11-10-22 Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #508 is an hour of powerful visionary acoustic improvisational music featuring the Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, Celtic harp, kalimba, dulcimer, ukulele, acoustic guitar, shruti box and percussion, Bob Sherwood on piano, Craig Harris on congas and Native drums and our newest member, flautist and percussionist Cevher Demirel. Today’s show was recorded completely live at Singing Brook Studio in Worthington Massachusetts in the Berkshires in November 2022. The band begins the hour with “Beneath The Brilliant Blue”, a driving, psychedelic piece that begins as a sweet, legato exploration and slowly, slowly builds to a driving, powerful anthem driven by Mariam’s inspirational words and melodies. “Let’s Try Harder To Keep Awakening” is a lush, swirling cloud of a song built around Mariam’s chiming thumb piano. Bob extrapolates the E minor key of the kalimba through a series of dizzying modal shifts as Cevher’s rhythmic flute and Craig’s bouncing congas hold the piece in context. Shifting into modern electronic textures and ultimately into a crisp blues complete with dashing flute solos from Cevher, the piece distinguishes itself with a casual, playful virtuosity. “Hail To Everything” is deep forest music, dancing Native flute from Mariam, druidic, obsessive piano from Bob and a powerful, compelling percussion underpinning from Craig and Cevher. “Calling You Home Now” is a gorgeous Eastern folk song that unwinds mysteriously from Mariam’s chiming ukulele in minor. Shaded, midnight chord changes ride a maddening edge between Indian and Western Classical music and Cevher weaves evocative flute lines through this unsettled, compelling piece that slowly builds to a strange and driving groove. Equally shaded and nocturnal is the darkly charismatic “Spice In Your Life”, another song draped in Cevher’s flute and Mariam’s winding melodies, the piece ramps up in energy to a sparse, rocking afro-cuban workout with tight, ambitious piano figures from Bob and driving congas from Craig. “Great Transformation” is today’s closing piece, a powerful raga with a masterful lyric and melody from Mariam. The weaving of Cevher’s flute and Mariam’s vocal reaches its zenith on this powerful piece underpinned by the twin drones of Mariam’s shruti box and dulcimer.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com
