10-29-15 Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #187 begins with Mariam Massaro’s epic “Deep Inside Mother Earth” and features Mariam on vocals, singing bowl, Peruvian owl whistle and chimes, Dameron Midgett on violin, Craig Harris on congas and Robert Sherwood on piano. This emotive, expansive improvisation traces slowly from a triumphant major to a lovely, questioning minor as we flow seamlessly into the powerful “May I Walk With Grace”. Mariam drives this lovely prayer with her distinctive native flute and vocal conversation as Bob paints a shifting, classical motif over Craig’s metronomic groove.
The third song today is Mariam’s “Lalita”, a tale that takes place at the ocean’s edge. A sweet carpet of rhythm from Mariam on baritone ukelele and Dameron on mandolin frame an ever-spiraling circle of piano arpeggios in this evocative song about a young girl and the sea. Next up Dameron picks up the violin to lead us into a reel that evokes an unsettled sea as Bob plays fast and loose with structure and harmony. Following the break is the fantastical “Purple Majesty”, a swirling mystery of a piece that begins as a raga based on a didjeridoo drone from Dameron. Majors and minors collide in clouds of echo as the piece builds in response to the stormy theme, driven along by Mariam’s assertive acoustic guitar. Electronic washes begin to craze the surface of the piece, creating a mood of expectancy and a pleasing tension as the band reach for the plateau and release into a mesmerizing series of unusual, austere classical motifs that underpin a lovely vocal from Mariam. Settling into a lush, shifting progression we again feature Mariam’s native flute as she drives the dynamic upwards into a rocking jam featuring Dameron’s echo-laden banjo and soaring, elemental vocals from Mariam.
