the brilliant Rovo live rock adaptation of System 7’s “Hinotori”, fully based on the live band with soaring guitar and violin solos.
2. Love for the Phoenix - A techno tour de force loosely based on the classic System 7 track “Habibi” from the first System 7 album (1991) but made with a completely new beat and overlayed with live playing and violin. A powerful emotion is employed that evokes the suffering and spirit of rebirth in Japan’s recent national tragedy, and the heart-based symbolism of the Phoenix.
3. Meeting of the Spirits - A simplified cover version of the iconic Mahavishnu Orchestra track, showcasing the fantastic blend of lead guitar and electric violin, and also displaying the extraordinary beats of the two Rovo drummers.
4. Cisco (Phoenix Rising) - An epic live Rovo track in the “Krautrock” spirit of Can and Neu, with one of the trippiest tempo changes of all time, and featuring an intricate middle section composed by Steve Hillage.
5. Unbroken - An electro/breakbeat track composed by System 7 that starts completely programmed and switches to completely live playing around the same theme, with another Mahavishnu-style guitar and electric violin melody
6. Sino Dub (Phoenix Rising) - Another live Rovo track combined for Phoenix Rising with a techno trance programmed beat in typical System 7 style.
7. Unseen Onsen - A floating ambient track with lush live playing, composed by Miquette Giraudy in the Mirror System style.
PHOENIX RISING
The Phoenix (in its Asian equivalent) is a national symbol of Japan. It’s a universal concept of the Bird of Fire that rises again and it has particular resonance after the terrible events in March 2011 that continue to place a dark shadow over Japan.
This project promotes Japan’s rebirth, and is supported by Rumiko Tezuka whose father Osamu Tezuka created the iconic manga series Hi No Tori (literally Bird of Fire in Japanese),
and also features elaborate artwork and video visuals created by Mood Magic (who made the System 7 videos) and video animator and artist Koji Morimoto (Animatrix).
PHOENIX RISING – MUSICIANS
Steve Hillage [Guitar – Programming]
Miquette Giraudy [Synthesiser]
Yuji Katsui [Electric Violin]
Seiichi Yamamoto [Guitar]
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki [Drums]
Yoichi Okabe [Drums – Percussion]
Jin Harada [Bass Guitar]
Masuko Tatsuki [Keyboards]
SOCIAL NETWORKING
TWITTER
Steve Hillage
 

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Purple Pyramid artists: The Fusion Syndicate - New release review

Now here's something different! I just received the new release from The Fusion Syndicate. This band is made up of jazz, rock and blues superstars and the recording is all you could wish for in this format. Billy Sherwood, writer of all compositions and with a background of top bands as long as your arm played keys, guitars drums, synth and vocals throughout this recording. The opening track, Random Acts Of Science, has strong hints to the Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring Rick Wakeman (Yes) on keys, Jerry Goodman (Flock, Mahavishnu Orchestra) on violin, Nik Turner (Hawkwind) on sax and Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets)on bass. This is a terrific track and one that shows not only the virtuosity of all of the instrumentalists and excellent writing skills of Sherwood, but also brings back into the forefront one of my favorite fusion violin players. This is no lightweight composition and all instrumentation is first class. Next up is Stone Cold Infusion, a funky track featuring Steve Stevens ( Billy Idol, Michael Jackson) blistering guitar work, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) keys, Mel Collins (King Crimson, Camel, Alan Parsons) sax, Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree)bass, and the unmistakable work of Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra) on drums. There is a lot of hot playing on this track! Molecular Breakdown features David Sancious on keys, Jay Beckenstein (Spyro Gyra) sax, Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Steve Vai)on bass and Gavin Harrison (Porchpine Tree) on drums. Particle Accelerations features Mr. Larry Coryell with his unmistakable style on guitar, Derek Sherinian (Dream Theaterm Black Country Communion) on keys, Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea)sax and Chester Thompson (Zappa, Genesis, Steve Hackett)on drums. Coryell's playing alone on this track is worth the price of admission. At The Edge Of The Middle is a bit more laid back featuring Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple) on guitars, Jimi Beard (Mahavishnu Orchestra) on piano, Randy Brecker (Brecker Brothers) on trumpet and Percy Jones (Brand X , Soft Machine)on bass. Morse and Brecker both play outstanding riffs on this track. Atom Smashing features John Etheridge (Soft Machine) on guitars, Tony Kaye (Circa, Badger, Yes) on Hammond and synth and Chad Wackerman (Zappa)drums. This is a fairly straightforward track but extremely tight musicianship. In The Spirit Of... features Steve Hillage (Gong, Khan) on guitars, Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech) on keys, Theo Travis(soloist) sax, Justin Chancellor (Tool)on bass and Asaf Sirkis (soloist) who is a prime contributor on this track on drums. This is an excellent recording if you are at all interested in progressive J/R Fusion. The casual listener will enjoy smooth sax solos and the serious musician will feel the heat of hypnotic drums, tight bass riffs, ripping guitar solos and intricate key solos along with great composition. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! ”LIKE”