11-03-22 Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #507 is an hour of visionary acoustic improvisational music performed live by The Gaea Star Band at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington, Massachusetts in October of 2022. With Mariam Massaro on vocals, Celtic harp, Native flute, ukulele, kalimba and acoustic 6- and 12-string guitars, Bob Sherwood on piano, Craig Harris on congas and Native drums and Cevhar Demirel on flute and bongos. Today’s show begins with the stately “For The Greatness” a fine meditative groove decorated with Mariam’s elemental Native flute and vocals, “Every Moment” is a blustery, tonally ambiguous folk song that evokes motion and mystery and “The Portal” is a gorgeous raga driven by Mariam’s chiming Martin 12-string and a powerful rhythm section from Craig and Bob. Mariam forms the outline for the mysterious, evocative “The Portal” with steady guitar chords as Bob arrives at an ostinato in fourths that creates a floating, meditative mood. Mariam again creates the structure for the arriving piece with the beautiful, deep “A Beautiful Treasure”, this time with her kalimba, outlining a mode that Bob spins into a series of bittersweet chords beneath Mariam’s gorgeous melody of deep longing. “Spirit Calling” is a piece powerfully influenced by indigenous American music, a mesmerizing piano motif, driving congas and Mariam’s flowing vocals and Native flute create a lush cloud of sound. “Let’s All Be Free” arrives in flute fanfares from Cevhar as Bob establishes a hypnotic, circular, never-changing piano raga beneath Mariam’s beautiful, melancholic melody. Today’s show finishes with the slow burn of “Just Being”, a powerful Native-Afro-Cuban piece that presents each player’s strengths in a fiery instrumental and vocal display.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com
