Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #157

03-19-15   “Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #157 begins with the lustrous, melancholy “Getting Right Through” featuring Mariam Massaro on vocals and Tibetan crystal bowls with Craig Harris’ hypnotic conga patterns and Robert Sherwood’s circular, tranced-out piano providing a shifting framework.  We build to a climactic, open series of movements before moving on to today’s next piece.  “Gigi” is a squirrel in residence at Singing Brook Farm and Mariam evokes her to a bluesy, driving backdrop of her tenor ukelele, piano and congas.  “Understanding” is a pretty new song of Mariam’s and Bob fits a suitably romantic piano figure to the melody with Craig keeping it grooving.  A touch of Dylan’s “A Simple Twist Of Fate” haunts this lovely ballad to mutual understanding. Mariam’s “Sparkling Skies Of Light” is a fast-paced, busily-arpeggiated and mysterious hymn to the night sky that rocks mightily through an Afro-Cuban tour de force with Mariam’s uke, Bob’s piano and Craig’s frenetic drumming evoking a spinning starfield as Mariam weaves sweeping melodies throughout. “Gathering” is a lovely, wistful folk ballad with Mariam on acoustic guitar featuring blues-to-Schubert piano extrapolations from Bob that drifts away on a cloud of hypnotic repetition.  We finish with “Nia”, a song for Nia the cat that closes the hour with delicate feline touches”