11-28-24 Today on Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #599 we present an hour of visionary acoustic improvised music played by The Gaea Star Band with Mariam Massaro on vocals, Native flute, mandolin, acoustic 6- and 12-string guitar, ukulele and sitar, Bob Sherwood on piano and Craig Harris on congas and Native drum. Recorded live at Singing Brook Studio in late November of 2024, today’s show begins with the stately, romantic “Open Wide Our Hearts”, a brisk folk song with tight acoustic guitar from Mariam, followed by “Listen To The Calling Of Your Spirit” is a mystical, reverent piece built around Mariam’s alternately-tuned 12-string Martin acoustic guitar. “Mother Earth We Love You” is a beautifully mysterious minor-keyed folk song featuring a fine vocal and imaginative, gainfully-arranged classical piano from Bob. “I Want To Be A Witness” spins and stretches the theme of the previous song in a harmonically unusual frame and features a gorgeous melody over Craig’s steady, supportive conga groove. Lovely, deep folk mode is achieved with the lilting “Into The Mighty Waves”, a deeply affecting, endlessly unwinding poem over a gently supporting carpet of sound from the ensemble. We close with a suite of two mystical ragas as Mariam strums her exotic sitar; the floating, evanescent “Sri Padma Lakshmi” and its frenetic, energized sister “Lotus Queens”, closing today’s show with a flourish.
Learn more about Mariam here: http://www.mariammassaro.com
